Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced: Defeat El Tiburon Guide
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- How to Beat El Tiburon in AC Black Flag Resynced
Boss encounters in Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced are handled a bit differently than they were in the original release. In many cases, a well-timed assassination can drop a boss immediately, while other fights are typically solved by parrying incoming strikes and countering during the opening that follows.
El Tiburon, though, plays by different rules. He appears during the Tainted Blood main quest, and at the start of the battle he takes no damage, which makes the whole encounter look like it might be glitched. It isn’t—so if you’re wondering what’s going wrong, here’s how to beat him.
Stuck trying to make sense of your Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced treasure maps? You’re not alone.
When the fight kicks off, Edward notes that El Tiburon’s armor is resistant to melee damage. If you swing at him with your blades, your attacks won’t connect properly—they bounce off his defenses without dealing any damage. That’s your signal to switch tactics and lean on your Pistols instead.
In the original Black Flag, the simplest plan was to keep firing until El Tiburon finally went down. In Black Flag Resynced, the approach changes. If you use Quick Fire or try to manually aim at him, the early shots may seem like they’re doing nothing, which throws off plenty of players. Still, Edward keeps emphasizing the same point: bullets are what you need.
There are two reliable ways to crack his armor. The first is to manually aim your Pistol and land headshots on El Tiburon again and again. After enough successful headshots, his armor will finally give way, and only then will your melee attacks start working normally. Once that happens, the fight becomes far less confusing.
Also remember that El Tiburon keeps bringing in extra enemies throughout the encounter. They can quickly pile up and pressure you, but they also serve a purpose: they provide a consistent supply of ammunition and healing items. If you’re trying to create space or change your position, you can even use them as Human Shields to take incoming bullets for you.
While the headshot method is dependable, it can still take a long time if your shots aren’t landing cleanly. If you want a quicker solution, there’s a faster option.
Before you start, make sure you’re at full health and that you’re standing close enough to El Tiburon to stay in range. Throw a Smoke Bomb right at your feet, then immediately use either Quick Fire or fire manually while the smoke is active. This triggers a small explosion that instantly breaks his armor, bypassing the slow headshot grind entirely.
Once his armor is destroyed, you can fight him normally with your sword. Keep up with parries and counterattacks until his health bar is emptied. After that, El Tiburon goes down, and you can continue the story into the next chapter.
