in Assassin's Creed: Black Flag ResyncThere are quite a few dangerous enemies you will encounter while traveling through the Caribbean. There's a lot to deal with, from rival pirate crews to armies to terrifying creatures that want to take your body. But the apex predators of the sea are four legendary ships.
One of these is HMS Prince, which is probably the most annoying ship to destroy out of the four. While not the hardest, fighting this ship can be a headache due to the fog and its tendency to just run away. So, if you're struggling to beat HMS Prince, here's your strategy to put an end to this ghost ship.
How to Beat HMS Prince
If you plan on fighting HMS Prince, I recommend upgrading your Jackdaw as much as possible. To succeed, you'll need almost everything from weapons to armor except for the final level of Fire Barrels. Additionally, you must complete the Deadman's Officer quest to unlock the Cohort Mortar. This is a great item to deal extra damage during combat thanks to HMS Prince's mobility.
As the boss fight begins, HMS Prince appears from the fog and begins firing mortars. These deal significant damage and can quickly sink your Jackdaw if you are not prepared for them. You can tell where the mortar will hit by looking at the large orange circle in the water. When they start blinking, that's a sign that they're about to hit the water and it's time to brace yourself.
The beginning of this fight is pretty standard. HMS Prince will attempt to circle you at maximum speed so that you can continue to flank her. There are two options in this section: Trade flank attacks by matching your movements until the ship breaks apart, or steer from behind and use bow chasers to try to damage the stern.
Those who decide to swap sides will want to use heated shots to get closer so they can trade damage efficiently with this boss. If you're fast enough, get a few meters ahead of the boss and fire your Cohort Mortar so the boss attacks right away. This mortar fires quickly, allowing you to continuously deal damage to this boss without risking missing.
When HMS Prince loses a third of its health, the ship breaks away and quickly moves into the fog. Conventional logic says we should chase this ship, but catching it is basically impossible. Additionally, mortars fire continuously during this section, so it is highly likely that you will eventually lose track of them in the fog.
Because of this, if HMS Prince gets away, they stop chasing and start driving in small circles. This will make dodging incoming mortars much easier. This is because if you keep changing direction, it's almost impossible to hit the mortar directly. If necessary, press the B button (Xbox) / Circle (PlayStation) to slow down and make sharp turns. You can use this to dodge mortars that can take extra hits.
Continue sailing in circles until eventually HMS Price returns and engages in normal attempts to widen the Jackdaw. Once you return, you don't have to worry about the ship leaving. Continue to move sideways and use a mix of mortar attacks and hot-ray fire to weaken the ship.
There is a chance that it will try to run away again before it loses all its health. meIf this happens, don't fall for the bait and chase after it. You want to be patient during this battle. Because if you try to rush the fight, you'll almost certainly end up rushing into a mortar. Wait for HMS Prince to return and keep expanding until you only have 1/3 health left.
If it loses another third of its health, it will retreat into the fog once again and fire a ton of mortars. Start sailing in a circle again. In the end, keep your eyes peeled for ships coming towards you in the fog. Now deal with it as before and focus on damaging it as much as possible until it is destroyed. Master at Arms' ram ability does quite a bit of damage to the HMS's price, but since this ship moves fast, it should really lead.
Destroying the HMA Prince will reward you with a sail, hull color, figurehead, and wheel as cosmetic rewards that can be mounted on your Jackdaw. Plus, the fog clears, making navigating the seas much easier.
