Assassin’s Creed Black Flag Resynced puts players in the shoes of the pirate Edward Kenway, who’s fated to become a Grandmaster of the Assassin Order one day. However, the Kenway we play as at the start of Resynced is still a dirty, rotten scoundrel who prioritizes his needs over *most* others – but does that include a man about to be hanged?
This includes his fellow pirate, the unfortunate Samuel Calstock, who’s set to be hanged in the quest And My Sugar? – even though Kenway has the opportunity to save him. So, here’s what you need to know about whether you’re able to save the poor soul, and what you need to do to progress in this confusing quest.
Reaching the Gallows
Edward will learn that a guard holds the key he needs to break into a fortress and recover the items he took from the Duncan at the start of the game. The quest marker will lead you to a public execution where the pirate Samuel Calstock is about to be hanged.
Now, most games in this instance would see the hero interrupt the execution, save the condemned soul, take out the nasty guard presiding over the grim affair, with the hero then claiming the item they need from them. But this is not the case here.
The reason this quest is confusing is that most players will attempt to stop the execution and may be surprised when they’re unable to. The game even gives you a path to the guard controlling the gallows and lets you assassinate him before he’s got the chance to – but the truth is, saving the man isn’t your objective here.
Can you save Samuel Calstock in Black Flag Resynced?
No. Regardless of what you do, Samuel Calstock will be hanged and won’t survive the encounter.
Even if you assassinate the guard operating the gallows lever, Calstock will fall anyway, and there’s no way to cut him loose. The game just automatically scripts this moment, so trying to prevent it is pointless.
How to retrieve the key
The best thing to do is to coldly treat the execution as unimportant and stalk your target instead. Ignore Calstock and the guard operating the gallows, and make your way across the tree to the rooftop behind the gallows and around to the opposite side.
Then wait for your target to come in range, jump down and assassinate him, loot the key, and escape.
Playing the quest this way will save you from trying to become the hero by rescuing Calstock, and seeing your target flee and needing to give chase. It’s far easier to take this target out while he’s grandstanding to the crowd about Calstock’s many crimes.
Retrieving your items
With the key in hand, follow the quest marker to the fort. You can simply run in and slay the enemies in the courtyard when they chase you from the entrance. There aren’t many, and you’ll still be able to sneak into the top of the fort without alerting any of those guards.
Or you can sneak in by jumping across the wooden slats at the side of the building for a more stealthy approach. This skips any fighting and guards at the entrance. From here, sneak past or silently take down the few guards on the roof and head to the storeroom.
Use the key and go inside to find your gear. A cutscene will show Edward being given a chance to also retrieve Stede’s sugar, but like we said, dirty, rotten scoundrel. After this, you can zipline out of the fort and conveniently land near your final destination to complete the quest.
