You've got the basics of high seas battles down in "Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag", and now comes the real fun.

Naval combat is arguably one of the coolest additions to the "Assassin's Creed" series, and one should take full advantage of the environment to pirate ships.  You can do it the easy way (click here for a simple naval combat guide), or challenge yourself in a storms with Man o' Wars.

Below is a list of naval combat tips, in no particular order:

1.  If you want to put up a real fight, head south in the Caribbean waters.  You will find Man o' Wars, Brigs, Frigates, etc.  Note: Brigs normally carry large amounts of metal.  I've notice metal is the toughest supply to get as wood and cloth are more common to find for upgrades.  Stock up on metal!

2.  If you're going to fight a Man O' War, make sure its alone or surrounded by small ships.  When I say small ships, I mean gunboats.  Even if you have all of the elite ship upgrades (click here for the list), these ships will put up a fight with their heavy artillery.  You'll save yourself time and some hair pulling.

3.  If you find yourself surrounded by ships and the Jackdaw is taking heavy hits, board a ship and repair.  You do not have to become anonymous to board an enemy ship, so spot the weakest ship in the fleet and take it down first. Note: Storms are your friends.  If you're in a battle, lure the ship into a rogue wind, wave or Typhoon.  It's not easy at first, but you'll get a grip on steering your ship in dangerous weather conditions.

4.  "You don't have to battle a ship to capture it. Simply maneuver into a ship's path, climb out of the Jackdaw and board the enemy ship and you can kill its entire crew. Once this is done, return to your ship and you can pull up alongside it and capture it. This does not work if you are engaged in battle, so you'll need to sneak aboard. It takes a while, and it's not as flashy, but you can capture giant ships early using this method. Note: This does not work for Legendary Ships, which kill you if you touch their hull."(INFO from IGN)

5.  Forts ruin your life so take them out!  In most of the AC WIKIs I put together, I stress the importance of upgrading your Jackdaw.  The grinding will take time, but the rest of your gameplay will run smoother. (Check out the Jackdaw Upgrades here) Note: Mortars, mortars, mortars. You will need them to take down forts, so use them up first.  Don't worry, as soon as you capture the fort you will be able to stock up on ammunition.

Have naval combat tips of your own?  Leave a comment below or you can email me directly at z.serrano@hngn.com.

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