007 First Light DLC: Major free update adds brutal 00 mode
IO Interactive released Extended Operations, a free “007 First Light” DLC, on Thursday, Oct. 1, adding New Game+, a tougher 00 difficulty and a batch of features the studio called “some of the most requested additions from the 007 First Light community since launch,” Video Games Chronicle reported.
The update is live on all platforms where the game is currently available: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.
What the “007 First Light” DLC adds
New Game+ opens up once you finish the campaign on any difficulty. You can restart from the beginning or jump to any checkpoint, with every outfit and gadget you have unlocked carried over, according to VGC.
00 difficulty is the headline addition. IO calls it “considerably harder” and says it “sharpens combat, stealth, and social encounters alike.” In practice, guards react more quickly to bodies and disturbances, some standard enemies are replaced with tougher types, and Bond can’t use gadgets while in a guard’s line of sight. Fights are less forgiving too: two hits can kill you, and the windows for parries and side-steps are tighter.
The “007 First Light” DLC also includes:
- A full Photo Mode
- Improved weapon animations
- Enemies that can now throw Bond off ledges, a move that used to belong to Bond alone
New TacSim missions
The Tactical Simulator mode gets fresh content. The Valhalla Protocol is a set of four missions behind the wheel of the armed Aston Martin Valhalla, run by day and by night with different challenges. A new mission at the Pearl resort sends players to recover classified documents, with every area of the property, rooftop included, now open to explore.
Much of the “007 First Light” DLC was promised. Photo Mode and New Game+ were both on the year-one roadmap IO revealed in June, alongside new TacSim challenges, a G2 Glasses gadget and a new mission featuring the Pirate King Bawma, Nintendo Life reported.
Where 007 First Light stands
The game launched May 27 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC after a two-month delay, Gematsu reported, and sold more than 2.7 million copies in its first week, according to Nintendo Life. IO has kept the updates coming, including an earlier patch that upgraded Bond’s toolkit.
Switch 2 owners are still waiting. After a leaked Switch 2 release date and a summer target, IO pushed that version to March 2027, TheSixthAxis reported Sept. 15. For more Bond and IO coverage, browse our gaming news.
Reporting from Video Games Chronicle, Nintendo Life, Gematsu and TheSixthAxis contributed to this story.