The Kotti Paradigm is an escalation contract in The Showstopper mission. Completing all the levels will award the player with The Kotti Paradigm (feat).
This escalation contract was originally a user-made contract called "Ghost of a Barbarian" designed by Hitman series speedrunner, TheKotti. He was asked by Io-Interactive to design it. It only has three levels as TheKotti said that he would be "in favor of fewer levels with bigger changes," making it the first escalation with less than five levels.[1]
Level 1[]
| Target | Liza McKenzie |
|---|---|
| Disguise | 47's Signature Suit |
| Weapon | Battle Axe |
| Complications | No pacifications: Pacify anyone, and you will fail the mission. |
The target is Liza McKenzie, the reporter who Valerie St. Claire is sending to the IAGO auction to get some evidence on Viktor Novikov and Dalia Margolis so they can expose their activities. At the start of the level, the two of them are talking in a room near the terrace bar.
The No Pacifications complication voids any attempt to dress as a security guard or bodyguard, who would be allowed to carry a weapon that isn't concealable. Or at least, it does if the player wants to achieve a Silent Assassin rating.
There are only three Battle Axes in the palace, and all three are in the main floor. One is located inside a display case in the room full of trophies and weapons, another one in the dressing room and the third one in the room where the reporter is calling for a replacement lens for her camera, and the two guys are talking about one of them stealing a piece of haute couture. The latter is the most accessible, as it's just laying on the floor, followed by the one in display, as breaking the glass doesn't seem to bother the tech guy in the same room.
However, in this case the one laying on the floor is the closest to the target. Getting near the target will trigger the conversation between her and St. Claire, and then McKenzie will go to the bathroom to make a phone call. This is a perfect moment to strike, as that bathroom will not be visited by anybody.
Level 2[]
| Target | Liza McKenzie | Sheik Salman Al-Ghazali |
|---|---|---|
| Disguise | 47's Signature Suit | 47's Signature Suit |
| Weapon | Battle Axe | Battle Axe |
| Complications |
| |
Additional target, this time the Sheik Salman Al-Ghazali, who starts on the second floor but will soon go to the auction on the third floor. Additional complication is that 47 cannot climb a pipe to the second or third floor, he has to use the stairs.
The easiest way to move around the palace while carrying the battle axe is, by far, through the basement. The kitchen has stairs that go directly to the second floor.
The trick in this level is to get to the second floor and kill Al-Ghazali before he goes to the auction, as otherwise it will be far more complicated to reach him. Al-Ghazali can also be lured to the first floor gift shop by throwing a distraction, such as the axe, directly beneath the balcony he steps out onto from his starting room.
Level 3[]
| Target | Liza McKenzie | Sheik Salman Al-Ghazali | Hailey Brennan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Disguise | 47's Signature Suit | 47's Signature Suit | 47's Signature Suit |
| Weapon | Battle Axe | Battle Axe | Battle Axe |
| Complications |
|
||
The new target is Hailey Brennan, who is Margolis' secretary. She is located on the third floor, in Margolis' office.
There are two main options to kill Brennan. Get a battle axe to the third floor or get the target to the second or first floor. The first option is pretty straightforward, as 47 is allowed to the third floor even though he will need to be frisked, and the battle axe can be thrown from the second floor to the stairs that go to the third floor, and then picked up there. The second option involves getting the laptop dongle, use it on the computer, and stop the auction. Brennan will have a panic attack and will be advised by one of the CICADA bodyguards to leave. He will escort her to the speedboat, going through the second and first floors, where there are more opportunities to kill her.
General tips[]
- The battle axe is an illegal weapon. If 47 is seen carrying it, bystanders will alert the guards who will come to where he was seen. If he is seen by a guard or relevant NPC, he can avoid being spotted by quickly dropping the axe. The axe can also be used as a distraction, by throwing it as if it was another object. Surprisingly, nobody will consider it a weapon, so it will stay where it landed. This is useful to get the axe wherever is needed, only having to care about timing and throwing it correctly.
- In levels 2 and 3, any kind of agility movement will result in contract failure. Having this in mind is highly advised, as the player can complete all the objectives and then vault over a balustrade and fail while trying to leave because of forgetting about it.
- The only disguise that can be obtained while maintaining a Silent Assassin rating is the Sheik's, as he is one of the targets. However, as the other two targets are required to be killed while wearing a suit, this disguise would only be useful to get to the third floor and use the laptop without having to worry about trespassing.
- The contract does not have a restricted loadout as do most levels that require starting with a specific outfit, so 47's signature suit must be manually selected before playing.
References[]
- ↑ HITMAN - The Kotti Paradigm on YouTube by TheKotti