Learning how to beat all 6 Legendary Ships in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced is the toughest naval challenge the game has to offer. Five of the original ships return from the 2013 game, and a brand new sixth — the HMS Ipswich — has been added exclusively to Resynced as part of the endgame chapter. Each ship has its own location, its own gimmick, and its own set of weaknesses. Sailing in blind will get you sunk fast. This guide covers every ship, where to find it, how to fight it, and what you get for winning.
TL;DR — Legendary Ships Quick Reference
- El Impoluto — Northwest (115, 842) — rams constantly, stay parallel and hit back hard
- La Dama Negra — Southwest (240, 72) — heavily armored sides, attack the stern and bow only
- HMS Prince — Southeast (854, 55) — vanishes into fog between phases, survive mortar barrages and wait it out
- HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign — Northeast (811, 858) — two ships, never sail between them, keep health bars even
- HMS Ipswich — Story-locked, fought at end of A World Without Gold — heavily armored, trigger fire barrels and hit with swivel gun
- Beating the four open-world ships earns 12,000 Reales each plus Jackdaw cosmetics and unlocks the Devil of the Caribbean trophy/achievement
- All open-world Legendary Ships respawn over time. The HMS Ipswich does not
- Fully upgrade the Jackdaw and recruit all three officers before attempting any of them
Before You Fight Any Legendary Ship
These are the hardest fights in the game. Going in with an under-upgraded Jackdaw is essentially a wasted attempt on Normal difficulty or higher. Before you sail for any Legendary Ship encounter, you need to have two things sorted.
Fully Upgrade the Jackdaw First
Max out your hull armor, broadside cannons, mortars, and fire barrels before attempting any of these. You’ll need to upgrade your Harbormaster at Great Inagua to unlock the highest-tier upgrades. You’ll also need to track down the Ultimate Ship Plans scattered across the Caribbean to unlock the very best options. Our ship upgrade and customisation guide covers everything you need to know. Don’t skip this step — the Legendary Ships will one-shot a half-upgraded Jackdaw.
Recruit All Three Naval Officers
The three new Naval Officers added in Resynced aren’t just bonus content — their abilities are practically mandatory for these fights. Here’s what each one brings:
- Lucy Baldwin — Perfect Brace: brace at the right moment and she massively cuts incoming damage. Changes how survivable these fights are.
- The Padre — Ram Dash (L1+R1 / LB+RB): charges the Jackdaw forward and deals enormous ram damage. Essential for several ship-specific strategies.
- Tobias “Deadman” Smith — Extra Salvo and Cohort Mortar: fires an additional broadside volley and gives you a more precise mortar mode. Huge DPS boost in the longer fights.
Deadman only becomes available after Sequence 11 via the A World Without Gold chapter, so finishing the main story first and then tackling the open-world Legendary Ships is the most efficient order. You can also capture all the forts in each region first — some Legendary Ships only appear on your map after nearby forts are taken. See our fort capture guide for help with that.
Universal Tips for Every Legendary Ship Fight
- Always brace while your weapons are recharging. Every legendary ship deals more damage than you can tank without bracing. Use the downtime between firing to hit the brace button and protect the hull.
- All Legendary Ships are faster than the Jackdaw. You can’t outrun them and can’t catch them with travel sails. Every one of these is a fight of attrition — endure, react, and take your shots when they’re available.
- Use your swivel gun on fire barrels. Multiple legendary ships drop fire barrels during phase transitions. Shoot them before they drift into your path.
- Chain shots slow them down. When you need to reposition or close a gap, firing chain shots from your bow chasers disables their movement briefly and gives you breathing room.
- Don’t get greedy. Fire, brace, wait for the reload, repeat. Trying to rush these fights will get you killed.
El Impoluto — Northwest (115, 842)
El Impoluto sits in the far northwest corner of the map near Dry Tortuga. It only appears after you’ve captured the fort at Dry Tortuga (223, 722). Once you do, it will show up on your map.
How El Impoluto Fights
This is an aggressive, hit-and-run fighter. El Impoluto charges the Jackdaw head-on with a massive ram, sails a half-circle to sit just outside your cannon range, then charges again. Every third of its health bar triggers a phase transition — it fires a flare, becomes briefly less mobile, but launches multiple volleys of heated shot at you during the transition window. Then the cycle resets.
How to Beat El Impoluto
Copy its rhythm. When it charges to ram you, stay parallel to it to reduce the impact of the ram hit, then ram it back with Ram Dash. Fire heated/burning broadside shot at close range before it pulls away. Once it opens distance, hit it with your mortar. Then reset and wait for the next charge. Lucy Baldwin’s Perfect Brace is particularly useful here for absorbing the ram hits. Rinse and repeat until it sinks.
La Dama Negra — Southwest (240, 72)
La Dama Negra is in the far southwest corner, in the Serranilla area. This is generally the easiest of the four open-world Legendary Ships and a good one to start with.
How La Dama Negra Fights
Her sides are extremely heavily armored — standard broadside cannon shots barely scratch her. She fights as a long-range mortar specialist and tries to maintain distance so she can rain mortars down on you. Her key weakness is that she stops moving entirely while firing her mortars, leaving her completely exposed. She also has a much weaker bow (front) and stern (back).
How to Beat La Dama Negra
Stay close and attack from behind or in front — target the stern or bow with your broadside cannons and bow chasers rather than hitting her armored sides. The closer you are to her, the fewer mortar shots she launches, so don’t let her create distance. When she does try to pull back and fire mortars, she stops moving — use that window to fire your own mortar at her. Stay right on top of her, keep brace active, and use burning shot whenever possible. This is a longer fight due to her armor, but it’s the most forgiving of the six.
HMS Prince — Southeast (854, 55)
HMS Prince is in the far southeast corner, in the Navassa area. It appears after you’ve captured Navassa Fort. This one ties with El Impoluto as the toughest solo fight — and it drags on due to its fog mechanic.
How HMS Prince Fights
HMS Prince mixes broadside cannons with heavy mortar fire and plays out in three clear phases. After each third of its health is depleted, it vanishes into fog at high speed and bombards you with mortars for one to two minutes before reappearing. During the fog phases you cannot damage it and cannot catch it — survival is the only goal. The mortar shots during fog phases have a wider blast radius than the orange indicator shows, so brace even if you think you’ll clear the zone. When it reappears, the fight returns to normal but its attacks are stronger each phase.
How to Beat HMS Prince
During the active phases, fight at medium range using heated shot broadsides and mortars. Use chain shots to slow it when needed. When it vanishes into the fog, sail in wide circles to dodge mortar strikes and brace constantly — don’t panic, just endure. When it reappears, immediately use Ram Dash to close the gap fast, then switch to burning shot to maximize damage before the next fog phase begins. Use your spyglass to mark it at the start of the fight so it shows on your HUD even through the fog.
HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign — Northeast (811, 858)
The northeast fight at Eleuthera (811, 858) is the only two-on-one encounter in the game. You face both ships simultaneously in a single boss fight. Despite the two-versus-one situation, many players find this the hardest fight overall due to the pressure of being flanked.
How the HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign Fight
Both ships have roughly half the health of the other three solo legendary ships. They sail alongside each other, coordinate their movements, and try to maneuver you into the middle of both of them — if you’re caught between them and they both fire broadsides at once, it’s almost guaranteed to sink you. After you clear roughly a third of their combined health, they start dropping fire barrels that flood the arena. When one ship finally sinks, the survivor gains a speed buff and switches to relentless aggressive ramming that’s nearly impossible to outrun.
How to Beat HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign
The golden rule: never sail between them. Always position yourself alongside one ship at a time. When they make their coordinated turn toward you, fire your mortar at that moment — it’s your best window. Follow with a Ram Dash on whichever one you’re closer to, then fire at their backs as they sail away. Keep both health bars roughly even throughout the fight. If one sinks while the other is at full health, the surviving ship’s ramming buff will almost certainly finish you off. Bring both down to low health simultaneously, then sink them in quick succession. Use your swivel gun to pop fire barrels before they box you in. Chain shots slow them when you need to create space.
HMS Ipswich — A World Without Gold Endgame Chapter
The HMS Ipswich is the brand new Legendary Ship added exclusively in Resynced. It’s not found on the open world map — it appears as a scripted encounter during the closing stages of the A World Without Gold endgame chapter. This chapter unlocks after completing Everything Is Permitted in Sequence 11. You’ll fight Maynard’s armada first, and once those ships are dealt with, the HMS Ipswich arrives alongside three additional escort ships. Clear the escorts before turning your attention to the Ipswich itself.
How HMS Ipswich Fights
Like La Dama Negra, the HMS Ipswich has heavy armor on its sides, making standard broadside cannon fire largely ineffective. Chipping away at its health with cannons alone takes far too long. Its key attack pattern involves releasing fire barrels into the water around it — and those barrels are also its biggest weakness. It also fires mortars, and gets more dangerous the longer the fight goes on.
How to Beat HMS Ipswich
Play defense first. Stay behind the ship as much as possible to avoid its main broadside cannon fire. Brace whenever it fires mortars. When the HMS Ipswich releases fire barrels, immediately hit them with your swivel gun — this triggers the explosions and deals significant damage to the ship. This is the primary damage strategy. Use Deadman’s Cohort Mortar for precise follow-up hits when it’s briefly stationary. If you completed Deadman’s full officer questline before this fight, his mortar ability makes repositioning your shots much easier. Note: the HMS Ipswich does not respawn after you sink it. It’s a one-time story encounter.
Legendary Ship Rewards
Every open-world Legendary Ship rewards you with 12,000 Reales and a miniature ship model of the vessel you sank, which goes in the Art Collection display in Great Inagua Manor. You also unlock Jackdaw cosmetics — sails, figureheads, hulls, and wheels — that you can equip from the Captain’s Cabin. The HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign fight counts as one encounter and rewards a single model called Brothers in Arms. The HMS Ipswich rewards an exclusive HMS Ipswich Ship Model rather than a cash payout.
Sinking all four open-world Legendary Ships unlocks the Devil of the Caribbean silver trophy/achievement, which is also required for the Platinum. The HMS Ipswich counts separately toward the A World Without Gold questline rather than this trophy.
Do Legendary Ships Respawn in AC Black Flag Resynced?
Yes — all four open-world Legendary Ships respawn over time after you’ve sunk them. If a ship icon isn’t showing on your map when you sail to its location, sail directly to its coordinates, then fast travel elsewhere. This forces the game to refresh the encounter and the ship will reappear. The HMS Ipswich is the only exception — it’s a story-locked encounter and doesn’t come back after it’s been sunk.
Best Order to Fight the Legendary Ships
You can tackle the four open-world ships in any order, but here’s the recommended sequence from easiest to hardest:
- 1. La Dama Negra — Best introduction to Legendary Ship mechanics. Armored sides, vulnerable stern, stays mostly slow. Good warm-up fight.
- 2. El Impoluto — Tests your ability to manage ram attacks and phase transitions. Rewards aggression.
- 3. HMS Prince — Long, tests patience during fog phases. Easier with a rhythm but drags on.
- 4. HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign — Most chaotic and demanding. Do this last.
- 5. HMS Ipswich — Story-locked, comes naturally at the end of A World Without Gold.
For more help getting the Jackdaw ready, see our ship upgrade guide, fleet guide, and crafting guide. If you want to review everything new in the remake before going after these fights, our all new content guide has a full breakdown. For a full look at what to do before and after the main story, check our all main and side missions list. And if you’re also working through puzzles like the Mayan Temple statue puzzle, our walkthrough covers every step.
Where to Buy Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Legendary Ships are in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced?
There are six Legendary Ships in total across five encounters. El Impoluto, La Dama Negra, HMS Prince, HMS Fearless, and Royal Sovereign return from the original. The new HMS Ipswich was added exclusively for Resynced as part of the A World Without Gold endgame chapter.
Where are all the Legendary Ships in AC Black Flag Resynced?
The four open-world ships are in the map corners — El Impoluto (115, 842) northwest, La Dama Negra (240, 72) southwest, HMS Prince (854, 55) southeast, and HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign (811, 858) northeast. The HMS Ipswich appears only during the A World Without Gold storyline.
What do you get for beating all Legendary Ships in Black Flag Resynced?
Each open-world ship rewards 12,000 Reales, a miniature ship model for Great Inagua Manor, and Jackdaw cosmetics. Sinking all four open-world Legendary Ships unlocks the Devil of the Caribbean trophy and achievement, required for Platinum.
Do Legendary Ships respawn in Black Flag Resynced?
Yes. All four open-world Legendary Ships respawn after being sunk. The HMS Ipswich does not respawn — it’s a one-time story encounter. If a ship doesn’t show on your map, sail to its coordinates then fast travel away to force a refresh.
Do you need to capture forts to unlock Legendary Ships in Black Flag Resynced?
Some Legendary Ships only appear on your map after forts in their region are captured. El Impoluto requires Dry Tortuga fort to be taken, and HMS Prince requires Navassa fort. Check our forts guide to track them all down.
What is the easiest Legendary Ship in Black Flag Resynced?
La Dama Negra is widely considered the easiest. Her armor makes standard broadsides ineffective, but staying close and targeting her stern or bow with bow chasers is a straightforward strategy. She’s slow and her attacks are predictable once you know her pattern.
What is the hardest Legendary Ship fight in Black Flag Resynced?
Most players find the HMS Fearless and Royal Sovereign the hardest, because fighting two ships simultaneously while keeping both health bars even is genuinely demanding. El Impoluto and HMS Prince are also tough for different reasons — El Impoluto punishes slow reactions, while HMS Prince tests patience during its fog phases.
