Stiletto

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The **Stiletto** is a melee weapon featured in *Hitman: Blood Money*.

## Description

In-game description:

"Solingen 420 stainless steel blade with Stag Horn Grip"

The Stiletto is a small, concealable dagger with a metal blade, stag horn handle and metal components. It can only be found in two missions within the game: A Dance with the Devil and Requiem. In both instances, it appears in the possession of a target. Like all melee weapons in the game, it cannot be taken to other levels and is limited to use in the level in which it is found.

### Tactical Analysis

The Stiletto is an effective and versatile melee weapon with several applications, but does have its drawbacks and limitations, though.

Its advantages are:

* it's concealable
* disposable (to bypass weapons searches and potentially disrupt security patrols)
* throwable (as an alternative means of attack or disposal at a moment's notice)
* has a ready stance
* can melee attack with
* can stealth kill with it
* can kill from a distance
* it is inherently silent to use.

It's disadvantages are:

* it is readily recognizable as a weapon if spotted by NPCs
* it is immediately threatening if openly carried in the presence of NPCs
* it cannot pass weapons searches if in the player's possession
* has limited attack range
* it has no context-sensitive, prompt-based kill actions (such as the Fiber Wire elevator "STRANGLE")
* has limited throwing range
* can become lodged in a victim's body if successfully thrown to kill
* leaves the user extremely vulnerable when poised to use it

The most notable drawback of the Stiletto is in its actual usage. Though practically silent, attacking an NPC with it can be heard by other NPCs within earshot, causing immediate alarm. Also, successfully attacking with the Stiletto causes bloodshed, resulting in a crime scene, which if discovered will cause alarm and may negatively affect the guards' suspicion level for the duration of the play-through. Also, attempting to stealth kill with the Stiletto may result in a conventional melee attack instead, not only failing the stealth kill but also resulting in a close combat situation, endangering the player and negatively affecting the play-through rating (either conventionally and/or within the player's own personal objectives). Also, if the Stiletto is unsuccessfully thrown in an attempted stealth kill, the NPC may be only be wounded instead, causing immediate alarm and potentially imperiling the player. If the Stiletto is unsuccessfully thrown to attack and hits no one then the weapon is left vulnerable to recovery by a guard or potentially another NPC, also causing immediate alarm when spotted. Also, the sound of the Stiletto hitting something and/or falling to the ground after being thrown may attract the attention of NPCs within auditory range.

The Stiletto has several stealth kill animations:

-47 will place his left hand on the standing victim's back in order to brace the victim and quickly slice his/her throat from left to right, sending blood shooting out, and lets the body drop to the floor. This kill is quick, quiet but potentially messy, as blood will splatter against any wall the victim may happen to be killed in front of.

-47 wraps his left hand around the standing victim's mouth to muffle him/her, plunges the blade into the victim's jugular, twisting and digging in, and then withdraws the blade, allowing him/her to bleed out and drop to the floor. This kill is moderately quick, moderately quiet, but still messy, as blood will shoot out the victim's neck, splattering any nearby wall or other surface.

-47 wraps his left arm around the standing victim's neck to subdue him/her and thrusts the blade up under the ribcage once, withdraws the blade, and thrusts again more deeply before gently laying the body down to the ground. This kill is very drawn-out, very noisy but minimally messy.

-When killing a victim sitting in a chair 47 will pull his/her head back with his left hand, further exposing the victim's neck, and 47 proceeds to slice his/her neck from left to right, withdrawing his left hand, allowing the victim's head to slump forward, gurgle and bleed out while the victim grabs at his/her neck before dying.

-When throwing the Stiletto 47 assumes a throwing stance, holding the weapon by the tip of the blade, and throws it.

When holding the attack button 47 will assume a knife combat stance, holding the blade by the handle with his right hand, tip forward and ready to strike, and holding out his left arm in a defensive posture. The Stiletto has two basic attacks: a forward arching stab, and a swathing slice, alternatively.

Other details: If carried openly in immediate the vicinity of NPCs 47 will hold it behind his back in an attempt to conceal it. Since it has metal components it cannot be smuggled past a guard conducting a weapons search. If the Stiletto is recovered by a guard it will be placed next to a nearby weapon box instead of inside of it. In REQUIEM if it is recovered by a guard it will be taken to the back of the limo near the entrance of the cemetery.

The blade can be retrieved if thrown at an NPC that is non-lethally incapacitated by the player, such as one who has been drugged, violently rendered unconscious through close-quarts combat (such as being punched, head-butted, knocked out after being taken hostage or melee-bashed with a weapon), successfully knocked out with a stun gun, having survived a push down a flight of stairs or other small height, dying on the ground from gunshot wounds, etc. If it is successfully thrown to kill an NPC that is sleeping in a bed or sitting in a chair (awake or sleeping) the blade is still unretrievable, though. On PROFESSIONAL difficulty, in which the non-target NPCs do not appear on the map, the way to tell if a victim is still alive is to equip a weapon with a reticle and aim it at the victim. If the reticle turns red, then the victim is still alive.

## Trivia

* It is one of the few melee weapons in the game that the player can be attacked with by an NPC, (along with the Cane Sword and the Stun Gun), but only by the character originally carrying it.
* For all intents and purposes the Stiletto functions identically like the Kitchen Knife,; including its Melee attacks, Stealth kill animations and their accompanying blood splatter, when it's being primed to throw-attack and various positions in which the weapon is held by the player in similar circumstances (such as being held behind the player's back in in the presence of unaware NPCs in an attempt to conceal it).

## Locations

### *Hitman: Blood Money*

* A Dance with the Devil - Numerous on Eve. She will use them to stab Agent 47 to death during a white void cutscene, or throw them at him from a distance. Though she carries six or seven, you can carry only one at a time.
* Requiem - Alexander Leland Cayne's unique black bodyguard with facial hair and cornrows has one, though he will never use it, even after being disarmed of his MP7 SMG.