HITMAN/Gameplay

Hitman is all about completing missions with creativity and discretion. While the game features a broad selection of weapons, direct confrontation will result in terrible scores and likely ends with Agent 47 becoming overwhelmed by a swarm of armed guards. The typical mission can be split into 2 broad activities: infiltration and elimination.

Infiltration

Stealth and Detection

As with any stealth game, knowing how to stay unseen is a useful skill no matter what situation you'll find yourself in. As a rule, any NPC with a white dot over their head is someone you need to hide from. For the most part, your intuition will suffice for knowing if you're hidden. NPCs have a limited line of sight covering an arc in front of them, and you won't be seen by moving behind them or by crouching under waist-high barricades.

This understanding isn't just useful for moving through tresspassing regions, but also for performing specific illegal actions. Openly carrying firearms and sharp objects in a civilian disguise, sabotaging vehicles, spiking drinks, or pocketing keys are just a small list of activities that will alert bystanders, which will bring unwanted attention from guards. Anything illegal is marked by a red exclamation point, if you have to them, be sure there are no observers around you.

Whenever a white dot NPC spots Agent 47, you'll see a white arrow around 47 pointing to that NPC. The arrow will fill up in yellow representing that person's mounting suspicion, as long as you can duck out of sight before it fully fills up, you aren't detected. However, if it fills up more than half, it will usually cause the NPC to approach your location to investigate, during which their white dot will be ringed by a shifting dashed line.

Different scenarios cause the detection bar to fill up at different rates. For example, a guard will become suspicious much more quickly if he sees 47 trespassing in a civilian disguise compared to if he sees through 47's guard disguise. Distance also plays a part, with NPCs detecting illicit activities almost instantly if done at point-blank.

Distraction and incapacitation

Distractions are a flexible mechanic that lets you manipulate NPCs to your benefit, whether it is to divert their attention or to isolate them for a stealthy knockout. Any item can function as a distraction when thrown to the ground, causing the closest NPC to investigate the source of the sound. Some items like coins also cause them to pick them up, keeping them distracted for longer. Note that if a civilian and a guard both notice a distraction, the guard will always be the one to investigate.

Objects built into the location can also be used for distraction. Radios and television produce obvious noise when turned on and conspicuous silence if turned off, shutting down generators and fuseboxes turn a room dark, and an overflowing sink not only causes cleaning staff to shut it off, but also clean up the resulting mess with their backs to a looming assassin.

Sooner or later, you will need to subdue a potential witness or remove a guard from their post, but outright killing them is never the cleanest solution. The next key skill you'll rely on is the stealthy incapacitation. Any blunt item or just 47's bare hands can knock out an NPC, but if you do it head on they will become a witness and alert nearby guards to investigate. The stealthiest way to knock them out is to approach up close and attack from behind, and using distractions as stated above are the easiest ways to force NPCs into this state.

Closets and containers

In any room, look out for tall or wide containers large enough to fit a human body. When hiding inside them, no one will detect you or even investigate your hiding spot. It's useful for sneaking past patrolling guards, listening in on private conversations, or shaking off trouble when things go south. These containers also serve a different function: hiding bodies.

Bodies always alert bystanders if found, whether they are dead or unconscious, so it is good practice to always hide any bodies that result from your actions. Dumping the bodies into these containers guarantees that they won't be found for the rest of the mission. However, each container can only hold 2 bodies, and once they're full they can't be used as hiding spots.

Disguises

Whether it's a bustling city center, a decadent private mansion, or a hostile military base, there are regions that are open to the public and areas that are off-limits. To get to his targets at their most vulnerable, Agent 47 must invariably pass through several layers of security and frisking checkpoints. Fortunately, Agent 47 has a signature way to hide in plain sight: disguises.

Disguises can be obtained by incapacitating NPCs, and more seldomly lying around in laundry bags. Each level has its selection of disguises that can let 47 move through restricted areas without arousing suspicion. What areas a disguise works for can usually be inferred by common sense, a Waiter outfit would let 47 blend in at a restaurant, but not a research lab. No matter the disguise, you can clearly know whether 47 is trespassing by an indicator above the minimap which shows up as long as 47 remains somewhere he's not supposed to.

A slight wrinkle to this ability are Enforcers. These are NPCs that can see through 47's disguise if they get a good look at his face for long enough, and they are indicated by a white dot over their head. They can be circumvented by finding a different route around their line of sight or, failing that, by simply keeping your distance and always facing away from them. Additionally, some environments have special blend-in activities, such as newspapers on benches or a mop and bucket, that fools even Enforcers in direct view. These are most useful for eavesdropping sensitive conversations or just to wait out a wandering Enforcer.

As a general rule, there are 3 types of disguises that are the most useful:

• Armed personnel, whether guards or law enforcement, are an obvious first choice since they are allowed to patrol in secure areas and can openly carry most firearms. However, there are usually several different types of guards with different levels of clearance. For instance, a venue's security detail can't get as close to a VIP compared to his personal entourage of bodyguards.
• Chefs and wait staff can be found on almost any level and can access most areas in a private, commercial building. What separates them from other staff disguises is their ability to tamper with food without suspicion, which comes in handy when you need to poison someone.
• In a similar vein, mechanics have the standard staff privileges but can sabotage equipment without arousing suspicion.
• Specific individuals are much less obvious than standard disguises but often have direct permission to enter heavily-guarded areas, like a traveling doctor or high ranking military officer. They are usually tied to specific Mission Stories.

Item Collection

You start a mission with a limited number of items, but you can carry as many items as you want, and much of the early stages of a mission will be scrounging the map for useful tools. Most of the items you pick up can suffice for improvised weapons, blunt objects can incapacitate people while sharp objects are always lethal. However, there are some key items that you should always look out for.

Crowbars, wrenches, and screwdrivers each have special interactions with the environment. Crowbars can be used to force open most doors, though they are loud and draw attention compared to a key. Wrenches can be used to open valves and rig mechanical objects, instrumental in certain accident eliminations. Screwdrivers are a lethal weapon that can pass through frisking checkpoints and carried openly, but it's also required for sabotaging electrical equipment. You can usually find these 3 lying in storage closets or in toolboxes.

Emetic rat poison can be found anywhere that food is stored and prepared, usually kitchens but also often in storerooms. Emetic poison is an easy way to isolate a target, though its use will be elaborated upon further down.

Keys and keycards are obvious key items that make traversal around the map much simpler. They are much more uncommon and can often only be found in security rooms or carried by staff, but there's always the one careless worker that leaves one out in the open. Different doors require different keys and some can't be opened by keys at all. If a door has an associated key, it will be displayed as an option when you attempt to unlock it without the right key.

Intel items vary with location, but usually take the form of brochures or worksheets. Collecting them can give 47 information about the location, any elimination opportunities, or quirks with the target. They are still worth collecting on replays as they grant experience just for obtaining them.

Instinct

Agent 47's extraordinary training and conditioning give him a special sense called Instinct that he can use at will. While in Instinct, he can detect other people through walls, able to track his target's across the map. Instinct also highlights items that 47 can pick up and elements of the environment he can interact with, such as chandeliers or explosive barrels.

Agility Actions

There are always more than 1 way to enter an area, and observant players can discover hidden paths that bypass guards without needing disguises. These comprise of climbable pipes, ledges, and open windows that can skip a lot of legwork from acquiring disguises or keys. While they show up on Instinct, they are highlighted with a much milder color and requires 47 to be closer to them to even show up as an option. These secret shortcuts are especially useful during Suit Only runs, where you have to complete the mission without changing your starting outfit.

Ranking and Mastery

At the end of every mission, you are graded by your performance in a level which includes your time cleared, whether there are witnesses to your illicit activities, and by your collateral damage. The game records your personal best in both time and score, and your points are ranked on a leaderboard so that you can compare yourself to friends or even the global playerbase.

Additionally, completing a mission will grant you experience, which contributes to your total account level and to location-specific Mastery level. While you gain some experience just for completing a mission, the game generously rewards experience for creative play, giving out small bonuses for discovering new areas of the map, changing into fresh disguises, finding pertinent intel, or cleanly hiding bodies. Large chunks of experience can also be gained by completing Challenges, which often require a deeper understanding of the location and mechanics to clear.

Increasing a location's Mastery unlocks new starting locations and hidden item caches, changing the pace and strategy of repeat playthroughs. It also unlocks items that can be carried into any level, from novelty items like a simply souvenir for bludgeoning to useful items like a new sniper rifle or lockpick.