Hi everyone!
I wanted to make this post as partly appreciation but also to spark off potential discussion talking about all of the ways that you can traverse places within WOA levels, especially the really hidden areas that can make maps a lot easier to get up and down from. I’ve recently been playing through all of the campaign maps to 100% completion on Steam WOA again and some of these maps I’ve not played in such detail since I completed them back in HITMAN 2 in 2018!
From Paris all the way down to the most recently made map Ambrose Island, there’s so many ways to traverse the map beyond simply walking through pathways to where you need to go. Paris features some very useful piping to get up to the third floor to the Auction and this is especially helpful in Freelancer.
When you play the older maps to the newer ones in H3, you can definitely feel how much the developers have innovated their map building and improved on how much 47 can use parkour to bypass frisk zones, trespassing restrictions and even access hidden areas like the Hokkaido hospital rooftop (only accessible with the Ninja outfit). Ambrose Island is the best example of innovative and creative parkour in my opinion, as the stilt huts and metal roofed houses are mostly all traversable and can be vaulted from which makes it really nice and accessible for a whole variety of playstyles. There’s also a lot of hidden ladders in Berlin, such as the one on the Club rooftop (to the left running up the stairs from the outdoor shortcut by the Club entrance), the traversable walkways on the basement level of the Club and the helpful shipping containers that offer another way to get inside the Biker gang hideout.
Are there any great hidden parkour spots that you think deserve a worthy mention? I think it’s great to share as it can make everybody else truly appreciate the beauty of the world of WOA, which I believe firmly is one the core components which makes the series what it is to play and experience.
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Honourable mention would be the Sapienza cave jump skip (aim towards the lab and run at the same time) to skip the pipe vault climb down animation to jump down to the ground, 47’s ability to not break his legs notwithstanding. That ‘glitch’ has been in the game since 2016 and I love that it’s a singular unique thing left untouched, acknowledged and used by a huge number now.
I also recently rediscovered the scaffolding to the right side of Tyson’s villa in Haven Island that has a ladder which allows you to get onto that part of the cinema room. And of course the hidden entrances of the underground data server farm facility on the two sides of the villa.
Another thing about Sapienza is that the roof from the ICA safehouse to the Mansion driveway grounds has a vault animation that is slow (you know the one I mean!) and makes you drop your briefcase/any large item you hold which is infuriating! Some higher vaults and drops than that have the jump down animation attached to them instead - Ambrose Island for example!
There’s definitely others I’ve missed but I figure I should post about it in case others would like to share 
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I remember a modded Sgail suit only contract from Kevin Rudd in H2 that had the Aelwin Augment start (in the jail) where you had to exit at the top of the Constant’s tower. This one really made me like Sgail’s verticality (and suit only on that map).
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Oh I think I remember playing that one! Yeah, the map has a lot of options, even if they’re obscure at times. The piping around the Higher Castle has saved a ton of Freelancer runs for me!
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Since I take any opportunity to talk about my beloved Mumbai, I feel I’m still finding new ways to get around that map. Always another ledge to climb up and discover how you can get around the upper parts of the slums with ladders.
Chongqing also has an impressive verticality. Plenty of interesting ways to ascend the block and descend the facility.
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Oh yeah? I do quite like how there’s a few ways to get into the train station/tower! I recently did 100% Mumbai again as part of my recompletion, and I honestly used to greatly dislike the map. Don’t get me wrong, I still personally find it too large and irritating to deal with in Freelancer but I found it easier to deal with the challenges this time round than I did first hand in HITMAN 2.