Just one week after the arrival of the MinnMax Featured Contracts in Hitman 3, another set of challenges has been added. This one is called the Sinbad Stringent, and it’s a three-step escalation series that has you chucking kitchen knives in Dubai.
There’s not really a benefit to getting Silent Assassin in these challenges aside from the personal satisfaction or global ranking (the extra XP is barely meaningful in the grand scheme of things), but I’m going to walk you through Silent Assassin runs anyway. Because that’s what Hitman is all about.
How to access the Sinbad Stringent Escalation Series
In case you don’t know where to look for the new content, it’s located in the Dubai location menu. From the main Hitman 3 menu, go to Locations, then Dubai, and you should see a few escalations next to the On Top of the World main mission. The Sinbad Stringent is among them.
If you have the Deluxe Edition of the game, you should also see The Asmodeus Waltz in this same menu (which allows you to earn The Devil’s Own suit). Whether you have the Deluxe Edition or not, The Phoenix Ascension should also be in this menu.
The Sinbad Stringent – Level 1 Silent Assassin Guide
The first level of this escalation is pretty simple. You have to hit five boxes with kitchen knives. You’re also not allowed to change your costume at any point in the mission or you’ll automatically fail.
Thankfully, you start out wearing a tech crew outfit, so you’re not going to be forced to do this in the classic Agent 47 suit (or the awesome blue flamingo mascot suit). Plus, every box has a knife nearby, with one exception, and you can find another knife really close to where you begin the mission to cover the exception.
I should also point out that you can get knives off of guards if you pacify them, but you actually don’t have to pacify any guards at all to complete this. If you’re going for that Silent Assassin rating, you’ll want to avoid causing any trouble.
Here’s a video walkthrough:
There are really two big things to watch out for here:
- There are a few enforcers in key locations, so you’ll want to move with caution. Keep your eyes on your minimap so you can spot enforcers (the white dots) before they spot you.
- You raise suspicion whenever your knife is out, and if you get caught throwing it, guards will become aggressive. Make sure your knife is sheathed when you’re moving from one location to another, and make sure no one is watching you before you chuck your knife.
If you need more information, check out the video I posted above. I’ve followed what I think is a pretty good route to completing this level of the escalation without getting into too much trouble.
Oh, and even though I went for the main entrance as an exit point, if you have the elevator shaft opened, you can use that to exfiltrate and shave off some time.
The Sinbad Stringent – Level 2 Silent Assassin Guide
Level 2 of this escalation adds the condition that you have a limited loadout, which is an odd choice because the only things you actually need are your phone (which you still start out with) and the kitchen knives (which you’ll pick up in the environment.
What’s not mentioned in the description, however, is that the targets have moved to higher-security locations. And that means you’re going to need to plot a new, more dangerous route.
You’ll definitely want to have the helicopter pad shortcut unlocked for this one (here’s a guide to unlocking all the shortcuts in Dubai, in case you haven’t done that yet).
Here’s a video walkthrough of the Sinbad Stringent – Level 2:
You’re going to have to pacify some folks during this playthrough — primarily the woman with the janitorial key and the guard closest to the server room. The penthouse guards seem less likely to be carrying knives than their lower-level counterparts, but I did manage to find one penthouse guard with a knife on him (the one who stands by the elevator).
I grab an extra knife and a screwdriver in the very beginning of this run, and there’s a reason for that. I’ll use the screwdriver to distract a guard later on, and the extra knife comes in handy when hitting the target that Carl Ingram is watching off the balcony.
Also, be very careful to watch for guards and security cameras. A good portion of this run is through restricted territory.
But if you follow the route laid out in the video above, I think you’ll do just fine.
The Sinbad Stringent – Level 3 Silent Assassin Guide
And now we reach Level 3. At a glance, the objectives seem like they’re the same as Level 2, but there are some notable changes. First off, the targets have moved again. But more importantly, you’re no longer limited to knife throws. This is good, because there’s a sniper rifle hidden in the maintenance hallway (where the woman who made the explosive golf ball is).
Oh, and once all five targets are taken care of, you have to kill Marcus Stuyvesant with a kitchen knife, which isn’t listed in the objectives initially.
You’ll definitely want to have the Penthouse Terrace Ladder shortcut unlocked for this (check out this guide to see how to unlock all the shortcuts in Dubai).
Here’s a video walkthrough:
First off, you’ll notice that I don’t hide any bodies during this run. If you follow my exact route, you shouldn’t have to hide anyone, though you always can take the extra time if leaving bodies out in the open makes you nervous.
Also, you’ll notice that Stuyvesant spotted me at the end, but that’s okay because he’s the target and I was able to kill him before anyone else was alerted.
Something you’ll have to be really, really careful about, though, is that when you pacify the woman washing windows on the penthouse balcony, there’s a guard that can spot you. You’ll have to use your Instinct Mode to make sure he’s not looking at you while you do that.
And right before you get to the spot where I kill Stuyvesant, there are three cleaning ladies in one cluster. Only one of them will ever move, so you only have to watch her movements (you’ll notice that I’m watching her in the latter part of the video). This changes if they hear anything suspicious. That fact makes the last portion of this run extremely finicky, as the slightest sound will send the cleaning ladies to investigate. You have to conk out a guard and knife Stuyvesant without alerting them.
If you can do that, you’ve got a Silent Assassin award waiting for you at the end of this run.
