Hunting and harpooning in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced are essential activities for players aiming to fully upgrade Edward Kenway's equipment. While sea battles and manor upgrades might offer more immediate excitement, the resources gathered from these pursuits are crucial for enhancing Edward's capabilities throughout the game.
Land-Based Hunting
Hunting involves tracking down terrestrial animals found across the game's various islands. The map provides an overview of available hunting opportunities in each region, with icons indicating which animals can be found. Further zooming into specific areas can reveal their precise locations. For instance, the Cape Bonavista region might offer jaguars, howler monkeys, and wild pigs, while Great Inagua could feature white jaguars, iguanas, and wild pigs.
Each animal yields specific resources upon being hunted. These include:
- Crocodile Leather from crocodiles
- Deer Hide from deer
- Iguana Leather from iguanas
- Hutia Hide from hutias
- Howler Monkey Skin from howler monkeys
- Red Howler Monkey Skin from red howler monkeys
- Capuchin Monkey Pelt from capuchin monkeys
- Jaguar Pelt from jaguars
- Black Jaguar Pelt from black jaguars
- White Jaguar Pelt from white jaguars
- Ocelot Pelt from ocelots
- Rabbit Pelt from rabbits
- Wild Pig Hide from wild pigs
Oceanic Harpooning
Harpooning focuses on marine life such as whales and sharks. These targets are marked with harpoon icons in the oceanic sections of the map. Hovering over these icons reveals the specific creature available for pursuit. An example of this is the Humpback Whale, which can be found in the waters off Castillo de Jagua.
Successful harpooning requires managing a limited supply of harpoons and maintaining the player's health. If harpoons are depleted before the creature is subdued, the opportunity is lost until the animal respawns or the player finds another hunting spot. Achieving "Perfect Shots" is increasingly important for larger, high-health targets like Humpback Whales. This technique involves timing the harpoon throw with a pulsing reticle. Harpooning gear can also be upgraded through a Harbourmaster, similar to ship upgrades.
The resources obtained from harpooning include:
- Bull Shark Skin from bull sharks
- Great White Shark Bone from great white sharks
- Hammerhead Shark Bone from hammerhead sharks
- Killer Whale Skin from killer whales
- Humpback Whale Skin from humpback whales
Utilizing Harvested Resources
The pelts and skins acquired through hunting and harpooning are vital for crafting upgrades to Edward's gear. These upgrades range from increased pistol capacity and improved smoke bomb effectiveness to enhanced health. For example, obtaining two Rabbit Pelts is necessary to upgrade Edward's Pistol Holster to hold two pistols, while two Iguana Leather pieces are required for the first health upgrade. Accessing the crafting menu within the inventory allows players to view available upgrades and the resources needed to complete them.