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Hitman 3 is finally available, and while there are plenty of opportunities throughout the game to set up your perfect assassination, the Dartmoor level is a bit different. Here someone has already been killed, and finding the correct answer to the mystery can set you up with a perfect kill of your own, in addition to the information you need to glean from Dartmoor’s Thornbridge Manor.
Alternatively, you could absolutely sneak around to steal the information you need, eliminate your target, and escape without ever knowing what transpired before you arrived - but that wouldn’t be as much fun, would it? Of course not, which is why in this guide we’re going to walk you through everything you need to do to solve Thornbridge Manor’s murder mystery and come out the other end with the information and elimination you need to get out feeling accomplished. A lot happens in this mission, but if you follow these instructions you should be able to solve it without a problem.
Updated June 9, 2022: We've updated this article to add even more information to help you solve the complex plot afoot in Dartmoor - the guide now covers the mysterious switch aspect of the detective plot that lets you rule Zachary's death a suicide, as well as the alternative way to get the information on the Constant.
How To Infiltrate Thornbridge Manor In Dartmoor
Thornbridge Manor has security covering pretty much every angle, but you can still sneak inside if you play your cards right. From the front gate you will see a hired detective be let through. While you could attempt to take the guards out and move through yourself, you’re better off vaulting over the wall to your right, using bushes and hedges to stay out of sight.
Move towards the manor using your minimap to inform you of which parts of the water you can walk through, and knock out either a guard or a gardener to take their disguise so you can at least walk the general grounds of the manor without suspicion. If you move with caution you can jump into the manor through a window and follow the hired detective to listen to his conversation with the butler.
The detective will move towards the back garden, you can either move around the house to intercept him, or move through the house and follow closely behind. Once you have a quiet moment, take the detective’s clothes and hide his body somewhere it won’t be found. Once you’re dressed for the occasion, you’ll be able to freely explore most of the manor - except the top floor where Alexa Carlisle’s office is.
Where To Investigate And How To Solve The Dartmoor Murder Mystery In Hitman 3
Once you have the detective disguise, you can talk to each member of the family, and they will give you their alibi for where they were when Zachary died. Some of them will check out once you do some investigating, and some of them will remain suspicious. Chat to each of them, and then it’s time to fully investigate all the available rooms in the house.
The only family member it may be difficult to secure an alibi for is Patrick - though he is telling the truth. Find him bragging about going out on a date with a maid, and then find that same maid in shock in the staff quarters.
Zachary’s Room
Now that you have access to most of the building things are much easier, and of course, you’re given the free rein you need to investigate and explore most of the rooms in the manor. The first room you should investigate is Zachary’s. Zachary is the one who has been killed, and we’ll be checking in on his final moments.
Here are the things you should investigate in Zachary’s room:
- His body on the bed - use the camera.
- Whiskey besides the bed - use the camera.
- Suicide note.
- Laptop.
- Secret room - investigate one of the bookcases and pull a book to discover a secret room.
- Collect the map from the secret room to unveil where other secret rooms are located.
Someone has clearly worked very hard to make Zachary’s death look like a suicide, but there’s too much conflicting evidence. It almost certainly wasn’t him, and we must find out who it was.
Emma And Gregory’s Room
Emma and Gregory are a happy little couple, but also incredibly suspicious. Once you find their room you’ll also find it locked - not to worry, as you can vault out of the window to the left of their room door, and then move around the outside of the building to infiltrate the room. Here’s what you need to find…
- Letter from Emma’s mother.
- Greenhouse key chain.
- Bulldog cane.
- Shoes.
There are several enlightening and incriminating objects here. The letter exposes some truths that other members of the family are unaware of, for one. The Greenhouse key chain is suspicious, given that Emma seems to dislike Zachary’s love of plants.
The Bulldog cane is most interesting, as it can be used as a key to access a secret room later on - pick it up and take it with you. And finally, the shoes are a perfect match for a set of footprints you can analyse with your camera just out the back side of the manor.
Rebecca’s Room
Rebecca’s room is probably the least suspicious in the whole of the manor. Let’s take a look inside…
- Notebooks.
- Laptop.
- Painting opens secret room.
Right, so the notebooks are confirmation that Rebecca did not write Zachary’s suicide note, so that’s a relief I suppose. The laptop doesn’t highlight anything too interesting, and the painting here opens up a secret room, from which you can watch and monitor the security staff. If you plan on doing a second run where you do things differently, remember this location.
The Greenhouse
The Greenhouse is at the back of the garden, naturally, and on the way there you will see several other potential ways to solve this mission, including taking the spot of a family photographer. Go to the greenhouse and walk around the perimeter to find a crowbar - you can use this to enter the greenhouse, and another room later. Inside the greenhouse look for the following items…
- Lab equipment.
- Poison dosage book.
- Poison plant.
Well, this is fairly incriminating and goes perfectly with what you found in Emma’s room. It all seems set up to dose a man, specifically a man like Zachary, with poison. There’s just one more room to investigate before calling this investigation closed…
Mr. Fernsby’s Office
This is near the staff quarters, and the front door can be opened with the crowbar from the greenhouse. Let’s find out what Mr. Fernsby is hiding here…
- Zachary’s Half-Burnt Diary - in fire.
- List.
- Pills.
- Master Mansion Key.
Well this doesn’t look too good either, does it? According to all the information we have the butler did not kill Zachary, but he’s not making a very good case for himself what with all of this suspect evidence. Zachary almost certainly didn’t die from these pills, but he could’ve, and the burnt diary is suspicious. Make sure to take the Master Key if you’re interested in doing some more exploring. Now to make things easier, we’re going to clear out Alexa Carlisle’s office…
How To Unlock The Mysterious Switch In Thornbridge Manor
If you bring the Bulldog Cane you picked up earlier to the pictured location, you can insert it into the mysterious switch on the floor to open a secret passageway. Inside, you'll find a letter from Alexa and Zachary's father, revealing Alexa's older brother was never going to inherit the family fortune, and therefore Alexa and Zachary's murder of their eldest sibling was for nothing.
This letter is the final clue you need to blow the mystery wide open and unlock every ending to the detective plot line. Once you have this, it's time to rendezvous with Madam Carlisle.
Stealing The Information And Killing Alexa Carlisle In Hitman 3
Home stretch now. Before we talk to Mr. Fernsby to present our information, we should make sure the coast will be clear. Go up to the second floor of the manor and vault through a window on the North side of the building.
If you choose the right one, there will be a pipe to help you climb up to the balcony of Alexa Carlisle’s office. There are two guards on the balcony, one patrolling, one stood stationary near the centre. Sneak behind the patrolling guard and take them down, and then sneak up to the second. There are two crates you can dump bodies in on the balcony.
There’s one more guard inside. Sneak inside and take him out too - there’s an entrance to a secret room under the stairs, and you can hide the body in a crate inside. This will ensure the room is clear for when you need to deal with Alexa Carlisle. You can attempt to hit the button on her chair and raid her safe now, but it might be difficult. For our purposes here, we shall talk to Mr. Fernsby now.
Find the butler and tell him you wish to present your information, and he will walk you up to Alexa Carlisle’s office where you will meet her with the single guard that tails her. If you’ve already cleared guards out of this room this will be simple. Sit and talk with her. Reveal it was Emma and all you discovered, and then ask Alexa for the information on the Constant that you came for. She’ll realise who you are, but won’t be in a position to argue. She’ll hand over the information and ask for you to leave before heading to the balcony with her guard in tow.
Once Alexa approaches the balcony, simply give her a friendly nudge to send her tumbling below, and the incident will be classed as an accident - just ensure that her bodyguard isn't watching your dirty deed first.
If you completed the entire investigation, you'll also have the option to accuse Mr. Fernsby, or to rule the death as a suicide. Each of these options open up different endings to the mission story. For a full guide on each of these endings, and the achievements each one can earn you, check out our Means, Motive, and Opportunity guide.
Cracking The Safe Combination In Alexa Carlisle's Office In Hitman 3
If you haven't been following this guide in detail (for shame) and wish to steal the information directly - perhaps you were just making your own way through the stage or have already killed Alexa and need the information to make your escape - then you can crack the safe. As mentioned, the safe will be revealed when you press a button in her chair, and then you will be able to attempt to open it up, though it won't be easy.
There are symbols near the safe - a clock, a telescope, a moose head, and a fire. If you investigate those relevant items in the room you will be able to find a number attached to each. Put them all together, and you magically have a safe combination which will crack it open for you. If you have gone for the path of least resistance and broke your way into Alexa's office, then this is the information you need to get the safe open.
The safe is not the information's only location, however. It's also held in a safe deposit box in the Milton Fitzpatrick bank in New York, which you may remember from Hitman 2. There are two parts to the required key, one held by Mr. Fernsby, the other by Rebecca Carlisle. If you incapacitate them, you can take the keys to retrieve the information later - the game will consider the information acquired as soon as you have both keys.