“The name’s Bond. James Bond.” Sounds smooth in a tuxedo with a martini in hand. It sounds a lot less charming when bullets are flying, and half the room wants you dead. That is why walking into 007 First Light without a plan is a quick way to get folded by enemy agents. After finishing the game across multiple difficulties, we found plenty of tricks that the game barely explains. So grab your Q-Watch, agent. Here are the seven best tips in 007 First Light we wish we had known sooner.

1. Disguises Exist (But You Have to Find Them)

Before jumping into 007 First Light, the reactionary gamer in me expected it to play almost exactly like IOI’s Hitman World of Assassination games. Naturally, I assumed Bond could simply wear a disguise and walk in or out of restricted areas without much trouble.

The game handles infiltration differently, though, and honestly, it makes you think harder. Instead of full disguises, you often need smaller details like staff caps, uniforms, stamps, or invitations to blend into secure locations.

You can listen to nearby NPC conversations to figure out where these items are hidden and use them to progress through missions smoothly. Still, do not get too comfortable. Watcher enemies marked with a white dot above their heads can spot Bond even while disguised, so blindly walking through hostile zones is still a terrible idea.

2. Know Your Bluffs and “Loud” Distractions

We call careless trespassing a terrible idea because bluffs and distractions do not work the same on every guard. You need to read the room before making your move. Start by scanning enemies with the Q-Lens in 007 First Light.

If a guard does not have the white Watcher dot above their head, they are vulnerable to the Bluff mechanic. This lets Bond spend Instinct points to casually walk past them in plain sight without triggering suspicion.

Things get trickier with elite guards and Watchers protecting important checkpoints. Standard distractions like glitching a vacuum cleaner or turning on a radio usually will not fool them. To pull these stubborn enemies away from their posts, you need to create a Loud Distraction instead.

Smashing a decorative suit of armor or setting a nearby garbage can on fire draws far more attention, often forcing multiple guards to investigate at once. That small opening is usually all you need to slip through unnoticed.

3. Use the Environment Like You Own It

Bond is a master at taking advantage of the environment, of course (like a true spy). During firefights, always keep an eye on your surroundings instead of blindly dumping bullets into enemies. Shooting red explosive barrels can completely destroy cover and even knock big enemies down in seconds.

Meanwhile, blue pipes and pressure valves release thick clouds of steam that enemies cannot see through. Using this Batman-esque method gives you a quick escape route or turns a chaotic shootout into a stealth hunt.

In close-quarters combat, speed matters more than style. Instead of trading punches with guards, hold the grapple button to grab them and slam them into nearby hazards like exposed wires or overloaded radios for instant takedowns. This tip works perfectly even in boss fights where you must take down the Golden Mask or the Blonde Assassin in 007 First Light.

You can even use loose objects around the room to your advantage. Something as simple as throwing a mug at a guard standing near a ledge can send them falling over the edge, quietly removing the body without raising suspicion. And make sure you are definitely using the oil spills. Shoot oil barrels to leak oil onto the floor. Any enemies that run through the puddle will slip, fall, and instantly give up the fight.

4. Split Your Gadget Loadout (Chemical vs. Electrical)

Since gadgets in 007 First Light play a huge role in both stealth and infiltration, keeping a balanced loadout is extremely important. Before heading out from Q-Branch, make sure you equip at least one gadget that uses Chemical resources and another that runs on Electrical resources.

Going into a mission with an all-electrical setup is a fast way to cripple yourself halfway through an operation. Your energy meter drains surprisingly quickly, especially when hacking locks, disabling systems, or stunning enemies.

Once that battery runs dry, Bond becomes far less flexible until you find another power source. A mixed loadout keeps your tools available longer and prevents awkward situations where a locked door suddenly becomes your greatest enemy. And of course, who doesn’t love giving a stomachache to the brutal boss in the middle of a fight?

5. Pay Attention to the Details

Always pay attention to nearby NPC conversations. Eavesdropping is one of the easiest ways to uncover hidden routes, alternate objectives, and clever solutions that the game never directly points out. This makes your 007 First Light missions complete faster.

Guards, staff members, and civilians casually reveal important information that can completely change how you approach a mission. Sometimes the safest path forward is hidden inside a random conversation happening across the room.

Combat also rewards players who stay alert instead of staying planted behind cover. Keep an eye on the stun timers above unconscious enemies so you know exactly when they are about to recover. Enemies are stunned by gadgets or distracted from the bluff you perform.

Heavily armored guards wake up much faster than standard enemies, so leaving them unattended is usually a mistake. If an enemy tosses a grenade your way, react quickly and pull up the gadgets to hack the detonator and disable it before it explodes. Doing so also unlocks a 007 First Light achievement.

When things get messy, and your magazine runs empty, do not freeze up for a reload. Bond can throw his empty weapons directly at an enemy to stun them for a brief moment. That opening gives you just enough time to rush forward, grab the fallen guns in 007 First Light, and keep the fight going without losing momentum.

6. Master the Quick Pickpocket

While the 007 First Light’s pickpocket mechanic technically requires you to distract targets first, the game gives you plenty of freedom in how you create those openings. Very much like classic Bond, you can manufacture your own opportunities whenever you need them.

Start by using the Q-Lens to identify which guest or guard is carrying a hidden item. Once marked, your next job is creating a distraction long enough to steal it.

One of the fastest methods is using the Q-Watch laser to briefly blind and disorient the target. That tiny moment of confusion is enough for a quick snatch-and-grab before they recover.

If you need more time, use a toxic dart instead. It leaves the target nauseous and distracted in place, giving you a much larger window to lift the item and casually walk away without drawing attention.

7. 007 First Light Best Tips for Settings

Beyond the in-game mechanics, a few quality-of-life tweaks can make the game feel much better from the start. If you already have experience with stealth-heavy games like Hitman World of Assassination, Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell, or The Last of Us Part II, jump straight into Purist difficulty in 007 First Light.

Controller players should also spend a minute adjusting the aiming settings because the default controls feel oddly sluggish. Switching the aim response curve to Linear immediately makes aiming more responsive.

From there, set the Vertical and Horizontal Camera sensitivity to 7 with 1.1 acceleration, alongside Vertical and Horizontal Aim at 7 with 0.9 acceleration. This creates a much smoother feel during both stealth and combat encounters.

Finally, do not let the game’s warning screens confuse you. The entire story campaign of 007 First Light can be played completely offline without any major issues. You only need an internet connection for features like endgame challenges, leaderboard uploads, and the TacSim mode.

Speaking of TacSim, it is worth trying early since it quietly teaches several advanced combat and stealth mechanics that the main campaign barely explains.

So, that completes all seven of the best tips you must know before entering the chase for the main villain of 007 First Light. Want to share some more? Drop them in the comments below.