Hitman 3 - Tips and tricks to start playing

In Hitman 3, the new production of IO Interactive fresh out of the oven, as fans of the series know perfectly well, you will once again take on the role of the expert killer Agent 47. Those who have decided to approach the game for the first time, however, do not know how to move in this capacity, and so in this guide we will give you some indications to better embark on the adventure. For more information on the game in general, however, we refer you to our review.

Before leaving you to guide, we remind you that in the following text you could read some major or minor spoilers related to Hitman 3, regarding various playful sections and different details on the story created by IO Interactive. We therefore advise you to proceed with caution before completing the game's campaign in its entirety.

To start

The maps are large and you will have tons of difficulties to deal with at each level, for this start on Normal difficulty, then arm yourself with patience and begin to familiarize yourself. Do not rush, but rather try and try again until you have acquired a fair amount of confidence. Since it will be difficult for you to pass the mission on the first try, it is better to train before starting it, rather than dying and wasting time having to start over. Since the missions are not so many, and you can play the same level multiple times, repeating will allow you to know all the hidden paths and other ways to tackle the quests, as well as anything else that may be useful. In some cases, these new paths are key to getting one or two of the special kills to go more complicated than the level. Only when you move well in the level and have known all the possible results, do you move on to the next level. There are at least a dozen ways to do the same thing, so experiment with everything to see what happens and what alternative paths might open up, earn bonus experience to find new areas, break through blocks, and so on.

Do the Hitman 3 training

Start with the Prologue Training Missions, learn the basic moves, mechanics and so on, then play them back to get higher scores. By killing the target and hiding their body without anyone noticing, you will unlock a special bonus reward.

Each position grants a unique level that includes many challenges to complete, which do not require difficulty requirements, but some of them are still very demanding. These revolve around anonymous targets in places you have visited and increase as you advance. The harder they are, the more XP you get, which you will not need to complete the level, but it will always be useful to have them.

Plan the mission

In Hitman 3 you will have the opportunity to plan the mission before starting it, in fact, you can decide with which equipment to start and, later, from which side of the mission to start. In each map you will find many items that can come in handy as a weapon or distraction element, so grab as many items as possible and try to use them. Try to understand how to use them and keep in mind that having a few more weapons can always come in handy, also because there are no limits in the material to be transported, except at the beginning of the mission, but at this juncture you can also place it on the map in the Agency's stocks. Obviously, however, make a selection and choose the most useful and concealable such as rat poison, screwdrivers, kitchen knives or coins.

Observe your target carefully and study its behavior, because doing so Agent 47 will find the best way to do his job, and eliminate its targets in the most effective way by losing track.

Follow the story of Hitman 3

In each mission there are different ways to kill the targets, but if they seem too many, at least at the beginning follow the information paths of the story. When you find yourself eavesdropping on a prolonged conversation, listen to it all the way through.

Each map is filled with NPCs, guards and enemies. Each has a large field of vision and will either attack you on sight or signal you to the closest authority member.

Agent 47 has specific targets to hit but killing anyone not expected actually reduces the mission score. You will get a little more experience if the murdered NPC is a guard, but it won't be enough to make up for what you lose.

You can also not kill

Better to knock out the enemy not drastically, for example by using non-lethal melee weapons, but it would be preferable to hit him, for example, with a bag of sugar and then take cover in a laundry basket. Or distract him and send him astray by throwing coins. Otherwise, if he's stunned, hide him somewhere, because although the discovery of a body can create a good distraction, in fact they will recognize you if they cross you again along the paths, as easily could happen in the shorter phases.

Distractions are your best helpers. There are civilians and other more deadly NPCs watching your every move. Distractions not only get one guard to look away, but will also send the others out of their station, allowing you to lure them to a location away from you. Coins are generally the most effective, so start a level with at least three. You could also use any silenced pistol to distract enemies, maybe by shooting at the nearby wall, but shooting guns is a crime, while the coins are no problem.

The guards have two simple patrolling patterns, i.e. they follow a path during the level or they stay in the same spot watching all the time. Both schemes are annoying, and an easy way to distract guards from their routine is to drop a weapon. Illegal weapons such as pistols or knives can be thrown anywhere in the game. If a guard sees them, he usually approaches, picks them up and takes them to the nearest evidence box. Sometimes these boxes are found in rooms that are far from their normal path, which means you can keep a guard away for a long time or lure him to a safe place to subdue him.

Sometimes it is better to flee

If for some reason you blow your cover, and if you avoid your pursuers long enough, they will eventually give up and stop looking for you. There are also different threat levels which would be "Research"meaning that someone is investigating a suspicious incident, and while being seen nearby is never good, you can still escape quite easily. Then there is "Compromise" which means that someone has discovered your cover or has seen you commit a crime. Also in this case if you stay away from prying eyes you can save yourself. Finally "Hunted" means that the fight will begin if your pursuers catch up with you and you won't be able to hide anywhere to escape. As enemies tend to cluster, engaging in a fight will usually not end in your favor, so run away, as if you manage to get to a different area, they will give up and let you go. Obviously in the shorter phases doing this will be less easy to accomplish.

Follow your instinct

Agent 47 is a genetically enhanced human with enhanced capabilities and senses. Using the mode allows him to see through walls, detect targets in red, hostages in purple, and VIPs in blue. He has an extremely acute instinct that allows him to see everything he can interact with and what kind of individuals there are. In addition to marking easy-to-grab objects, this is a simple way to track targets, always marked in red, and find out where the guards are stationed and especially highlight areas where bodies can be hidden.

Guards are easy to outsmart, as if they don't see something directly or it's not very noisy, you will be able to get away with it, unless you are playing at maximum difficulty. Saving frequently can come in handy so you can retry from where you left off, but keep in mind that you'll only get one save per mission at maximum difficulty.

Beware of climbing over walls in Hitman 3

Agent 47 can scale ledges and climb over almost any wall, but most of the time it would be best to avoid doing this. Since the goal is to blend in, nothing catches more attention than a man trying to climb walls, and always blowing your cover never ends well.

Make great use of stealth. Each mission can be finished completely in secret without killing any enemies. The game also allows you to knock out enemies in a non-lethal way and wear their disguises without killing. Avoid direct confrontations, use disguises and avoid running, and never draw a weapon in public, try to blend in as much as possible and only resort to violence when it is really necessary, avoid unnecessary kills. Always make sure you are not registered by the security cameras, as they are close to the target areas, and even if you are wearing a disguise, you will still be registered. When this happens, a message will appear on the screen, so search for the central server and erase the tapes. You can also use your portable camera to hack devices that might reveal your true identity, and those that play sound or video to distract enemies. Basically you don't show off and act as much as possible in the shadows.

This was all there was to know about how to best start Hitman 3, if you have other doubts you can go to our section dedicated to guides where you will find all the advice on how to complete the adventure of Agent 47.