Ambushed

Chapter information
Location	Panama
Followed by	The Search for El Dorado

Ambushed is the first chapter of Drake's Fortune. Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher were on an expedition off the coast of Panama to recover the lost coffin of the legendary explorer Sir Francis Drake, who was buried at sea over four hundred years ago. Shortly after the recovery, the two were targeted by modern-day pirates.

Story

Nate flipping through the pages of Drake's diary.

After Sir Francis's coffin was salvaged from the ocean floor, Elena filmed the find on the boat's deck while providing commentary for her show. As Nate began prying the lid open, Elena questioned his willingness to defile his ancestor's remains. She also pointed out that Francis Drake had no children according to her research. Nate dismissed her skepticism, claiming their would be no corpse. Upon opening it, he found a small box containing Sir Francis's lost diary. When Elena asked for a closer look, Nate covered her lens, asserting that their deal was only limited to the coffin. Elena rebuked him, reminding Nate that her producers funded the expedition and that her contract granted her full access to the discovery.

Elena looking out to sea at the approaching pirate boats.

As Elena continued to argue, Nate suddenly spotted hostile boats approaching. He broke away to radio his friend and mentor Victor Sullivan and request a rescue. Elena suggested contacting the authorities, but Nate revealed they had no permit to be in this location and insisted they handle the threat themselves. The duo armed themselves with pistols just before the pirates closed in and opened fire. During the ambush, a pirate vessel equipped with an rocket launcher destroyed the boat's cranes and ignited the interior. Sully eventually arrived in his seaplane, driving off the remaining pirates moments before explosions rocked the deck.

Sully helping the Nate and Elena into the plane.

With the boat on its final legs, Nate and Elena jumped overboard, with the latter managing to save her camera just before a massive explosion set off. The two swam to the seaplane, where Sully pulled them aboard and introduced himself to Elena. During the flight back to shore, Nate shared his theory that Sir Francis faked his death to pursue a significant discovery. Sully suggested keeping the find a secret, but Elena insisted that she earned a look at the diary once they landed.

The small map of El Dorado in the diary.

Back at the shore, Nate and Sully discussed the diary aboard Sully's boat while Elena spoke with her producer regarding the pirate attack. Nate explained that Sir Francis likely hid his final discovery to prevent it from reaching the English Crown, pointing to a page mentioning "El Dorado", the fabled city of gold. Despite the final page being missing, the duo decided to pursue the lead. Fearing Elena's involvement would attract unwanted attention, Nate and Sully sailed away while she was distracted by her phone call. Elena realized the deception too late and was left behind on the dock.

Walkthrough

This chapter introduces the fundamental mechanics of the game, specifically gunplay and melee combat. In the first encounter, two pirates approach on a boat; you can wait for the pirate on the upper deck to descend and then shoot the explosive barrels to eliminate both at once. You can repeat this tactic for the second pair of approaching pirates.

Melee combat in action.

As more boats arrive, pirates begin swimming to the vessel and climbing aboard, triggering melee tutorials. The game first prompts you to perform a Fast and Furious Combo by pressing five times, though enemies can be defeated by any method. Subsequent onboard encounters trigger a prompt for the timed Brutal Combo ( + + ), which causes enemies to drop double ammunition. After these tutorials, you must defeat four more pirates attacking from various sides of the ship, without further prompts.

Nate and Elena using the crates as cover.

Once the deck is clear, a gunboat equipped with a mounted machine gun and a rocket launcher appears. Avoid taking cover behind the cranes, as they are eventually destroyed by rockets. Instead, use to take cover behind the crates until Sully's plane arrives. The game prompts you to look toward the plane, but you should stay behind cover as the gunboat circles the ship. Move between cover points as necessary to stay out of the turret's line of fire. Once the gunboat completes it rotation, the pirates will retreat, and a cutscene will follow, ending gameplay of the chapter.

Behind the scenes

The "Ottsel" branding on Nate and Elena's wetsuits is a reference to the Jak and Daxter series, where the character Daxter is a hybrid "ottsel" (otter/weasel).

The boat featured in the final cutscene was Sullivan's Travels, named after the 1941 film. Creative Director Amy Hennig noted that the film's blend of comedy and drama served as a "touchstone" for the Uncharted series.

In the epilogue of A Thief's End, Nate and Elena eventually recounted the events of this chapter to their daughter, Cassie.