History Hitman3 / Hitman3Freelancer

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** Killing civilians in the [=CTT=] is something that was arguably incentivised due to the relaxing of Silent Assassin and optional objectives that incentivised a loud approach; now there is a small 50 Merces punishment for killing civilians so as to not encourage players to go on rampages.

** Any silenced firearm is tremendously useful, even the low-grade [=HWK21 Covert=] (the gun 47 makes in Carpathian mountains which is a paint can atop the muzzle of a regular [=HWK=] pistol) is useful for shooting out camera's at least, while silenced shotguns work as opening doors silently without needing a lockpick.

* ColorCodedItemTiers: Certain weapons and items have one of four tiers attached; Common, Rare, Epic, Legendary. which serve to allow you to bring them back to the safehouse, and, in general, correlate how useful they are to the player.

** None of the showdown suspects objects to 47 shoving a camera in their face, despite looking incredibly stupid in reality. Of course, averting this trope would make finding targets harder in an already hard mode. The closest the game comes to averting this is in alerted missions and alerted showdowns (and in the latter, not all potential targets are enforcers), but they are suspicious of 47 irrespective of the camera.

* IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon: If you go openly loud, then the local law enforcement/guards will bring you down rather quickly; Assassins are also deadly in their own right if you come across them in showdown missions.

* LoopholeAbuse: If you have any of the "Poison Target" objectives, you are able to identify targets in showdowns, as the completion state is applied immediately after poisoning them, not after the showdown is done. And ''any'' poison (unless specified by the objective) qualifies here. Handy for thinning the herd or making sure the person you suspect is actually the target.
* {{Macrogame}}: Weapons that are on your wall downstairs carry into any run; the sole exception being Freelancer tools, which still carry over into other runs, but disappear if you fail a campaign -- "Collector Edition" tools are the exception to ''this'' rule, but can cost up to ten times more than the weapon is normally worth. Mastery is also carried over, as is XP earned, as that contributes to safehouse mastery, which unlocks suits and decor and safehouse rooms.

* MooksButNoBosses: In keeping with the rest of the "World of Assassination" trilogy, there are no boss fights or tougher-than-normal assassination targets, unlike the earlier games in the series. However, unlike the previous two "World of Assassination" games, the assassins are a bit harder to take down and do hit harder. The Showdowns could be considered bosses in some respects, but the game still prefers you to go for a stealthy approach.

* NoGearLevel: You start off by having very little to take in, but the more you play, the more you can take in, provided you have unlocked enough gear weight to take weapons.

* TheComputerIsACheatingBastard:
** Several quirks of Silent Assassin from the base game are not carried over to this mode; you cannot be spotted by the target, otherwise the objective is ruined, and that leaves out several assassination methods like throwing targets off of buildings (as the targets gradually spots you throughout, failing the objective).

** You can find the paper the Constant is reading at the end of Carpathian Mountains on 47's bed, which shows The Institute for Human Betterment[[labelnote:*]]Represented by the Satu Mare asylum from ''Codename 47'' for some strange reason[[/note]] and one of scientists from that level.

* InUniverseSountrack: One of the first unlocks for the safehouse is a music player that lets you listen to almost ''any'' song in the game; everything from the official [=OST's=] for ''2016'', ''2'', and ''3'', the varying classical pieces heard in the game (including Ave Maria), as well as "Exotic" music, comprising of the side tracks heard on radio's, sung by singers (and talking fish), and other unsorted music tracks.

* ArtImitatesArt: The [[CaninesGamblingInACardGame "Rats Playing Poker" art piece]] that can be unlocked for the safehouse is based on an EasterEgg the player can find in "Curtains Down" from ''Blood Money'', in which rats can be seen playing poker... which itself is in reference to the art piece Art/DogsPlayingPoker. All this means that "Rats Playing Poker" is parodying an art piece, also being based on an easter egg which was ''also'' referencing the same art piece.

* CharacterTics: Suspects in showdown levels have at least two habits and quirks. Identifying the syndicate leader involves discovering which suspect displays both behavioral clues.

** Several newspapers can be found in the office of the safehouse, which reference past games and events, including the newspaper of Joseph "Swing King" Clarence and Vinnie Sinistra from ''Blood Money'', as well as a newspaper detailing the Haven Island resort. The former is also on the cover of another magazine in 47's room.
** You can find the paper The Constant is reading at the end of Carpathian Mountains on 47's bed, which shows The Institute for Human Betterment and one of scientists from that level.

** In New York, you are free to rob the vault for items, and the developers went back and added 11,000 Merces for you to snag, 5,000 of which is in loose coins and 6,000 by pulling out the data core.

* FishingMinigame: In the safehouse, 47 can partake in a spot of fishing, and doing so allows the player to catch regular fish, starfish [[FishingForSole and a driftwood log]]. This can also be done indefinitely, and none of the caught items contribute to the players' imposed gear weight limit for going into missions. [[spoiler:You can also [[CookingMechanics gut the regular fish with a grape knife in the kitchen and extract some sedative poison from it]]]].

** There's a painting you can unlock at one of the mastery levels that is in reference to the "rats playing poker" Easter Egg from "Curtains Down".
** The aforementioned newspapers showing headlines about Swing King and Vinnie Sinistra.

* StockMarketGame: You can unlock the Vault in your safehouse, which allows you to check the stock market once per day, netting you several thousand Merces, or losing the same amount of Merces, depending on your luck.

** The levels in the game are reused from the base missions, complete with most of the targets and events that only make sense to have happened from before Freelancer takes place. There are a few minor altercations - Berlin and Mendoza don't feature some of their targets (the ICA hit squad for the former, and Diana and Tamara Vidal in the latter), and Grey's exit in Ambrose Island has been removed.

* {{ShoutOut}}: The challenge "Fly you fools!" asks you to complete ten timed objectives, and the challenge name is in reference to the first Lord of the Rings film, where Gandalf orders the hobbits to flee Moria and the caves as quickly as possible.

* BreakingOldTrends: Hooo boy, where to start...

** The levels in the game are essentially reused from the base missions, complete with most of the targets and events that only make sense to have happened from before Freelancer takes place.

* NewWorkRecycledGraphics: Much of the safehouse is using assets from Berlin (the tree's and rocks in particular), although the safehouse itself is uniquely modelled, while unlockable music tracks for the music player are borrowed from the past games. Averted with the unlockable weapons, the DLC, and level music, as those were made for this game mode outright.

** None of the showdown suspects objects to 47 shoving a camera in their face, despite looking incredibly stupid in reality. Of course, averting this trope would make finding targets harder in an already hard mode.

* HyperspaceArsenal: Suppliers can hold up to 8 items to sell, and a briefcase will appear out of thin air for any of the larger weapons, regardless of what they're wearing, especially amusing on Haven Island where several of the possible suppliers are wearing nothing but a [[VictoriasSecretCompartment bikini]] or [[AssShove swimming trunks]].

** Dartmoor has security cameras here -- something even the base game on Master Mode doesn't do -- but no way of deleting security footage, meaning getting caught on camera ruins any objective that asks you to not get spotted.

* DamnYouMuscleMemory: Any player expecting the game mode to play at all similarly to the base game is going to get a massive shock to their gameplay senses. While Silent Assassin is still in the mode, it's relegated to a side objective, several aspects of the game require more quick thinking, and going openly loud is a viable option here, heck, it's all but '''required''' in many cases. The game still prefers you to keep things quiet as a whole, but the loosening of the top rating means that many player behaviours (such as hiding bodies, avoid getting caught trespassing in a restricted area or destroying security footage) isn't strictly necessary in most cases.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Playing in Dartmoor and getting any objective that asks the player to not get recorded by camera's ("Leave No Witnesses", "Silent Assassin", "Silent Assassin -- Suit Only") means you ''have'' to avoid security cameras entirely. This is because of a developer oversight; the devs did not add a surveillance recorder that can be destroyed or turned off, meaning deleting the footage is impossible and ruins any chance of completing those objectives, and you can lose up to 3,000 Merces if you're not careful. This is made even harder as security camera's are not present in any difficulty for the level in the base game.

* AdaptationalVillainy: Due to all of the non-showdown targets being randomized NPC's who already exist in the main game's levels, this trope can often be in effect when a Syndicate Member turns out to be an average civilian, some random waiter or even outright benevolent characters like the Priest in Sapienza.

** The Gauze Suit is unlocked by completing the "I'm Back" Challenge, in that you [[spoiler:get injured or die during a campaign]].

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: All the weapons from dealers are sold at the same price regardless of who you purchase them from. The only really ridiculously expensive items are the "Collector Edition" freelancer tools, which easily cost 25,000 Merces or more.

* AnInteriorDesignerIsYou: The safehouse can be customised to have paintings, different cars, changes to the upstairs rooms.

** Going into a mission with one large weapon will have 47 carry a briefcase containing it to avoid suspicion if he starts in an area with a lot of civilians or guards. However, there is currently no contingency in place for bringing ''two'' large weapons into a level, as only one of them with go in a briefcase; the other will be on your back, and that may pose a problem. The game does warn you about this if you go near an exit point in your safehouse, however.

** Guns that you earn via mastery or DLC can still be lost if you leave them in the field or fail a campaign. However, you are able to buy them back from a courier of this happens.

* ArtificialBrilliance: As per usual, IOI has improved the notoriously bad AI that plagued the older games:
** As per the main game, if 47 is found trespassing, he will be escorted out, except in certain situations.[[note]]He is visibly armed, is wearing a forbidden disguise, or the area is labelled "Hostile" on the mini map[[/note]]. Unless you have any objective that does not allow you to get spotted ("Silent Assassin". for example), this will not count against you either, unlike in the base game.

* BadLuckMitigationMechanic: Failing a campaign does not remove the "Collectors Edition" tier of Freelancer tools from the safehouse, unlike the regular variants which are. Similarly, any weapons you've collected will also remain in the safehouse.

* ContinuingIsPainful: Present and accounted for. Failing any showdown forces you to restart from the beginning, you lose half the Merces in your inventory, and any weapons you were carrying (as well as all regular Freelancer tools) are removed.

* CrowbarCombatant: Many of the levels have crowbars to forcefully open doors with, as well as to to knock someone out in a pinch. You can also unlock one as a freelancer tool.

** The levels in the game are essentially reused from the base missions, complete with most of the targets and events that only make sense from before Freelancers' events.
* HarderThanHard: There is a "Hardcore" mode, which you unlock by completing a campaign for the first time. Every location is alerted, and many adjustments have been made in-game to make things trickier (such as forcing you to complete every objective).

* NewWorkRecycledGraphics: Much of the safehouse is using assets from Berlin (the tree's and rocks in particular), although the safehouse itself is uniquely modelled. Averted with the unlockable weapons, DLC, and music, as those were made for the game mode outright.

** The "Do not change out of your disguise" objective is misleading; what it's actually asking you to do is to do a "Suit Only" run. You load into a level without being able to go undercover, and therefore cannot enter disguised.

* NostalgiaFilter: Many of the safehouse decorations reference ''Hitman: Blood Money'':

** The "Allan please add details here!" joke makes an appearance as post-it note replacing a poster meant to be there.
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: For the first time in the series, the ICA is no longer around, being dismantled after the events of the main campaign. 47 and Diana go into missions with no stashes, no outside help, and it's up to you to kill the target in the campaign. During the [=CTT=], [[https://www.hitmanforum.com/t/freelancer-pre-release-discussion/13232/2742 the briefing implied the ICA was still around or being rebooted]], but a later [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuqqkpzV7lQ Youtube upload of the briefing to IOI's channel]] has removed all traces of such suggestions (likely as it would undermine the campaigns' ending).

* PragmaticVillainy: 47 is treated as NominalHero here; the syndicates are essentially cults, childs traffiking operations, terrorism networks, and many other groups, all of which that have members all over the globe, and he's only taking them down because he's getting paid to.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Playing in Dartmoor and getting any objective that asks the player to not get recorded by camera's ("Leave No Witnesses", "Silent Assassin", "Silent Assassin -- Suit Only") means you ''have'' to avoid security cameras entirely. This is because of a developer oversight; the devs did not add a surveillance unit to destroy or turn off, meaning deleting the footage is impossible and ruins any chance of completing those objectives, and you can lose up to 3,000 Merces if you're not careful, made even harder as even veteran players will get caught out as security camera's are not present in the base game of Dartmoor.
* TooAwesomeToUse: Weapons that you can bring back to the safehouse can come off as this. For example, silenced weapons can often be a tricky prospect to take in, as if you fail a mission, you've essentially lost a valuable piece of kit, especially in the early-game where getting Merces and weapons is a case of managing your wallet thriftily. Even "Collectors Edition" Freelancer weapons (which cost a lot of Merces to buy to begin with) get lost if you fail, meaning in some ways it perverses the incentive to use them at all, ditto for the weapons you unlock through mastery or get via [=DLC=].

* ArtImitatingArt: The [[CaninesGamblingInACardGame "Rats Playing Poker" art piece]] that can be unlocked for the safehouse is based on an EasterEgg the player can find in "Curtains Down" from ''Blood Money'', in which rats can be seen playing poker... which itself is in reference to the art piece Art/DogsPlayingPoker. All this means that "Rats Playing Poker" is parodying an art piece, also being based on an easter egg which was ''also'' referencing the same art piece.

** As per the main game, if 47 is found trespassing, he will be escorted out, except in certain situations.[[note]]He is visibly armed, is wearing a forbidden disguise, or the area is labelled "Hostile" on the minimap[[/note]]. Unless you have any of the "Silent Assassin" prestige objectives, this will not count against you either, unlike in the base game.

* MeaningfulName: The currency "Merces", is Latin for a bunch of money-related words like "Reward" or "Salary", and is indeed the root word for modern words such as "Commerce". Appropriate, given what it's used for in-game. Notably, this was one of two words that was on the [=ICA's=] logo; "Merces Letifier" (often translated as "Lethal Trade").

* ReplayValue: The levels essentially require the player to be aware of various level tricks and good assassination spots on a map, meaning learning the level is vital to this mode.

* UnwinnableByMistake: Getting the "Leave no witnesses" objective in Dartmoor essentially asks you to avoid security cameras entirely, as due to an oversight when adding cameras to the map (the map was edited to add them as the base games' level does not feature them, even on Master Mode), there are no security boxes, meaning deleting the footage is impossible.

!! Spoilers for ''VideoGame/Hitman3'' are unmarked here, so be warned! Spoilers for past games like ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' and ''VideoGame/Hitman2'', as well as for ComicBook/Agent47BirthOfTheHitman are also unmarked.

** The reward crate Diana gives you, despite the name, will always spawn regardless of if you failed or completed a mission, likely to give players a head start on a new run.

** Once you begin a showdown or a syndicate hit, you cannot back out, and quitting via the menu is considered failure. However, if you're disconnected from the internet or crash, you can start the level again without penalty. The devs even mention that using the tried-and-true Alt+F4 exploit was deliberately kept in.

* ArtificialAtmosphericActions: The couriers and merchants all do this to look busy when someone other than 47 is watching them. You can also invoke this in the safehouse by shining shoes or drinking wine.

* BadassInANiceSuit:
** The Suit Only prestige objectives involve completing an entire mission in your suit. There are two variations: Suit Only (complete the mission without changing out of your suit), and Silent Assassin, Suit Only (complete a mission without changing out of your suit, and do not get spotted).

* HarderThanHard: There is a "Hardcore" mode, which you unlock by completing a campaign in full for the first time. Every location is alerted, and many adjustments have been made in-game to make things trickier (such as forcing you to complete every objective).
* HyperspaceArsenal: Merchants can hold up to 8 items to sell, and a briefcase will appear out of thin air for any of the larger weapons, regardless of what they're wearing, especially amusing on Haven Island where several of the possible Merchants are wearing nothing but a [[VictoriasSecretCompartment bikini]] or [[AssShove swimming trunks]].

* {{Leitmotif}}: Snippets of "A World of Assassination" and "Mission Accomplished" can be heard in the loading screens between missions.
* LoopholeAbuse: If you have any of the "Poison Target" objectives, you are able to identify targets in showdowns, as the completion state is applied immediately, not after the mission. And ''any'' poison (unless specified by the objective) qualifies here. Handy for thinning the herd or making sure the person you suspect is actually the target.

* MeaningfulName: The currency "Merces", is Latin for a bunch of money-related words like "Reward" or "Salary", and is indeed the root word for modern words such as "Commerce". Appropriate, given what it's used for in-game. Notably, this was one of two words that was on the [=ICA's=] logo; Merces Letifier (often translated as "Lethal Trade").

* NoSell: Lookouts know everyone in the level, so you cannot fool them.

** One of the main complaints of the [=CTT=] was that Merces, the in-game economy currency, was too hard to earn, despiute the avenues presented to the player. On release, the amounts earned when picking up Merces were changed to be 100 times bigger! (5 Merces became 500 Merces).

* HarderThanHard: There is a "Hardcore" mode, which you unlock by completing a campaign in full for the first time. Every location is alerted, and many adjustments have been made in-game to make things trickier.
* HyperspaceArsenal: The couriers can hold up to 8 items to sell, regardless of what they're wearing, and a briefcase will appear out of thin air for any of the larger weapons.

* NewWorkRecycledGraphics: Much of the safehouse is using assets from Berlin (the tree's and rocks in particular), although the safehouse itself is uniquely modelled. Averted with the unlockable weapons and music, as those were made for the game mode.

* {{ShoutOut}}: The challenge "Fly you fools!" asks you to comlete ten timed objectives, and the challenge name is in reference to the first Lord of the Rings film, where Gandalf orders the hobbits to flee Moria and the caves as quickly as possible.

''Hitman 3's'' Freelancer mode breaks the mould of regular Hitman gameplay so much that it's functionally a seperate game in its own right. Therefore, it was only fair we gave it its own subpage.

* DevelopersForesight: In New York, you are free to rob the vault for items, and the developers went back and added 11,000 Merces for you to snag, 5,000 of which is in loose coins and 6,000 by pulling out the data core.

** To ease the frustration of failing, you are able to permanently keep "Collectors Edition" tier of weapons when you fail a campaign, which will not be removed from your safehouse, unless they're on your person when you fail.

** Items disappearing from your safehouse after failing a campaign was a sticking point by players as it felt too punishing; this was changed so that, while weapons are still removed from the safehouse as before, a new tier of weapons called "Collectors Editions" were created to soften the blow, so as to get the player in a better spot when they start again.

** The Oil canister is quite easy to use, and so long as you know the routine of the target and have a vantage point, you are able to get a pretty clean fire-related kill.

** This is the first time since ''Silent Assassin'' where 47 has his own PlayerHeadquarters, instead this time it's a full-blown safehouse instead of a shed with guns on the wall.

* ContinuityNod: Several newspapers can be found in the office of the safehouse, which reference past games and events, including the newspaper of Joseph "Swing King" Clarence and Vinnie Sinistra from ''Blood Money'', as well as a newspaper detailing the Haven Island resort.

* DistinctionWithoutADifference: Many of the variants of weapons are just copies of base-game weapons (even supposedly high-grade weapons like the [=HWK21=] Assassin Pistol is functionally identical to the [=ICA19=]).
* EarlyGameHell: The first campaign can feel like a [[TheKeyIsBehindTheLock key-behind-lock]] situation as completing side objectives to earn Merces requires better gear that you need Merces to buy. Even the reward crate isn't guaranteed to give you anything that's necessarily helpful for the missions you have available. Once you do get past that early stumbling block however, acquiring what you want when you want it rapidly gets more plausible. Even flubbing a campaign and losing everything in your stockpile stops stinging so much when the half your Merces you get to keep is enough to clean out a supplier and get back on task.

* NostalgiaFilter: Many of the safehouse decorations qualify, some of which reference ''Blood Money'':
** There's a painting you can unlock at one of the mastery levels that is in reference to the "rats playing poker" Easter Egg from.

** The "Allan please add details here!" joke (a post-it note replacing a poster meant to be there).
* NothingIsTheSameAnymore: For the first time in the series, the ICA is no longer around, being dismantled after the events of the main campaign. The [=CTT=] briefing implied the ICA was being rebooted, but a later upload has removed all traces of such suggestions (likely as it would undermine the campaigns' ending). 47 and Diana go into missions with no stashes, no outside help, and it's up to you to kill the target in the campaign.

* {{Permadeath}}: Present and accounted for. Failing any showdown forces you to restart from the beginning, you lose half the Merces in your inventory, and any weapons you were carrying and/or had collected in your safehouse are removed.

* ReplayValue: Something the levels essentially require is for the player to be aware of various level tricks and spots on a map, meaning some level of this from the base game is required.

** Unlike in ''2016'' or ''2'', the game no longer requires players to do the "Silent Assassin" or "Sniper Assassin" challenges once per difficulty; doing a Silent Assassin run any difficulty will net the achievement and challenge for that level.

** This is the first time in the franchise where 47 and Diana do not work for, nor try to get back, the ICA (the closest prior was in ''Absolution'', where 47 is ousted and Diana in hiding due to Travis' fixation on Victoria, and even Agent Smiths' contract in ''Blood Money'', while freelance, served to bring the ICA back), this is 47 and Diana taking on contracts as freelance assassins, with none of the [=ICA's=] resources to help them.
** Silent Assassin, while still in this mode as a prestige objective, is not the best rating to get anymore due to the rogue-esque game mode (For the curious, Traceless ICA assassin is the highest the rating will go now).

* EarlyGameHell: The first campaign can feel like a key-behind-lock situation as completing side objectives to earn mersas requires better gear you need mersas to buy. Even the reward crate isn't guaranteed to give you anything that's necessarily helpful for the missions you have available. Once you do get past that early stumbling block, acquiring what you want when you want it rapidly gets more plausible. Even flubbing a campaign and losing everything in your stockpile stops stinging so much when the half your mersas you get to keep is enough to clean out a supplier and get back on task.
* GameplayAndStorySegregation: None of the showdown suspects objects to 47 shoving a camera in their face, despite looking incredibly stupid in reality. Of course, averting this trope would make finding targets harder in an already hard mode.

* SceneryPorn: The safehouse has a gorgeous environment, with a large lake and a forest surrounding the house, and it all looks really nice to look at.

[[VideoGame/Hitman3 Return to the main Hitman 3 page here.]]

'''Hitman 3's''' Freelancer breaks the mould of regular Hitman gameplay so much that it's functionally a seperate game in its own right. Therefore, it was only fair we gave it its own subpage.

!! Spoilers for ''VideoGame/Hitman 3'' are unmarked here, so be warned! Spoilers for ComicBook/Agent47BirthOfTheHitman, ''VideoGame/Hitman2016'' and ''VideoGame/Hitman2'' are also unmarked.

Tropes pertaining to ''VideoGame/Hitman3'' and its Freelancer game mode; a mode that breaks the mould of regular Hitman gameplay so much that it's functionally a seperate game in its own right, and we had to give it its own subpage.

!!Note: ALL Hitman 3 and prior game spoilers are unmarked here!

* ComplexityAddiction: It is possible, although unlikely to happen each time due to the [=RNG=], to try and go for every single side objective and complete your prestige objective, which can be quite complex, and oftentimes counterintuitive to regular hitman gameplay.

Tropes pertaining to ''VideoGame/Hitman3'' and its Freelancer game mode; a mode that breaks the mould of regular Hitman gameplay so much that we had to give it its own subpage.

Tropes pertaining to ''VideoGame/Hitman3'' and its Freelancer game mode; a mode that breaks the mould so much from regular Hitman gameplay that we had to give it its own page.

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: Doing specific challenges unlocks new suits for you to wear in the base game and in Freelancer:
** The Gauze Suit is unlocked by completing the "I'm Back" Challenge, in that you [[spoiler:get injured or die during a campaign]]

* AndYourRewardIsClothes: The inventory system from the base game is a part of the safehouse now, and by default, 47 will wear his signature suit unless you choose otherwise. You do have to unlock the room to let you do this, however, but it is the first unlock for the game mode.

** One of the main complaints of the [=CTT=] was that merces, the in-game economy currency, was too hard to earn, despiute the avenues presented to the player. On release, the amounts earned when picking up merces were changed to be 100 times bigger! (5 merces became 500 merces).

** A very strange design choice in the [=CTT=] was that the merces gotten from completing a mission or showdown was done so via the optional objectives, on release, this was changed so that the player actually gets merces for completing the mission. The developers also noted that showdown mission have a higher payout as they noticed players didn't earn as many merces from completing the other objectives (likely due to the risk factor in doing so).

** It is no longer possible to use body containers to verify if a suspect is the target, and the developers added a merces punishment for eliminating a suspect that isn’t the target to disincentivize the strategy of killing all possible suspects.
** Killing civilians in the [=CTT=] is something that was arguably incentivised due to the relaxing of Silent Assassin and optional objectives that incetivised a loud approach; now there is a small merces punishment for killing civilians so as to not encourage players to go on rampages.
* A big complaint in the [=CTT=] was that the number of suspects was found to be too overwhelming the further you went into your run, this has been toned down.
* The stashes that are found in the levels have been tweaked so that they contain more valuable gear; to balance this out, there are now fewer stashes.

** Any silenced firearm is tremendously useful, even the low-grade [=HWK21 Covert=] (the gun 47 makes in Carpathian mountians which is a paintcan atop the muzzle of a regular [=HWK=] pistol) is useful for shooting out camera's at least, while silenced shotguns work as opening doors silently without needing a lockpick.
* ColdSniper: Sniper rifles are often encouraged to be used, and there are several side objectives in the missions that ask you to kill guards with them for merces.

* IFoughtTheLawAndTheLawWon: If you go openly loud, then the local law enforcement/guards will bring you down rather quickly on anything. Assassins are also deadly in their own right if you come across them in showdown missions.
* LeaveNoSurvivors: While it is just as possible to do as the main game, the developers added a 50 merce deduction penalty for killing civilians so you don't run around salting the earth of anyone who has seen you, and an exploit during the [=CTT=] was killing everyone that'd be of any trouble to you with no co9nsequences.

* NoGearLevel: You start off by having very little to take in, but the more you play, the more you can take in, provided you have unlocked wnough gear weight to take weapons.

* Permadeath: Present and accounted for. Failing any showdown forces you to restart from the beginning, you lose half the mercers in your inventory, and any weapons you were carrying and/or had collected in your safehouse are removed.
* PragmaticVillainy: 47 is treated as NominalHero here; the syndicates are essentially cults, terrorism networks, and many other groups that have members all over the globe, and he's only taking them down because he's getting paid to.