Good morning, 47. Today we’re going to talk about the gear you need to succeed in Hitman III. The special tools that make the world of assassination spin on its axis, and the weapons that seal a target’s fate. One of the most crucial parts of any Hitman III mission is the planning stage, where you choose what to equip before you embark on your international assassination mission. It’s best not to overlook this phase of the game, as more often than not, the right piece of kit can save you when you find yourself in a bind.
To unlock new tools and weapons in Hitman III, you have to increase your Mastery Level within specific missions, by playing and completing them over and over again, altering your style and completing the special challenges to earn extra XP and ascend through the ranks.
This article is going to run through our picks for the best unlockable pieces of gear on a chronological mission by mission basis, and talk about how each item can be used in missions to make your assassination easier.
Best unlockable gear at a glance
- Emetic Poison Vial
- Lockpick Mk III
- Custom 5MM DTI
- Electronic Key Hacker Mk III
- ICA Proximity Concussion Device Mk III
- Hackl Leviathan Sniper Rifle Covert
- Kalmer 2 Tranquilizer
- Proximity Semtex Demo Block MK III
Best unlockable gear
Emetic Poison Vial – Dubai Mastery Level 5
You should get this after your first or second run of Dubai, depending on how many challenges you complete. The Emetic Poison Vial is a special kind of poison that makes your target throw up. The important part of this is that they will run to the nearest toilet and place their head in the toilet bowl. At which point, 47 can easily drown them without witnesses. I’m yet to find a toilet without a storage locker for bodies either.
Lockpick Mk III – Dartmoor Mastery Level 2
You’ll pick this up after you complete Dartmoor for the first time. This is just an incredibly handy tool to have. You can bypass most locked doors with it, and while it is an illegal action – meaning that enemies will become suspicious and hunt you if they see you doing it – it’s a lot more subtle than breaking the door open with a crowbar. It trivialised Mendoza for me, as I quickly got access to the inner sanctum of the winery with it and found an easy disguise. It’s an incredibly versatile tool that I take on most missions.
Custom 5MM DTI – Berlin Mastery Level 7
This one should land in your inventory after a few runs of Berlin – just make sure you focus on the challenges. Crucially, this gun can pass a frisk check, meaning you can take it into high-security areas like the ICA offices in Chongqing. This is incredibly handy if you want to destroy cameras from within, or silently take out targets as the gun is suppressed. There are a few situations in Hitman III where you will have to be frisked to proceed, but with the Custom 5MM you won’t lose your gun, which is essential if you’re trying to make your way through the level without killing or pacifying any non-targets.
Electronic Key Hacker Mk III – Chongqing Mastery Level 2
You’ll nab this Key Hacker after wrapping Chongqing for the first time. This might seem like something of a dead weight as it only has one use, but that one use is so essential in specific situations, especially for high-security rooms where you have to swipe a keycard to proceed. It’s easy to forget and regret with this tool, especially when you find yourself deep into a level with no way to proceed beyond pacifying a risky guard.
ICA Proximity Concussion Device Mk III – Chongqing Mastery Level 7
A handful of Chongqing playthroughs will be required to unlock this special tool. Fair warning, though, it is extremely loud, so not the best if you’re trying to leave without a trace. However, I still find it incredibly useful as it’s an explosive device that doesn’t kill its targets. Lay it in the path of a target – or multiple targets – and they will be concussed, but not dead.
Guards will swarm the area due to the noise, but if you use it carefully, near ledges or other environmental hazards, you can take out groups of enemies easily, without breaking a sweat. It also doubles quite naturally as a brilliant distraction so you can slip into a guarded room while security is busy. The fact that it’s also just some of the most silly fun you can have in the game doesn’t hurt either. There’s nothing like watching the bodies ragdoll into the air!
Hackl Leviathan Sniper Rifle Covert – Chongqing Mastery Level 20
You’re going to have to complete most of the Chongqing challenges and really thoroughly work your way through this level to get to this weapon, as it’s right at the end of the progression tree. However, it’s very much worth it when you do. This is the best covert sniper in the game. It pierces targets, it’s extremely quiet thanks to the suppressor and it features four levels of zoom, so you can pick people off from quite a substantial distance, using the marksman ability to slow down time. It totally changes the way you play, so it’s great fun to use if you want to approach a mission in an unusual fashion.
Kalmer 2 Tranquilizer – Mendoza Mastery Level 5
You should unlock this gun on your first or second run of Mendoza, if you’re completing quite a few challenges in the process. Right out of the gate, it is very loud. If you fire this in earshot of guards they’re going to nick you instantaneously. However, if you stay far away and dart a target from afar, it will sedate them quickly and leave them writhing on the floor.
Bear in mind you have to be quite accurate, but it’s worth the effort. It’s the easiest method of sedation as it does allow for a degree of subtlety, instead of jabbing someone with a pen or positioning their drink. With the tranquilliser gun, you control when, where and how a target is sedated, so it’s mighty useful for the more unusual methods of assassination you may come up with, and perfect for solo marks.
Proximity Semtex Demo Block MK III – Carpathian Mountains Mastery Level 4
You’ll grab this after one or two runs of the Carpathian Mountains mission. I’ll be honest, this isn’t the best unlockable piece of kit if you want to be subtle or achieve those Silent Assassin challenges. Quite the contrary, in fact. This is a giant wad of explosives that you can place to create chaos in a given situation. It operates on proximity, so if someone walks close to it it will explode and kill anyone in the vicinity. It’s mainly just a lot of fun to implement in missions with the hindsight you get after completing them. However, I will say there are some cases, in padded rooms or locked-off areas without many guards, where it could be used to kill a target without anyone noticing. Get creative and see what you can do with it – or just let the sparks fly.
‘Hitman III’ is now available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Stadia – under the title ‘Hitman: World of Assassination’, and Nintendo Switch.