IO Interactive, the independent video game developer and publisher behind the HITMAN franchise, and Amazon MGM Studios announced today that 007 First Light will be receiving a brand new DLC, Extended Operations, available today. This content-packed free DLC delivers on some of the most requested additions from the 007 First Light community since launch, introducing New Game+, a new 00 difficulty mode, improved weapon handling animation fidelity, a Photo Mode, new TacSim content with the Valhalla Protocol missions featuring the Aston Martin Valhalla, and new TacSim missions set in the Vietnam location.
New Game+
Extended Operations introduces New Game+ to 007 First Light, unlocked upon completing the campaign on any difficulty. Once unlocked, players can replay the campaign, from the beginning or from any completed checkpoint, with full access to their unlocked outfits and gadgets, letting agents experience Bond’s story all over again, sporting the attire that best fits their taste.
New Game+ also unlocks 00 difficulty mode, a new and considerably harder difficulty setting built for players who want a true test of their tradecraft. The 00 difficulty mode sharpens combat, stealth, and social encounters alike: enemies react faster to bodies and disturbances, certain guard archetypes are swapped for tougher variants, gadget use is restricted within a guard’s line of sight, and combat itself becomes far less forgiving, with two-hit kills, tighter parry and side-step timing, and reduced agency gained in a fight. Players who want the challenge without the customization, or the customization without the challenge, remain free to mix and match: once unlocked, custom outfits and gadgets can be carried into a New Game+ replay on Easy, Normal, or Hard, just as easily as on 00 difficulty.
New TacSim content
Teased in the game at launch, the Valhalla Protocol content is now playable, bringing the state-of-the-art Aston Martin Valhalla to the beautiful Slovakian Mountains. The Valhalla Protocol content takes the form of four different missions, allowing players to drive the Valhalla by day and by night, with different sets of challenges. Of course, the Valhalla is fully kitted out with the weaponry that James Bond uses during the main campaign, which players will need to use to take down targets, earn time bonuses, and post the best result possible.
James Bond will also be returning to The Pearl, Vietnam’s luxury resort, in a new TacSim mission that sends him deep into a guarded villa to retrieve classified documents. The entire property is now in play, every area, including the rooftop, is part of the active gameplay space, and the villa’s interior has been redesigned to offer richer opportunities for stealth.
Last but not least, TacSim missions now welcome additional weapons, with the full arsenal of the main campaign now in players’ hands when they take on the various missions.
Photo Mode
Answering one of the most requested features since launch, Extended Operations adds a full Photo Mode to 007 First Light. Players can now freeze the action at any moment with a single button press and take full creative control of the shot, with a focused set of tools built to let players capture the world of 007 First Light. Photo Mode includes basic game controls (UI visibility, character posing), camera controls (transform and lens adjustments), image controls (brightness and post-processing filters), and frame controls (background and logo options), giving players everything they need to compose their perfect shot of Bond’s reimagined story, from the Grand Carpathian’s chess tables to the neon-lit streets of Aleph.
Gameplay Additions
Finally, the DLC sees two main gameplay additions:
Improved weapon handling animation fidelity, giving even more precision to Bond’s movement and weapon behaviour when being handled
A fan-favourite method to dispatch enemies in the game, being thrown off a ledge, is no longer exclusive to Bond’s opponents, with the spy now also subject to the move, so players will need to stay on their guard.
