007 First Light has just had its biggest update since launch. IO Interactive released Extended Operations on 1 October, a free DLC delivered with version 1.3.0 of the game. It brings three things players have been asking for: New Game+, a Photo Mode and a “00” difficulty for the truly hardened. The studio has also added fresh TacSim content and more than 700 fixes. For anyone who finished the story, it’s a solid reason to start a new mission.
At a glance
Extended Operations, the first major free DLC for 007 First Light, has been live since 1 October.
It adds New Game+, Photo Mode and a “00” difficulty, all unlocked after the campaign.
Update 1.3.0 also brings two TacSim activities and more than 700 fixes.
A long-awaited New Game+ for 007 First Light
New Game+ is the headline feature. As IO Interactive explains in the patch notes published on Steam, it lets you replay the whole campaign with the experience of a seasoned agent. You’ll need to have completed the story once to unlock it.
Two options really change how you play. You can switch outfits at any time from your journal and restart from the checkpoint of your choice. More importantly, gadgets can now be swapped mid-mission without waiting for the next chapter. Only those already unlocked at that point in the story are available, so Q’s inventions still reach you in the order the campaign introduces them.
For the bravest players, the “00” difficulty also unlocks after the campaign. IO Interactive calls it the hardest way to play 007 First Light. Enemies spot you faster and hit harder, while resources only restore a fraction of your gadgets’ usage.
Photo Mode and new TacSim activities
Another frequent request, Photo Mode, has finally arrived. It lets you freeze the action and frame Bond, the locations or a scene from any angle you like. Camera settings, overlays, filters, visual effects and poses are all included. Video Games Chronicle, which covered the launch on the day, singled out the 00 difficulty, the new TacSim content and Photo Mode as the standout additions, and it’s easy to see why: they target exactly the players who had already seen the credits roll and were looking for a reason to go back.
TacSim, the game’s training mode, gets two new additions. Valhalla Protocol puts you behind the wheel of an Aston Martin Valhalla fitted with machine guns and missile launchers, on the roads of Slovakia, chasing a high score. Jungle Heist sends you back to The Pearl Hotel in Vietnam to lift documents from a safe, and IO Interactive says every attempt will play out differently.
Two weapons join the TacSim arsenal as well: the Storm 12 Gauge shotgun, available at Clearance Level 20 for 6,000 Intel, and the Squire Marksman Rifle, at Clearance Level 18 for 4,000 Intel. Weapon handling animations have also been refined across the whole game.
More than 700 fixes and what’s next for 007 First Light
Extended Operations is a clean-up job too. The update addresses more than 700 issues, from crashes and progression blockers to audio, localisation and UI polish. The studio says it drew on bug reports, support tickets and detailed player feedback gathered since launch, and thanks everyone who took the time to report a problem, adding that this input shaped the update more than players might think.
IO Interactive is following a path other studios have taken this year, extending a game’s life with modes added after release. Marathon is getting a permanent PvE mode on 8 December, for instance, and Dune: Awakening reached consoles with a single-player mode. What sets 007 First Light apart is the price, since all of this comes free.
The studio says work continues, with more improvements and content already in development. A first story expansion was announced at Summer Game Fest, with Lenny Kravitz returning as Bawma, as reported by Players. Its date and price are still to be announced. Until then, 007 First Light offers a good excuse to take the mission from the top.
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