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.

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.

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.

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.