Freelancer

Freelancer, (also stylized as HITMAN Freelancer), is a single-player mode that introduces rogue-like elements, strategic planning, and a customizable Safehouse.

Freelancer was announced as part of the HITMAN™ III Year 2 update and was originally scheduled for release in Spring 2022. The mode was delayed to later in 2022 to include more locations, and eventually released January 26, 2023 as a free update to HITMAN: World of Assassination. A Closed Technical Test was held November 3-7, 2022 and changes were made to the mode based on player feedback.

The game mode is set sometime after the HITMAN™ III epilogue, however, IO Interactive have stated that most story mission content was left intact to allow more gameplay opportunities for players, despite the narrative disconnect it creates.^[1]

Background[]

After the events of HITMAN™ III epilogue, which saw 47 defeat Arthur Edwards and Diana expose Providence to the world resulting in the organisations collapse, 47 eventually reconnected with Diana after a year of hiatus and the pair returned to their former roles as assassin and handler as a way to eliminate the untouchables. Since the ICA was also exposed to the world after 47 destroyed the Data Core in Chongquing, both he and Diana no longer have the backing and resources of the ICA and operate as a Freelancer operatives. 47 currently resides out of a newly-acquired Safehouse in an unknown location.

Since the downfall of Providence and the ICA, criminal Syndicates have begun to spring up around the world, recruiting regular civilians into a vast underworld network that 47 and Diana must eliminate and dismantle.

Release Dates[]

Year 2 Reveal Announcement Release - January 11, 2022
Initial Gameplay Release - Mid-Spring 2022
Road to Freelancer Release - October 4, 2022
Freelancer (How to Play) Release - October 27, 2022
Closed Technical Test Release (Closed) - November 3-7, 2022
Final Date Release - January 26, 2023

Gameplay[]

Freelancer is a new "rogue-like" game mode that gives players a persistent and infinitely replayable experience, by configuring and strategically planning for campaigns, picking a playstyle with all of their gear on the line, and customizing the Safehouse to match their style or mood.

Each Campaign is comprised of four Syndicates of escalating difficulty. For each Syndicate, the player works their way through three to six missions in whichever order they desire, eliminating Syndicate Members. After each mission, 47 returns to the Safehouse to restock and resupply. The Destination left until last will become a Showdown with the Syndicate Leader, who must be identified from a number of different Suspects.

Campaign missions have been reworked to fit the Freelancer mode. Each destination features new NPC types that can either help or hinder the player's progress - Suppliers offer a selection of weapons and tools for purchase; Lookouts will see through disguises and raise the alarm; undercover Assassins will protect targets. Locations can now include hidden Crates with rare items, and Safes that can be unlocked by gathering nearby intel (or with explosives).

Unlike the main Hitman campaign, the player's gear in Freelancer is not persistent. Anything brought on a mission and not brought back to the Safehouse will be lost. For example, if a player has an ICA-19 Silverballer, and it is left behind in Dartmoor, it is gone for good until it is bought again. Similarly, weapons purchased from a supplier have to be carried out of the level, so the player should not buy more long rifles or shotguns than can be carried. Gear can be purchased from Suppliers while on a mission to restock the player's inventory or replace a lost treasure. Consumables, such as explosives or poison syringes, will also need to be restocked once used. The player is granted one tool item out of a choice of three before each mission, unless the player has already accumulated all of the available tools. Additionally, the player will receive a free weapon upon destroying a network and returning to the safehouse.

The player's collection of suits carries over to Freelancer. Once the wardrobe area is unlocked, the player can choose any of the suits from their inventory and wear them around the Safehouse or when starting a mission.

The player does not have access to unlocked weapons, tools, starting locations or smuggled item drop-offs from the main campaign.

Merces[]

Merces is the new currency system introduced and used in the Freelancer game mode.

They're used to buy weapons and tools from Suppliers scattered on the maps while doing missions. Each mission will always have one Supplier at a random place, usually a covert, secluded location with no NPC passing by. If an NPC is present in that area, they will be busy and unavailable for 47 to make a deal with. They won't be enforcer to 47 at all times, however if they die, the player can't take their disguise.

Merces can be obtained by completing the missions, optional payout objectives or Prestige Objectives (a small bonus for Prestige Objectives is added if the player increases Prestige level) However, they can only be earned when successfully returning to the Safehouse - exiting the missions before completing all required objectives won't give any Merces to the player. Failing the missions (by being wounded) or campaigns will take away half or all of the Merces, depending on the campaign difficulty. They can also be received in reward crates by completing syndicates showdowns (if there's no available weapon to reward the player) or campaigns (campaign completion bonus is 30,000 Merces). Leveling up the mastery to certain levels will also give player Merces.

Additionally, Merces can be found in Stashes scattered around the maps. Some missions have Couriers which player can steal Merces from, by either knocking down or killing them. Additionally, levels can include a Safe, which player can break open to obtain Merces - either by scanning three clues in form of tablets, laptops or documents around its location (Instinct mode can be used to locate the clues) or using an explosive. The clues are conveniently close to the safe, usually in the same room. Be aware that directly opening the safe is a suspicious action, and there might be a guard, usually super enforcers, patrolling around the safe as well. Merces are also available in random amount on some maps (the list below) for the player to pick up directly:

In Santa Fortuna, player can open the safe in Rico Delgado's office to get 1 Merces coin. The safe combination can be obtained from Hector Delgado by giving back his love letter, retrieved from a limping guard in the cartel's basement.
In New York, player can break into the vault (beware security lasers can't be disabled there), pull out the data core and get Merces. There's also 1 Merces coin in the vault and 2 in the deposit boxes area.
In Mendoza, player can open the safe behind two guards in the villa basement area to get 1 Merces coin. The code is 2006.

In every mission, killing a non-target civilian NPC will cost the player 50 Merces, whereas a non-target guard NPC won't cost any amount at all. In every showdown, killing a non-target suspect will cost the player 1,000 Merces.

Message[]

Diana Burnwood's Welcoming Message found at the Safehouse's Voice Amplifier:

"Welcome to your safehouse, 47. A new center of operation where you can prepare for your Freelance missions and collect yourself between assignments.
You'll need it, because as a Freelancer, rest is a scarce resource. These assignments will prove to be among your most demanding yet. It will require skill, creativity, and luck to succeed, as even a single misstep can suddenly end a perfect run. To be blunt, you are your own from start to finish.

Everything is at stake. I know this is quite a challenge, but if anyone is cut out for this job, it's you. Good luck, 47."

Difficulty[]

Freelancer has two difficulty modes:

Normal

Default mode of difficulty in Freelancer.
Missions in unalerted territories can be aborted or failed, though it will cause any remaining territories for a Syndicate to become alerted.
In alerted territories, suspects and targets will enforce 47’s suits and guard disguises, but not civilian disguises (except when being enforced by them in original campaign). The map layout, NPCs’ paths and item replacements will be based on Master difficulty, but game mechanics will still be on Professional difficulty.
Showdowns have anywhere from 4 to 9 Suspects.
Couriers and Stashes are marked on your map, so players can identify where they are located.
Dying during a mission will remove half of the player's Merces. If the mission is in an alerted territory or a Showdown, the Campaign will fail.
Prestige Objectives are not mandatory and can be ignored.
No XP bonus will be given at the end of a Showdown.
Like Hardcore mode, Assassins still kill 47 with one shot.

Hardcore

Only for the most ambitious Freelancers out there.
Territories will be on the highest alert at all times, and Prestige Objectives will be mandatory to both pick and complete.
Failing any mission will also fail the Campaign and you will lose ALL of your Merces and other Freelancer Tools.
Killing an NPC with a sharp melee weapon or bullet will ruin a disguise, preventing further use of that disguise. This means you will lose the ability to use that specific disguise for the rest of the mission.
Couriers and Stashes will not be marked on the map during missions, and the player will need to rely on their sound cues/special dialogues. Safes and Suppliers are unaffected.
Showdowns will now have anywhere from 9 to 12 Suspects.
Lookouts will range between 9 to 18.
Maps have additional cameras, items removed, doors locked and/or additional enforcers.
Leaders and suspects won’t have appropriate icons on their head when they’re revealing their tells and meeting agendas.
Assassins and Lookouts will not be marked on the HUD next to the minimap during a Showdown. There’re also much more of them on the maps.
Assassins kill 47 with one shot, exactly like Hardcore mode.
The sound of your guns and bullet impacts will be detected as such from much greater distances. The act of shooting a camera in the vicinity of a lookout can spook them instantly.
Proximity alerts for Assassins/Lookouts are no longer given.
NPCs will hear you running, including while sneaking and react to it like a distraction while in a trespassing/hostile area.
NPCs have longer viewcones and will detect you faster - including when you perform a suspicious action.
NPCs that see you moving within the cover of bushes will investigate it. Normally they only investigate if you ran.
The in-game difficulty will be set to Master for all missions.
An XP bonus will be given at the end of a successful Showdown. Higher bonuses are given depending on how far the player has gotten in the Campaign.
Completion of a Hardcore Mode Campaign for the first time unlocks the The Black Bruiser Suit.

Beware that switching between both difficulty modes will reset your Freelancer Tools as well. Prestige bonuses will persist on both difficulties.

World Map[]

The World Map is your overview of active missions in your current Syndicate Contract. It is also where you can plan and choose destinations for missions and showdowns, or get an overview of how far you have progressed in a campaign. The Campaign Tracker shows how many missions you have completed, and how many are left to complete the entire Campaign.

Syndicates[]

Main article(s): Syndicates

Syndicates are a group of individuals or organizations that come together to achieve a common goal in the crime world.

Safehouse[]

Main article(s): Safehouse

The Safehouse is a new type of location for the World of Assassination trilogy. It functions as Agent 47's base of operations, but can also be enjoyed simply for its scenery. Unlike other locations, it is customizable, allowing players to change furniture, decor, music and more. By progressing through the Freelancer Mastery track, more areas of the Safehouse are unlocked and new customization options become available. Trophies are displayed on shelves for Freelancer challenges that have been completed.

When starting Freelancer mode, players are only able to access the basement, which acts as a "mission hub" where players can view all of the currently available Freelancer campaigns, equip and store weapons and Freelancer tools, and review intel. As more areas of the Safehouse and its grounds are unlocked, the player will have access various tools and items that can be taken on missions.

Unlockable Items & Suits[]

Rarity System[]

Many weapons and tools in Freelancer have a rarity level, a new feature for the series. If the player finds a weapon with any type of rarity and completes the mission with it in their inventory, the player will get to keep the weapon in the Safehouse for later use. However, if the player fails by being wounded, any weapons they found or brought from the Safehouse will be removed from the inventory and will have to be found or bought again. Note that the player still gets to keep their weapons if they actively exit the mission without killing all targets. The four types of Rarity are:

weapons can be found within missions, Crates, bought from Suppliers, or completing the 1st syndicate in normal campaign.
weapons can be found within missions, Crates, bought from Suppliers, or completing the 2nd syndicate in normal campaign.
weapons can be found within missions (currently there's only Burial Dagger and Katana in Isle of Sgàil), bought from Suppliers, or completing the 3rd syndicate in normal campaign.
weapons can be bought from Suppliers or completing the 4th syndicate in normal campaign.

In hardcore campaign, there's no limit restriction to the rarity of weapons rewarded when completing syndicates, meaning that theoretically, it is possible to be rewarded a legendary weapon after completing just the first syndicate, providing that it's the only missing weapon in the player's arsenal. If there's no more weapon to reward the player, Merces will be rewarded to the player instead.

Note that weapons and Tools without a specified rarity level are lost upon completing or leaving the current mission.

To avoid loopholes in the rarity system, some weapons have been removed from maps in Freelancer mode or replaced with more common variants. Most crowbars on the maps have been replaced with single-use Rusty Crowbars.

Weapon Rarity[]

Prestige[]

Prestige is a Freelancer feature added as part of a game update on 11th May 2023. It comes with the ability to go prestige by collecting all weapons that can be stored in the Safehouse. The new "Prestige Laptop" will allow you to advance Prestige Levels. After collecting all the weapons that can be stored (this includes unlockable weapons such as the Ornamental and Ancestral weapons, meaning mastery level 60 is required before going prestige. Note that weapons from Makeshift Pack and Street Art Pack aren't included), from that point the following will occur:

Increase in Merces payout for completing prestige objectives and extra XP gain from completing missions.

Prestige	Additional Merces for Completing Prestige Objectives		Additional XP gain upon Mission Completion
Prestige	Extra	Total	Extra	Total
1	500	500	1000	1000
2	450	950	250	1250
3	400	1350	250	1500
4	350	1700	250	1750
5	300	2000	250	2000
6+	0	2000	0	2000

A Prestige trophy will be added to your Safehouse with a display showing your Prestige Level.
All items in your inventory, all Freelancer gear, all weapons on the weapon walls and all Merces will be reset to 0, as if you were starting fresh. This includes weapons from the Makeshift Pack and Street Art Pack. Freelancer mastery level, Safehouse customizations are NOT affected.

Challenges[]

See Freelancer/Challenges.

Mastery[]

See Freelancer/Mastery.

Exclusive Weapons[]

When playing Freelancer, there are some weapons and items which 47 can only use in Freelancer mode as part of his weapon inventory. Once used, these weapons can then be obtained again and stored in the Safehouse for later use. Some of the below weapons can be picked up and used in locations during the main story, but you cannot exit the location and keep the item as part of 47’s weapon inventory:

Free Weapons[]

See Freelancer/Item Locations

Gallery[]

Promotional[]

47's Safehouse[]

In-game[]

Concept arts[]

Destinations[]

Freelancer supports 19 out of 22 destinations from the World of Assassination^[3], with only the ICA Facility, Hawke's Bay, and Carpathian Mountains not available for Freelancer missions. Sniper Assassin maps, Special Assignments, the Patient Zero campaign, and bonus mission variants, such as A House Built on Sand, are also not available.

All of the codenames for destinations in Freelancer mode are based on games. Here is the complete list of destinations and their codenames:

AFRICA

Mancala - Marrakesh

ASIA

Poker - Ambrose Island
Mahjong - Chongqing
Hilo - Haven Island
Shogi - Hokkaido
Chess - Dubai
Ludo - Mumbai
Sicbo - Bangkok

EUROPE

Bridge - Dartmoor
Meyer - Berlin
Craps - Paris
Bingo - Sapienza
Whist - Isle of Sgàil

NORTH AMERICA

Blackjack - New York
Spades - Colorado
Solitaire - Whittleton Creek
Pinochle - Miami

SOUTH AMERICA

Trompo - Santa Fortuna
Sapo - Mendoza

Trivia[]

Despite Freelancer mode being strongly implied to take place after the events of the Hitman III epilogue, there are multiple anachronisms.
- Most of the campaign targets from across the World of Assassination trilogy are still present in their locations; however, they don’t appear as actual targets in Freelancer mode. This is very similar to how, when playing Elusive Targets, the Campaign targets are still present in the locations, despite Elusive Targets supposedly having taken place at a different time from the main World of Assassination story.
- NPC dialogue still relates to the stories of the campaign missions.
- Janus' body can still be found in the Isle of Sgàil, despite the fact that his funeral should have been held already.
- The ICA is still present in Chongqing despite being forced out of business and, canonically, the facility there destroyed in a fire by 47 at least a year prior.
- The Private Militia still exists and controls the compound in Colorado and parts of Ambrose Island despite being implied to have dissolved after 47's assassination of Noel Crest.
- Events from the trilogy still ongoing, such as the Sanguine fashion show in Paris despite it being closed down after Novikov's death or the Global Innovation Race in Miami despite it being suggested to be moved to Shanghai as requested by Moses Lee.

However, there are a few alterations to some locations;
- Phineas Whitmer does not appear in Dartmoor.
- Security cameras, as well as a camera recorder, have been added in Dartmoor, despite not having cameras in the main campaign's mission.
- The ICA Agents do not appear in Berlin.
- Shooting the drones above the Southeastern rooftop in Chongqing will not trigger Imogen Royce to go up all the way from the ICA Data Facility.
- Diana does not appear in Mendoza. This corresponds with her being operating Freelance with 47.
- Juan Cortazar has been removed from Mendoza.
- Tamara Vidal has also been removed from Mendoza.
- Lucas Grey does not appear in the Isle of Sgàil on his speedboat at the pier. During the main campaign, Lucas would drive away in his speedboat once 47 climbed onto the pier to begin the mission. This does not occur in Freelancer.
- Arthur Edwards also does not appear in Isle of Sgàil, in accordance with him having been killed or injected with the amnesia serum by Agent 47.
- In Dubai, Marcus Stuyvesant's new bodyguard is no longer in the locker room searching for his clothes.
- In Mendoza, the Mercenary disguise no longer allows the player to legally to carry a sniper rifle openly.
In interviews, Associate Game Directors Jonas Breum Jensen and Torbjørn Vinther Christensen stated they had a choice between tailoring a few selected locations to fully fit the post-Hitman III timeframe, or keep almost all World of Assassination locations available with minimal changes. They opted for the latter, which would allow players more gameplay opportunities and offer the "biggest possible playground" within Freelancer.^[1]
The Black Bruiser Suit can only be obtained by completing a Hardcore Freelancer Campaign.
It's suggested through their briefings and dialogue that both The Drop and The Disruptor were Freelancer contracts.

[:0-1] 1.0 ^1.1 https://screenrant.com/hitman-freelancer-jonas-breum-jensen-torbjorn-vinther-christensen/

[2] ttps://www.artstation.com/artwork/zPREqq

[3] ttps://www.ioi.dk/hitman-3-road-to-freelancer-2/

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