Hitman’s Distraction System Is Criminally Good — Other Stealth Games Should Take Notes

Hitman: World of Assassination uses NPC behaviour and item interactions to create its stealth systems, and it does so without a traditional skill-tree or perk-point progression. The game gives Agent 47 a set of tools — such as lockpicks, silenced pistols, poison and throwable items — and the world reacts to those actions in concrete ways that affect how missions play out.

1. NPC behavior and distraction rules
2. Tools and their in-game effects
3. Noise, “bubbles” and guard investigation
4. No skill tree: how the game handles player progression

NPC behavior and distraction rules

NPCs in World of Assassination respond to stimuli in different ways depending on what they perceive. For example, an item thrown from cover is treated differently than an item they see you throw or drop. In practice, this means that the same object can cause varied reactions: some NPCs will go investigate, some will pick the object up, and others will radio for backup instead of leaving their post.

Because NPCs will sometimes pick up distractor items, players who want those items back must either retrieve them before an NPC does or incapacitate the NPC carrying the item. Additionally, some NPCs will deviate from standard routes after certain effects — for instance, an NPC hit with an emetic poison will seek a bathroom rather than remaining on patrol.

Consequences for planning

These behaviour rules create predictable outcomes that players can plan around. For example, a guard who radios for backup increases the number of NPCs you must avoid or neutralize. Conversely, an NPC that seeks a bathroom after vomiting creates an opportunity to isolate them.

Tools and their in-game effects

The game supplies a range of tools and shows clear, repeatable effects when they are used. Agents can use lockpicks to open locked doors, silenced pistols to make quiet kills, and various poisons to alter targets’ behaviour. Poison can be lethal, sedative, or emetic; the emetic variety causes vomiting and subsequent deviation to a restroom, which can be used to separate a target from their entourage.

Weapons and thrown items are not solely offensive; they serve as distraction mechanisms. Guns create a localized audio event and throwable items can draw NPC attention away from a path or objective.

Further reading on specific in-game objects and interactions can be found on this page on the Hitman wiki, which documents individual items and some emergent interactions.

Noise, “bubbles” and guard investigation

Gunshots generate an invisible noise radius around the firing point. Guards who hear the shot will move toward the sound. Importantly, if Agent 47 is outside that noise radius when guards arrive, the guards will not suspect him solely for being nearby.

As a result, firing a weapon can be used to lure guards to a specific location, provided the player steps out of the resulting noise area first. This mechanic allows players to separate patrols and manipulate line-of-sight without direct confrontation.

No skill tree: how the game handles player progression

World of Assassination does not gate stealth options behind a conventional skill tree or require spending perk points to perform standard actions. Instead, the game hands specific gear and mission items to the player and relies on those items and world interactions to expand tactical options.

Because the core actions (throwing items, using disguises, poisoning, firing weapons) are available without unlockable skill prerequisites, mission outcomes depend on player choices and timing rather than on unlocked abilities. In other words, the tools are provided and the game systems determine how NPCs react, rather than unlocking new ways to interact through a progression tree.

Practical results

The combination of versatile NPC reactions and a fixed toolset produces a variety of emergent solutions: isolating targets, causing NPCs to change routes, or using noise to split guards. These results are a direct outcome of the game’s systems and item interactions rather than conditional skill unlocks.