HITMAN 3 – Freelancer Tips and Tricks

Tips for Freelancer

If you are intending on completing the challenges or not is the most important decision maker. but there are other things to consider also. If you want to complete missions, showdowns, and ultimately campaigns fast…then get in… kill the most effective way possible without being spotted and get out. It’s ok to get seen doing the deed, just know you run the risk of quickly dying in a shootout if you stick around. ALWAYS leave an area whenever you drop a target or other NPC…the AI will always send guards or assassins to the exact spot where you shot from…every time…so get out quick.

Wasting time trying to make optional objectives work for a small payout will slow your progress immensely. If they are simple…why not? you’d be silly to waste the chance at earning some loot/ XP. Keep in mind, there are four showdowns in a campaign that will all give a weapon/tool or merces payout at their conclusion and you will get 30,000 merces for completing a campaign.

There are literally hundreds of tips and pointers I could give you. I have over 700hrs in H3 WoA with likely a third of that just in Freelancer alone. I agree with the majority of the info these other players have offered you…with the exception of hardcore mode, I failed that on my first try, but after changing my approach to FL in general, I was able to beat it on my second attempt. It’s not for the faint of heart but it is very rewarding to complete it. Once!…never again.

I will give you a tip to easily narrow down the Syndicate Leader in a Showdown;

There are three meeting types, each have their own “tell”:

1. Business meeting…They will ALWAYS shake hands.
2. Secret Meeting…They ALWAYS just stand there and talk covertly, no contact.
3. Handover Meeting…They will Always hand an item to the other.

Armed with this little tip, you can easily rule out the the other two and then focus on the one your intel says is the right one.

Each meeting type (known as a “network”) usually consists of three mbrs each. So, in the right one according to your intel… the will be the Leader (your target) and two others. The leader will meet with one, then the other. This will continue to repeat over and over, until you intervene of course. Use that to your advantage by watching the patterns. If you pacify the one mbr that isn’t in the meeting, get their phone (which will also confirm the meeting type) and arrange a meeting in a secluded and strategic area, in order to lure them into a trap. This helps in taking out an assassin too…which you should make a priority before attacking the target…mess it up and he WILL kill you!

Sometimes it can be advantageous to cause the other meeting networks to panic and flee, this is dangerous but it will thin the herd so to speak. Keep in mind, lookouts belong to each network and generally hang around the areas where the meetings take place. with a little practice you can easily finish the last (hardest) showdown in a campaign in under 5 mins. I did one once in under a minute…mostly luck since I spawned within 50 feet of the leader, quickly made him, and snuffed him and ran for the exit….all due largely to the fact he did not have an assassin with him…again just lucky…but just goes to show it can be done.

Using your instinct…notice that the NPC outlines vary in thickness and brightness…this is your secret weapon to easily and very rapidly find out who the assassins, lookouts and plain clothes “agents” are…use this along with the mini-map sidebar proximity indicators to confirm your suspicions.

One of my signature things is to do after eliminating the Syndicate Leader is hunting and killing all the assassins and lookouts, they’re worth 250 XP each…plus it’s just plain old satisfying fun!

By far, the best pistol in the entire game is the Assassin’s HWK 21 Covert…you can literally snipe from across the map with that thing. Take down an assassin and pick it up, it’s the only way to get one. The best thing is, it’s easy to replace if you lose it…just snap another assassin, and boom right back in your possession. I’m not saying the other pistols are bad cause some are just as amazing….but losing your Silverballer or Goldballer is just a crying shame. I only use those when an objective calls for a Legendary pistol….after that back on the wall and back to my Assassin’s HWK 21 Covert.

I could go on and on for hours sharing the things I’ve learned over the years of playing all of the Hitman games. Suffice it to say, you too will begin to see things like patterns and behaviours that will help you make the right decisions and choices that will likely help you succeed much quicker and more effectively. As previously stated by another player…Map Knowledge is the main key to success, this only comes through time and experience..so get in there and learn it…ALL!!

One more tip…always use a concussive explosive or breaching charge to open a safe quietly and with less chance of killing yourself if you’re too close. I sometimes use a proxy device if I don’t have a remote activated one…just toss it/ place it….wait for it to arm…then toss an item at it…boom!

Best of luck…hope this helped you in some way.