The slogan on the splash screen for Hitman 2 says, “Make the world your weapon,” a statement that has proved to be truer than players could have ever imagined. While guns are certainly a potent choice in the world of assassination, it’s the everyday objects found throughout the Hitman series that make the franchise feel so special. So beloved is these types of assassinations that even a bugged briefcase kill eventually made it into Hitman 3, this time as a feature.
The items in Hitman 2 are many and multifaceted: players can use them as tools, distractions, or straight-up murder weapons. When players head out into the field, these are some weapons they can’t leave without.
10 Food
Ever go grocery shopping and find a banana so green and unripe that you think you could kill someone with it? Agent 47 certainly did, because he’s able to stun anyone with a blow to the head using one of the world’s favorite fruit. While it’s not (yet) possible to kill someone in the Hitman games using a banana, fruit — as well as blueberry muffins — are surprisingly useful at disorienting NPCs at range. They will only buy 47 a few moments, but that’s usually enough to cross a room and finish the job by hand.
9 Emetic Pills/Rat Poison
Another indirect method of killing targets, emetic pills or rat poison allow 47 to disrupt his targets’ most precious possession: their digestive system. Poisoning NPCs with either emetic pills or rat poison will send targets running straight to the toilet, where 47 can silently deal with them as he wishes (drowning victims in their own puke is always a classic). These are powerful tools. Once a target’s food or drink is poisoned, they’ll almost always be alone in the bathroom, making 47’s kills go unnoticed.
8 Wet Floor Sign
While this yellow guardian against lawsuits is a non-lethal weapon, it makes for a hilarious yet effective weapon. Players who master the art of rapidly locking onto NPCs' heads can take out entire rooms of armed guards using nothing but the wet floor sign if it’s retrieved quickly enough.
Top this off with the fact that the idiotic NPCs who patrol Hitman levels will inadvertently fracture their skulls by slipping in the unmarked puddles of water, and fans have got a strangely efficient method of clearing out a level. Now imagine how glorious that puddle will look with real-time raytracing in Hitman 3.
7 Rubber Duck
This isn’t your ordinary rubber duck. This little guy is full of plastic explosives just waiting to kaboom all over 47’s target of choice. They come in different varieties, with some simply exploding on contact, while others can be used as a flashbang or detonated remotely. Ducks can be unlocked by reaching certain mastery levels on specific missions, or by purchasing certain DLC.
In any case, no one sees a rubber duck coming. They can be especially useful when 47 needs to be frisked to access a certain high-security area, as guards won’t think twice about letting a rubber duck through a security check. It’s no surprise that the rubber duck also makes Hitman 3’s best gear list, too.
6 ICA19
Agent 47’s default silenced pistol, the black version of the older series’s Silverballers, is the ol’ reliable of Hitman 2. When the mission goes awry, sometimes you’ve just got to start shooting people. The ICA19 helps contain the chaos of that situation since enemies won’t be able to easily hear it firing with a suppressor attached.
While other blunt objects found throughout the game can be useful for incapacitating individual enemies, sometimes there are simply too many to reliably take out one at a time. When these moments arise, the ICA19 makes the perfect weapon for the job. It’s a one-shot kill to the head, so landing a few perfect shots can clear out a room quickly and quietly.
5 Sieger 300 Tactical
Sneaking within a few meters of your target is so old school. With a powerful suppressed sniper rifle, why burn the calories trekking across the map, when 47 can patiently wait for the perfect shot a mile away?
Unlocked in Hitman 2 by reaching Mastery Level 10 on the Isle of Sgail, the Sieger 300 Tactical can also be used to clear out a high-security area from a distance using the zoom on its scope. With the area wiped out, players can peruse the intricately designed levels in Hitman at their own leisure. Unlike certain speedrunners who complete levels in a matter of seconds, using the Sieger 300 lets players explore IO Interactive’s levels to their hearts’ content.
4 Broadsword
This behemoth is one of the largest melee weapons in the game and looks absolutely insane sticking out of an enemy’s head, as the weapon appears to be about the same length as the height of the game’s character models! Based on a Scottish claymore — fitting, considering the Isle of Sgail appears to be tucked away in the Orkney Islands — the broadsword is an extremely lethal two-handed throwing weapon.
While it’s basically as effective as a pair of scissors are in Hitman, it’s undeniably more fun to execute guards with the broadsword. Unlocked for use in all levels by reaching Mastery Level 16 on the Isle of Sgail, anyone can pick it up by visiting the castle’s Penthouse.
3 Enram HV Covert Mk II
Also unlocked by reaching Mastery Level 18 on the Isle of Sgail, the Enram HV Covert is a silenced shotgun of devastating caliber. It can one-shot most enemies up close with body shots, and they’ll be none the wiser thanks to its suppressor.
Stash this away in one of 47’s item pickup locations, and players will be sure to reach a new plane of assassination. The Enram HV tears through enemies like nothing else, though be careful if you encounter more distant enemies. The damage dropoff over long ranges is intense, but keep your enemies close and 47 will have no problems dispatching them silently.
2 Screwdriver
As cool as the broadsword looks, a common screwdriver is actually just as lethal. It has the added benefit of being a functioning tool that allows 47 to sabotage a variety of environmental elements, including explosive barrels and electrical equipment. To top it off, nobody questions why 47 carries around a screwdriver. It’s innocent enough until it’s protruding from somebody’s skull.
There’s a reason that record-smashing Hitman 3 kept the screwdriver around: it’s more than just a lethal weapon, it’s damn useful to have on you, too.
1 HX-7 Covert / DAK X2 Covert
It’s a tie between these two silenced SMGs for the number-one spot. The HX-7 Covert does what the assault rifles and SMGs of Hitman 2 do so well — damage per second — but has the added bonus of being totally silenced, just like 47’s default ICA19 pistols.
The DAK X2 Covert is more common than the HX-7, which is only carried by enemy guards on a couple of levels. But both guns are incredibly impactful on gameplay. Sometimes there are too many hostile NPCs in one room to clear using just the silenced pistol. This is where the HX-7 and DAK X2 shine: headshots are important, but more rounds in the magazine mean aiming in high-stress situations becomes less vital to success.
Hitman 2 is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia.