On the surface, Hitman 3, much like its predecessors Hitman 1 and 2 before it. That is to say that it looks like a pretty standard stealth action game. While this is true to a certain extent, there is a lot more to the game than just stealth; with many systems at play, including advanced AI routines and sandbox-style levels.
Due to this, it’s easy to make the odd mistake here and there on one's first playthrough. Thankfully, however, Hitman 3 is a game that's built around the concept of replayability, with numerous Challenges and Assassinations possible in each level. As a result, players can easily go back and make sure that none of these mistakes happen to them going forward.
Updated January 20, 2022, by Tom Bowen: With the Hitman trilogy now available on Game Pass, the coming weeks and months will likely see a lot of people stepping into the shoes of Agent 47 for the very first time. While the iconic assassin has been at the top of his game for decades now though, those who are new to the world of Hitman will likely need some time to get into the swing of things. This doesn't bode too well, as Hitman 3 is a game in which mistakes are often met with devastating consequences. Rather than making and learning from these mistakes, it could therefore be argued that it's better to simply avoid making them in the first place.
12 Going Too Big Too Soon
There are three difficulty settings in Hitman 3, allowing players to tailor the experience to their skill level surprisingly well. Some players, however, both new and returning, can completely overestimate their own abilities and start on the highest difficulty setting. This, in turn, can make life unnecessarily complicated for them and can completely ruin their overall experience with the game.
There are no trophies or achievements tied to difficulty in Hitman 3 and so the only reason to play on the Master setting is for a serious challenge; something that players shouldn't necessarily be looking for on their first playthrough. Instead, players should start out on Casual or Professional so that they can enjoy the story and get a feel for each of the game's maps. After that, they can replay the mission on a higher difficulty setting and really put all that they've learned to use.
11 Losing Patience
It's often said that good things come to those who wait, and that very often ends up being the case in Hitman 3. The game rewards those who take their time and wait for the perfect moment to strike, while encouraging players to thoroughly explore each map in order to sniff out every possible opportunity. This does mean, however, that some missions can end up taking quite a while to complete.
Though it is possible to charge in guns akimbo, those hoping to achieve a good ranking are going to have to invest a lot of time into each run. At times though, waiting for each piece of the puzzle to fall into place can become a little tedious, which, in turn, can lead to players losing patience and ruining a run in the blink of an eye. A true Silent Assassin, on the other hand, remains focused for the entirety of their mission and carefully considers each and every move that they make.
10 Not Picking Up Wrenches, Crowbars, And Screwdrivers
Agent 47 can turn almost anything into a weapon if given the chance. There are, however, a select few items that can be useful in other ways. Certain assassination opportunities require Agent 47 to tamper with something that will become deadly later on, such as unscrewing a gas canister next to an explosive barrel.
In order to do this, players will need either a wrench, crowbar, or a screwdriver handy. As such, it’s crucial that whenever players come across one of these items while exploring, they pick it up immediately. Wrenches, especially, are necessary for unlocking some of the game’s permanent shortcuts.
9 Not Reading The Challenges Ahead Of Time
Though the number of possible methods for killing a target isn't quite endless, there are still many creative opportunities for those willing to seek them out. The only way players will know about some of these encounters is if they read the Challenges menu prior to starting a mission, however.
These tell players what they should keep an eye out for as they traverse the level. When they come across a Challenge that says "Eliminate your target as they are evacuating the building," for example, they’ll now be looking for some way to put this into motion. The game wants players to take these hints as a sort of jumping-off point to get started.
8 Ignoring NPC Dialogue
There are a ton of ways that Agent 47 can dispatch his targets, but not all of them are that obvious. If players come across an NPC having a conversation and the volume gets louder as they get close, chances are this is the game letting them know that Agent 47 should be listening for important information.
Some of these encounters may show up in the Intel screen on the Pause menu, but this won’t happen every time. It’s therefore important that players listen to what NPCs are saying and see if they reveal anything that might help with a specific challenge.
7 Trying To Complete Every Challenge The First Time Around
In many ways, Hitman 3 is a game that's perfect for completionists. As players complete challenges in each Campaign Mission, they'll increase their Mastery Level. Each Mastery Level gives Agent 47 access to new Starting Points and Gear.
Some challenges are more difficult than others, and players may not be able to rise to them until they've unlocked certain gear. For example, players may initially have a hard time finding lethal poison for a Challenge in the first mission, but unlock the item through increasing their Mastery Level in a later mission.
6 Not Saving Constantly
In a game where players are constantly trying to pull off the perfect assassination, trial and error can be incredibly important. As a result, some of the more difficult challenges may not always go as planned. Therefore, the Save button is the best tool that Agent 47 has at his disposal.
When things go wrong, instead of having to start way back to the beginning or relying on the Autosave times, players are much better off just saving the game before doing something risky. If they get caught, they can simply start over and try again. The game encourages experimentation, after all, not to mention learning from one's mistakes.
5 Not Using The Camera In Dartmoor
Admittedly, the new Camera gadget in Hitman 3 is pretty forgettable even at the best of times. That being said, it’s somewhat essential for those who want to solve the murder mystery in the game’s second mission, Death In The Family.
Dressed up as a private investigator, Agent 47 will be tasked with searching Dartmoor for clues on the murder. Most of these clues can be picked up pretty easily, but there are a select few that require players to pull out Agent 47’s new Camera. Just point it around the room, and players just might stumble on that one important clue.
4 Walking Around Freely In A Disguise
Despite having no personality and a barcode on the back of his bald head, Agent 47 is a master of hiding in plain sight. After taking out certain NPCs, he can put on their outfit as a disguise, with some giving him access to areas that he would otherwise be trespassing in.
A common mistake that new players make is thinking that they are now completely invisible. While many NPCs will fall for the disguise, there are some who are smarter and will be suspicious of Agent 47 — as is indicated by the yellow awareness bar. If 47 is disguised as a maintenance worker and another worker’s bar starts going up, players should back off or risk being exposed.
3 Not Destroying Camera Evidence
For those who are going for the best possible score, staying completely undetected is key. In these instances, it can therefore be really annoying to be caught on camera during a playthrough that’s been completely silent up until that point.
If 47 is caught on camera, this will hurt the player's final score and XP gains because there’s now video evidence that Agent 47 was there. Thankfully, this can be remedied by finding the room in which the video footage is stored and destroying the server with a bullet from a silenced pistol.
2 Underestimating The Power Of Coins
Even in a game in which players can obtain silenced sniper rifles, explosive rubber ducks, and EMPs, there's still an important place for the now legendary coin. Coins are always available to players at the start of every mission in the game and should always be brought along and used.
As in previous Hitman games, the coins in Hitman 3 are still the most overpowered tool in Agent 47’s arsenal. While they won’t do any sort of damage, their mere presence is enough to distract just about anyone. One simple throw in the right direction will cause almost every NPC to stop what they are doing and go and pick it up, allowing players to sneak on by.
1 Binging Through The Game
Those who are new to the most recent Hitman trilogy, might not realize what the true bread and butter of these games really is. That is to say that anyone who plays the game for the story alone and streamlines each mission one by one is only going to get about five to ten hours of content.
Replayability and progression are essentially tied together in the Hitman games. Players should keep in mind though that this doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be doing the same thing over and over again. Granted, the objective will always be "Kill this person. Kill that person," but how exactly they approach these objectives will invariably change from run to run. Players really can get creative, figuring out new and inventive ways to take out their target with each subsequent playthrough.