Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag is possibly the best game in the series. It’s got everything. A core Assassin’s Creed story, pirates, whaling, and of course, sea shanties. These are a key part of the game, and one of the most memorable parts of it that have bled through into later games. In this guide, we’ll cover all the Assassin’s Creed Black Flag shanties and why they’re awesome.
Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag Shanties
First, this guide wouldn’t be complete without a list of every sea shanty in the game. So here it is.
- Billy Riley
- Bully In The Alley
- Captain Kidd
- Cheerly Man
- Derby Ram
- Drunken Sailor
- Fish In The Sea
- Good Morning Ladies All
- Handy Me Boys
- Hauley Hauley Ho
- Hi-Ho Come Roll Me Over
- Homeward Bound
- Johnny Boker
- Leave Her, Johnny
- Lowlands Away
- Paddy Doyle’s Boots
- Padstow’s farewell
- Randy Dandy-O
- Roll and Go
- Roll, Boys, Roll!
- Roller Bowler
- Running Down To Cuba
- So Early in The Morning
- Spanish Ladies
- Stormalong John
- The Coasts of High Barbary
- The Dead Horse
- The Rio Grande
- The Sailboat Malarkey
- The Wild Goose
- The Worst Old Ship
- Where Am I To Go M’Johnnies
- Whiskey Johnny
- ‘Way Me Susiana
How Did Shanties Work in Black Flag?
Sea shanties were a completely new feature in Assassin’s Creed 4: Black Flag. They were the songs that your crew would sing as you sailed the sea. You could turn them off, but then nobody actually wanted that feature to exist. Some players simply jumped onto their boats and allowed the shanties to play out they were that good.
However, they were so much more than actual songs. They were collectibles. This is a feature that’s made it through to Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, and even Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
you got a selection of shanties when you first got your ship, the Jackdaw. The crew will sing these, but they’ll go through them quite fast if you’ve not got many in your collection. That’s why exploration is so integral to the game.
When you land at a port and grab all of the synchronisation points, you’ll uncover the location of all the sea shanties in the area. You can now head to each location and pick the shanties up. Well, you would be able to if they weren’t moving.
Catch the Shanty
When players arrive at a shanty, they’ll see it blow away in the wind. They’ll then have to follow a specific parkour path to grab it. If they’re not quick enough, it’ll blow away and they’ll have to wait for it to reset before they can try to pick it up again.
These were the first collectibles in the series’ history to move away from the player once they’d been discovered. It makes for some stressful gameplay, but a worthwhile pursuit for the true completionist.
That’s all you need to know about Assassin’s Creed Black Flag shanties. Let us know if we missed anything in the comments. Do also let us know what your favourite shanty is as well.