Assassins Creed: Black Flag Resynced vs Dishonored

• Runes: Hidden throughout levels; used to acquire and upgrade supernatural powers. The Heart reveals their locations.
• Bonecharms: Found in various hidden spots or carried by specific NPCs; provide passive buffs to Corvo's abilities. The Heart reveals their locations.
• Sokolov Paintings: Collectible artworks by Anton Sokolov hidden in each mission level. Collecting them provides coin and contributes to completion.
• Outsider Shrines: Hidden shrines dedicated to the Outsider, usually containing a Rune and offering lore insights.
• Books, Notes, and Audiographs: Scattered throughout the world, providing lore, character backstories, hints, and world-building details.

• Stealth
• Revenge
• Supernatural Powers
• Plague
• Oppression
• Political Conspiracy
• Moral Choices
• Whalepunk Aesthetic

• Dual Hidden Blades: Stealth/Melee
  The signature weapon of the Assassin Brotherhood, perfect for silent takedowns and rapid assassinations.
• Dual Cutlasses: Melee
  Pirate swords that allow for fast, fluid combat and brutal execution animations.
• Flintlock Pistols: Ranged
  Edward can equip up to four pistols, allowing him to shoot multiple targets in rapid succession during combat.

• Corvo's Folding Blade: Melee
  Corvo's signature collapsible sword, used for lethal combat, stealth takedowns, and parrying attacks.
• Pistol: Firearm (Ranged)
  A flintlock-style pistol. Can be upgraded for damage, accuracy, and reload speed. Standard and explosive bullets available.
• Crossbow: Ranged (Stealth)
  A silent ranged weapon. Fires standard bolts, sleep darts for non-lethal takedowns, and incendiary bolts.
• Grenade: Throwable (Explosive)
  Standard fragmentation grenade effective against groups or for creating diversions.
• Spring Razor: Trap (Lethal)
  A deployable trap that, when triggered, unleashes a whirlwind of sharp wires, shredding nearby enemies.
• Sticky Grenade: Throwable (Explosive)
  A grenade that adheres to surfaces or enemies before detonating.

• Royal Protector Uniform: Corvo's signature dark, masked attire. Not customizable beyond its inherent design.
• City Watch Uniform: Blue and grey uniforms worn by Dunwall's guards, varying slightly by rank.
• Overseer Uniform: Distinctive masked uniforms of the Abbey of the Everyman's militant order.

Ubisoft explicitly confirmed that Resynced is not an RPG; it stays true to the classic action-adventure roots of the original game. Character progression focuses on acquiring new tools (like the blowpipe and rope dart) and crafting health and stealth upgrades using hunted animal pelts. The most significant upgrade system is tied to the Jackdaw, Edward's ship. Players must pillage resources like metal, wood, and cloth to upgrade the ship's hull armor, broadside cannons, mortars, and ram, which is essential for surviving encounters with legendary ships and taking over high-level forts.

Corvo gains supernatural powers like Blink (teleportation), Dark Vision, Bend Time, Devouring Swarm, and Possession. These powers are unlocked and upgraded using Runes found in the world. Bonecharms provide passive buffs. Weapons and gadgets like the pistol, crossbow, grenades, and rewire tools can be upgraded using money at Piero Joplin's workshop.

The map spans a massive, seamless recreation of the Caribbean Sea. Key urban hubs include the bustling Spanish settlement of Havana, the British-controlled Kingston, and the pirate haven of Nassau. Between these major cities lies a vast ocean filled with uncharted islands, hidden Mayan ruins, smuggling dens, and heavily fortified naval forts. The Anvil engine's improved streaming capabilities allow for completely seamless transitions from sailing the open sea to docking and exploring landmasses, enhancing the sense of scale and freedom.

The game features distinct, large, and intricately designed mission levels rather than a single continuous open world. Key locations in Dunwall include Dunwall Tower, the Hound Pits Pub (hub area), Kaldwin's Bridge, Boyle Estate, and the Flooded District. Each level offers multiple pathways and secrets.

• Samuel's Boat: Watercraft (Transport)
  Samuel Beechworth's small motorboat, used to transport Corvo to and from mission areas along Dunwall's waterways.
• Whale Oil Powered Rails/Carts: Automated Transport (Environmental)
  Some levels feature automated rail carts or lifts powered by whale oil, which can be used for traversal within specific areas.

• Humpback Whale: Marine Mammal
  Hunting Target / Environmental Detail
• Ocelot: Feline
  Hunting Target for Crafting Upgrades
• Ship's Pet: Various
  Companion on the Jackdaw (New Feature)

• Rat: Rattus norvegicus (Plague Rats)
  Environmental Hazard (swarms), Can be possessed, Source of Devouring Swarm power
• Hagfish: Fictional Aquatic Creature
  Aquatic Hazard, found in water bodies, can be possessed.
• Wolfhound: Canis lupus familiaris
  Enemy Type, Guard Animal, often accompanies City Watch.

• Edward Kenway: Protagonist
  A Welsh privateer seeking fortune, drawn into the Assassin Brotherhood.
• Blackbeard: Ally
  The most famous pirate in the Caribbean, known for his theatrical intimidation tactics.
• The Padre: Crew Officer
  A new character in Resynced; a priest who has joined the pirate lifestyle.

• Corvo Attano: Protagonist / Royal Protector
  The Empress's loyal bodyguard, framed for her murder. Granted powers by the Outsider to seek revenge and clear his name.
• The Outsider: Supernatural Entity / Narrator
  A mysterious, amoral god-like figure from the Void who grants supernatural powers to individuals he finds 'interesting', observing their choices.
• Empress Jessamine Kaldwin: Ruler of the Isles
  The beloved Empress murdered at the start of the game, setting Corvo's journey in motion.
• Emily Kaldwin: Heir to the Throne / Damsel
  Daughter of Empress Jessamine, kidnapped after her mother's assassination. Rescuing her is a primary objective.
• Hiram Burrows (Lord Regent): Primary Antagonist / Usurper
  The Royal Spymaster who orchestrates the Empress's assassination and seizes power as Lord Regent.
• Daud: Antagonist / Assassin Leader
  The infamous 'Knife of Dunwall', leader of the Whalers assassin gang, responsible for carrying out the Empress's murder.
• Samuel Beechworth: Ally / Boatman
  A loyalist boatman who ferries Corvo to and from missions and offers moral guidance.

• Sequence 1: Edward Kenway: Main Story / Tutorial
  Survive the naval battle, pursue the rogue Assassin on the island, and assume his identity.
• Taking a Fort: Open World Activity
  Destroy the fort's external defenses using the Jackdaw, then infiltrate and assassinate the commander.

• Dishonored (Prologue)
  Witness the Empress's assassination, get framed, and escape Coldridge Prison.
• High Overseer Campbell
  Eliminate High Overseer Thaddeus Campbell or find a non-lethal solution to neutralize him.
• House of Pleasure
  Infiltrate the Golden Cat bathhouse to deal with the Pendleton twins.
• Lady Boyle's Last Party
  Infiltrate a masquerade ball at the Boyle Estate to identify and eliminate one of the three Boyle sisters (or find a non-lethal alternative).
• The Loyalists
  Return to the Hound Pits Pub only to face betrayal.
• The Light at the End
  Infiltrate Kingsparrow Island lighthouse for the final confrontation with the Lord Regent and to rescue Emily.

There are no multiplayer modes in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag Resynced. The asymmetrical 'cat-and-mouse' stealth multiplayer from the original game has been removed to focus development resources on the single-player campaign and the graphical overhaul.

The game is available in multiple editions. The Standard Edition includes the base game. A Deluxe Edition is available, which (on Xbox) includes a promotional $5 digital gift card and an 'Assassin's Creed Resources Pack' to boost early-game progression. A premium Collector's Edition, priced at $199.99, includes a highly detailed physical statue of Edward Kenway, exclusive in-game cosmetic packs (such as the Master Assassin Naval pack), and premium packaging. Notably, the original 2013 game will remain available for purchase digitally and will not be delisted.

In a controversial move, Ubisoft has confirmed that the game will not be 'content complete' relative to the original release. The highly praised standalone DLC expansion, 'Freedom Cry,' which followed Edward's quartermaster Adéwalé, is not included in the Resynced package. Developers stated this was a 'clear choice' to focus exclusively on Edward Kenway's adventure. There are currently no announced plans to release Freedom Cry or multiplayer components as post-launch DLC.

**Dunwall City Trials:** Challenge maps. **The Knife of Dunwall:** Story DLC playing as the assassin Daud. **The Brigmore Witches:** Continues Daud's story. **Void Walker's Arsenal:** Pre-order bonus pack with additional bonecharms and resources.

• Q: Is Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced an RPG like Valhalla or Odyssey?
  A: No, Ubisoft has confirmed that Resynced is a faithful remake of the original action-adventure style and does not feature the heavy RPG mechanics of recent titles.
• Q: Is the multiplayer mode included in the remake?
  A: No, the competitive multiplayer mode from the 2013 original has been completely removed to focus on the single-player experience.
• Q: Will the Freedom Cry DLC be in the game?
  A: No, Ubisoft stated they made a 'clear choice' to focus purely on Edward's adventure, meaning the Adéwalé-focused Freedom Cry expansion is not included.
• Q: Did they fix the tailing missions?
  A: Yes, the developers have specifically highlighted that the notorious tailing and eavesdropping missions have been revamped for the remake.
• Q: Is the original voice actor for Edward Kenway returning?
  A: Yes, Matt Ryan returns to reprise his role as Edward Kenway, providing new voice lines for the expanded story moments.

• Q: What is the Chaos system in Dishonored?
  A: The Chaos system tracks Corvo's lethal actions. Killing more characters increases Chaos, leading to a darker world, more plague victims (Weepers), more rats, pessimistic dialogue, and a bleaker ending. A low Chaos playthrough (minimal kills) results in a more hopeful outcome.
• Q: Can you complete Dishonored without killing anyone?
  A: Yes, it is possible to complete the entire game, including eliminating all main targets, without killing anyone (non-lethal playthrough). This often involves finding alternative methods to neutralize targets.
• Q: What are Runes and Bonecharms used for?
  A: Runes are used to unlock and upgrade Corvo's supernatural powers. Bonecharms are trinkets that provide passive buffs, such as increased health/mana, faster movement, or enhanced stealth.
• Q: Is Corvo a silent protagonist?
  A: For the most part, yes. Corvo has very few spoken lines in the base game, primarily making choices through player actions. He is more vocal in the DLC and Dishonored 2.

Rebuilt from the ground up on the latest Anvil engine, the visual leap is staggering. The game features advanced ray-traced lighting, transforming the sun-drenched Caribbean with realistic shadows and water reflections. Foliage density and character models are brought up to ninth-generation standards. On the PlayStation 5 Pro, the game supports 'PSSR 2' upscaling technology to deliver an uncompromised high-framerate experience with advanced ray tracing enabled.

Utilizing a heavily modified Unreal Engine 3, Dishonored features a distinct 'whalepunk' art style characterized by exaggerated Victorian-era architecture, industrial elements powered by whale oil, and painterly textures. The game is known for its strong art direction and atmosphere rather than raw graphical fidelity by modern standards.

Audio has received a massive upgrade. Matt Ryan officially returns to reprise his role, providing new voice lines for Edward Kenway. The ambient sounds of the ocean and naval combat are more immersive than ever. Most importantly, the beloved mechanic of the crew singing sea shanties returns, with the developers confirming the addition of brand new, previously unheard shanties to collect and sing while sailing.

Score by Daniel Licht, creating a dark, atmospheric, and memorable soundtrack. Sound design is crucial for stealth, providing auditory cues for guard patrols and environmental hazards. Features iconic voice acting, including Stephen Russell as Corvo (though Corvo is mostly silent).

The UI has been modernized to match the clean, minimalist aesthetic of recent Assassin's Creed titles. Furthermore, the game is fully integrated into the 'Animus Hub' (formerly known as Assassin's Creed Infinity), which acts as a centralized launcher and menu system for all modern AC titles. This hub features sections like Memories, Projects, Exchange, and Vault, streamlining the player's connection to the broader franchise universe.

While specific features weren't exhaustively detailed, Ubisoft's modern standards imply robust accessibility options. A major gameplay change addressing long-standing player frustration is the complete revamping of the game's notorious 'tailing and eavesdropping' missions, ensuring they are less punishing and flow better with modern game design philosophies.

• Built on the latest iteration of the Anvil engine, the game features dense jungle environments, advanced fluid dynamics for ocean traversal, and complex ray-traced lighting.
• Laptop Performance Note: Ensure high-performance mode is active. The engine's demanding global illumination and physics systems can cause thermal throttling on thin-and-light chassis during intense naval combat.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: A GPU with a TGP of at least 100W is recommended to sustain frame rates during heavy volumetric weather effects at sea.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Aggressive fan profiles are necessary. Elevated thermals will directly impact CPU clock speeds, leading to stuttering during boarding sequences.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: Sustained CPU power limits (PL1) above 45W will help maintain fluid NPC crowd simulation in dense cities like Havana.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Bypassing integrated graphics via a MUX switch is crucial for minimizing input latency during fast-paced sword combat.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: Supports DLSS 3 with Frame Generation, FSR 3, and Intel XeSS.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Lowering Volumetric Clouds and Water Simulation Quality can yield significant performance gains on mid-range hardware without severely compromising the aesthetic.
• Game Name: Assassins Creed: Black Flag Resynced

• Official system requirements as per Bethesda/Arkane Studios' documentation at launch (October 2012). The game is relatively light by modern standards. An SSD will improve loading times.
• Laptop Performance Note: Dishonored runs very well on a wide range of laptops, even older ones with dedicated graphics. Modern integrated graphics (e.g., Intel Iris Xe, AMD Radeon Graphics) can often run this game adequately at lower settings. Any modern discrete GPU, including an RTX 3050 Mobile, will provide extremely high framerates.
• Laptop Consideration: G P U T G P: Not a major concern for this title on modern hardware; even low TGP modern GPUs will excel. For period-appropriate cards, ensuring they weren't severely underpowered was key.
• Laptop Consideration: Cooling Thermals: Most modern laptops should handle Dishonored without significant thermal issues. Older laptops might still get warm.
• Laptop Consideration: C P U Power Limits: The game is not very CPU demanding. Any modern dual-core or quad-core mobile CPU will be more than sufficient.
• Laptop Consideration: M U X Switch Optimus: Beneficial on older Optimus systems to ensure the dedicated GPU is used, though less critical with powerful modern hardware.
• Optimization Detail: Upscaling Tech: No native support for modern upscaling technologies (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). Standard resolution and anti-aliasing options are available in-game.
• Optimization Detail: Key Settings Impact: Shadow Quality, Light Shafts, Texture Details, and Anti-Aliasing (MLAA/FXAA) can impact performance on very low-end hardware.
• Supported Video Cards: NVIDIA: GeForce GTX 460 or better, GeForce GT 500M series or better (GT 555M for min) | AMD: Radeon HD 5850 or better, Mobility Radeon HD 5000 series or better (HD 5770 for min) | Intel: Intel HD Graphics 3000/4000 (Not officially recommended, but may run at very low settings/resolutions) | General: Laptop versions of discrete cards may work if their performance is on par with the desktop minimum. Integrated graphics were not a primary target.
• Sound card: DirectX 9.0c compatible soundcard (Standard requirement for audio output.)
• Peripherals: Windows-compatible keyboard, mouse, optional controller (Xbox 360 Controller for Windows recommended) (Supports standard PC input devices and gamepads.)
• Game Name: Dishonored

• Upscaling Tech: Supports DLSS 3 with Frame Generation, FSR 3, and Intel XeSS.
• Key Settings Impact: Lowering Volumetric Clouds and Water Simulation Quality can yield significant performance gains on mid-range hardware without severely compromising the aesthetic.

• Upscaling Tech: No native support for modern upscaling technologies (DLSS/FSR/XeSS). Standard resolution and anti-aliasing options are available in-game.
• Key Settings Impact: Shadow Quality, Light Shafts, Texture Details, and Anti-Aliasing (MLAA/FXAA) can impact performance on very low-end hardware.

• G P U T G P: A GPU with a TGP of at least 100W is recommended to sustain frame rates during heavy volumetric weather effects at sea.
• Cooling Thermals: Aggressive fan profiles are necessary. Elevated thermals will directly impact CPU clock speeds, leading to stuttering during boarding sequences.
• C P U Power Limits: Sustained CPU power limits (PL1) above 45W will help maintain fluid NPC crowd simulation in dense cities like Havana.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Bypassing integrated graphics via a MUX switch is crucial for minimizing input latency during fast-paced sword combat.

• G P U T G P: Not a major concern for this title on modern hardware; even low TGP modern GPUs will excel. For period-appropriate cards, ensuring they weren't severely underpowered was key.
• Cooling Thermals: Most modern laptops should handle Dishonored without significant thermal issues. Older laptops might still get warm.
• C P U Power Limits: The game is not very CPU demanding. Any modern dual-core or quad-core mobile CPU will be more than sufficient.
• M U X Switch Optimus: Beneficial on older Optimus systems to ensure the dedicated GPU is used, though less critical with powerful modern hardware.