What is a hitman without his backup? Ineffective, that's what. Dropping into the field blind is dangerous, and Hitman 2 players who want to get the job done and escape with their heads intact could use all the help they can get. Fortunately, we've got a selection of general strategies, hints, and beginner tips that should help players start down the path to success.
Hitman 2 Beginner's Tips
Players new to the game are likely to be overwhelmed by the strategic offerings available within Hitman 2. This isn't necessarily a game about split-second reflexes; instead, it's about planning, patience, and clean executions. Keep these tips in mind during your first forays into the game:
Pay attention to patterns. The first couple of times you drop into a mission, do your best to watch for guard movement patterns and behaviors exhibited by targets. Oftentimes, making an assassination appear to be an accident involves taking advantage of very specific opportunities.
Get a lay of the land. Sometimes the best way into an area is not the best way out of an area — especially if mistakes are made and guards are on the lookout for suspicious characters.
Be patient. Given enough time, windows of opportunity will reveal themselves. Don't be afraid to sit, wait, and watch. After all, the option to reload an autosave is always available.
Watch out for new disguises. Pros might like to stick to their default suit and tie, but some of the most effective kills require the player to dress up as seemingly innocuous individuals in order to gain access to restricted areas.
Consider your surroundings and take advantage of opportunities.
Forming a General Strategy
Since Hitman 2 is all about consideration and foresight, it's wise to always be thinking ahead. Sometimes smaller mission details, even ones that aren't immediately useful, will come into play in the long run. Forming a proper strategy involves thinking about a number of different variables, and watching out for clues that may come into play during later runs.
Consider your loadout. Sometimes Agent 47 can bring a weapon with him; other times, being frisked right at the outset means going in empty-handed. It's entirely possible to smuggle items into a mission, given that smuggling options have been opened. With that said, some assassination opportunities require weapons, like sniper rifles or remote mines, that can only be smuggled into the area.
Choose a proper starting location. Not only does a new starting location potentially put 47 into a more actionable position at the start of the mission, it sometimes gives him a specific disguise that can be used immediately. Look over starting location choices before deciding on which Assassination Challenge you're going to go after.
Be vigilant. In particular, listening in on NPC dialog could open up new Mission Story leads that can be followed toward new and more creative assassinations. Also be on the lookout for specific items, no matter how small — oftentimes these can be used for future opportunities, even if they're useless for the current run.
Aim for mission Mastery. As Mastery levels are acquired, new weapons, smuggle locations, and starting locations become available. The best way to increase mastery, of course, is to go after specific Assassination Challenges and Feats. Don't be afraid to get your hands messy on one run, as doing so might open up the chance to use further strategies down the line.
It should go without saying, but it's generally best to avoid being spotted.
Useful Hints and Suggestions
With only six missions available in the game — 12 if you choose to purchase the DLC missions from Hitman 2016 — players will be spending a lot of time fine-tuning their craft. True efficacy and success involves not only repetition, but dedication and perseverance. Given enough experience, Agent 47 can become nearly unstoppable. Still, there are some hints that are worth keeping in mind:
Don't be afraid to fail. Hitman 2 players will be playing the same missions multiple times working toward multiple angles, and sometimes completing an assassination means throwing caution to the wind and making a huge mess. As it often happens, sometimes the best lessons are learned from mistakes.
Try new things constantly. Just about everything within a level can be manipulated somehow, and those little details are only ever learned by experimenting. Poison a random person if you like, or drop a gun in the middle of a guard's path. What they do next may come as a surprise.
Pick up everything. Coins, tools, weapons, and other items are scattered in locations all about levels, and there's no telling which of them will come into play at any given time. Pick them up and keep them handy — just don't go walking around with grenades in your hand or a submachine gun strapped to your back.
Go after the toughest Feats and Challenges. Not only does this help gain experience and build toward mission Mastery, it also forces players to try things that might not normally be on their radar. Besides, completing a Silent Assassin, Suit Only challenge is a great way to see how things work without relying on crutches like disguises or weapons.
Trial, error, patience, consideration, and repetition are among Hitman 2 players' greatest assets. With these hints, strategies, and tips in mind, budding assassins should have no trouble coming to terms with how the game works and what they'll eventually be capable of. To learn more about IO Interactive's latest and greatest stealth action title, be sure to head over to Shacknews' Hitman 2 home page.