Hitman 3: The Percival Passage Escalation Guide

If you have the Deluxe Edition of Hitman 3, then your game has some extra content, including The Percival Passage Escalation missions. The Percival Passage is a three-step Escalation series that lets you unlock some nifty items.

If you don’t have the Deluxe Edition of Hitman 3, you’ll have to upgrade via the Deluxe Pack. It’s a pricey upgrade, so it might not be worth it if you’re not rolling in dough. But I will say that the extras are kind of neat.

I also really like The Percival Passage missions, but that might simply be because I think the Dartmoor map is one of the best maps in the World of Assassination trilogy. I love this map so much!

What items do you unlock in The Percival Passage?

First off, if you simply play The Percival Passage, you’ll unlock the Formal Hunting Attire, which I actually really like. All you have to do is start playing The Percival Passage and you’ll be wearing the suit. You’ll also see an alert in the corner of the screen that shows that you unlocked it successfully. You can exit at this point and still have unlocked the suit.

For completing all three levels of The Percival Passage Escalation Series, you’ll unlock the Hunter’s Briefcase, which pairs quite well with the Formal Hunting Attire.

Last but not least, you can unlock the Bartoli Hunting Rifle Deluxe if you complete The Percival Passage – Level 3 with a Silent Assassin ranking. Actually, I’m not 100% sure if you unlock this for scoring Silent Assassin on all three levels or just the third one, but I’ve seen a lot of people say it’s just for Level 3 (I got Silent Assassin on all three and I unlocked the rifle, so I can confirm that it works after you clear all three).

Of course, completing all three levels can be a bit of a challenge, and completing them with a Silent Assassin ranking is even harder. So here’s a guide to each level.

The Percival Passage – Level 1 Guide

The first level is actually pretty simple. You have two targets, and your only restrictions are that you can’t change your outfits, and that all equipment is acquire-on-site.

I’ll guide you through two very different methods of completing this.

The first method is the stealthy approach (which will earn you Silent Assassin).

This method is so much easier if you’ve unlocked the shortcut ladder to Zachery’s balcony. If you haven’t done that yet, I suggest you go back through the story mission and make sure you do that. If you choose to do the Private Detective storyline, unlocking the balcony ladder is really easy because you’ll be given access to Zachary’s room. While you’re there, make sure you unlock the ladder on the east side of the balcony (you’ll need a crowbar). Once you unlock it, it will be permanently unlocked in subsequent playthroughs — and in Escalation Series missions.

So, for Level 1 of this Escalation, you’ll wind your way around the back of the greenhouse, grab the garden fork, and make your way toward the back of the mansion. You’ll need to cut through the hedge maze at one point, but you can reference the video to see the exact path that I take.

Now, just climb up the ladder to Zachery’s balcony and stab your first target in the neck.

The second target is right across the hallway, so you can slip behind the two guards who are watching Zachary’s room. Cross the hall into the tiny office, then approach the second target, who is staring out the window.

Note that there’s some timing involved in this one. The target will occasionally turn away from the window and walk toward the desk, and he’ll usually spot you if he does this while you’re sneaking up on him. Additionally, if he’s looking toward the door when you open it, you might be forced to make a mad dash to cover. To be extra safe, use Instinct Mode before you cross the hall to see exactly where he is.

Now, stab this dude in the neck, then climb out of the window that the target was staring out of before you offed him. You can slide down the drainpipe to escape the mansion, and there is an exit close by — it’s a bridge crossing the stream.

Now let’s talk about the louder method. I should point out that you can still get Silent Assassin with this method, but it’s a bit harder to do.

This one requires you to conk a guard over the head and grab a pistol as soon as you can. I like to wind my way around the back of the greenhouse, then run through the bushes. A guard will start to notice you (the yellow marker will come up) once you hit the bushes, but you actually want this to happen. Duck down just as you approach the boulder on the other side of the bushes, and the guard should be curious at this point. This is really important, because it causes him to hold his position for longer than he would otherwise. If you don’t do this, he’ll start walking toward the sort of gazebo-looking thing. If he gets too far, his body will be discovered before you complete the mission.

Approach this guy from behind and pacify him. Then, grab his pistol and make your way through the hedge maze. You’ll want to get into the bushes just beyond the hedge maze as soon as you can. From here, you can move toward the mansion without being spotted, and you should be lined up for a pretty clean shot on your first target, who is standing on Zachary’s balcony.

Once you kill the first target, you’ll cause the guards to start looking for you. This is good, because they’ll move away from the window you’re heading toward. Wait for them to pass, then move into the next patch of bushes (the one under a tree). You should have a clear shot at the second target when he looks out the window.

Once you’ve killed the second target, make your way to the bridge to escape. Just be careful, because the guards are especially freaked out by this point. They’ll actually start moving right at you, and two of them will even step into the bushes. Try to get past them without being spotted, then make a break for the bridge.

The Percival Passage – Level 2 Silent Assassin Guide

Level 2 ups the ante quite a bit. You still aren’t allowed to change your outfit, but now you have a third target to worry about and you can only get kills with the barber razor. On top of that, you have to hide all bodies before you can exit the level. This means that anyone extra you knock out or kill must be hidden. Thankfully, I can get through this with only knocking out one person who’s not a target (the lawyer).

So here’s the video walkthrough:

This time, instead of heading toward Zachary’s balcony, you want to head to the right-hand side of the house. There is a pipe that runs up the side of the house, and it will take you right to the bathroom where the barber razor is.

Grab the barber razor and make your way toward the target on Zachary’s balcony. You can climb out a window and use the ledge to reach him (watch the video to see the exact location). Be careful, because once you climb off the ledge, you have to equip the razor again. Don’t forget to do this or you’ll pacify the target instead of getting that clean razor kill (you can still kill him with the razor when he’s pacified, for the record — it’s just much less fun). You can hide the body in a wardrobe in Zachary’s room.

Next, head across the hall toward the second target. Once again, be careful here, because if the target isn’t looking out the window, he could spot you. Slit his throat with the razor, then pacify the lawyer before he gets off the phone. Hide both bodies in the trunk in that same room.

Now, cross the hallway back into Zachary’s room, then use the secret passage to get past the guards. Just to the right of the secret passage is an open window. Climb out the window, then climb the pipe to get up to the balcony outside Alexa Carlisle’s office.

The last guard is standing near the staircase. You can throw your razor at him to get a clean razor kill from a distance. Just be careful, because he can spot you a millisecond before he dies, and that voids your Silent Assassin ranking. Once you’ve offed this poor chap, hide the body in a box beneath the stairs.

Now you just have to escape. You can climb back down the pipe, then walk the ledge past the window you climbed out of to get back to Zachary’s balcony. From here, you can climb down and escape to the bridge.

Be super careful, because there are lots of guards and maintenance workers here, and if any of them spot you, you’re no longer a Silent Assassin.

The Percival Passage – Level 3 Silent Assassin Guide

And finally, the ultimate challenge.

This one is actually not as hard as it seems at first. It adds two more targets (for a total of five) and forces you to use the Bartoli Hunting Rifle. The rifle is on the top floor of the mansion, above Alexa Carlisle’s office (near the telescope).

I’ve found some tricks for making this easier, so let’s walk through it.

Start by approaching Zachary’s balcony (using the same path you did for Level 1). Once you’re on the balcony, pacify the guard. If you don’t do this, he will sometimes hear the shotgun blasts later, so you definitely want to make sure this guy is sleeping.

Now, make your way up the side of the house, climbing the drainpipes up to Alexa Carlisle’s office. Three of your targets are here, and the shotgun is upstairs. Move into the office as sneakily as you can, then grab the Imperial Filigree Egg that’s sitting on the cabinet there. Chuck it at the guard’s head to knock him out, then run upstairs to grab the Bartoli Hunting Rifle.

Now you want to knock out (but not kill) the other two guards, who are out on the balcony. I should warn you that shooting them with the rifle will knock them over the railing, which will cause their bodies to be discovered, voiding the Silent Assassin challenge.

Once all three guards are knocked out, drag them close to a box where you can hide their bodies. Once they’re all lined up, blast them all in the head and hide the bodies as fast as you can. Hop the rail before anyone figures out what’s going on and climb back down to Zachary’s balcony. Blast the guard here (who should still be unconscious) and hide the body in Zachary’s wardrobe.

Now there’s just one target left.

Cross the hall to where the lawyer is, knock out the target while he stares out the window, then pacify the lawyer. Hide the lawyer’s body in the box here, then bring the target into the secret passage (there is a book that you’ll have to pull to open the passage).

Once you’re inside, you’re safe to blast the last target, hide the body in the box here (where no one will ever find it) and make your escape. From here, I think it’s easiest to go back through Zachary’s room. But you can also follow the path I take in the video, which has you go out the window where you knocked out the final target, then climb down the drainpipe.

If you can make your way to the bridge without getting spotted, you’ll clear the third Escalation with a Silent Assassin rating. If you can do this, the briefcase and rifle should both be yours!