Black Flag's Buried Treasure: Your Guide to Reading the Maps and Finding Every Chest

The most valuable loot in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced isn't found in a fort or at the bottom of the sea—it's buried six feet under the sand. These hidden troves, stuffed with thousands of Reales and priceless ship upgrade plans, are locked behind a two-part puzzle: the treasure map. Unlike standard chests, these won't appear on your world map, even after you've synchronized every viewpoint in the Caribbean. To claim the best rewards, you need to find a map and decipher its clues. The system is simple once you grasp it: use the map's coordinates to find the right island, then use its hand-drawn sketch to pinpoint the exact dig site.

01

Where Do You Even Find Treasure Maps?tag

You can't hunt for treasure without a map, and the game doesn't just hand them all to you. These coveted charts are rewards for your pirate activities and exploration. You'll stumble upon them in a few key ways. Some are found tucked away in chests during your travels, while others are given directly to you by NPCs as a thank you for completing a task. More commonly, you'll loot map fragments from your defeated foes or discover them in restricted areas. Once you've collected all the pieces of a single map, they must be reassembled.

This is where your home base comes in. To piece together fragmented maps, you'll need to visit the treasure vendor on Great Inagua, the pirate haven you unlock and upgrade over the course of your adventure. He can reassemble the scraps into a single, legible document, which is then added to your collection in the database. It pays to be thorough; clearing out forts, exploring shipwrecks, and completing side missions are all reliable ways to accumulate maps and map fragments, each one a key to a future fortune.

02

The Two-Part Code: Coordinates and Cluestag

Every treasure map you collect contains two critical pieces of information. The first is a set of numbers, and the second is a drawing. Mastering the hunt means learning to use both in sequence. One gets you into the ballpark, and the other gets you to home plate. Trying to rely on just one piece of the puzzle will leave you wandering aimlessly. The process is a deliberate shift in scale, from the macro view of the entire Caribbean to the micro view of a single patch of sand.

Step 1: Matching the Numberstag

When you inspect a treasure map from your inventory, you'll see a pair of three-digit numbers in the bottom-right corner. These are latitude and longitude coordinates, and they correspond directly to your world map. Open your main sea chart and move the cursor around. As you do, you'll see a set of coordinates updating in real-time next to your cursor. Your first job is to navigate the world map until the cursor's numbers match the ones on your treasure map. For example, if the map says (579, 720), you'll pan across the sea until your cursor is hovering over that exact spot.

This won't show you the chest itself, but it will tell you which island or landmass the treasure is buried on. Place a custom marker on that location, sail your ship, the Jackdaw, to the nearest shore, and disembark. The coordinates have served their purpose; from here on out, it's all about the visual clues.

Step 2: Reading the Drawingtag

Once you're on the correct island, the illustration on the map becomes your sole guide. The drawing will depict the dig site relative to a prominent local landmark. The game's artists love to use distinct and easily identifiable features. Look for uniquely shaped rock formations, large and unusual trees, the skeletal remains of a shipwreck, or the crumbling ruins of an old fort or church. Your task is to find the real-world version of the landmark sketched on the parchment.

This is where your own sense of direction and environmental awareness come into play. Circle the area, keeping your eyes peeled for anything that matches the drawing. As you get close to the right area, Edward Kenway will often make an audible comment, something along the lines of 'The chest must be somewhere back there' or 'I've seen this place before'. This is your confirmation that you're on the right track and the treasure is nearby.

Step 3: Finding the 'X'tag

With the landmark found and Kenway's confirmation, you're in the final phase. Compare your map's drawing to the environment one last time. The sketch will show the 'X' relative to the landmark—perhaps at the base of a specific tree, in the shadow of a particular ruin wall, or between two rock spires. Walk to that exact spot. You won't need to guess; when you are standing directly on top of the buried treasure, a faint, glowing patch will appear on the ground.

This glowing spot is your cue. An interaction prompt to 'Dig' will appear on your screen. Press the button, and Edward will unearth the chest. A quick pry with his cutlass, and the contents—often several thousand Reales and, if you're lucky, a rare plan to upgrade the Jackdaw's cannons or armor—are all yours.

03

Common Pitfalls and Pro Tipstag

While the process is straightforward, a few things can trip up aspiring treasure hunters. First, don't get ahead of yourself. Some maps will lead you to islands with high-level forts or dangerous wildlife that you may not be ready to handle early in the game. If you're getting torn apart by guards or jaguars, it might be best to come back later with better gear.

Second, trust the drawing over the coordinates once you've made landfall. The numbers are just for finding the island. The final location is purely based on the visual sketch. Some players get stuck running in circles trying to match the coordinates perfectly on foot, which is impossible. The drawing is the key. Finally, remember that perspective matters. The sketch on the map was drawn from a specific angle. If you can't seem to find the landmark, try approaching the area from different directions until your view matches the one on the parchment.

04

A Pirate's Greatest Rewardtag

Following these maps is more than just a collect-a-thon; it's the core of the pirate fantasy. It pushes you to explore the gorgeous, hand-crafted corners of the Caribbean, engaging with the world on a more intimate level than simply sailing from one mission marker to the next. The thrill of matching a crude drawing to a real location and unearthing a long-lost prize is one of Black Flag Resynced's most satisfying gameplay loops. The gold is nice, but the real treasure is the adventure.