Hitman 3 is a major event (like its predecessors), its levels are unpredictable and rambling, with an enormous number of characters and locations inside everyone. In Hitman 3, the World of Assassination acquires a couple of new details too, such as shortcuts that can give you permanent paths through levels that would sometimes be significantly more difficult to explore. However, in case you’re new to the Hitman series or you bounced off before, finding your way through the game can be troublesome. Hitman 3 appears to be a standard stealth game, yet it’s substantially more dependent on perception, planning, and persistence. You won’t see everything a Hitman 3 level has to bring to the table on your first playthrough, but the more you investigate, the more chances for quiet assassinations or brutal chaos you’ll reveal.

We’ve assembled 13 tips and hints that can assist you with taking advantage of Hitman 3 and can send you down the path of dominating its levels and turning into an elite top pick professional assassin. While you’re at it, don’t forget to checkout out our Hitman 3 review (If you haven’t read it yet )

1. Take Advantage of The Mission’s Stories 

From the then beginning, some of the Hitman missions can be totally overwhelming. You regularly start somewhere outside the objective area in a suit that can make you stick out, and simply finding an invasion way and realizing which disguise to snatch is frequently confusing. Finding real success at Hitman is tied in with learning the complexities of an area and its individuals.

Pretty much every mission in Hitman 3 and its predecessors incorporate “Mission Stories,” which are pretty much-guided paths through the mission that leads you to assassination chances. You can discover them either by overhearing certain conversations (they’ll brief you with “Mission Story Revealing” at the top of the screen to tell you how significant they are) or by choosing them in the mission’s menu screen.

It’s ideal to begin any given mission by finishing a few or all of the accessible stories, as they’ll help you complete your tasks without getting completely lost in a mission. You can investigate as much as you want, collect extra pieces of information in the event that you like, and figure out which areas are restricted and require different disguises, however, the story will give you everything you need. Normally, a mission story ends with the chance to finish an Assassination Challenge (or multiple ones). These are special approaches to slide into missions, so make use of them.

2. Move Slowly And Note Everything

The World of Assassination games are about potential outcomes. Mission Stories feature a couple of key approaches to complete a mission and open up some great assassination opportunities, but there’s always a whole lot more to discover in any given mission. Most of the information you’ll glean comes from overhearing conversations, so sneaking around areas and listening closely can go far. Sometimes characters will discuss various methods that you can use to kill your targets, sometimes they’ll share information about door codes or hidden paths. Listen in on everything you can and you’ll open up a wide range of various pathways for yourself.

Watching the paths of specific characters and your assassination targets can help you a lot as well. Seeing where enemies go, when they’re alone, and when they do things like eat food or drink water can give you chances to knock them out and take their clothes or execute them unseen. The worst thing you can do in Hitman 3 is try to rush through a situation–you’ll probably get spotted, outed, and killed if you do. In this game, knowledge is power, and you gain that knowledge by being patient. Think of Hitman 3 and its predecessors more as puzzle games than stealth games.

3. Instinct Mode is your greatest tool

Agent 47’s Instinct Vision is one of the most valuable tools you have, primarily because it allows you to peer through walls and see what other people are doing and if they’re Enforcers who can see through your disguise. This can be incredibly helpful as you sneaking about, such as determining when a guard isn’t present so you can sneak past.

It’s also very useful for picking out small items like Keys, Coins, and Rat Poison, so as you explore a new area you’ll want to use it to help identify stuff you want to pick up.

4. Be careful with disguises

Hitman 3 doesn’t do a very good job of explaining how disguises work. For the most part, they work like previous Hitman games, just with a few key differences. Like previous games, disguises are most useful for gaining access to new areas. In the Berlin mission, for example, dressing up as a security guard allows you to (almost) freely roam around the level without the worry of being caught. The only exception is getting too close to NPC. If you stick around, they’ll see through your disguise.

Just like in Hitman (2016) and Hitman 2, however, there are certain NPCs who can see through your disguise regardless of how close you are. Using Berlin as an example again, security guards with a gray cap are “enforcers,” while those with a black cap are standard guards. Enforcers can see through your disguise. Thankfully, you don’t need to look around for minor visual differences to spot enforcers. They’ll have a white dot above their head, and they’ll be noted on the mini-map with a white dot (not a black one). NPCs represented by a white dot can spot you.

You need to be careful with committing crimes while wearing a disguise, too. If an NPC catches you committing a crime, they’ll warn others, including tipping off others about your outfit. If you take down a target while dressed as a security guard, for example, and an NPC notices, they’ll recognize you in that outfit for the rest of the mission.

5. Have A Plan To Dispose Of Bodies

Knocking out characters and stealing their clothes to disguise yourself is the central loop of Hitman 3 and the games that came before it. But just as important as disguising yourself is keeping evidence away from prying eyes that might make guards suspicious. That means carefully disposing of any bodies you create. Putting bodies in laundry bins, wooden boxes, bushes, or standing lockers will keep casual observers from locating them, and that can help you maintain your cover throughout a mission. Likewise, bodies you leave out in the open are very likely to get discovered by characters who might show up well after you sneak off to do something else. Discovered bodies not only alert guards and send them searching for you, they also decrease your overall score at the end of a mission.

Playing Hitman 3 well usually requires careful planning, so while a patrolling guard might look like an enticing target to change your disguise, it’s inadvisable to ever knock someone out or kill them unless you know exactly where you’re going to put their body. Instinct Vision will help you identify places to dump bodies, so check your surroundings before committing to a knockout.

6. Keep an eye on your status

Underneath your minimap, you’ll see a status bar, depending on your current circumstances, and this can help you consider your next actions. Trespassing means you’re in an area you shouldn’t be with your current disguise, so either find a different outfit or stay out of sight. Searching means an NPC is checking out something suspicious, but as long as you’re not caught within the Area Being Investigated you should be fine, while Compromised indicates you’ve been witnessed committing a crime and the person who saw you is on the way to raise the alarm. Hunted shows that guards are trying to track you down and will initially attempt to arrest you if spotted, with Combat being the final stage where you’ll be shot on sight.

7. Always Pick Up Tools

There are all kinds of objects you can pick up in Hitman 3, and there are more that you can unlock as you raise your mastery level of a location and your overall profile level. A few of them are universally useful, never pass up an opportunity to add them to your inventory.

• coins: Coins are Agent 47’s best friend. You can toss them anywhere to attract an NPC’s attention — and we mean anywhere, including places where a small metal object shouldn’t make any noise, like grass. Even if a coin hits within earshot of a group of characters, only one of them will actually investigate the distraction, giving you the opportunity to take them out (or sneak past them) without being noticed.
• crowbar: If you don’t have a lockpick, you can break locks with a crowbar. Just be aware that this will make some noise and look suspicious, so don’t do it within view or earshot of an NPC. You can also use a crowbar to break things that aren’t locks, such as the supports of a heavy object that would be very dangerous if it fell on somebody …
• wrench: Another handy tool, wrenches can be used to do things like creating a leak from a motorcycle or an oil drum.
• screwdriver: You’ll need a screwdriver to tamper with objects, like exposing the wire on a power strip. Note that unlike crowbars and wrenches, screwdrivers are lethal when used as melee weapons.
• emetic poison: You’ll often find rat poison in places like storage rooms. This stuff is nonlethal; it will simply induce vomiting (that’s what “emetic” means). Poisoning someone’s food or beverage with it is a classic Hitman strategy to get them alone, since they’ll almost always try to find the nearest toilet — and any bodyguards they may have won’t follow them into the bathroom.
• lethal poison: The only way to unlock the “Tasteless, Traceless” Assassination challenge is to give lethal poison to a target. It’s rare to find lethal poison out in the world, so if you see it, grab it.
• silenced weapon: Assuming that you’re going for stealth, it helps to have a suppressed gun on hand. There are a number of options in the trilogy, such as silenced pistols like the Hackl 9S Covert or the various ICA19 models, or “covert” versions of more powerful weapons, like the Dak X2 submachine gun or Enram HV shotgun. Besides taking out a target quietly, you can use a suppressed gun to put security cameras out of commission (although NPCs will hear the gunfire if they’re close to you or the camera).

8. How To Delete Surveillance Footage in Hitman 3

If you’ve played Hitman 3 for even a few minutes, you’ve likely noticed that there are surveillance cameras scattered throughout each location. You need to avoid their line of sight whenever possible, especially when not in disguise, as surveillance systems act as security’s second set of eyes. If a camera spots you trespassing or committing a crime, it will ping your location for the nearest guard to investigate. 

Certain challenges and rankings in the game require Agent 47 to leave behind zero evidence, so it’s important to avoid or disable cameras as you go and wipe the system’s recordings if you are noticed. To disable a camera preemptively, simply shoot it with a silenced pistol like the ICA19 when no witnesses are present. To delete recorded evidence after being spotted, you’ll need to explore and find one of the map’s security rooms. Once you’re successfully inside the security room, find the camera recorder and destroy the evidence.

9. Search For Shortcuts

Persistent shortcuts are a new element in Hitman 3. On your first playthrough of a location, you may come across some ladders and doors with yellow metal locks that can’t be picked. Instead, you’ll have to figure out how to approach them from the opposite direction, the top of the ladder or the other side of the door in order to unlock them. (Note that while you can unlock shortcut doors with a simple button press, you’ll need to have a crowbar in your inventory to break the lock on a shortcut ladder.)

These shortcuts are designed to incentivize replaying a level; once unlocked, they’ll remain available in future playthroughs.

10. Coins Aren’t the Only Way to Distract People

While Coins are the obvious way to distract people, other items can work just as well so long as they make noise, such as hammers. You can also do things like turn on vacuum cleaners or mess with fuseboxes to draw someone to a specific point.

11. Aim For Accidental Kills 

The Accidental Kill is a technique that’s key to becoming a true silent assassin in Hitman 3. Rather than eliminating your target by typical means, like with a pistol or fiber wire, use objects and contextual points of interest within the map to stage a kill. The civilians and guards within the vicinity will assume the target’s death was happenstance and will not suspect foul play.

This type of environmental kill is crucial for players wanting to improve their mission rankings, as it will not trigger a Body Found or Crime Noticed event, therefore your score will not be penalized. Planning to snipe your target with a rifle? Aim for the gas canister that’s adjacent to them instead. Does your target’s path involve them walking beneath a catwalk? Attempt to drop a suspended object on top of them and their escorts will be none the wiser. Your target’s death was an accident, after all.

12. Pay attention to challenges

Every level in Hitman 3 has a series of challenges (around 60 to 80, depending on the map). It’s impossible to tackle all of the challenges in a single playthrough or even a couple of playthroughs, so don’t worry about picking them up on your first run.

Challenges are broken up into different categories. For example, Chongqing has 15 assassination challenges, which task you with dealing with your target in various ways, and 18 discovery challenges, which award you for picking up different disguises and items, as well as exploring the map. Challenges award you XP at the end of a level, building your mastery to unlock new starting items, disguises, and locations. Make sure to take a look at the Challenges tab before deploying for a mission.

Additionally, each level has five “classic” challenges from previous Hitman games, and they’re the same across levels:

• Silent Assassin: Complete the mission without being compromised or detected in any way, and only kill targets.
• Sniper Assassin: Eliminate your target with a sniper rifle and complete the mission without being spotted. Only kill targets.
• Suit Only: Assassinate your target and complete the mission wearing only your suit.
• Silent Assassin, Suit Only: Complete the mission using the criteria of Sniper Assassin and Suit Only at the same time.
• The Classics: Complete all of the “classic” challenges for a mission.

13. Avoid Guns

Yes, you carry a silenced pistol with you in most missions in Hitman 3. However, this is not your usual stealth game, and more often than not, firing your gun should be used only as a last resort to get out of a sticky situation. Your goal in any given level is to kill only your targets and to do so in such a way that nobody suspects you (or, ideally, even knows the target has died). Once enemies know you’re not one of them, they’ll get hostile in a hurry, and anyone who spots you with a gun will usually get suspicious.

So in getting the hang of Hitman, realize that you want to avoid conflict, not stoke it. The game is about finding the right disguise, staying out of sight of suspicious enemies, and only engaging your targets when it’s safe to do so. It’s not about fighting enemies or shooting your way out of bad situations (for the most part). Of course, once you get used to how Hitman 3 plays, you’ll probably want to experiment with the chaos you can create–at which point, fire away. But if you’re having trouble with finishing Hitman 3 levels, it’s probably due to being overly aggressive.