Hitman episode 1 yacht freeform training challenge guide

The new episodic version of Hitman has finally arrived (read our full review here), kicking off with three missions: a yacht, a military base, and a very upscale party in Paris. After completing the training version of the yacht level, you will be given the opportunity to replay the mission in any way you please, rather than following a specific path.

There are 13 different challenges to complete in this freeform mission, and the more you unlock, the more starting options you’ll have available in the Paris level. Unfortunately you can’t get them all in a single playthrough, but you can get most of them in one swoop and then go back back and grab the rest by killing the target in different ways.

Keep in mind that unlike PlayStation trophies or Steam achievements, challenges only save when you finish the mission, so you can’t get a challenge and then immediately restart the level – you have to actually complete the level by escaping the area after killing your target.

Something Out Of Place / Spare Change / Security Bypassed 

You’re going to get a whole bunch of challenges at all at once in the beginning. So to get started, grab everything on the table in front of you: the coins, the lockpick, and the explosives. Walk across the road so you can duck beneath the boxes and work your way right towards the guard station.

Sneaking around the guard station

Hop over the open window in the guard station and silently take down the guard from the behind. Equip his uniform, throw his body in the locker, and grab his gun. Go back out the same way you came in to avoid the two guards in front of the station.

Walk just a bit in front of those guards so they don’t quite notice you yet and drop the gun you picked up. Move away, and then throw a coin by the dropped gun to get their attention.

This will unlock both the Spare Change challenge for distracting a guard with a coin and the Something Out Of Place challenge when they find the gun on the ground. Stroll up the walkway to the ship dressed as a guard to unlock the Security Bypassed challenge.

Join The Crew/Store Securely 

Don’t bother trying to take out Norfolk (the bald guy in the white suit who looks just like Agent 47) when you first enter the ship – trying to take his outfit here will just get you caught. You’ll have to bag him later.

After entering the yacht, go down into the garage section with the two cars and the sailors talking about strapping the vehicles down. Walk through the door at the corner of the garage and pick up the poison sitting on the stack of wood boards for the Store Securely challenge.

Picking up the rat poison

Go through the open doorway near the rat poison into the hallway with the red stripes running on either side of the wall. Open the door on the left. Inside the room with a bunk bed you can grab the uniform on the chair to unlock the Join The Crew challenge.

Grabbing the yacht crew uniform

Over Here… 

Keep walking down the hallway to the back of the yacht and you’ll find a generator. Interact with the generator to distract the nearby guard and unlock the Over Here… challenge. This isn’t particularly helpful at this point though (other than unlocking the challenge), since you already have a disguise.

If you had entered the yacht through the locked gate in the back rather than strolling up to the front, distracting the guard with the generator lets you climb up the railing nearby to access Deck 02.

Over Here… Challenge

Not For Human Consumption / Ironic / The Cleaner 

Head up to Deck 02 as quickly as you can dressed either as a guard or a white uniformed crew member. Use the rat poison on the drink sitting at the middle table located in front of the small wood bar where you have the option to blend in.

If you aren’t fast enough, the target may have already moved on from this area. Wait just out of sight while your target Kalvin talks with the woman by the yacht’s railing.

Poisoning Kalvin’s drink

Eventually he will move over to stand next to the table and drink the poison, unlocking the Not For Human Consumption challenge. Follow Kalvin into the bathroom when he gets sick and drown him in the toilet for the Ironic challenge. After killing your target, stash his body in the metal locker to unlock The Cleaner.

*All of the next challenges involving killing Kalvin in different ways, so escape the yacht to complete the mission and then restart it.*

Only Use In Emergency Situations 

For this environment kill challenge, sneak in any way you please and head up to Deck 03 where the wood helicopter is located. It’s easiest to dress as a guard so you don’t get accosted while going up to the top deck. Grab the crowbar from the enclosed area and then go stand by the large life raft on the right.

Wait for Kalvin to finish talking to the woman so he stands next to the table where you poisoned the drink on the last playthrough. As soon as he stands there, pop the raft open with the crowbar, which will fall and crush the target, unlocking the Only Use In Emergency Situations challenge.

The Private Meeting / Classic Hitman 

For these challenges, head inside in any way you like and grab both the yacht crew uniform and the rat poison. Walk to the main central bar on Deck 01 in the middle of the ship and poison the drink sitting at the bar directly in front of the bartender. Wait to the side until Norfolk walks up and drinks the poison, which will send him running to the bathroom.

Follow him and kill both Norfolk and the guy talking on his cell phone, and then take Norfolk’s white suit. Walk right up to Kalvin and talk to him while wearing the white suit — or head straight for the meeting room on the front side of Deck 02 and wait for Kalvin to arrive — to unlock The Private Meeting. Kill Kalvin with your garrote wire to unlock the Classic Hitman challenge.

If you didn’t stash Kalvin’s body before, you can drag it into the bedroom and stash it in the locker there to unlock The Cleaner.

Stashing Kalvin’s body while dressed as Norfolk

Pay That Stuntman A Bonus 

For this challenge, make sure to grab the explosive on the table right at the start of the mission and then sneak on the yacht and head up to the meeting room on Deck 02. Throw the explosives in front of the desk with the computer where Kalvin will stand later, then sneak outside and wait for him and Norfolk to come up.

I’ve experienced a glitch where sometimes Norfolk won’t leave the middle bar area and meet with Kalvin. In this case, you’ll have to poison Norfolk’s drink as described above for The Private Meeting and steal his outfit to get Kalvin to enter the room.

Once Kalvin is in the room, detonate the explosive to get the final challenge. You can also plant the explosive in other areas Kalvin hangs out – like the table and mini-bar on Deck 02 – but you’re more likely to be noticed there.

Yacht Freeform Training Challenges

That’s all 13 challenges for the yacht freeform mission. Stay tuned as we cover the challenges for both The Final Test and the Paris fashion show missions!