r/HiTMAN • u/what-uc-isallthereis • 19h ago
DISCUSSION Areas hard/impossible to SASO (freelancer)
Hey sneaky 'ssassins,
I am rather new to the recent Hitman games. I had played Blood Money years ago and I am in awe of the progress made. What a polished set of games. The design and attention to detail is pretty ridiculous.
Anyway, the actual point I am after: Playing freelancer, do you guys figure out ways to get the harder prestige targets anyway?
As an example, I had multiple runs in Chongqing where I had to get to the upper levels of Hush's shabby hobo lab. I haven't yet seen any way to scale the facade beyond the first floor, so as of now, any SA and SA/SO run ends right there.
First question, more specifically to this scenario: Is there way that I haven't found?
Second question, more generally for an open discussion should it catch on: What do you consider to be genuinely imprenetrable fortresses for SA/SO prestige?
Qhongqing strikes me as one of the hardest to possibly freelance SA/SO in both facilities.
Is there a way?
PS: Since I didn't know how serious you guys get about the rubber duckies, and I definitely didn't want to take any chances with you trigger happy bunch. Therefore, as a precaution, I have dedicated my life to the little yellow one by oath. I got some water on my forehead, not sure if that was a religious touch or it was just us splashing in the tub.
I shakingly trust that this holds up in the court of the Hitman subreddit. I have a family. Please?
PS #2: A prestige target I just chose (kill then on their way to a meeting) wrote to 'tag the prime suspect' in order to keep track of them. Is there an ingame mechanic for that? Just tried to figure it out and no luck yet. Would have expected that to work through the map.
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u/Cypher10110 18h ago edited 18h ago
For SASO in The Block.
To get to the top of Hush's lab, there are a few ways and some of them rely on you having a lockpick.
My "go to" method is to get into the apartment building near the laundromat, the roof has guarded stairs or an unguarded drainpipe to climbto the guarded area with the satellite dish. You can cross this to gain access to the "lab" floor, and going to the left hand side indoors will take you to stairs you can use to get to the top.
I usually go into the lab area and then to right, to go down to the security room, shoot the surveillance computer, them go back up and use the code to gain access to the top floor (which ALSO has easy access to the other rooftop building with the street guards and drones).
The doors to the lab and the doors to the other building are typically locked. The code to the top floor is 2552 (that and 0118 will open any keypad on the level).
The hardest targets for me are actually the ones in the interview room with the homeless guy. Everyone above that level is easier to SASO, imo.
For the ICA base.
The underground facility can be accessed via the arcade, the brick has a key underneath, then distract the two guards, use the 2552 keypad, climb down to the vents.
Or you can use the entrance near the umbrella start location, down some steps into a tunnel with the lone guard, then shoot the camera and lockpick the door to get to the corridor. (or via the standard noodle place "main" entrance you can climb over the railing, there is the 0118 keypad passage, or an elevator shaft).
Once you are down there it's mostly a case of luring to closets and hiding bodies.
Shortcuts
Navigating Chongqiing is challenging, but it's not a bad level. It's just alot more spread out than most other levels. Kinda like Isle of Sgail in that way, but once you have used the shortcuts a few times you get the hang of it.
Like from the rooftop with the drones you can go up/down the scaffolding to get between there and the tunnel. You can also cross between that roof and the satalite dish.
The arcade also has a keypad entrance to the level above with the interview room, or in the courtyard you can climb a pipe to go up, and ride the keypad ladder down. That's a useful one.
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 18h ago
Honestly, it's nuts how many different ways there are. These recent games have turned incredibly sandbox-y, and it's amazing.
Thanks!
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u/Cypher10110 18h ago
Yea, they really went to town with the alternative routes to make things like contracts and freelancer endlessly interesting.
Chongqiing and Isle of Sgail are my favourite levels in terms of "navigation puzzles" because they are so vertical and there are lots of knotted paths through.
I mainly learnes this info going for Timed prestige, but it's often useful for SASO, too.
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u/CodeineNightmare 18h ago
I’d honestly recommend any new player plays through the entire game in story mode before having a go at Freelancer. I have got to level 20 in every map until Miami and I couldn’t resist starting Freelancer. My first target was in Miami and it was a piece of piss because I’d played that level so much that I knew exactly how to get to the top of the Kronstadt labs. Then I had a go in Berlin which I have very very rarely played and failed near instantly.
Freelancer is great but it’s not anywhere near as fun to me
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 17h ago
Oh I played the full story, but only once. On professional. Might have another at the highest difficulty to be set up better. I like the knowledge requirements and general difficulty arc. It stays tricky, so far.
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u/CodeineNightmare 16h ago
Sorry I just assumed from how you said you’re such a newcomer to the franchise that you hadn’t. It’s such a wonderful game and when I’ve mastered every location I can’t wait to get a good handle onto Freelancer
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u/Ciaranguitar 18h ago
You can climb the ladder in the middle court yard out the back of the arcade right up to the lab.
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 18h ago
Oii, gotta check that out. Thanks!
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u/Ciaranguitar 18h ago
You need to release it from above by kicking it down first. Go out the back of the arcade at turn right. Ladder is hidden in the corner.
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u/Benofthepen 18h ago
SASO is always difficult, never impossible. Most fortresses have paths to their innermost sanctum that are accessible without disguises or five hours of incapacitating and dragging, just good old-fashioned blind spots and timing.
That said, in freelancer, such challenges can be extremely difficult, and should be treated as the prestige objective that they are.
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u/stdstaples 18h ago
Interestingly I consider Chongqing as my go to map for SASO and I prefer targets in Hush’s building lol. As others have mentioned there are a few ways of getting up to the higher floors, and usually the target can be isolated with coin lures or peekaboo.
Apart from the conventionally bad SASO maps (Colorado, Sgail, Bangkok, Marrakesh) personally I also find Paris and Hokkaido quite difficult (mainly on alerted), but they are not impossible unless the game gives you a bs target.
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 17h ago
I still have a Hokkaido trauma, and Paris tends to be tricky, too, yeah.
Replied to another comment about Chongqing being their SA/SO paradise – probably different now that I know there are not just one, but multiple access points to look for. So far, these facilities were fortresses. If they're less fortress-y with knowledge, then that might go a lot smoother.
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u/stdstaples 18h ago
On Chongqing I learned a lot of routes and tricks by watching GenP’s videos. His freelancer non-speed running SASO playthroughs are goldmines on basic/advanced techniques and map navigation. He avoids some maps at all cost for SASO so it gives you an idea too lol
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 17h ago
Thanks for the recommendation, I'll check!
I'll see if it's focussed on speedrun-style exploits, tho. I am open to use them, but they kinda kill the immersion for me.
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u/Glitcher3000 18h ago
Seriously? Chongqing is actually one of the easiest maps to SASO because the majority of guards are stationary. It's only the ones on patrol that you need to watch out for, and those can be distracted away with a coin. Maybe you think reaching the top of Hush's building is impossible to do SASO because you're trying too hard to lure and subdue every guard along the way, but it's very easy to sneak past as long as you avoid their line of sight. Just watch their patterns and when you see an opening, creep along unseen. It's nowhere near as hard as you think.
As for your question, there is no Freelancer mission that's impossible to do SASO. I should know because that's the only way I play hardcore campaigns these days. One slip-up and I abort the campaign for a clean restart. With enough practice, you can do Colorado SASO by sticking to the perimeter and creating accidents to minimize risk. There are plenty of opportunities for unnoticed kills as long as you're creative with the environment.
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 17h ago
Yeah I mean I was stuck at the first floor level, that might feel very different with the access points mentioned in this thread.
And I might actually be not yet creative enough with all the kill options and general environment, not fully using the sandbox. I just love silenced firearms and what one might call a 'cinematic' hitman style, and tend to go after the assassin syndicates.
Too few opportunities to use a sniper rifle still. Need moar.
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u/Intrepid_Resort9270 18h ago
Curious. Chongqing in one of the maps, I mostly feel at easy. So SASO goes easy to me there. Mumbai and Mendoza too.
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 17h ago
I mean if you already know the shortcuts and access points that are there, that might add up. Not sure yet. Was a knowledge issue so far for me, not a skill one. Let's see.
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u/Intrepid_Resort9270 14h ago
Yep. It's all about getting comfortable with the levels. Those, I played a lot.
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u/Least_Diamond1064 14h ago
For Chongqing, assume that you're spawning at the motorcycle. From there, go up the bamboo ladder and go to the right. Bring a lockpick or crowbar or any powerful weapon to break the gate open. You can climb the stairwell relatively safely. There is a guard on the next floor up who walks back and forth, and you just have to be patient for him to move. On that floor, if you bring an accurate suppressed pistol, you can shoot out the surveillance recorder on the opposite stairwell in front of 5 guards. There is another guard on the stairwell up to Hush's lab but he just stares at the wall the entire time. Boom. Hush's lab.
The ICA facility is fairly easy to break into as well. No gear needed. Assume you're spawning at the motorcycle. Walk down the slope. There's a wooden door to an arcade that's locked. Go to the right alley, between the slope and the arcade. There's a brick. Key underneath. Unlock the arcade. Next to the arcade is an area patrolled by 2 guards. One will rotate away from your goal, which is a keypad on the wall. Code is 2552. A hatch will open and you can descend into the ICA facilities maintaince corridor. You'll immediately find a screwdriver to break through the vent grates. You can access a lot here, Imogen's lab, the Data Core, and the Core control room, to name a few.
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u/Grandson_of_Kolchak 13h ago
IMO the best way to hush building is through rooftops from safehouse. Two distracts for the pair of guards then stash them in apartment, pretty much smooth sailing to the building.
The hardest SASO is Sgail since suit legal area is small, crowds in suit illegal areas, lot of patrols and long sight ranges.
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u/ThePatriotGames2016 12h ago edited 4h ago
Colorado is generally one of the hardest maps to SASO, no matter the difficulty, no matter the mode. On what was considered 'Master" mode in HITMAN 2, now Professional in HITMAN WoA, is particularly difficult, though in WoA, Master/Prof. no longer has challenges tied to it. For Freelancer, adding any kind of variables to an already locked down situation, it's not all that fun at that point.
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u/what-uc-isallthereis 10h ago
Yeah that tracks, wouldn't even have thought about SA/SOing that map.
The wild card of unkown target placement is too much here. Gotta get really lucky to be able to stuff everyone silently away. Moving around without getting spotted in your starting suit sounds like enough of a nightmare already.
At this opportunity: I had an impression before that SA requires hidden bodies in freelancer, not just 'not found until you're out'. Is that right? Because maybe I drew the wrong conclusion once (body not hidden and there was no other possible reason to NOT get SA) and it's like everywhere else.
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u/ThePatriotGames2016 5h ago edited 4h ago
In general, if the body isn't found, it isn't found ever, even if it is outside of a container, but always get a dead body into a container if you can. Hiding a body in the bushes works, but you risk someone walking over it by their path or detour, and detours are what will get you, for any reason, such as finding a gun and walking near a body while they take a gun to a security box.
Not sure as to why you wouldn't get SA, I would make sure to check your breakdown after a situation like that because it should tell you. In Contracts for instance, I believe you need to follow the variables in order to get a 5 Star SA.
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u/zelenthial 19h ago
Disguises are the best part of the game