Elite plan route
Use elite plans for late-game ship power
Elite design plans are high-value checks because they can remove naval blockers.
Evidence workflow
Choose the route from the evidence you actually have
Do not begin with a guessed coordinate. The safest route depends on whether your save shows a missing upgrade lane, a map point, a treasure clue, or a plan that is already picked up.
| What you have | First check | Next action |
|---|---|---|
| Missing upgrade lane | Jackdaw menu | Filter the board by hull, broadside, mortar, ram, or harpoon before sailing |
| Coordinate or marker | Map and nearby location | Compare the marker with the current save, then add one same-region check |
| Treasure clue only | Clue area and plan name | Use Treasure Maps to resolve clue → dig point → reward; leave the coordinate provisional |
| Plan already picked up | Upgrade menu | Mark it found and test the matching ship lane in the same encounter |
| Route mismatch | What differs in the save | Record the mismatch and confirm in-game instead of inventing a replacement point |
Same-sail planning
Make one plan trip clear more than one objective
An elite plan is rarely the only useful stop in its region. Use the route owner for the plan, then group nearby work without turning the trip into an unbounded checklist.
Before departure Map Confirm the plan point and record the nearest named location in your save. If the plan is buried Treasure Maps Resolve the pickup, dig location, and reward as one clue chain; do not skip the missing leg. While ashore Locations Clear only the nearby checks that share the same landing or city route. After pickup Jackdaw test Return to the ship menu and compare one repeatable naval encounter before chasing another plan.
Post-pickup verification
A plan is not progress until the ship test changes
Use the plan mark as a local checklist, then verify the practical effect in the save. This separates finding a collectible-style object from proving that it solved the blocker.
- Write the failed encounter in one sentence before changing the ship lane.
- Confirm the plan is visible as owned or available in the current Jackdaw menu.
- Repeat the same opening approach with one variable changed so the comparison is readable.
- Keep the plan marked found even if the upgrade did not solve the blocker; route the next failure to Naval or Jackdaw instead of repeating the same sail.