Naval Contracts — Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag eGuide

Completing these missions will lead to rewards ranging from 1,200R to 2,400R, depending on the difficulty of the contract, plus any cargo that you accumulate by boarding or sinking ships. If you need advice or information regarding naval combat or Jackdaw upgrades, don’t forget to read our Naval Guide.

The order that we cover all Naval Contracts in this section follows that found in the Progress Tracker. Many of the missions are trivial with the penultimate tier of upgrades, and the challenges positively inconsequential once you have Elite fittings. However, this does not necessarily mean that you should leave them until later, and our advice is tailored to suit relatively low levels of Jackdaw enhancements. As it happens, Naval Contracts offer respectable cumulative sums of reales and quantities of cargo that can make a valuable contribution towards your efforts to raise funds for upgrades. Most missions are short, and free of complications – indeed, you usually don’t even suffer Wanted Level increases for your actions against target vessels.

Naval Contract 01 – An Eye for an Eye

Mission Start: Fort Castillo de Jagua	Reward: 1,800R	Objective: Board the San Lorenzo.
Recommended Upgrades: Standard Heavy Shot Strength

Difficulty

Notes:

After checking that there are no other Spanish ships around, approach the San Lorenzo and attack it with a heavy shot broadside.
Circle her and launch another heavy shot broadside at her stern, following up with the swivel gun. Now focus on steering in a way that maintains you at a right angle to her stern: this will enable you to attack relentlessly without ever being exposed. Once the San Lorenzo is sufficiently weakened, board it to complete the contract.

Naval Contract 02 – The Law Of The Ocean

Mission Start: Fort Conttoyor	Reward: 1,800R	Objective: Board the Hercules.
Recommended Upgrades: Broadside Cannons – Intermediate Set

Difficulty

Notes:

Moving at half sail and with good timing, you can unleash a broadside and swivel gun combination to each ship as you pass. This will rid you of all four gunboats immediately. With higher level hull upgrades, this isn’t strictly necessary. A mortar barrage may suffice to eliminate the two more distant gunboats simultaneously.
Use standard tactics, or let the Hercules begin a ram charge and counter it with fire barrell. Finish the mission by boarding the brig.

Naval Contract 03 – A Spanish Plague

Mission Start: Fort Eleuthera	Reward: 1,200R	Objective: Sink three Spanish gunboats.
Recommended Upgrades: -

Difficulty

Notes:

Sinking three Spanish gunboats is an easy task, even with the default Jackdaw configuration.

Naval Contract 04 – Driftwood

Mission Start: Fort Cabo de Cruz	Reward: 1,800R	Objective: Loot 60 wood.
Recommended Upgrades: -

Difficulty

Notes:

Schooners are the ideal target to complete this mission, and are commonplace in the north of the map. Use your spyglass to identify appropriate vessels. It should only take a handful of these ships for you to acquire the specified 60 units. Sail back to the fort to give the cargo to the merchant. If you already have the required sum when you begin, you can complete the contract immediately.

Naval Contract 05 – Silk On The Waves

Mission Start: Fort Gibara	Reward: 1,200R	Objective: Loot 30 cloth.
Recommended Upgrades: -

Difficulty

Notes:

As with Naval Contract 04, schooners are the ideal target to complete this mission. Use your spyglass to identify the ones carrying cloth, then strike hard and fast. When you obtain the required amount of cloth, sail back to the fort to give the cargo to the merchant. If you already have the required cargo total before accepting the mission, you can hand it over immediately.

Naval Contract 06 – Contraband

Mission Start: Fort Chinchorro	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Sink one Spanish frigate and two Spanish brigs.
Recommended Upgrades: Reinforced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Reinforced Set, Reinforced Round Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

Try to find lone ships, though this strategy works even against small fleets. Approach your target with an angle from the front as shown here. Once at mid-range, use your mortar to weaken it from afar, and pin it down with chain shot.
Get in close at full sail and ram into the ship. This can be achieved before the enemy vessel has the time to return fire even once.
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Now circle the ship on her stern side, alternating between heavy shot and swivel gun follow-ups for a quick finish. You can then repeat the same strategy with the other ships.
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Naval Contract 07 – Private Escort

Mission Start: Fort Dry Tortuga	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Protect the Neptuno.
Recommended Upgrades: Advanced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Advanced Set, Advanced Round Shot Strength, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

The first wave of enemies consists of two gunboats. Pin them down with chain shot and finish them off with the swivel guns, being careful not to hit the Neptuno. Stay close to your ally and wait for the second wave to come to you.
The second wave consists of three gunboats. Take them down quickly with broadsides, focusing your shots with the targeting lines. Now position the Jackdaw between the Neptuno and the incoming third wave.
The third wave consists of two brigs and two schooners. Quickly take down the brigs with a barrage of mortar shots from afar, and broadsides (ideally with heavy shot) at close range. The schooners should pose little threat on their own.

Naval Contract 08 – Blind Justice

Mission Start: Fort Navassa	Reward: 1,800R	Objective: Sink the British escort (three brigs) and board the man o’ war.
Recommended Upgrades: Advanced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Advanced Set, Advanced Round Shot Strength, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

Circle the three brigs and exploit their blind spot to approach them from behind, without entering their detection range. Once in position at their sterns, stop the Jackdaw. Destroy them all quickly by alternating mortar shots and heavy shot broadsides – by the time they have turned to face you, they should all be destroyed or severely damaged.
When the man o’ war enters the stage, don’t move for now. Instead, wait behind the tip of the island and use it as cover to cripple the man o’ war with mortar fire (unless she attempts the same gambit immediately, in which case: press on with a more direct offensive). When the ship is in front of you, welcome it with intense heavy shot barrages, then steer along the coast to position the Jackdaw at the vessel’s stern. A combination of mortar and heavy shot fire should then take her down.

Naval Contract 09 – The Final Contract

Mission Start: Fort Serranilla	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Protect the Hollander.
Recommended Upgrades: Advanced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Advanced Set, Advanced Round Shot Strength, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Note: This mission, as its name might suggest, is only available once you have completed all other Naval Contracts.

Notes:

The first wave, already engaged in a fight against the Hollander, consists of two gunboats and two schooners. These pose little threat: sink them with combinations of broadsides and swivel gun shots, or chain shot and mortar fire.
The second wave consists of a frigate and two brigs. Stay close to the Hollander, and welcome them with mortar barrages. Navigate at half sail to perform small circles around your ally.
The third wave consists of two frigates and a man o’ war. Open hostilities with mortar fire once they move within range. An aggressive approach can then be very effective. Sail directly towards the enemy fleet and unleash heavy shot barrages, aiming to sink each target in sequence to reduce the firepower ranged against the Jackdaw and the Hollander.

Naval Contract 10 – The Realities Of War

Mission Start: Fort Conttoyor	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Sink the Spanish convoy.
Recommended Upgrades: Advanced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Advanced Set, Advanced Round Shot Strength, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

The presence of two allied ships makes this contract relatively easy. Whenever one of the two initial brigs is busy fighting and maneuvering around one of your allies, use the opportunity to steer close and launch perfect heavy shot broadsides.
The second wave consists of two more brigs and a man o’ war. Weaken them from afar with the mortar, but you can’t afford to slow down here because of the man o’ war’s own ranged attack capability. Sail at full speed to circle your enemies, crippling them up close with heavy shot and swivel gun fire.

Naval Contract 11 – Hunter Gatherer

Mission Start: Fort Charlotte	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Sink two Hunter ships.
Recommended Upgrades: Reinforced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Intermediate Set, Standard Heavy Shot Strength

Difficulty

Notes:

Technically, this is a simple naval battle against two Pirate Hunter ships. However, you have to raise your Wanted Level until Hunters are sent after you. The fastest way to achieve this is to engage and sink multiple ships in quick succession. Focus on schooners and gunboats for the fastest results (any area in the north of the map will suffice), as they pose no threat to you and can be destroyed almost instantly. Sail headlong towards them, pin them down with chain shot and ram into them for a quick finish. Repeat this until you are Wanted. From that point forwards, Hunter ships will be sent after you every eight-and-a-half minutes. However, note that moving to the second Wanted Level will cause a second set of Hunters to arrive almost immediately. Defeat them to complete the objectives.

Naval Contract 12 – Papers, Please

Mission Start: Fort Charlotte	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Sink the HMS Courage.
Recommended Upgrades: Reinforced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Reinforced Set, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

Once you reach the HMS Courage’s position, sail on the opposite side of the small sandbank, then bring the Jackdaw to a halt and turn to face your target. Open fire with your mortars when the ship is in the position illustrated here. This will force her to perform a long and slow U-turn, so keep weakening her with your mortar during the entire process. Start moving again the moment you are exposed to enemy mortar barrages.
Now sail in the direction of the HMS Courage to engage her at very close range, which enables you to avoid her mortars. As with all men o’ war, try to stay aligned with her stern where possible, using the withering heavy shot/swivel gun combination for maximum damage.

Naval Contract 13 – Weathering The Storm

Mission Start: Fort Punta Guarico	Reward: 1,200R	Objective: Sink the British Fleet.
Recommended Upgrades: Reinforced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Reinforced Set, Reinforced Round Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

The enemy fleet is lined up as you enter the foggy area and a storm begins. Call for half sail – this will make it easier to navigate the turbulent waters, and your speed will lend itself well to the following strategy.
Sail past the enemy vessels and keep a safe distance – somewhere between 200 and 250 meters. The objective is to keep all vessels within broadside range, but just out of range of their attacks. From the instant you are in position to hit the first ship, unleash a constant barrage of attacks, alternating between broadsides, swivel-gun shots and mortar barrages. This way, you can destroy or severely weaken all five ships in a single pass.

Naval Contract 14 – Smuggler’s Den

Mission Start: Break the Spanish blockade.	Reward: 2,400R	Objective: Break the Spanish blockade.
Recommended Upgrades: Advanced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Reinforced Set, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength, Reinforced Round Shot Strength, Reinforced Mortars

Difficulty

Notes:

This mission takes place in a Restricted Area. The man o’ war’s detection range is represented by an orange circle on your mini-map. Enter this by sailing along the coast. As you reach the tip of the island, begin launching mortar rounds at the man o’ war and steer in its direction.
Once you are at a distance of approximately 200 meters, set to half sail and navigate in a straight line, parallel to the enemy fleet. Fire relentlessly, alternating between mortar barrages, heavy shot, and the swivel guns whenever you have the opportunity. Ignore the gunboats, as they will not pose any threat to you and are likely to be destroyed as collateral damage when you aim at the primary vessels.
At the end of your straight line, you should have weakened the entire fleet and destroyed a few ships. Steer hard to the right and focus on the remaining vessels, using the same combination of weapons. If your ship’s health bar is low, consider boarding a sufficiently weakened ship to repair the Jackdaw. Finishing off the man o’ war should then be a mere formality. Note that any third-party ships that join the battle will continue their assault after the mission ends.

Naval Contract 15 – A Personal Matter

Mission Start: Fort Navassa	Reward: 1,800R	Objective: Sink the HMS Defiance.
Recommended Upgrades: Advanced Hull Armor, Broadside Cannons – Reinforced Set, Advanced Heavy Shot Strength

Difficulty

Notes:

You have a single target in this mission, but there are other British ships in the vicinity – so you may wish to wait for troublesome vessels flying the same ensign to leave before you open hostilities. Use mortar fire to weaken the Defiance from outside her broadside range, then look for opportunities to sail towards her stern to unleash heavy shot barrages later in the battle.