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Beginner FAQ

Q: What should I buy, what do the different editions mean?​

A: You can buy any combination of DLC you like, but to compete at the top level with other NG+ runs (more on this later), you will want to buy the Hitman 3 standard edition, and then Hitman 1 Standard Access Pass and HITMAN 2 Gold Access pass, and possibly the 7 deadly sins DLC too (the Sloth DLC for Goldbrick Proximity Mine, in particular).

  • More info on what items are in what DLC here.

In other words: You can skip buying the Deluxe Pack / Edition as well as the Hitman 1 GOTY Access Pass, as the unlocks from this DLC are reskins only. Every other DLC has some unique items.

  • A key item to note here is the White Ruby sniper rifle, unlocked by completing the "Faux Pas", "Entrepreneuers", or "Clichés" Arcade Elusive targets. This is identical to the Sieger 300 Ghost / Arctic, but unlike these two other rifles, the White Ruby does not require buying the HITMAN 1 GOTY DLC or Deluxe DLC.

Note that if you are an owner of HITMAN (2016) or HITMAN 2 (2018) you may be eligible to redeem the Hitman 1 or 2 Access Passes. More info here.

If you are still confused on what DLC is what, please consult this handy spreadsheet.

Do not buy the "HITMAN Trilogy" nor "HITMAN Trilogy Premium Add-Ons Bundle" if you are eligible to redeem Hitman 1 and 2 Access Passes! You will waste money.

Q: Do I need to be connected to the Internet at all times to speedrun this game?​

A: For Silent Assassin runs, yes for the most part. If you are on PC, you can try Peacock to bypass IOI's servers. You will need to be connected to Internet for the initial connection, but afterwards you can play offline for the duration of your play session using Peacock. Using either Peacock or connecting to the official servers is required for Silent Assassin runs, as you cannot get to an accurate rating screen otherwise.

Playing offline and without Peacock is allowed for any%, provided you have the in game timer HUD on.

Q: I don't want to unlock stuff before I speedrun, where is the "New Game"/ "Fresh file" category?​

A: The main leaderboards are NG+ by default. There isn't a true New Game speedrun category due to 2 main factors. Firstly, all progress is stored online, and you can only wipe an account's progress every 6 months through IO's website. Secondly, some platforms like Epic Games do not have family sharing built in, meaning it would cost a lot of money to buy the game multiple times for multiple accounts.

There are some categories in Category Extensions that comes close to simulating a New Game experience, you can check the leaderboards here. Click on "Default Loadout/Start (NG)" or "Default Loadout/Start (NG+)" and then click "View Rules" if confused about the rules.

  • "Default Loadout/Start (NG)" is a category for playing the game like you would on the first playthrough, but with zero unlocking of items/ features allowed.
  • "Default Loadout/Start (NG+)" is a category that allows for some minimal NG+ features.

Q: Okay, say I'm willing to try the NG+ categories, how do I level up quickly to get the item and starting location unlocks?​

A: First of all, if you are PC, consider using Peacock. This tool will allow you to get access to all unlocks right away.

If you are on console or do not wish to use Peacock, take a look at this list of unlocks first, so you know what you need to do to get a certain item.

In general, to level up mastery you should first get The Classics challenges (SASO, Sniper Assassin) done first, as you can get many challenges done in one run. Note that for the most part, any other challenge besides The Classics do not require you to finish the level to get XP.

Thus, for other challenges, the most efficient way to get XP is to make a save right before critical points in a run, such as after you have a target isolated. Then you can load the save multiple times to complete multiple challenges. Note that the mastery level can take a while to update if you don't finish the mission, go to Career->Mastery from main menu to get a more accurate look at your current mastery level. Note that if you dislike the in game challenges, you technically can get XP just by playing the game normally, it will just take way longer to level up.

Q: What are the optimal in-game settings to run the game?​

A: Go to Options> Gameplay > HUD. Turn on Difficulty HUD (for verification purposes), Silent Assassin HUD (to see what rating you have at all times), Timer HUD (helps for timing certain kills). For Miami, you may also want to turn Simulation Quality in Graphics Settings to Base, to avoid rendering some racetrack flags.

Q: What are the best keybinds (for PC)?​

A: Keybinds are mostly just personal preference, but here are some things to consider:

  • Remember you can have secondary keybinds for most actions in the game. You can for instance have inventory bound to both a mouse button and a key on your keyboard.
  • It is highly recommended to rebind Inventory to a mouse button, or at least a key more easily accessible to the left hand on the keyboard than the "I" key. You need to be able to interact with Inventory at a moment's notice for fast interact.
  • It is highly recommended to rebind the drop/crouch/unpack buttons (perhaps as secondary keybinds), to facillitate fast unpack. Suggestions: have these three actions bound to 1/2/3 or Z/X/C so that all three buttons are right next to each other.

Q: How do I set up Livesplit for full game runs?​

A: You can use one of the following livesplit methods

  • Peacock Autosplitter - Most accurate autosplitter and easiest to use, but requires installation of Peacock. Works on both Steam and Epic.

  • Official Servers Autosplitter - As the name implies, this works on official servers (Epic Only). May be out of date / no longer working. It is generally less accurate than the Peacock Autosplitter.

  • Manual Splitter - Very accurate and works on all platforms / server versions. However it is a bit cumbersome to use.

Q: I'm new, what categories are there?​

A: There is the Main Leaderboard, Category Extensions Leaderboard, Escalations Leaderboard, Elusive Target Leaderboard.

  • For new players, SA/SO on the Main Leaderboard is suggested. Start with a level you like playing casually.

Q: How significant is the difference between Pro and Master Difficulty?​

A: It really depends on the map and category you are running. On many maps and categories, Pro vs Master makes absolutely no difference. It is common for new players to mistakenly think Master adds more features than it actually does. More details are given below:

Global Changes (Affects All Maps)​

  • NPC's will see farther
    • This makes randomized headturns more significant, as the NPC will be more likely to see you if they swing their head in your direction
    • This also makes NPC panics spread more quickly, which can sometimes be a good thing depending on the context
  • NPC's will hear footsteps if you run, which includes crouch running
    • Note: NPC hearing range for footsteps is random, and using footstep sounds to intentionally distract an NPC as a stealth tactic is not reliable at all
    • It is quite disappointing how one of the only unique gameplay changes from Master is randomized and difficult to use to the player's advantage
  • NPC's will take less damage from bullets, as shown here

Map-Specific Changes​

  • Extra NPC Enforcers and Cameras may be added to some maps on Master difficulty
  • For Season 1 and 2 maps (Paris to Sgail, Not including the DLC maps of New York / Haven / Ambrose), items on the map may be in different locations between Pro and Master difficulty
    • Note that any changed Master difficulty item placements are not tracked by HITMAPS

Q: I am having trouble with X trick/ have a question about the leaderboard rules, can anyone help me?​

A: For general advice, consider reading the other guides first.

For more specific questions, these are the following Hitman speedrunning discord servers.

Hitman Runs Server (the "official" Hitman speedrun.com server)

  • Best place to ask a general question regarding speedrun strats or run rules

Zebulaus

  • Good for more specific questions about a certain main mission speedrun strategy.

Frote's Server (server ran by Fortheseven aka Frote)

  • Generally good Hitman knowledge, but not really focused on speedrunning main missions)