Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced: Exploration & Collectibles Guide - Hidden Treasures, Secret Locations, and Optional Discoveries

The Caribbean in Black Flag Resynced is bigger than the 2013 original, and Ubisoft has moved island positions, redrawn some treasure clues, and added new quests like Blackbeard's Treasure. Even players who know the old map by heart will get turned around at least once.

This guide covers every buried treasure map, Mayan Stela, Templar Key, and optional collectible system in the game, along with locations and what each one unlocks. A few systems here, like the live-service Animus Fragments and the Blackbeard's Treasure quest, are entirely new to Resynced and didn't exist in the 2013 release.

Buried Treasure Maps: The Core Treasure-Hunting Loop

Every buried treasure chest is locked behind a corresponding map, so there's no digging without finding it first. Maps typically turn up on pirate skeletons scattered across the Caribbean, and they're classified as secrets, meaning they only appear on your map once a region's viewpoint is synced.

There are 22 standalone buried treasure maps found on skeletons across the Caribbean. Add in the treasures unlocked through restorable map pieces (Preserved, Weathered, Tattered, Digested, and Yellowed maps, which you assemble or buy from the Treasure Dealer in Great Inagua) and the total climbs to 30. Both numbers are accurate; they're just counting two different treasure systems, so it's worth being clear about which one a completion checklist is referring to.

Sacrifice Island - Restored Preserved Map

• How to unlock: Loot military-controlled warehouses across the world to collect 4 Preserved Map pieces, then restore them.
• Location: Coordinates 14,554. Head to the northwest section of the beach and look for a large stone archway - the dig spot is at the start of the archway.
• Reward: Wooden Eyeball trinket and the Shade and Shadow Robes legendary outfit.

Florida - Restored Tattered Map

• How to unlock: Board and disable Pirate Hunter ships (red sails, skull icon), reduce their morale to zero, then choose "Captain's Lockbox." Expect to repeat this about three times to get a shot at all the needed pieces.
• Location: Coordinates 381,803. Head to the far northern section of the island and look for a skeleton leaning against shipwreck debris, surrounded by palm trees.
• Reward: Elite Wheel design plan, Sleek Crew Attire, and Gilt-Lined Sails.

Anotto Bay Smuggler's Cave - Havana Warehouse Map

• How to unlock: Loot the warehouse in northwestern Havana (map found around coordinates 205,600).
• Location: At Anotto Bay (590,245), dive beneath a destroyed diving bell in the water to find an underwater tunnel. Follow it to a chamber with enemies and explosive barrels - the chest sits in the ground directly in front of the middle barrel, near the exit.
• Reward: Queen Anne's Figurehead design plan and 3,000 Reales.

Nassau - Great Inagua Map

• Location: The chest sits near a large rock formation behind the manor, next to a tree.
• Reward: Elite Sails design plan and 3,000 Reales.

Andreas Island Buried Chest

• Location: Coordinates 544,693. The dig site is on a tiny landmass marked by three coconut trees.
• Reward: Harpoon Strength Ultimate Plan and 3,000 Reales.

Ambergris Key - Corozal Map

• How to unlock: Found beside a cooking pot just outside a small camp in Corozal.
• Location: Dive underwater and swim through the connecting tunnels; the dig site is at a dead-end tunnel with a small chest.
• Reward: Pirate Captain Outfit and 2,000 Reales.

Cumberland Bay - Kingston Warehouse Map

• How to unlock: Loot the warehouse in southwest Kingston (map around coordinates 605,156).
• Location: Coordinates 645,355, next to an interactable rowboat on the sand.
• Reward: Art Collection Piece "Baroque Guitar" (needed for the Dilettante trophy/achievement) and 2,500 Reales.

Blackbeard's Treasure - Anotto Bay (New to Resynced)

This quest is exclusive to the remake, replacing the original game's Anotto Bay to Principe treasure map.

• How to unlock: Complete Sequence 8, Mission 1: "Do Not Go Gently." In the following cutscene, Edward checks Blackbeard's hat and receives the treasure map (no coordinates written on it, just a rough sketch) along with a new sea shanty, "Burn Blackbeard's Beard."
• Location: Anotto Bay, north of Kingston, around coordinates 590-591, 243-245. Clear the hostile smuggler ships first, then dive down near a wrecked diving bell into an underwater tunnel. Navigate past jellyfish and a scripted shark encounter, then use red explosive barrels to blow open two collapsed cave walls to reach the treasure chamber.
• Reward: The chest itself contains only farming tools, supplies, and building materials, along with a letter from Blackbeard explaining they're meant to help rebuild Great Inagua. The real collectible payoff is Blackbeard's Portrait, obtained after returning to Great Inagua and interacting with the marked chest. It's one of 11 portraits needed for "The Memory of My Enemy" trophy.
• Bonus: A separate "Need Key" chest inside the same Smuggler's Den (tied to the Anotto Bay Smuggler's Den activity, not the Blackbeard quest itself) can only be opened after finishing Blackbeard's Treasure. The key drops from a specific pirate NPC, and the chest holds roughly 4,962 Reales and a Weathered Map piece.

Mayan Stelae: The Mayan Mysteries Side Quest

Sixteen Mayan Stelae are scattered across the Caribbean, mostly in the same spots as the 2013 original, though a few have moved. One Santanillas stone has reportedly shifted to the new Sacrifice Island location.

You receive your first stone automatically during the main story mission "This Old Cove." The full side quest, Mayan Mysteries, kicks off once you reach Tulum during "Overrun and Outnumbered."

The puzzle itself works the same way at every location. Climb the glowing stelae pillar and interact with it to trigger a rotating, resizable projection. Line the shape up with the highlighted stones and rubble on the ground below - the figure needs to sit fully within the circular markers, not just near them.

A few notable locations worth knowing: Cat Island (western side, near the boat dock), Great Inagua (south of the manor), and Misteriosa, where two stelae sit close together, one of them guarded, so clear the area before you try to leave.

The Cape Bonavista stone can't be collected during the game's prologue; you'll need to return once Mayan Mysteries is active. The full set isn't collectible until Long Bay opens up later in the story.

Return all 16 stones to the sealed door at the Tulum temple in the Conttoyor region. After a short platforming section, you'll receive the legendary Mayan Outfit (cosmetic only in Resynced) and the Yax Tun Pendant, a legendary trinket that absorbs all incoming gunshots. It's one of the most useful trinkets in the game for boarding actions and musket-heavy encounters.

Templar Keys and the Damn Fine Gear Quest

Five Templar Keys unlock the Templar Armor set, stored behind a five-lock gate in the back room of the Great Inagua manor.

Key 1 (automatic): Obtained without any extra steps after assassinating du Casse during the main story mission "A Single Madman."

Keys 2-5 (Templar Hunts): Unlocked after completing "This Old Cove," which reveals four separate Templar Hunt questlines, each tied to a different regional ally.

• Cayman Sound (304,311): Ally Opia Apito leads Edward through a chain culminating in the assassination of Templar Lucia Marquez.
• Nassau (600,756): A dispute between brothers Upton and Vance Travers over a map eventually leads to the Templar known as the "Queen of Pirates," who is carrying the key.
• Havana (216,569): Ally Rhona Dinsmore's questline involves defending her position and destroying enemy powder reserves before hunting down Templar Hilary Flint through the streets of Havana.
• Kingston, Navassa region (619,161): Ally Anto, found in the Kingston Assassin's Bureau, sends Edward to free three captured allies before targeting Templar officer Kenneth Abraham, taken down at a guarded party with the key recovered during the escape.

Reward: Templar Armor (a cosmetic light-armor set), the Templar Cross Trinket (reduces melee damage taken while equipped), 10,000 Reales, and 45 Bones.

Animus Fragments, Anomalies, and Projects (Live-Service Layer)

Resynced replaces the original's modern-day Animus sections with a live, rotating collectible-and-reward system.

Anomalies are timed activities marked by white Animus icons on the map, which turn purple once selected. They typically involve sinking or looting corrupted ships, opening corrupted chests, or defeating corrupted enemies, and reward roughly 700-900 Data Fragments per completion. New anomalies replace expired ones on a timer.

Projects run on a free, battle-pass-style structure. Data Fragments earned from anomalies feed into whichever Project is currently active, unlocking tiered cosmetic and gameplay rewards, some of which also apply in Assassin's Creed Shadows through a shared rewards pool, regardless of ownership.

Animus Fragments are a separate, region-based physical collectible spread across every named location on the map, including Abaco Island, Cape Bonavista, Havana, Great Inagua, Tortuga, and Tulum. These are distinct from the live Data Fragment currency described above.

Animus Rifts are four optional "what if" narrative side quests, replacing the original's modern-day story beats:

• Rift 1: Unlocks after Sequence 4, on the southern point of Great Inagua (825,429). Focused on parkour and light puzzles.
• Rift 2: Unlocks after Sequence 8, on a small island north of Nassau (604,784). Centers on Blackbeard.
• Rift 3: Focuses on Mary Read, leaning into stealth.
• Rift 4: Available after the Epilogue, east of Misteriosa on a small island (363,176). Combat-focused, ending in a boss fight.

Data Files: The Lore Collectibles

Unlike most collectibles, Data Files reward Abstergo/Animus lore text rather than gear. They expand on the modern-day layer running under the pirate story. Confirmed locations at time of writing span Dry Tortuga, Cape Bonavista, Havana, Florida, and Eleuthera.

• Cape Bonavista - "Animus Fragment": Inaccessible during the tutorial. Once ship fast travel unlocks, return to the southern viewpoint, head east to the tutorial camp, and look for a climbable platform section near some bodies - the file is through the pillared room, immediately to the right.
• Havana - "Digitized Diary Page": Located in a restricted port zone guarded by soldiers; stealth is recommended over a direct fight.
• Florida - "Echo One": The most accessible of the confirmed set, no guards or story gates, just a climb.

Underwater Shipwrecks and Legendary Ships

There are seven confirmed underwater wreck sites tied to the "Seven Deadly Seas" trophy/achievement, each requiring underwater exploration and diving-bell navigation similar to the original game's format.

Legendary Ships are a separate system: five unique, heavily-defended enemy vessels tied to the "Devil of the Caribbean" trophy. Each is a significant naval combat encounter with its own ship-model reward on defeat.

Sea Shanties

Floating song sheets scattered across towns, remote islands, and the open sea let your crew sing new shanties while sailing. Song sheet icons only appear on the map after a region's secrets have been revealed, and picking one up triggers a short chase as it drifts along a set path, usually a rooftop or treeline route, before you can grab it.

The confirmed count sits at 28 song sheets, per PowerPyx's collectibles tracker, the most methodical, coordinate-by-coordinate source checked for this guide. Other early trackers report different totals - one puts physical song sheets at 26, while a separate post-launch completion tracker lists 45 once quest- and activity-tied shanties are counted alongside the floating sheets. Treat 28 as the current working number; we'll update it once a full regional breakdown is confirmed post-launch.

Once collected, shanties can be swapped via a new shanty wheel (hold D-pad down) rather than the original's linear unlock system.

Character Portraits - The Memory of My Enemy

Eleven character portraits can be hung in the Great Inagua manor, tied to the "The Memory of My Enemy" trophy/achievement. Several are new to Resynced, including Blackbeard's Portrait (from the Blackbeard's Treasure quest above) and portraits tied to the Captain Stede Bonnet questline and the "A World Without Gold" quest line.

Assassin Contracts and Naval Contracts

Region-based optional contracts, covering assassination targets and naval combat objectives, are available in every major settlement and contribute toward outfit unlocks. Reaching 50% completion on a town's Assassin Contracts, for example, is one of the unlock paths for certain legendary outfits.

Quick-Reference: What Each Discovery System Unlocks

Note: This guide reflects Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced as of launch, based on hands-on play and community-verified sources like PowerPyx. As new locations are confirmed or corrected post-launch, we'll update the counts and coordinates above.