History Hitman3 / Hitman3Freelancer

** 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 did initially allow for the tried-and-true Alt+F4 exploit in part because of the technical issues they had trying to make it ''not'' work, but the May 2023 patch made using this technique require using task manager instead.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Subverted. The Katana and Masamune are outclassed here, as they are large weapons that cannot be concealed or put back into the briefcase once they're taken out of it, which makes them very tricky to carry around in your suit or in non-guard disguises. And due to objective [=RNG=], long weapons and the Katana do not mix (and can cause an instant alert if you start in a crowded area). The Tanto takes the same amount of gear capacity as the Katana, the blade is small enough to conceal in 47's jacket, can be found for free in the mountaintop start in Hokkaido (plus a second one can always be found in Yuki Yamazaki's room failing that), and ''still'' qualifies for the Katana Kill Prestige Objective (but not the feat for killing 47 targets with a Katana). Meanwhile, the Masamune's only good stat is being a Legendary weapon costing one gear capacity to take in.

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

* ObviousRulePatch: Several aspects of New York were modified in the May 2023 patch as it made raiding the vault, collecting Merces, and planning for later missions too easy. Notably the chloroform closet was moved from outside the security office to inside it (requiring at least one pacification to get at), there is no way to disable the lasers in the vault (the player has to learn the pattern of the laser cycle), the Merces gain has been decreased across all pickups. and the rare items in the deposit boxes have been removed, and have been traded for small amounts of Merces or level-specific items.

* PeninsulaOfPowerLeveling: New York, prior to the May 2023 patch was the go-to for getting Merces and rare equipment as you can raid the vault and deposit boxes for rare items and stashes of Merces, often getting ~13,000 Merces in all. Post-May-2023 patch however, the developers cottoned on to this strategy, and removed the rare weapons for small Merces stashes, and lowered the Merces gained from the level in general.

* HarderThanHard: 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 the prestige objective, enforcing Master Mode mechanics and maps, and adding even more [=NPC's=] to deal with.

* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Syndicates are all themed around various forms of illegal activities, and selecting which type to go through is actually how you select your own "theme" to taking them out. Big Pharma groups pay out for using lots of poisons, Eco Crime syndicates have a lot of accidents waiting to happen, and so on. Then there's "Sick Games" syndicates which is random because you're dealing with very strange, specific criminals who have all sorts of activities that can't be pinned down.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: Even 47 at his most indiscriminate pales to the reprehensible and insidious exploits the syndicates are doing.

* ContinuitySnarl: Diana still calls the player "47", despite the fact that, at the end of ''3'', he makes a big deal of how he outright wants to be named something else. This was likely kept in the game for the sakes of GameplayAndStorySegregation -- having Diana call him that in dialog is a name players would be familiar with, and making it far easier to get invested in the conversation.

** "Ave Maria" plays if 47 meditates near the river outside his house.

** The Sieger 300 sniper rifle has the same downside as the Druizhina, in that it requires building before use, has no additional perks (asides from being silenced), and while it is still good if you're out of other sniping options, any other Sieger 300 variant is better, as they can be instantly used and have unique perks, such as body piercing or extra zoom levels for the scope.
** The Fiber Wire, despite having its own objective, is fairly hard to use. The weapon relies on isolating targets, and that greatly depends on mission and Target [=RNG=], and even using emetic devices to isolate them does not guarantee the target will throw up in the toilets (unlike base-game targets, Freelancers' targets are not subject to the "Toilet fix" from 2022). The weapon itself is fairly rare to find via suppliers, and the stethoscope (available from the infirmary in the safehouse) is free and only costs one extra gear weight to carry, so unless you have a low gear limit cap, the Fiber Wire is superseded in more ways than one.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Subverted. The Katana and Masamune are very much outclassed here. They are large weapons that cannot be concealed or put back into the briefcase once they're taken out, which makes them very tricky to carry around in your suit or in non-guard disguises. And due to objective [=RNG=], long weapons and the Katana do not mix (and can cause instant alert if you start in a crowded area). The Tanto takes the same amount of gear capacity as the Katana, the blade is small enough to conceal in 47's jacket, can be found for free in the mountaintop start in Hokkaido (plus a second one can always be found in Yuki Yamazaki's room failing that), and ''still'' qualifies for the Katana Kill Prestige Objective (but not the feat for killing 47 targets with a Katana). Meanwhile, the Masamune's only good stat is being a Legendary weapon costing one gear capacity to take in.

* 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 consequences.

* LevelGrinding: Freelancer Mastery is designed around this, which unlocks rooms and cosmetics for your suit inventory and in the safehouse, not to mention more useful things, such as an explosives workbench. That said, the grinding gets increasingly harder the more you play, and it's get very noticeable at Level 50 or so.

* 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 at least attempt a stealthy approach, as going too loud too early may spook them into trying to flee the map.

* MythologyGag: One of the unlocks for 47's bedroom is a leather chair, and interacting with it has 47 sit in the chair in such a way [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/hitman/images/8/85/HM2016-SoundtrackCover.png that mimics the cover for Hitman (2016)'s soundtrack]]. He also fiddles with an [=ICA19=]'s suppressor, strengthening the reference.

* NewWorkRecycledGraphics: Much of the safehouse is using assets from Berlin (the trees 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.

* NewGamePlus: A laptop in the basement lets 47 gain a prestige level, indictaed by a unique safehouse trophy. By doing this, it removes all items in your inventory, so that's all Freelancer weapons and tools on the weapon walls. Your entire Merces wallet is also deducted. In return, you get more [=XP=] and Merces gained from doing missions. This can be done up to 5 times, and each level [[ResetMilestones the reward increases in value]].

** In New York, you are free to rob the vault for items, and the developers went back and added up to 11,000 Merces for you to snag, around 5,000 of which is in loose coins and approximately 6,000 of which can be gotten by pulling out the data core. The easter egg involving the bank robber also works too, netting you a Legendary shotgun unlock if you know how to do it.
** If you start in the default non-story starting point for Chongqing, the game delays the conversation you have with the woman that normally occurs until Diana has finished speaking to you.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Subverted. The Katana and Masamune are very much outclassed here. They are large weapons that cannot be concealed or put back into the briefcase once they're taken out, which makes them very tricky to carry around in your suit or in non-guard disguises. And due to objective [=RNG=], long weapons and the Katana do not mix (and can cause instant alert if you start in a crowded area). The Tanto takes the same amount of gear capacity as the Katana, the blade is small enough to conceal in 47's jacket, can be found for free in the mountaintop start in Hokkaido (plus a second one can always be found in Yuki Yamazaki's room failing that), and ''still'' qualifies for the Katana Kill Prestige Objective (but not the feat for killing 47 targets with a Katana). Meanwhile, the Masamune's only good stat is being a Legendary weapon costing one gear capacity. And even that is outdone by the Antique Curved Knife as that is available to pick up for free from a safety deposit box in New York.

* BadassInANiceSuit: The confusingly-named "Do not change your disguise" objective involves completing the mission in your suit. There is also the "Silent Assassin, Suit Only" prestige objective, which asks you to complete the mission without changing out of your suit, and not get spotted.

* NewGamePlus: A laptop in the basement lets 47 gain a prestige level, indictaed by a unique safehouse trophy. By doing this, it removes all items in your inventory, so that's all Freelancer weapons and tools on the weapon walls. Your entire Merces wallet is also deducted. In return, you get more [=XP=] and Merces gained from doing missions. This can be done up to 5 times, and each level [[ResetMilesones the reward increases in value]].

* RespecSystem: A laptop in the basement lets 47 gain a prestige level. It removes all items in your inventory, all Freelancer weapons and tools on the weapon walls and all Merces are deducted. In return, you get more [=XP=] and Merces, and can be done up to 5 times, and each level the reward increases in value.

* TheKeyIsBehindTheLock: You can gain access to 47's bedroom (normally locked until Mastery 31) as the bathroom next door opens up around ten Mastery levels earlier (which also grants access to the ladder leading from the basement to to the bedroom temporarily).

** 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 can only be disguised as yourself, losing the implication that you can spawn in as, say, a chef, and must keep the disguise on.
** Despite the name, the Remote Concussion Collectors Duck is '''not''' a Collectors Edition Freelancer Tool; the name is due to its original exclusivity to the Collectors Edition of Hitman 2, until IOI made it available to Gold Edition buyers too. Note it lacks the [[https://imgur.com/FjZMFtI "Persists through campaigns" text in its description.]]

** 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 did initially allow for the tried-and-true Alt+F4 exploit in part because of the technical issues they had trying to make it ''not'' work, but the May 2023 match made using this technique require alternative means instead.

** 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, in part because of the technical issues they had trying to make it ''not'' work.

* BraggingRightsReward: Beating Hardcore mode makes a trophy show up on your shelf...and that's it. Even the mercer reward is no different from beating a campaign normally.

* HarderThanHard: "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 the prestige objective, enforcing Master Mode mechanics and maps, and adding even more [=NPC's=] to deal with.

** If you have good ears, you can identify the right target in a showdown by listening for an audio cue comprising of soft piano notes; 2 high, followed by 2 low, and then it repeats itself (the tempo and the pitch of the notes are loosely determined by the background track of the mission). This means you can skip the entire clue-collection step and/or confirm your assumptions if you know what to listen out for.

* MythologyGag: One of the unlocks for 47's bedroom is a leather chair, and interacting with it has 47 sit in the chair in such a way [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/hitman/images/8/85/HM2016-SoundtrackCover.png/revision/latest?cb=20170210055000 that mimics the cover for Hitman (2016)'s soundtrack]]. He also fiddles with an [=ICA19=]'s suppressor, strengthening the reference.

** In ''Hitman (2016)'' and ''Hitman 2 levels'', there is an audio cue that plays if your target is nearby and visible on screen. It is characterized by a set of soft piano notes: 2 high, followed by 2 low, and then it repeats; the tempo and the pitch of the notes are loosely determined by the background track of the mission. This can be observed in the main game missions, in normal syndicate missions, and notably, ''showdown missions''. This means you can skip the entire clue-collection step and/or confirm your assumptions if you hear the audio cue.

* {{Leitmotif}}: "In Constant Motion" can be heard as the music that makes up the safehouse bunkers' music, while snippets of "A World of Assassination" and "Mission Accomplished" can be heard in the loading screens between missions. A remixed portion of "Untouchable", the same that plays during 47's dream sequence in Carpathian Mountains, also plays if you complete a campaign.

* MythologyGag: One of the unlocks for 47's bedroom is a leather chair, and interacting with it has 47 sit in the chair in such a way [[https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/hitman/images/8/85/HM2016-SoundtrackCover.png that mimics the cover for Hitman (2016)'s soundtrack]]. He also fiddles with an [=ICA19=]'s suppressor, strengthening the reference.

* 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 Father Francesco.

** The rival assassins follow their assigned [=NPC=] everywhere and instead of, you know, assassinating anyone, generally act more like bodyguards than assassins.

* FormerRegimePersonnel: Syndicate Assassins are competent professionals who are implied to be former ICA and Providence operatives given their equipment.

** Assassins, similarly to 47, aren’t immediately detectable, being nigh-indistinguishable from a civilian until they spring into action.

** Non-enforcer [=NPCs=] who witness a crime will become enforecers for whatever disguise 47 was wearing at the time.

* BeneathNotice: Syndicate leaders tend to recruit ordinary civilians through social profiling to better slip through the cracks, making their organizations difficult for conventional law enforcement to track down. This extends to said leaders themselves, given how even Diana struggles to identify them directly due to their low profile. This also explains why 47 has to identify the true target on-site.
* BigBadDuumvirate: The 4 Syndicate Leaders you assassinate in each campaign are working together through a connected network. Consequently, as you kill each one there are more levels on High Alert throughout the campaign, since they're alliance with each other means the Syndicates now know someone is actively targeting them.

** Your personal Hammerspace, in the form of your Gear Limit, will start small and gradually get larger as your Mastery increases, allowing you to take more items and tools into a level than at the start, and especially during the main story.