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Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced has plenty of side content for players to dive into. One side quest type is the assassin contracts that task players with assassinating different characters roaming around the various locales in the Caribbean. While you can complete them just by successfully taking down the target, there are bonus rewards available for those willing to meet certain additional criteria. For some of these targets, you'll be tasked with eliminating a target from a stalking zone, but Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced doesn't actually make clear what it means by stalking zones. Fortunately, I've put the time into the game to confirm this first-hand, so you can earn those bonus rewards on your assassin contracts.
What Are Stalking Zones in AC Black Flag Resynced?
A stalking zone is any tall grass, flowers, or reeds where Edward is crouching and has a white outline around him, as shown in the screenshot below.
As noted above, some of the assassin contracts, such as 'Shady Business' require you to assassinate the target from a stalking zone. To do this, you'll want to hide in one of these spots where Edward has the white outline around him, whistle to draw them near (or otherwise get their attention), and then press the 'Assassinate' button (Triangle on PlayStation and Y on Xbox) when still hidden in the stalking zone.
This will cause the additional objective to be completed, earning you the extra reward.
I tried using a smoke bomb to conceal Edward's true location and then assassinating the target, but this didn't count as a stalking zone for the assassin contract.
The easiest way to guarantee that your kill counts as an assassination from a stalking zone is to make sure that the white outline on Edward is there while he's doing the assassination animation. If you've crept too far out of the stalking zone but are still crouched, the outline will disappear, and it won't count. It can be a little difficult, but you should find there's always some tall grass or a hiding spot nearby your assassin contract target to make this doable.
It's worth noting that, despite them being a staple hiding spot in the Assassin's Creed series, haystacks or piles of hay do not seem to count as stalking zones. When I checked in-game, I noticed that Edward didn't have a white outline while he was hiding in one. You can see this in the screenshot below.
That doesn't mean these are completely useless. Haystacks, hiding underwater, dropping on enemies from above, or simply sneaking up while their backs are turned are all great ways to stealthily take down an enemy.
One final distinction. Some assassin contracts refer to assassinating the target from a hiding spot. These can be done from any of the examples I've just given, such as underwater, in haystacks, or in grass where you're hidden but don't have the white outline. It's only contracts that specifically mention stalking zones where you need to have the white outline.
All assassin contracts that involve a stalking zone are:
- Shady Business
- A Slaver's Business
- The Pirate Captain
- Renegade
- The Slave Master
Completing these and naval contracts is a fun way to pass the time after beating the main story, so be sure to check them out.
