Assassins Creed Black Flag Resynced Nine Men's Morris Guide

Nine Men's Morris is a traditional tavern strategy minigame in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced where players form three-piece lines called mills to remove enemy pieces. Defeating the beginner AI at Salt Key Bank secures the easiest win for the Grandmaster achievement.

Where Can You Play Nine Men's Morris?

Tavern boards are social minigame tables scattered across Caribbean ports where Edward Kenway challenges local patrons. Players unlock games at most settlements by speaking to the barkeep and defeating attacking patrons in an unarmed tavern brawl. As noted in Vulkk's minigame guide, three taverns bypass this brawl requirement: Havana, Nassau, and the restored tavern in Great Inagua.

Nine Men's Morris matches exist across three specific Caribbean locations:

• Salt Key Bank (coordinates 467, 605): Beginner difficulty.
• Arroyos (coordinates 162, 540): Intermediate difficulty.
• Great Inagua (coordinates 820, 443): Expert difficulty, unlocked after renovating the hideout tavern.

Checking your interactive map confirms harbor coordinates before docking the Jackdaw.

The iconic solo pirate adventure returns. Sail the Caribbean as Edward Kenway during the Golden Age of Piracy in this faithfully enhanced remake featuring stunning visuals, upgraded gameplay, and new content. — the official Steam store page

How Do You Play Nine Men's Morris in Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced?

The setting phase is the opening stage where both players place nine pieces on the twenty-four board intersections. The board features three concentric squares connected by midpoint lines. During this initial placement, you alternate turns placing one stone at a time. Forming a line of three connected stones in a horizontal or vertical row creates a mill. Completing a mill allows you to select and permanently remove any opposing stone from the board.

Once all eighteen stones are placed on the grid, the movement phase begins. Players slide a single piece along marked lines to an adjacent empty node. Shifting a piece out of a completed line and returning it on the next turn repeatedly closes the mill, removing an opponent piece every cycle. When an opponent drops to three pieces, that player enters the flying phase, granting the ability to move a piece to any unoccupied board space regardless of distance. A match ends when a player is reduced to two pieces or cannot perform any valid moves.

Which Strategies Guarantee a Win Against the AI?

Center ring control is the primary tactical priority during the placement phase. Securing intersections along the middle square provides flexible branching routes to outer and inner perimeters. Forming L-shaped formations allows simultaneous threats on two different mill lines, forcing the AI to concede at least one completion.

Building a double mill establishes an unblockable loop during the movement phase. By shifting one central piece between two adjacent rows of two stones, you complete a mill on every single turn. The AI at Salt Key Bank frequently commits errors, making it simple to trap enemy pieces against board edges. As documented on the official Steam store page, the game supports customizable controls for menu inputs, allowing steady cursor adjustments during complex board positions. Completing the main story walkthrough provides plenty of Reales to fund tavern wagers across the Caribbean.

How Do Wagers and Difficulty Settings Compare?

Tavern stakes determine how many Reales Edward wagers before the first piece hits the cloth. Lower difficulty opponents offer predictable opening placements, while expert opponents aggressively block emerging mills. Selecting the proper table depends on whether you seek the Grandmaster trophy or steady profit between managing kenway's fleet trade assignments.

Further details appear in GameTyrant's tavern breakdown, which tracks minigame setups across all pirate settlements. Beating the beginner opponent at Salt Key Bank fulfills the Nine Men's Morris requirement for the Grandmaster achievement without facing the advanced countermoves found in Great Inagua.