Crafting System#
Table of Contents#
| # | Section | Content |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Two Material Systems | Crafting materials vs. ship materials |
| 2 | Hunting | How to take down land animals |
| 3 | Whaling and Shark Hunting | Sources of materials at sea |
| 4 | Crafting List | Upgrades for Edward himself |
| 5 | Priorities | Which items to craft first |
| 6 | Material Guide | What each material is for |
| 7 | Efficient Approach | Gathering enough materials in one voyage |
Two Material Systems#
Materials in this game split into one and a half mutually exclusive systems:
| System | Use | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Crafting materials | Upgrading Edward’s personal gear | Hunting, whaling, some chests |
| Ship materials | Jackdaw upgrades | Salvaging enemy ships after boarding, chests, shops |
In other words, killing every wild boar on the map will not upgrade your ship; ship materials come only from plundering at sea. This trips up a lot of newcomers.
Hunting#
Land hunting provides materials for your personal gear; the key is finding the animals, not beating them in a fight.
| Point | Notes |
|---|---|
| Identification | Marked on the map with animal icons; get close and use Eagle Vision to confirm the species |
| How to fight | Use Hidden Blades or the pistol for small animals; for large predators, open the fight with a ranged attack |
| Skinning | Collect after a kill; materials go straight into your pouch |
| Rare animals | Materials from legendary animals are used for the highest-tier crafts |
Different islands have different animals, and you can collect most of them along the main story route.
Whaling and Shark Hunting#
Besides ships, the sea holds huntable marine life, handled with the harpoon.
| Target | Handling |
|---|---|
| Whales | Hit with the harpoon and reel in; be careful not to get dragged into the hull |
| Sharks | Small and agile; hit a vital spot and finish quickly |
| Reward | Large marine life yields the most materials and is the main source of crafting materials |
Watch for movement on the water before sailing out and take shots of opportunity as you go — it beats making dedicated hunting trips.
Crafting List#
| Craft | Effect | Crafting materials |
|---|---|---|
| Ammo Pouch | Raises the carry limit for pistol ammo and blowpipe darts | Medium |
| Dart Pouch | Raises the limit for berserk darts and sleep darts | Medium |
| Pistol Holster | Adds more pistols you can carry at once | Medium-high |
| Max Health | Raises Edward’s maximum health | High |
| Scabbard and Belt | Improves carry and swap efficiency | Low |
Upgrades move one tier at a time, and each tier requires more material types and larger quantities.
Priorities#
| Order | Item | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ammo Pouch tier 1 | Fewer resupply trips; pays off in both naval and land combat |
| 2 | Dart Pouch tier 1 | The margin of error for stealth play; directly decides whether you can chain-clear sentries |
| 3 | Pistol Holster | One more shot in a combo is one more interruption |
| 4 | Max Health | Limited help early on, clear payoff in the mid and late game |
| 5 | Scabbard and Belt | Fill in last; a quality-of-life upgrade |
Material Guide#
| Material source | Main product | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Small land animals | Basic crafting materials | Plentiful; good for grinding the first few tiers |
| Land predators and legendary animals | High-tier crafting materials | Large yield per kill; soften them up at range first |
| Whales | Large amounts of crafting materials | The main source at sea |
| Sharks | Moderate crafting materials | Handle them in passing |
| Boarding and salvage | Wood and metal | Jackdaw-exclusive; not interchangeable with crafting materials |
| Chests and shops | Cloth and general supplies | Where most upgrade gaps get filled |
Efficient Approach#
| Approach | Notes |
|---|---|
| Check the waters before sailing | Detour through waters with whale pods and sharks first |
| Hunt along the story route | Take down two or three animals while passing an island; no dedicated map running |
| Don’t try to craft everything at once | Materials can accumulate slowly; raise the cheapest tier first |
| Know what each material is for | Don’t spend naval plundering time hunting boars |
| Save legendary animals for mid-game | Early firearms lack damage, and legendary animals can go wrong fast |
Once your personal gear is crafted, the difference in combat and stealth is immediately noticeable. For related playstyles, see the Combat System and Stealth Assassination pages.