Assassin's Creed 4 guide - sequence 1 walkthrough

Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag has set sail. Begin your new seafaring adventure with our complete single-player walkthrough.

Prologue

When the game begins, you'll be treated to a short cut scene, then you'll need to navigate your character to the wheel of the ship. The ship is rocking back and forth, but press on until you reach the wheel. Move forward and up the small set of stairs, then head to the left to find the wheel alone and waiting for your hand.

Take the wheel to begin the next objective, sinking the enemy ships. It's time to be a pirate! There are a total of five enemy ships. You need to steer your ship, while keeping track of the other ships on the radar (at the bottom of the screen), and firing cannons and explosive barrels to take down the enemy ships. You can also control the speed of your ship, and even stop if necessary. To win this battle, you won't need precise aim, but you if the battle carries on too long, your ship will take considerable damage.

To take down the enemy ships, your best bet is to maneuver alongside them, keeping your ship parallel to the ship you're attacking, then aim your cannons low to hit the hull. Each ship has a life bar, and while you can take out ships with a barrage of cannon fire, it won't take more than a single volley if you aim for the hull. This isn't a fair fight, so it's okay to fight dirty and aim below the belt!

If you miss any ships on your first run, you'll need to circle around and go for another shot. Before you turn around, you can rotate the camera to the back of your ship and drop a few explosive barrels if any ships are on your tail. You can also adjust the speed of your ship, and in many cases, going faster is better to help avoid incoming fire from the other ships.

Take down all five ships and you're treated to another cut scene, your reward for almost every successful mission. When the cut scene concludes, you need to swim to shore. Swim straight ahead, toward the green marker. Avoid the various debris along the way to complete the mission.

Sequence 01

Memory 01: Edward Kenway

After another short cut scene, you must find the assassin as he flees deeper into the island. Head straight and to the left. Cross the bridge and head toward the structures.

Climb up the structures on the left and continue forward to reach the wooden post. Climb up the post and jump across, then climb up the next structure and head around the corner. The assassin appears again. Follow him through the area, then run after him as instructed. He won't be able to run for long, but you can't take him out until you catch him!

Once you catch up to the assassin, you finally get to engage in some real combat. This fight is quick and easy. Counter the assassin's first attack, then take him down with an attack of your own. After another short cut scene, head forward into the restricted zone, climb the tree and dive down into the pool below. Continue forward to initiate the next objective: free the merchant.

Dive down into the foliage below and use stealth tactics to make your way to the musketeer. Think of yourself like Solid Snake... only with wrist blades. It's important to take enemies down before you're spotted. Defeat the rest of the soldiers to initiate another cut scene.

Examine the body on the ground to find a map to a treasure chest. Turn around and move straight ahead until you see a cave to the right. Head to the end of the cave and dig to find treasure. Do you feel like a proper pirate yet? As you exit the cave, grab the loot sitting near the rock wall directly ahead.

Swim out to the ship, climb up and take the wheel once more. Navigate around the sand banks to sail out of the bay. This begins one of the brief simulation portions of the game. Follow your lead's instructions until you reach your work desk, then back out of your communicator to get back into the game.

Head back for the rest of our Assassin's Creed 4 guide.