Version 3.11 is the ‘first major patch’ and it’s extensive
As the “first major patch” since launch, today’s 3.11 update for Hitman 3 has a slew of additions and changes to pore over, including the newly-unlockable Tactical Turtleneck (look for “The Final Test” in the ICA Facility), new items in two Deluxe Escalations (Proloff Parable and Gauchito Antiquity), HUD improvements for trespassing and Silent Assassin(ating), and a bunch of location-specific upgrades.
Reading over the lengthy patch notes, you get the sense that Hitman 3, on the whole, will be a smoother experience. The kinks are very much being worked out, particularly with certain bugged trophies, achievements, and in-game challenges, as well as spots where Agent 47 can get stuck.
The update also improves the packed-in PlayStation VR version of Hitman 3. The biggie: you can turn off the “safe area” blue grid if you find it too distracting, though the developers “strongly recommend that players keep it toggled on and instead adjust their hardware and physical position where possible.”
One interesting wrinkle: the Druzhina 34 ICA sniper rifle’s Shockwave and Wall-Piercing perks were “never intended to be available outside of the Sniper maps,” and that loophole has since been fixed.
On top of everything else, 3.11 sets the stage for “the continued release of new content in the coming weeks and months.” This game is sticking around for a long time, not that we needed any assurances.
That said, there’s a lot more work ahead just on the patching front. Players are reporting ongoing issues with the music abruptly cutting out in the PS5 version of Hitman 3, among other persistent problems that’ll need to be stamped out later. Some common known issues: the Requiem Pack is inaccessible, HDR isn’t “optimal” for everyone, and people want to be able to change the shoulder cam.
I’m not in any particular rush to play this obsessively yet. I can wait. (I think.)
