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You can put a bag of gunpowder near a syndicate member (or leader) who smokes and they will trigger the explosion when they throw the cigarette away. Doesn’t count as SA, but it’s free, not suspicious to place and many maps have a dozen of them spawning naturally.
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Starfish from maps like Miami, Haven, Ambrose and Sgail, count for the prestige objective “Shuriken kill”.
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You can sedate and kill supplier NPCs, though there’s no reason for it, as you cannot steal their disguises. It does come in useful when you need to do a collateral kill objective, but there’s no shortage of NPCs for that.
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Changing back into your starting disguise resets the timer of the “timed: disguises” prestige objective.
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If you spawn on top of the Dartmoor Manor and your target is an npc near water, you can lure them to the edge with 1 shot and then land a second shot on their ankle to drop them into water for a Silent Assassin kill that also counts for “hide target bodies”. Same applies to fishermen NPCs in Sapienza from 47’s apartment and various villages in Ambrose from their own huts (or rope bridge); though the latter doesn’t count as hidden body.
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You can easily snag a guard disguise even if there is no guard in a convenient spot by placing a gun in a secluded area and tossing an object to lure any NPC. The civilian NPC will fetch a guard, whom you can knock out in that very secluded area. Very convenient for elite guard disguises.
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Ambrose Islands is actually one of the easiest maps to pull off a SA/SO on if you remember the durian tree spawn locations. You can easily obtain upwards to 6-10 durians (depending on your luck as they yield them in various quantities), which can be used to pass guard checkpoints, lure npcs to toilet and just remove enforcer status on pesky lookouts. If by some miracle you run out, you can also craft an emetic gas bomb via biologist by giving him a poisonous frog. There are several banana spawns on the map too, which you can use to intercept couriers or sedate guards without losing SA. The map has a lot of shallow waters where you can lure an NPC and shoot their ankle for a free accident kill. Both guard disguses can also openly carry sniper rifle. There are 2 bone lockpick spawns and a bunch of poisonous frogs with an easy chef disguise to obtain (he is alone in his room, which also contains yet another durian spawn).
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You don’t necessarily need emetic poison to drown someone. You can lure them to the toilet with a coin, or push them into water; for instance the ponds and river in Dartmoor. Paradoxically, drowning someone in concrete at Dawood’s Tower construction site doesn’t count (#sadge).
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“The big one” throw (from loot crate) can set off a propane explosion or oil leak without being a suspicious action.
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On several maps (such as New York, Miami and few others), you can destroy video recorder by putting a makeshift explosive in a briefcase and letting the guard carry it into the security room. Similar can be done with EMP charge while preserving SA.
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You can complete the “push kill” objective even if your target is on the first floor as long as the level has manholes (Whittleton Creek, Chongqing). Just remember to bring a crowbar. You can make the target slip on a banana peel and fall into the manhole too, which counts for silent assassin accident kill. Dumping them into water also counts for a push kill.
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Remember to make use of the ventilation poisoning. Many levels have areas which can be gassed with sedatives or lethal fumes: Nolan Cassidy Residence in Whittleton Creek, Security room in New York, Mendoza Wine Cellar, Himmapan Hotel Lobby, Haven Island secret laboratory. They are also perfect for arranging syndicate leader meetings, because you can sedate everyone in the room.
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While story missions are irrelevant as you don’t get the main targets assigned in Freelancer mode, many are still useful because they create opportunities to assassinate others. Car Bomb that Robert Knox prepared is a fully functional remote explosive; Fuse cell can be used in art installation of Marcus Stuyvesant to kill other visitors (which can be targets); that fugu fish poison is conveniently close to an easy chef disguise in Hokkaido and you can poison NPCs that normally don’t eat by blending in at the serving station; Letterbomb parcel meant for Andrea Martinez is also a powerful remote explosive that can kill through certain walls etc.
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Instead of awkwardly trying to throw car battery into a puddle that has an NPC (which keeps locking onto their head), you can drop it over water and then shoot the battery from a moderate distance away.
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For generators that are ON by default: you can throw a propane flask besides them and the next NPC who will come over to turn the generator on will release sparks and explode in an accident.
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Unless you specifically have tasks like “silent assassin”, “don’t blow your cover” or “do not get spotted” - you don’t need to bother with waiter/chef disguises to poison food/drinks. Also if it is a showdown, just make sure that the suspects or lookouts aren’t observing you. NPCs will spot you and get suspicious, following you for a bit (but it is easy to run away), though they will quickly abandon the pursuit. They don’t immediately get hostile and will resume their usual loop.
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Certain level exits, such as cars, can be destroyed (either ahead of time or in the moment) to re-route syndicate leader escape to another exit. This is especially relevant on levels where the alternative exit is a fair distance away, for example the car in Sapienza being destroyed means the leader needs to run all the way to the lower streets, pier or ruins.
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Similarly to point #17, you can leave a remote explosive ahead of time at the exit that the syndicate leader is likely to run towards (always the closest one to them) and detonate it when they approach it. It also takes out all their guards. You can instead use a concussive bomb for “knock out 3 guards with concussive explosion” task, or if your syndicate leader needs to be killed with a specific weapon like sniper, lethal melee weapon throw, shotgun, fire canister trap etc.
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You can put nitroglycerin, octane booster, ICA impact explosive, explosive golfball/baseball or other similar items on door handles (exercise caution) to set-up a trap. The next NPC to open the door will die from an explosion. That being said, it is a meme strategy at best and many assassins died due to the glitch of those explosives phasing through the handle, leading to instant death.
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The entire fountain in the upper level of Dubai (you know the one which can be walked on, with tree in the middle) can be electrified. Have fun committing war crimes.
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You can actually lure any guard or civilian NPC who has a disguise to a secluded area by knocking them out (or sedating) and stealing their disguise and NOT hiding them. Once some NPC wakes them up, they will regain consciousness say “I didn’t get a good look at the perpetrator” and then run extremely fast to the designated closet area to dress-up, which is where you can knock them out (or kill) and hide their body. For example guards knocked out in Janus Residence will run to the basement closet, which only has a single guard (2 in alerted), which is easy to clear.
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Warehouse worker/Ark Custodian/Welder etc disguises allow you to break crates with crowbar (containing items) right in front of everyone without it being a suspicious action. Remember next time you go to loot that sawed-off shotgun, katana or knives.
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Many water sources naturally spawning on the level can be electrified, but none do it better than EMP charge. NPCs are naturally drawn to pick it up, as if it were a coin, which pairs extremely well with electrocution kill as you can detonate it when they reach for it. Miami fountain (with dolphins), Chongqing street puddles and Ambrose island puddles work best from my observations. My full post about EMP charge can be found here.
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Ideal syndicate leader arrangement place ideas: Any secluded area with closets, Schmidt house basement (can use explosives and unsilenced guns), Hokkaido morgue (incinerators for infinite body dump), Any area with ventilation system that can be poisoned (sedative gas OP), Sapienza tower (literally just hippie and nobody else there), Santa Fortuna jungles (tall grass and river to hide bodies in) or Hippo enclosure (infinite body dump), 47’s hotel suite (Bangkok, Hokkaido and Haven), Biker hangout rooftops (0 NPCs there) or forest path leading to the club, Staff hallways in Dubai (infinite body dump in elevator shaft or if thrown out of the window), Sewers in Isle of Sgail (or the castle top with helipad), Miami parking lot or small grassy area with shredder near Ted Mendez (infinite body dump) etc.
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Using EMP charge to hack an electronic door doesn’t void “doors stay locked” task, because it doesn’t automatically open the door, but simply removes the “requires keycard” flag.
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If you’ve isolated a suspect (for example with sieker shot) but aren’t 100% sure that they’re the syndicate leader - shoot the floor beneath them. If it is your target then Diana will say “47, your target is trying to escape”. If it isn’t your target then just knock them out and find the next best match. If you’re quick to knock them out, you will not lose silent assassin either.
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By bringing a grape knife from the safehouse to Mendoza, you can get dozens of grapes to create accident pacifications for free in the grape fields.
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On a related note, if you have a “make target slip” task and already poisoned target with emetic, but didn’t get there fast enough to put the banana/grape in front of the toilet, you can simply place it at the doorway and shoot the floor. Target will attempt to run away and slip. Beats waiting for a minute until they finish vomiting.
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You can purposely drop sieker and kalmer on the floor during the penultimate mission to buy them back from the supplier during the showdown. This allows you to circumvent 15 carry capacity restriction and only costs 7700 merces. You can fill the rest of your loadout with other gear, including collector’s edition sieker/kalmer.
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You can quickly finish “collateral kill: explosion” prestige objective by using a makeshift explosive and a briefcase. If your target is a civilian, place it in front of them and wait until they approach the guard to handover the briefcase, which is when you detonate it. If your target is a guard, either set the briefcase at the closest civilian (so they bring it to him) or simply let them carry the explosive briefcase into the security room and detonate it when they’re next to other guards. As a bonus you can automatically wipe surveillance records if you time it well.
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EMP + Water Canister. Pour water in the path of your target, ideally any area that is not patrolled by others, but it is fine if an npc occasionally crosses it too. When your target is approaching, drop EMP from your inventory (you can’t place it on liquids and DONT throw it, it is suspicious action). NPCs are naturally drawn to pick EMP up, as if it were a phone. Immediately activate it when they attempt to, for a Silent Assassin electrocution kill.
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Proximity/Remote Taser (common, 3 carry capacity). If your target is a guard, you can simply leave them in the path of their patrolling area (or lure them towards it with a throw) and they will pick it up, which is when you can activate the detonator for an accident kill.
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Micro Remote Taser. You can either combine them with water canister, or put them in mailboxes (whittleton creek). Next person to check mail will electrocute themselves. You can also combine them with thrown propane flask (releasing gas) to detonate it without raising suspicion or having to hide to take a shot.
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Any remote duck (concussion/explosion) or Napoleon Blownaparte. Place them in front of prime suspect (once you’re completely sure it is your target) and keep the detonator as contingency plan if things go wrong and they attempt to escape (such as failing a hyper specific kill). Detonate it when they’re near the exit. You may also give them to regular non-showdown targets if they pass by your other target for a double kill.
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Titanium crowbar. Aside from the obvious door unlocks, you should always bring it to Whittleton Creek and Chongqing, where you can use it to open sewer holes, both to dump bodies and exit the level quicker. They can also be used to break crates in Ambrose Island and Sgail, but only relevant if you have “no firearms”, as guns can break crates too.
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Handyman wrench. Creating gas leaks is the primary use, but another niche is fixing tuk-tuk in Bangkok, which turns into a usable exit, very close to the lobby. If you have difficulties setting an oil puddle on fire, drop a wrench over it and shoot it; the created spark will ignite it, even if the floor is grass or wood.
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ICA outstanding service coin + Banana. Place the coin behind a banana peel to intercept couriers, steal weapons from guards/assassins/Noel Crest, or showdown suspects (ensure no assassins or lookouts are nearby) to steal a burner phone without breaking Silent Assassin. In the latter case, if only vanilla guards and NPCs are around, they will simply wake up the suspect and they will not attempt to flee nor create panic.
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Flash/Explosive phone. Set it on the ledge or toilet bowl and activate to call it. The nearest NPC will approach it, which is when you can push them for an accident kill. Can use in conjunction with bananas as in the aforementioned point. They have an insane noise range and can pull NPCs across floors; for example using a phone on the second floor over the library in Dartmoor will lure a target upstairs to an area with a convenient chest to hide bodies in.
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Any remote explosive, including makeshift explosive. Direct use needs no explanation, but you can also use them in Silent Assassin and Silent Assassin-No firearms maps by attaching them to cars/mopeds/bikes and detonating them for an accident kill. Just be mindful of the placement - after a few tries in normal game mode, it becomes effortless. You can also stash a remote explosive into the briefcase and let a guard carry it into the security room, which is when you detonate it to wipe the surveillance records clean.
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Oil canister + breaching charge. Perhaps one of the most effortless and overpowered combinations. When you pass by the target, ideally syndicate leader, while holding the oil canister (don’t drop it) - go to the inventory and drop the breaching charge (this will drop both). Immediately detonate it after taking a few steps away and the target will die in an accidental explosion. Oil canisters on their own act as propane flasks when exploded or shot at, but the fact that you can start a level with one is beyond simple convenience (as some maps have propane in inaccessible areas).
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The Classicballer (the very first gun you get for free from the tutorial) has the highest accuracy out of all unsilenced guns, which allows you to get away with specific long distance kills while completing “unsilenced pistol kill” task. If you shoot from an elevated point (tower in Sapienza, Attic in Dartmoor, Berlin Radiotower etc.) then you will have an ample opportunity to get away after the kill. The only other “stealthy” way to fulfill unsilenced pistol kill objective is to shoot behind 2 closed doors.
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“Silent Target Takedown - Rare Melee” task can be completed by throwing a freelancer tool with Rare rarity at the head of your target. Those include phones, audio distraction devices, emetic device, chloroform flask, etc. In other words you don’t need to use concealable baton/tonfa/collector’s crowbar. If you use chloroform flask for a melee takedown, you will preserve it too.
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“Axe kill” objective is most commonly performed with fire axes, which are hard to miss due to large red box, but certain maps also offer not so obvious ways to fulfill it without bringing external tools. In Mendoza you can use Sapper’s axe at Don Yates’ villa. In Isle of Sgail you can use an old axe in Constant’s tower or battleaxes at the top floor (with glass cube). In Bangkok you can use a hatchet near the west side of the hotel on 1st floor. In Whittleton Creek at the very south-eastern corner you can find “agency pickup” on the map; if you interact with the buried item there, you can retrieve a woodcutting axe. In Ambrose Island there’s an old axe in the south-eastern shoreline. In Dartmoor, there’s a hatchet immediately outside on the north-east side of the mansion.
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If you’re forced to pick “eliminate leader during tell” and they’re either a foodie or dehydrated - you can poison their stuff and it will auto-complete. If they’re a smoker, you can drop a propane flask or spill oil in their usual smoking spot. With any other tell, if you want to be as far from the target as possible, you can simply give them a rubber ducky or napoleon blownaparte (they will keep it for the entirety of the level) and detonate it when they do a tell.
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You can hide unconscious leader-suspect bodies, who are not your targets, in specific containers that eliminate by design (incinerator, hay baler, woodchipper) and choose not to eliminate the target. The game allows you to store them in those containers because you’re allowed to eliminate the body if it ends up being the target, as it will normally forbid you from stashing suspects otherwise.
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Several NPCs drop loot, aside from weapons, keycards or keys. If you’re missing some items to complete an objective, it doesn’t hurt to check around. Those are very situational, but still good to recall in an edge case. Tech crew/maintenance in many levels drop screwdrivers. Emma Carlisle in Dartmoor drops emetic poison. Jason Portman in Sgail drops lethal poison. Certain raiders in Sgail drop flashbangs (useful to blinding guards/target objective). Sheikh in Dubai drops an ornate scimitar (sadly 47 can’t stash it, though it looks cool). Ezra Berg in Colorado drops lethal poison.
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Unless you bring a titanium crowbar, or find a regular crowbar along the path, it is always good to prioritize taking at least 1 rusty crowbar from mission crates. They open additional exit option(s) in Miami, Whittleton Creek and Chongqing, which you may need if a gunfight breaks out. Otherwise, banana is one the more useful options, allowing you to intercept couriers without creating panic.
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If you’re trying to preserve silent assassin (or avoid creating panic) after you left a body in a room without any boxes to hide it in, you can drop several cheap guard pistols in front of the doorway to buy some extra time to book it towards the exit. If a guard NPC comes across the path - they will prioritize stashing the guns away before entering. If a civilian NPC comes across the path - they will prioritize calling a guard to pick up and stash the weapons, before entering.
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On the similar note, if your target is a guard, 8 times out of 10 you can isolate them by placing a gun in front of their path. On most maps they will stash it away in a room with few or no other guards at all, with a box to hide bodies nearby. Even if they’re a bodyguard of a VIP or an Assassin, they will go all the way to the security room to stash the gun.
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You can use a makeshift explosive even on Silent Assassin missions, to serve as a diversion. By blowing it up in a secluded corner of the map, you will draw all the nearby guards towards that area for investigation. This is useful to pass by frisk zones, erase surveillance records or loot an item from a guarded area.
Bonus video:
