Animus Rifts in AC Black Flag Resynced replace the original game’s modern-day storyline with four optional “What If” quests scattered across the Caribbean. Each one unlocks at a different story milestone, drops you into an alternate version of Edward’s world, and pays out real rewards when you finish. Here’s every location, coordinate, unlock condition, and full walkthrough.
TL;DR
- There are four Animus Rifts total — Wayward Souls, Wayward Desires, Wayward Minds, and True Purpose.
- Each Rift unlocks at a specific story sequence: Sequence 4, 8, 11, and post-Epilogue.
- They cover “What If” scenarios for Edward, Blackbeard, and Mary Read.
- Rift 1 mixes parkour and puzzles, Rift 2 is combat-heavy, Rift 3 is stealth-focused, Rift 4 ends in a two-phase boss fight against Ego.
- Finishing all four earns you the legendary Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords and 300 Animus Keys.
- None of the Rifts expire, so you can save them all for post-game if you prefer.
What Are Animus Rifts in AC Black Flag Resynced?
Animus Rifts are a brand-new feature exclusive to the remake. They first appeared in Assassin’s Creed Shadows and carry over into Resynced as the game’s way of telling a modern-day story without Abstergo employees or office corridors. Instead, you get four self-contained quests that play out inside the Animus itself.
When you enter a Rift, you meet Ego — a creepy AI entity that lives inside the Animus and narrates each segment. She walks you through alternate histories and asks the big “What If” questions. Expect a mix of platforming, stealth sections, combat encounters, and proper boss fights depending on which Rift you’re tackling.
The Rifts also tie in with the Data Files collectibles scattered around the Caribbean, giving you extra context about what’s happening outside the Animus simulation. They’re entirely optional, but they’re some of the most story-rich content in the game.
You can check out our full breakdown of all new content in AC Black Flag Resynced for a broader look at what Ubisoft added to the remake.
Animus Rifts — Quick Reference Table
- Rift 1 — Wayward Souls: Unlock after Sequence 4 | Coordinates 825,429 | Great Inagua (south coast) | Reward: Story letter
- Rift 2 — Wayward Desires: Unlock after Sequence 8 | Coordinates 604,784 | Small island north of Nassau | Reward: Queen Anne’s Revenge Wheel
- Rift 3 — Wayward Minds: Unlock after Sequence 11 | Coordinates 14,559 | Northwest tip of Sacrifice Island | Reward: Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate shanty
- Rift 4 — True Purpose: Unlock after the Epilogue + all 3 prior Rifts | Coordinates 363,176 | Small island east of Misteriosa | Reward: Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords + 300 Animus Keys
Rift 1 — Wayward Souls (Great Inagua, 825,429)
How to Unlock Wayward Souls
This Rift becomes available after you complete Sequence 4: Overrun and Outnumbered. The game doesn’t notify you — you just need to sail to the location yourself. No purple waypoint will appear until you’re close enough to the entrance.
Wayward Souls Location
Head to the southern coast of Great Inagua at coordinates 825,429. Sailing around the south side of the island is the fastest approach. If you go through the jungle, it takes much longer. Look for the glowing Animus portal on the shore and interact with it to enter.
Wayward Souls — What’s the Scenario?
This Rift asks: What if Edward had kept his promise to his wife, Caroline, and never left for a life of piracy? It’s the most personal of the four, focused entirely on Edward’s identity.
Wayward Souls Walkthrough
Once inside, you’ll be introduced to Ego and walked through the basics. The Rift is built around parkour, chest-carrying sections, and simple environmental puzzles. There is no boss fight at the end of this one.
At one point you’ll reach a choice: wait or fall down. If you wait until the white bar at the top left fills, a boat comes to you automatically. That’s the easier route. If you choose to fall down, you’ll end up underwater and need to swim through tight gaps while avoiding obstacles — getting hit too many times here will kill you. Both routes lead to the same place, so pick whichever suits your playstyle.
After that, interact with the man on the bench, head up through the glowing gate, and follow the path to finish the Rift. Your reward is a story letter titled Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate and this counts toward your overall Rifts completion.
While you’re at Great Inagua, check out the Great Inagua upgrades guide and the Great Inagua Mayan Stone walkthrough while you’re in the area.
Rift 2 — Wayward Desires (North of Nassau, 604,784)
How to Unlock Wayward Desires
This one opens up after you complete Sequence 8: Do Not Go Gently. Again, no notification — you need to go find it manually. If you’ve been sailing between Nassau and other islands regularly, you’ve probably already sailed past this spot.
Wayward Desires Location
The Rift sits on a small island just north of Nassau at coordinates 604,784. The island is tiny and easy to miss entirely if you’re not looking. Watch for the glitchy, distorted visual pillar effect on approach rather than relying only on the coordinates. That’s your sign you’re in the right spot.
Wayward Desires — What’s the Scenario?
This one asks: What if Blackbeard accepted the King’s pardon and used it to rule Nassau as his own kingdom? Given how Blackbeard’s story actually ends, this alternate take hits differently once you’ve seen it play out in the main campaign.
Wayward Desires Walkthrough
Wayward Desires is the most combat-heavy Rift of the first three. You fight your way across a series of derelict ships circling a massive maelstrom. Spectral enemies can shoot you across wide gaps, so dodge whenever you can — their shots deal serious damage at range.
Key tips for this section:
- Use the swivel guns whenever you spot them — they let you clear enemies from a distance much faster than pistols.
- There’s an on-rails swimming section through the giant whirlpool. Watch out for the explosive red barrels scattered through the wreckage — they’ll kill you fast if you’re not paying attention.
- Blackbeard’s specter shows up mid-Rift but disappears before you have to fight him properly.
The Rift ends in a boss fight against Blackbeard. Keep your distance and keep reloading your pistols. Four to five clean shots break his defence and open him up for a takedown. Watch for the green rings that appear on the ground around him — those are explosive area attacks. Dodge out before they land.
After beating him, climb the mast and replace the Jolly Roger with the British flag to close out the scenario. Your reward is the Queen Anne’s Revenge Wheel, a legendary cosmetic for the Jackdaw.
If you want more Nassau-area content, the Nassau Treasure Map guide is worth a look.
Rift 3 — Wayward Minds (Sacrifice Island, 14,559)
How to Unlock Wayward Minds
Wayward Minds unlocks after completing Sequence 11: …Everything Is Permitted. This is the last mission in the sequence. Importantly, the game gives you zero notification that this Rift has opened. You have to sail out and find it yourself. A purple waypoint will appear on approach once you’re close enough and the Rift is active.
Wayward Minds Location
You’ll find it at the northwest tip of Sacrifice Island, coordinates 14,559. If the waypoint doesn’t appear when you arrive, you might have sailed in too early or before the Rift fully triggered — try reloading your save and approaching again.
Wayward Minds — What’s the Scenario?
This Rift asks: What if Mary Read had quit the Assassin Brotherhood entirely to raise her child? Given how her arc closes out in the main story, this alternate version carries real emotional weight. It’s arguably the most narratively interesting of the four.
Wayward Minds Walkthrough
Ego opens this Rift frustrated that you keep reliving Edward’s memories. The mission is split into two distinct halves.
First half — combat mixed with platforming: You fight waves of spectral soldiers while dealing with snipers on elevated positions. The snipers are extremely dangerous. Use explosive barrels to wipe out groups of enemies quickly rather than fighting them one by one. During the rope-crossing sections, time each jump carefully because sniper fire can knock you off.
Second half — pure stealth: This is where the Rift gets serious. Your weapons are taken away and you cannot assassinate or fight back. You need to stay hidden at all times. Stick to tall grass, haystacks, and flower beds. Watch patrol routes before you move. Spotlights mean instant failure, so track their movement carefully before leaving cover. There’s also a progression trap here: if you kill the enemy near the wall you need to climb, the game sends you back. Leave him alive — Ego considers that “learning her lessons.”
At the end, sprint forward through the final section and interact with Mary Read’s silhouette. You’ll be prompted to Renounce the Creed to finish the Rift. Your reward is the “Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate” sea shanty collectible.
Want more shanties? Check out our guide on how to get and change shanties in Black Flag Resynced.
Rift 4 — True Purpose (East of Misteriosa, 363,176)
How to Unlock True Purpose
This is the big one. True Purpose only spawns after you have:
- Completed the full main campaign through Sequence 12
- Watched the Epilogue
- Finished all three previous Rifts (Wayward Souls, Wayward Desires, Wayward Minds)
It will not appear no matter how much other content you’ve cleared beforehand. The Epilogue is the hard gate.
True Purpose Location
Sail to the small island directly east of Misteriosa at coordinates 363,176. The surrounding waters are stormy, so expect a rough approach. Dock at the section of shore where the Animus-style blocks appear and follow the path up to the portal doorway.
True Purpose — What’s the Scenario?
The final Rift flips the entire game’s moral framework and asks: What if Edward had sided with the Templars? It’s the most self-aware of the four — the whole sequence is essentially Ego trying to convince you that compliance and obedience lead to a better life. It doesn’t go the way she planned.
True Purpose Walkthrough
You start in a theater where Ego addresses an audience of avatars, running through the “failures” of Edward, Blackbeard, and Mary Read from the previous Rifts. Walk toward the stage and the simulation begins to glitch — this is intentional, not a technical issue.
A crow will interrupt the simulation and force a menu to pop up. You’ll see the options “Nothing Is True” and “Everything Is Permitted”, but neither is selectable yet. Wait for the crow to finish talking. A third option, “Fight Back”, then appears. Select it to re-enter the Rift and trigger the boss fight.
Stock up on Remedies before you head down the newly unlocked path. You’re about to fight Ego herself.
How to Beat Ego Boss Fight
The Ego boss fight has two phases, and both work the same way. Dodge her attacks consistently and keep firing shots to chip down her defence meter. Once the meter breaks, she’s open to a direct attack. Hit her, then repeat the pattern for phase two. Keep dodging, keep firing, and don’t get greedy on your attack windows.
After both phases are cleared, a final cutscene plays and the Rift ends. You receive the Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords — a legendary weapon — plus 300 Animus Keys as the reward for completing all four Rifts.
For more post-game content, check out our full guide on what to do after the main story in AC Black Flag Resynced.
All Animus Rifts Rewards Summary
- Rift 1 — Wayward Souls: Story letter / narrative item
- Rift 2 — Wayward Desires: Queen Anne’s Revenge Wheel (legendary Jackdaw cosmetic)
- Rift 3 — Wayward Minds: Don’t Forget Your Old Shipmate (sea shanty collectible)
- Rift 4 — True Purpose: Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords (legendary weapon) + 300 Animus Keys
Animus Rifts Tips and Common Mistakes
- No Rifts expire. You can finish the full campaign and come back for all four afterward with no penalty. They all stay on the map permanently.
- True Purpose won’t spawn early. Don’t waste time hunting for Rift 4 before the Epilogue rolls — it simply isn’t there yet.
- Rift 3 has a hidden trap. In the stealth section of Wayward Minds, do not kill the enemy near the climbable wall. The game will reset your progress if you do. Leave him alive and walk past.
- Interaction prompts can fail. If you’re at the right coordinates for a Rift but nothing happens when you reach the pillar, reload your save and sail in fresh. This fixes it almost every time.
- Do them in order. Wayward Souls → Wayward Desires → Wayward Minds → True Purpose. The story makes the most sense this way, and Rift 4 requires the first three to be done anyway.
- Stock Remedies before Rift 4. You head straight into the Ego boss fight with whatever you bring in. Load up beforehand.
You can also check out our Anomalies guide for another set of hidden optional quests worth tracking down.
Where to Buy AC Black Flag Resynced
AC Black Flag Resynced is available now across all major platforms:
More AC Black Flag Resynced Guides
- Beginner’s Tips
- All Main & Side Missions
- All Mayan Stelae Locations
- All Assassin Contracts Locations
- How to Beat All 6 Legendary Ships
- Crafting Guide
- Ship Upgrade & Customise Guide
- How Long to Beat
- All Treasure Map Locations
- Kenway’s Fleet Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Animus Rifts are there in AC Black Flag Resynced?
There are four Animus Rifts: Wayward Souls, Wayward Desires, Wayward Minds, and True Purpose. Each one unlocks at a different story milestone during the campaign.
What do you get for completing all Rifts in AC Black Flag Resynced?
Finishing all four Rifts earns you the Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords, a legendary weapon, plus 300 Animus Keys. You claim this reward at the end of the final Rift, True Purpose.
Can you do the Rifts after finishing the main story?
Yes. All Rifts are permanent and can be done at any point. The fourth Rift, True Purpose, actually requires you to complete the Epilogue first, so it’s designed to be post-game content anyway.
What is Ego in AC Black Flag Resynced?
Ego is an AI entity that exists inside the Animus. She acts as narrator and guide across all four Rifts, presenting alternate “What If” histories for Edward and his allies. She’s also the final boss of the True Purpose Rift.
Does Wayward Minds have a boss fight?
No. Wayward Minds (Rift 3) ends with a stealth section rather than a boss fight. You interact with Mary Read’s silhouette and Renounce the Creed to complete it.
What is the hardest Rift in AC Black Flag Resynced?
Most players find the stealth section in Wayward Minds (Rift 3) to be the trickiest part of the whole Rift quest line. Spotlights instantly fail the encounter, and there’s a hidden progression trap where killing a specific enemy will reset your progress.
