Elusive Target Arcade

Elusive Target Arcade is a game mode exclusive to HITMAN™ III, released on January 20^th, 2022. In this mode, the gameplay is rather similar to that of Escalation Contracts, in that you have to take down multiple Elusive Targets from the World of Assassination trilogy, one after another, with a specific (usually optional) complication added into it. Unlike standard elusive targets, this game mode is permanent, if a contract is failed, progress will restart from the first level and the contract will be locked for 12 hours until the player can attempt to play the contract again.

At launch, three trials were available, with 1 or 2 batches of 2 or 3 trials releasing monthly over 2022. Initially, the Ellipses, Codices and Deceits had 3 complications each, but this was changed to one on March 3^rd^[1].

The July 2022 patch^[2] allowed Hitman 3 players to access any Elusive Target from the past games from within any arcade contract, regardless of whether they owned that games' associated access passes or not, meaning from August 4^th, trials started to mix elusive targets from different seasons into the same trials more freely.

Gameplay[]

Each arcade contract functions like Escalation Contracts; you must complete a specific, similarly themed elusive target before being able to move onto the next one. Once one of any set of trials is completed, you will unlock a unique item, and they each come with separate challenges for completion. The only way to replay the trial is to reset it back to stage one. All levels feature a complication added in, although since the May 2022 patch, the ones that would immediately fail you if you did not follow them were made optional. If you fail a trial and wait for it to reactivate, you must start from the first stage, even if you have already beaten any of them before failing.

Trials[]

Trial	Release Date	Missions	Complication	Unlock
The Ellipses	January 20^th, 2022	The Collector The Liability The Ascensionist	Hide all Bodies (Optional)	Krugermeier 2-2 Dark +4000XP
The Codices		The Stowaway The Revolutionary The Appraiser	No Civilian Casualties (Optional)
The Deceits		The Prince The Identity Thief The Angel of Death The Fugitive The Black Hat	One Pacification (Optional)
The Vitae	March 3^rd, 2022	The Liability The Ascensionist The Heartbreaker	One Pacification (Optional)	Sieger AR552 Tactical +4000XP
The Genera		The Revolutionary The Appraiser The Politician	No Recordings (Optional)
The Nebulae		The Paparazzo The Gunrunner The Surgeons The Twin The Chameleon	One Disguise Change (Optional)
The Quanta	March 24^th, 2022	The Iconoclast The Rage The Procurers	One Disguise Change (Optional)	Striker V3 +4000XP
The Indices		The Politician The Appraiser The Revolutionary	One Pacification (Optional)
The Clutches		The Bookkeeper The Forger The Food Critic The Blackmailer The Entertainer	Headshots Only (Optional)
The Déjà vus	May 24^th, 2022	The Iconoclast The Collector The Heartbreaker	Additional Enforcers	The Ducky Gun +4000XP
The Liaisons		The Stowaway The Serial Killer The Politician	Restricted Loadout
The Provocateurs		The Prince The Gunrunner The Black Hat	No Recordings (Optional)
The Faux Pas	June 16^th, 2022	The Rage The Liability The Procurers	Kill Method Accident (Optional)	The White Ruby Rude 300 Sniper Rifle +4000XP
The Entrepreneurs		The Serial Killer The Politician The Appraiser	Additional Enforcers
The Clichés		The Pharmacist The Chameleon The Deceivers	Restricted Loadout
The Connoisseurs	July 14^th, 2022	The Liability The Iconoclast The Ascensionist	Restricted Loadout	The Iridescent Katana +4000XP
The Detours		The Politician The Stowaway The Appraiser	Kill Method Accident (Optional)
The Carte Blanches		The Broker The Entertainer The Twin	Additional Enforcers
The Dyads	August 4^th, 2022	The Deceivers The Procurers The Surgeons	Restricted Loadout	The Ruby Rude Track Suit +4000XP
The Diabolicals	August 4^th, 2022	The Serial Killer The Heartbreaker The Entertainer	Lethal Melee Only (Optional)	The Ruby Rude Track Suit +4000XP
The Infiltrators	September 1^st, 2022	The Paparazzo The Stowaway The Collector	One Disguise Change (Optional)	The Neon Ninja Suit +4000XP
The Illusory	September 1^st, 2022	The Twin The Politician The Black Hat	One Pacification (Optional)	The Neon Ninja Suit +4000XP
The Bombastic	September 16^th, 2022	The Badboy The Serial Killer The Rage	Explosions Only (Optional)	The Lucky Ducky Suit +4000XP
The Blusterous	September 16^th, 2022	The Food Critic The Revolutionary The Iconoclast	No Poison Eliminations (Optional)	The Lucky Ducky Suit +4000XP
The Thespians	October 13^th, 2022	The Blackmailer The Entertainer The Stowaway	Explosions Only (Optional)	Banana +4000XP
The Tregetours	October 13^th, 2022	The Chameleon The Ascensionist The Identity Thief	No Disguise Changes (Optional)	Banana +4000XP
The Phantoms	November 3^rd, 2022	The Black Hat The Fugitive The Serial Killer	No Recordings (Optional)	Nitroglycerin +4000XP
The Malefactors	November 3^rd, 2022	The Sensation The Badboy The Rage	Targets Only (Optional)	Nitroglycerin +4000XP
The Epicures	November 17^th, 2022	The Chef The Food Critic The Procurers	No Poison Eliminations (Optional)	The Ancestral Fountain Pen +4000XP
The Baneful	November 17^th, 2022	The Pharmacist The Angel of Death The Heartbreaker	Lethal Poison Only (Optional)	The Ancestral Fountain Pen +4000XP
The Authoritarians	December 8^th, 2022	The Warlord The Ex-Dictator The Bookkeeper	Lethal Melee Only (Optional)	Shashka A33 Gold +4000XP
The Aesthetes	December 8^th, 2022	The Appraiser The Broker The Collector	Hide all Bodies (Optional)	Shashka A33 Gold +4000XP
The Oroborous*	March 22^nd, 2024	The Undying	Objective: Eliminate Mark Faba with the Kronstadt Pen	+4000XP
		The Undying Returns	N/A
		The Undying Returns	No Disguise Changes Do Not Get Spotted
The Ostentatious†	June 27^th, 2024	The Disruptor	N/A	+4000XP
The Ostentatious†	June 27^th, 2024	The Disruptor	No Disguise Changes Do Not Get Spotted	+4000XP
The Base‡	September 12^th, 2024	The Drop	N/A	+4000XP
The Base‡	September 12^th, 2024	The Drop	No Disguise Changes Do Not Get Spotted	+4000XP
The Replication⸶	December 12^th, 2024	The Splitter	N/A	+4000XP
The Replication⸶	December 12^th, 2024	The Splitter	No Disguise Changes Do Not Get Spotted	+4000XP

* Only available by purchasing The Undying Pack or The Celebrity Bundle.

† Only available by purchasing The Disruptor Pack.

‡ Only available by purchasing The Drop Pack or The Celebrity Bundle.

⸶Only available by purchasing The Splitter Pack or The Celebrity Bundle.

Trivia[]

The unlock reward for Track 3 of the game mode (beating The Quanta, The Indices, or The Clutches) was supposed to have been the HWK 21 Covert, but this was noted by fans to be an unlock available 6 years prior to this challenge being made, so it was changed to the Striker V3 instead.
Gary Busey (The Wildcard) and Xander Haverfoek (The Fixer) are the only Elusive Targets not featured in Elusive Target Arcade; The Wildcard contains the voices and likenesses of real life celebrities Gary Busey and Gary Cole, whose terms of usage only applied to a single week's activation within HITMAN™, while The Fixer, according to former IOI Community Manager Travis Barbour, was considered "frustrating for players", although he also grouped The Warlord into that description, even though that mission was eventually added to the mode.
The celebrity ETAs (The Oroboros, The Ostentatious, The Base and The Replication) are unique among Elusive Target Arcade trials for being:
- The only trials released after 2022.
- The only trials released as an individual contract, not as part of a set of two or three.
- The only trials temporarily available for free.
- The only trials that repeats an Elusive Target mission as a stage.
- The only trials that take place on only one map.
- The only trials with separate complications per stage, instead of the same ones throughout. They are, however, the only trials to fail you if you do not follow the complications.
- The only trials that contain a stage with no complications.
- The only trials with no reward for completion, outside of level mastery, and a challenge that gains you general XP.
- The Oroborous is the only trial that contains a stage with an objective the player must complete (Stage 1 - Kill Mark Faba with the Kronstadt Pen), instead of a complication.
- The Ostentatious, The Base and The Replication are the only trials with less than 3 stages; 2 to be exact (a string of data within the game's code reveals that The Ostentatious was initially planned to be a one-stage contract^[3]).

As of November 25^th, 2024, IO Interactive announced they will be pausing collaboration with The Disruptor's portrayer (Conor McGregor) due to a High Court ruling that found McGregor had assaulted and raped a woman in December 2018. IOI also stated that any content related to McGregor would be removed from all platform stores for purchase.
- Following this announcement, The Ostentatious was moved to the end of the Elusive Target Arcade list. Furthermore The Ostentatious will no longer appear in "Live Game Modes" even when active.

Meanings of Arcade Contract Names[]

The Oroborous - A symbol of a serpent consuming its tail, represents destruction and rebirth.
The Codices - Plural of "codex", an ancient manuscript's text in book form.
The Genera - Plural of "genus", a group of related species.
The Entrepreneurs - An individual who starts their own business.
The Ellipses - Plural of "ellipsis", a symbol or group of symbols (...) used to represent a person trailing off when speaking or a portion of text not being present in a quote.
The Faux Pas - An embarrassing action or phrase in a social situation.
The Provocateurs - A person who provokes someone to do something, especially fights or crimes.
The Liaisons - A person who works on communication or cooperation between two groups.
The Deja Vus - A feeling of having already experienced the present situation or event.
The Clichés - Something that is overused and lacks original thought, especially a phrase or event in literature.
The Ostentatious - Something that is designed to impress people or attract attention.
The Aesthetes - A person who is interested in art or beauty, or a person who pretends to have that interest.
The Connoisseurs - A person who is skilled in judging matters of taste or opinion.
The Authoritarians - A person who prefers or enforces strict obedience to authority.
The Epicures - A person who particularly enjoys food or drink.
The Vitae - Latin for "Lives (n.)", could refer to the lives ended by the targets in this Contract.
The Cartes Blanches - French for "blank document" or "blank check", could refer to the targets having freedom to act however they want, or the targets/clients being able to spend large amounts of money.
The Baneful - Someone who is harmful or destructive, especially towards people or property.
The Detours - A deviation from a path taken on a journey, especially one done to visit a separate location.
The Quanta - A very small amount of energy, especially in quantum mechanics.
The Dyads - Something that is made of two different parts. Ties in to how each mission in the Contract has 2 individuals featured.
The Nebulae - Plural of "nebula", a cloud of dust and gas visible in space.
The Indices - Plural of "index", an alphabetical list of names, subjects, objects, etc.
The Clutches - A tight grasp on something.
The Diabolicals - Someone or something that is considered to be evil.
The Deceits - A lie or trick, especially one that is done by hiding or misrepresenting the truth.
The Infiltrators - A person who secretly becomes part of a group or enters a location.
The Phantoms - A type of ghost, could tie in to how each target in the Contract does not have their identity revealed in the briefing.
The Illusory - Something that is based on illusion, or is otherwise not real.
The Blusterous - Someone who acts in a loud or aggressive manner.
The Malefactors - A person who commits a crime.
The Bombastic - Something that sounds meaningful or impressive, but has little actual meaning.

Gallery[]

Arcade References[]

In HITMAN™ III, all of the Elusive Target Arcade group names are based on fruits or spices, while all of the Elusive Target Arcade rewards are named after colors.

For Arcade Groups: ARCADE_(Insert Codename)_GROUP

Anisestar = The Oroborous
Apple = The Codices
Apricot = The Genera
Avocado = The Entrepreneurs
Banana = The Ellipses
Blackberry = The Faux Pas
Cantaloupe = The Provocateurs
Carambola = The Liaisons
Cherimoya = The Deja Vus
Cherry = The Clichés
Coffeefruit = The Ostentatious
Fig = The Aesthetes
Grapefruit = The Connoisseurs
Honeydew = The Authoritarians
Jackfruit = The Epicures
Lemon = The Vitae
Lime = The Cartes Blanches
Lychee = The Baneful
Mandarin = The Detours
Melon = The Quanta
Nectarine = The Dyads
Papaya = The Nebulae
Peach = The Indices
Pear = The Clutches
Plantain = The Diabolicals
Plum = The Deceits
Pomelo = The Infiltrators
Raspberry = The Phantoms
Salak = The Illusory
Soursop = The Blusterous
Strawberry = The Malefactors
Tangelo = The Bombastic

For Arcade Rewards: ARCADE_(Color Name)_REWARD

Black = Banana
Blue = Krugermeier 2-2 Dark
Green = The Iridescent Katana
Grey = The Ancestral Fountain Pen
Light Blue = The Ruby Rude Track Suit
Light Green = The Lucky Ducky Suit
Light Purple = The Neon Ninja Suit
Pink = The Ducky Gun
Purple = Striker V3
Red = Nitroglycerin
Violet = The White Ruby Rude 300 Sniper Rifle
White = Sieger AR552 Tactical
Yellow = Shashka A33 Gold

References[]

[1] ttps://ioi.dk/hitman/roadmaps?panel=https%3A%2F%2Fioi.dk%2Fhitman%2Froadmaps%2F2022%2Fmarch-roadmap

[2] ttps://ioi.dk/hitman/roadmaps?panel=https%3A%2F%2Fioi.dk%2Fhitman%2Froadmaps%2F2022%2Fjuly-roadmap

[3] ttps://www.hitmanforum.com/t/new-celebrity-elusive-target-announcement/20986/546

[4] ttps://ioi.dk/hitman/roadmaps?panel=https%3A%2F%2Fioi.dk%2Fhitman%2Fnews%2F2022%2Fhitman-3-year-2-reveal

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]