Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Guide- How to Complete the Prologue

Enjoy a pirate's life in the first part of Prima's AC4 walkthrough.

Ubisoft just released Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag on Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U. This time, you set sail and live life as a pirate, searching for treasure and exploring the Caribbean. If you’re just getting started, here’s the best way to tackle the Prologue.

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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 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 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.

Don’t miss a thing! Get the official Assassin’s Creed guide and get all the maps, missions, challenges, collectibles, unlockables, bonuses, secrets, Achievements, and Trophies.

About the Author

Bryan Dawson

Bryan Dawson has an extensive background in the gaming industry, having worked as a journalist for various publications for nearly 20 years and participating in a multitude of competitive fighting game events. He has authored over a dozen strategy guides for Prima Games, worked as a consultant on numerous gaming-related TV and web shows and was the Operations Manager for the fighting game division of the IGN Pro League.