One of the more interesting bits to expect out of Year 2 is a new mode with roguelike elements called Freelancer which introduces strategic planning and a customizable safehouse. Coming this spring, the mode features Agent 47’s Safehouse. This playable space is customizable as it allows you to choose exactly what type of Hitman you are. As you progress through Freelancer, more areas of the Safehouse can be unlocked and new customization options will become available. The area can be decorated, there’s a place for you to change your suit, you can have a firing range in it, and more. It is also an important area because it’s where all of your pre-mission planning will take place. Here, Agent 47 will have access to a ‘mission hub’ where he can view all of the currently available Freelancer campaigns, each one representing a criminal enterprise across the World of Assassination. You will be able to choose which campaign you pick. For each campaign, you need to choose the order you want to play the missions. After each mission, you’ll return to the safehouse to restock, resupply, and strategically plan your next move. Whichever location you leave until last will be where you’ll corner the Leader of the enterprise. You will then get paid and return to your safehouse. Campaign missions have been reworked to fit the Freelancer mode. For example, locations will have new NPC types, that can either help or hinder your progress. Suppliers will offer various weapons and items and some NPCs will alert Leaders and make your job more difficult. In addition to these NPCs, there are several other elements that will make the Freelancer campaigns unique. You’ll be able to find safes, hidden stashes and even other NPC Assassins. Unlike the main Hitman campaign, gear in this mode will not be persistent, som anything you bring on a mission and don’t bring back to the safehouse will be lost. Looking for gear at a Supplier is one way to restock your inventory, or even replace something you lost. In Freelancer, consumables will need to be restocked as there will be no supply from the ICA in this mode. Along with Freelancer mode, players will have a new map to traverse. It’s called Rocky, and IO promises more information about it will be revealed later this year. Coming on January 20 a new game mode called Elusive Target Arcade. This brand new game mode takes the Elusive Target concept to the next level by mixing up the formula with new challenges and unlockable rewards. Don’t worry though: it will still maintain the essence of what makes Elusive Targets fun to play. What is interesting about it, is that each Arcade Contract will task you with taking down consecutive Elusive Targets. Each one must be completed to proceed to the next, and there are additional complications that will be added to the contract as well. Should you fail an Arcade Contract at any point, there will be a 12-hour lockout before you can retry it. When Year 2 begins on January 20, the Arcade will become available with three Arcade Contracts, each one with Elusive Targets from a specific game in the World of Assassination trilogy. For example, the Ellipses Arcade Contract has three targets from Hitman 3, and two other Arcade Contracts will also be available on January 20 with targets from Hitman 1 and Hitman 2, respectively. More Arcade Contracts will be added throughout the year. Also announced during the reveal was that Hitman VR is heading to PC on January 20. It will be available to all Hitman 3 owners. Full details on supported hardware will be revealed before launch. Speaking of PC, the option to enable Ray Tracing on PC is coming later this year. With better reflections and better shadows, IO says that locations are going to look better than ever and the tech will be enabled for all locations in the World of Assassination trilogy. In addition, the game will also implement Intel’s XeSS technology, which uses machine learning to deliver more performance with really nice image quality. The development team will also be implementing VRS (Variable Rate Shading) to boost PC performance by shading at different frequencies. And finally, a Hitman Trilogy is coming on January 20. Featuring all games in a single package, it will be made available digitally for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, and Epic Games Store - as well as Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and PC Game Pass. On Steam, Hitman 3 will feature full support for PC VR and all of the technical improvements mentioned above, cush as such as Ray Tracing, XeSS, and Variable Rate Shading. The team is currently working on Steam Achievements and Trading Cards, and will also include the Trinity Pack (the Hitman 3 pre-order bonus) for free with all editions of Hitman 3 for the first 30 days.
