Hitman’s World of Assassination is a dangerous place, but mostly for other people. As Agent 47, you don’t have a great deal to worry about. While you can turn almost everything into a weapon, most of the guards and targets you’ll be stalking and removing rely on the mundane guns and sticks they’ve been equipped with. But even as you hunt through the corridors of the rich and famous as an apex predator, there is something you’ll be worried about: your score. The final score on each level of Hitman signifies just how cool you are, from being completely careless to killing only the absolute minimum. These tasks can be tricky, given the high security, rigid patrols, and labyrinthine levels, so we’ve included some hints suitable for every target to make your attempts a little bit smarter. We’ll leave you to prepare.
Shortcuts
A new addition to the Hitman universe are the shortcuts, that once again prove the neverending effect that the SoulsBorne series has had on games. If you’ve played a Hitman game in the last several years, you’ll know that as you improve your mastery of each level, you’ll gain access to new starting locations, gadgets, and tools. Shortcuts are similar, stretching out over your entire play experience once they’ve been unlocked, but you have to do that manually.
Shortcuts come in two forms, barred doors and padlocked ladders. Once you’ve removed the obstacle these routes will be open for you and every subsequent playthrough of that level, so it’s well worth taking your time to locate and open them. Barred doors have to be unlocked from the other side, normally a high-security area you’ll only reach towards the end of your hunt. Padlocked ladders have to be opened up from the top (obviously) with a crowbar. This isn’t an illegal activity in the game so don’t worry about getting spotted (as long as you’re ‘allowed’ to be there), but you’ll have to find a crowbar first.
Try every disguise
This should be ingrained in every franchise fan at this point, but disguises in Hitman 3 are extremely important. They’ll give you access to different sections of the map which will allow you to get closer to your target, or at least another disguise that might. But while you might be happy with the guard disguise you acquired at the beginning of the level with a well-timed overflowing toilet, you should never turn up the chance to try on a different disguise as you gain access to it.
You’ll be surprised what disguises get you into where, and more importantly, how many people will be able to see through your disguise as you explore the map. Take Dartmoor for instance. This larger than life country mansion has two main ‘factions’ wandering the halls, the staff, and the security. But you’ll discover quickly that the security agents are very new here, so they don’t recognise the staff and vice versa. So it can be worth changing out of one for the other as you move between sections, giving you plenty of opportunities to get close to your target. Experimenting with the different costumes you can find will greatly improve your chances of progressing through each location, and if all else fails you can always go and put on earlier disguises where you took them off.
Use the camera
Another new addition to the Hitman games is the camera. This unobtrusive digital camera will sit unmolested in your inventory for the entirety of the game. No frisk or security system will notice it, and it’s never illegal to hold it in your hand, even in places where it definitely should be. But it’s not just for getting selfies (although there are quite a few challenges that revolve around capturing a decent photo).
This camera can be used to hack into various systems through the maps of Hitman 3. You’ll be taught this right at the beginning of your first playthrough of Dubai, but its usefulness can be quickly forgotten after that. Keep an eye on the minimap for any camera symbols, as they can be really useful for navigating some of the maps unseen. Most commonly, the camera hack can be used to open vents or routes that would otherwise be closed, although sometimes you’ll need to find a hacking dongle beforehand. Other times the camera can be used to obscure yourself, frosting glass, and keeping unwanted eyes off you while you get to work. And sometimes an important situation only needs only less window to be very manageable.
Imagine you’re wearing a utility belt
Hitman 3 has an odd inventory system. Agent 47 can stuff just about anything into his pockets, with the exception of some particularly big guns. Some items, like the aforementioned big guns, might be illegal for you to possess depending on your disguise at the time, but there are loads of perfectly useful and occasionally lethal items that won’t trigger any alarm bells. Use this to your advantage when it comes to tools.
Throughout the missions in Hitman 3, you’ll inevitably come across certain things that require a specific tool to operate. The three most likely candidates are the crowbar, wrench, and screwdriver. But since none of these tools are illegal to carry, and they’ll all somehow fit into your pockets (or the pockets of whichever disguise you’re wearing), you should make sure to pick them up as soon as you see them. As mentioned before, the crowbar is extremely useful at unlocking shortcuts, but can also unlock doors if you’re without a key or lockpick. Wrenches and screwdrivers meanwhile can sabotage equipment and cause distractions. The latter can even be used to break into locked cabinets where more goodies are just waiting to be stolen. Keep an eye out for these tools as soon as you start each mission, and try and remember where you can find them the next time you come back as well.
Listen to conversations
Again, this should be obvious to anyone who’s played one of the previous installments, but it’s worth repeating. Listen to the conversations you overhear as you explore the maps in Hitman 3. Don’t just stand around and see if the game will prompt you with anything, actually listen to them. Most locations have a few missions in them that you can come across as explore. These will give you unique access to the targets and occasionally some unique methods of dispatching them too. Hitman 3 will make it very clear when you’re listening to one of those conversations.
But there are countless others, scattered through each location that the game will not highlight in any particular fashion (besides a vague, unhelpful intel note) that is equally useful. Guards might mention in passing a corridor they don’t patrol, or a noteworthy figure they’re ordered to let pass. Staff might gossip on the strange routine of the target or highlight an access route you might not have noticed.
Keep an ear out when people get talking. And don’t worry about getting seen, if you’re allowed in the area these NPCs will have absolutely no problem with an ominous bald man listening intently to what they have to say.
