Chapter 1 - General Strategies

This section offers general strategies for completing Hitman: Contracts missions successfully.

• The overhead map is an extremely powerful tool. Consult the map frequently throughout each mission. The map is even more vital if you’re trying to complete tasks with perfect Silent Assassin ratings. The map reveals the location of civilians, guards, targets, stairs, elevators, and many other objects. Points of interests are marked with an exclamation point. If you’re having trouble completing levels, check each point of interest location and consider what might be done with the particular item found there.
• You can use the map to track the movements of civilians, guards, and targets. This provides valuable information, such as when to move out of cover or when to enter a room. You can cycle through other map layouts--you aren’t restricted to the map of your current location. If you’re having trouble with a particular mission, use the maps to track the movements of mission targets to learn where they go and when, so you can best gauge where you need to be.
• Unless you want every guard firing at you on sight, learn to sneak around effectively. Finding other clothes is one of the most effective ways to remain undetected. When inside new clothes, don’t run around or rub up against enemies. Don’t stand and stare at an enemy or sneak around suspiciously. The disguise is good enough to fool enemies at first sight but it still raises some suspicion. If you fail to walk around calmly, the rising suspicion can be enough to blow your cover.
• Be prepared to use the fiber wire and syringe frequently if you plan to kill enemies using stealth techniques. Use the sneak button to move around silently and behind the current target. Equip the fiber wire or syringe and use the stealth weapon once you’re close to the target. Note that the fiber wire kills the target while the syringe only temporarily disables the victim. If you’re striving for Silent Assassin ratings then you must use the syringe to disable civilians. Using the fiber wire adversely affects your aggression meter, which in turn jeopardizes your Silent Assassin rating.
• Pattern observation is key to sneaking through a mission successfully. Have patience and watch how a guard patrols around a room or what actions a target takes over the course of time. Doing so will help you get past a guard or find the best room in which to eliminate a target. Obtaining a Silent Assassin rating means not tipping off the guards to your presence and eliminating targets without disturbances. Watching patterns will help you attain that goal.
• Shooting your way through a level is certainly a viable strategy. Silenced weapons will keep your kills silent and won’t attract the attention of nearby guards. Aim for headshots to better ensure one-shot kills. If you just wound the enemy, he’ll open fire and the loud discharge will inevitably alert his comrades to the gunfight. Duck for cover behind stationary objects and lure foes into your line of fire. Try to have available cover nearby at all times to quickly duck out of view when it comes time to reload your firearm or firearms.