Naval Contracts are fun on-sea side-missions that you can play in Assassin’s Creed 4, but they don’t come to you without hefty demands and difficult objectives that will require good upgrades.
There are 15 total Naval Contracts that can be completed in the game, but in order to unlock each one, you need to conquer a specific Fort.
For more help on Assassin’s Creed 4, read our Buried Treasure Locations, Templar Hunts and Legendary Ships Guide.
Assassin’s Creed 4 Black Flag Naval Contracts
Conquering Naval Forts itself is a grueling and time-consuming process, but it will definitely aid you indirectly in your Naval Contracts, because you’ll be regularly upgrading your ship, and grant you better chances.
Many of the missions will require you to have the penultimate upgrades for your ship. If you can manage to get your hands on Elite upgrades early, then you should be able to go through the more difficult ones with a breeze.
So why would you want to commit yourself to completing all 15 Naval Contracts in the first place? Well, for starters, it’s fun, and you’ll be able to acquire the Sea Legs achievement.
Secondly, they grant you large amounts of money as reward. Thirdly, completing all 15 of the Naval Contracts will allow you to unlock the Golden Flintlock Pistols.
Enough jibber-jabber; let’s start with them contracts:
Naval Contract #1 – An Eye for an Eye
Mission Start: Fort Castillo de Jagua
Reward: 1,800R
Requirement: Board the San Lorenzo
Check around to see if the area is clear of other ships, and then approach the San Lorenzo. You should be able to take it out with a set of Heavy Shot Broadsides and a Swivel Gun.
Make sure you are mobile, and circle around her to keep your cannons aligned. Once you do that, she should be weakened considerably. Board her to complete the contract.
Naval Contract #2 – The Law of the Ocean
Mission Start: Fort Contoyyor
Reward: 1,800R
Requirement: Board the Hercules
You should have a good set of broadside cannons to get through this mission easily, since there are multiple vessels involved. Four ships accompany the Hercules, one on one side and three on the other.
You need to make a well-timed sweep perpendicular to the direction of the enemy ships with half sail speed, and shoot at all the ships when they come in your line of fire.
Use Swivel Guns and broadside shots for each one of them. The smaller gunboat vessels should sink immediately, but the Hercules will probably remain. Let it advance to you, and once it is close enough circle around and land a few additional shots, weakening it. Board the brig and you’ll finish the mission.
Naval Contract #3 – A Spanish Plague
Mission Start: Fort Eleuthera
Reward: 1,200R
Requirement: Sink 3 Spanish Gunboats
This is a very easy mission, since gunboats stand little to no chance against the Jackdaw.
Naval Contract #4 – Driftwood
Mission Start:
Reward: 1,800R
Requirement: Loot 60 wood
The best place to find 60 wood is schooners. They are quite common in the northern area of the map. Use your spyglass to identify the vessels from afar.
Though it will be quite time-consuming, you will only need a few of these ships to complete the 60 wood requirement. It also helps if you already have a part or most of the required amount beforehand.
Head back to the fort to give it to the merchant.
Naval Contract #5 – Silk on the Waves
Reward: 1,800R
Requirement: Loot 30 cloth
This mission is similar to Contract 4, except 30 cloth is a bit easier to find. You will be able to find it in schooners. Once again, use your spyglass to identify which ones carry cloth, and then attack. This should take lesser time than Contract 4. Return to the merchant to complete the contract.
Naval Contract #6 – Contraband
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Sink one Spanish Frigate and two Spanish brigs.
This is a challenging mission because you’ll be going at it with no stops in between. Try finding lone ships instead of getting into skirmishes against multiple ones.
It is highly recommended that you use Reinforced Hull Armor and Reinforced Mortar/Round Shot Strength. Use the mortars to weaken ships from a distance, and then get close to them to finish them off.
Many ships are way too strong to go head on from the start, so you should be using this strategy with every one of the 3 required to be on the safe side.
Ramming into ships is also a good shocker after a heavy mortar assault. Circle around her after the ram and bombard with swivel guns and heavy shots to finish it off.
Naval Contract #7 – Private Escort
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Protect the Neptuno
This is another very difficult mission. You will need to defend the Neptuno against waves of enemies. Advanced weaponry and armor are recommended, with high recommendation for refined mortars.
Approach parallel to the Neptuno; for the first wave, two gunboats will attempt to attack her. Take them out with chain shot and swivel guns. Make sure you don’t hit the Neptuno during this stage.
The second wave will consist of three gunboats. Turn to face your guns towards them, and make a slow half sail pass and take them out. The third wave is the hardest of all. There will be two brigs and two schooners coming towards the Neptuno.
Start firing your mortars at the two brigs quickly, and then unleash broadside cannons with Heavy Shots to take them out. The schooners won’t be much of a burden if you can get rid of the brigs quickly, which is why you’ll need advanced upgrades.
Naval Contract #8 – Blind Justice
Mission Start: Fort Navass
Reward: 1,800R
Requirement: Sink the British escort and board the man o’ war
The recommendations for this mission are the same as those of Contract 7.
There are 3 brigs that you need to take out first. Attack them from a distance with mortar fire, and then unleash whatever you can on them to take them out. Hopefully your Advanced Hull Armor will allow you to withstand the beating enough to face the next big trouble.
The man o’ war will soon follow. Use the terrain to your advantage to prevent the man o’ war from directly coming towards you.
Elongate its path by slowing/stopping your movement near the northwestern shores of the island, and then bombard the enemy ship with mortar fire. Once it is in firing range, hit it with heavy shot barrages.
Steer yourself to align the Jackdaw with her, and continue with mortar and heavy shot fire to neutralize the ship. Board the ship to finish the mission.
Naval Contract #9 – The Realities of War
Mission Start: Fort Conttoyor
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Sink the Spanish Convoy
This would’ve been a very difficult mission, had it not been for the two ally ships by your side. You should still have advanced armor and weaponry, along with reinforced mortars for this mission.
You want to use your ally ships as bait. Whenever an enemy ship is busy engaging one of the ships, circle around to the other side, surrounding it, and then unleash your heavy shot broadsides. The first wave will have 2 brigs, and is outnumbered (since you are 3). You won’t have trouble taking them out at all.
The second wave consists of 2 more brigs on the wings of a man o’ war. Use your mortars on them from a distance to weaken them greatly. However, you should avoid slowly down, because the man o’ war itself has good ranged capability.
When you get near them, unleash everything you have, specifically focusing on the man o’ war. Hopefully the brigs will be busy with the ally ships, allowing you to take them out quickly.
Naval Contract #10 – Hunter Gatherer
Mission Start: Fort Charlotte
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Sink two Hunter ships
This is a battle against two pirate ships. You don’t need extremely expensive upgrades for the Jackdaw for this one – intermediate ones will do just fine.
If you already have the Advanced Hull Armor and advanced weapon upgrades, then this should be a breeze. You should tackle schooners for this one. Pin them down and hit them with chain shots and swivels to take them out. Nothing too difficult about this one.
Naval Contract #11 – Papers Please
Mission Start: Fort Charlotte
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Sink the HMS Courage
This is another battle that isn’t too difficult if you are doing it after obtaining the advanced armor ad weaponry.
If you haven’t go with a minimum of reinforced armor and weapons, along with reinforced mortars. When you reach the ship’s position, take a long route by going to the opposite side, and then U-turning back to go head-on with her.
This way you’ll be able to unleash hellfire upon it with your mortars for quite a while, severely weakening, because the Courage itself will also take a long, slow U-turn to attack you.
By the time it reaches you, your mortar should have already done lots of damage to her. Avoid her mortars when she approaches you though, making sure you accelerate into her direction quickly. Use a heavy shot and swivel gun combo to take her out.
Naval Contract #12 – Weathering the Storm
Mission Start: Fort Punta Guarico
Reward: 1,200R
Requirement: Sink the British Fleet
You’d think sinking a fleet would be a tough job, but this is an extremely easy mission. You just need reinforced upgrades for this one. Pass the fleet, which consists of 5 vessels, in a direction perpendicular to theirs.
Maintain a distance of around 200 meters from them, and from there unleash a combination of deadly attacks, alternating between swivel gun, heavy shot barrages, and mortar firing. This way they’ll all sink in just a single pass, while you are completely out of their reach.
Naval Contract #13 – Smuggler’s Den
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Break the Spanish blockade
You will need Advanced Hull Armor and Advanced set of weapon upgrades for this mission. Make sure you also have good mortars. This mission takes place in a restricted area.
When you enter it, the man o’ war will be able to detect it; you can spot the range on the mini-map. Sail along the coast and enter. Start your mortar fire at the man o’ war immediately once you do.
Once you are around 250 meters from the blockade ships, steer leftward and unleash the best combination of attacks possible while making a pass. This will destroy most of the weaker ships. At the end of the pass, turn around and get closer to them.
Make another pass, but this time you will probably be susceptible to enemy attacks.
Hopefully your first attack and previous mortar fires will have weakened the other ships that it should only take a handful of shots to destroy everything else apart from the man o’ war (and ideally even that itself).
All you really have to do is to make sure your attacks hit your target, and that you don’t lose health – the two passes then should be enough to take down everything.
Naval Contract #14 – A Personal Matter
Mission Start: Fort Navassa
Reward: 1,800R
Requirement: Sink the HMS Defiance
Though this is just a single target, there may be some British ships in the vicinity. It’s best to grab the Defiance’s attention and then take the fight in a quieter part of the sea.
You should have advanced armor and weapons, with reinforced mortars for this mission. Use the mortar fire to severely weaken the ship while you are outside her barrage’s range. Then, get close and release heavy shot barrages. It shouldn’t be too difficult, provided other ships don’t intervene.
Naval Contract #15 – The Final Contract
Mission Start: Fort Serranilla
Reward: 2,400R
Requirement: Protect the Hollander
Yep, as the name suggests, this is your final Naval Contract. You can only perform this mission once you have completed all the other Naval Contracts. You will be protecting the Hollander against a few waves of enemies.
I recommend having the best possible upgrades for this mission. Hopefully you managed to get your hands on Elite upgrades before taking this contract. If not, even Advanced will do, but Elite ones would’ve made it really simple.
The first wave will already by attacking the Hollander. It will consist of two gunboats and two schooners. This is fairly simple for a powerful Jackdaw like yours – circle around the Hollander and show-off your powerful weaponry to them. The enemy vessels should go down in no time.
The second wave will consist of a frigate and two brigs. Unleash the mortar, while constantly circling around the Hollander at half sail. You’ve faced tougher foes than these, so you should feel ashamed if they pose trouble at all.
The third and final wave will consist of two brigs supporting a man o’ war. Rain hellfire with mortars, and then aggressively release heavy shot barrages on all of them one by one.
