007 First Light has three difficulty options: Novice, Intended, and Purist. While you can attempt any (and all) of these difficulties, we've already done that for you, so you can see what each difficulty does, how it impacts gameplay, and what difficulty you should pick for your first playthrough.
007 First Light: All Outfits (& How to Get Them)
There are over 39 suits in 007 First Light, and you can find what they look like and the unlock requirements for all of them right here.
We've also answered some questions about difficulty, like whether it impacts achievements and challenges, so find the answers below!
All Difficulty Options in 007 First Light (& What Difficulty You Should Choose)
There are three difficulty options in 007 First Light:
Novice
Novice is essentially easy mode, but that doesn't mean it's going to be all easy:
- Gadgets can be used more before replenishing.
- Your attacks deal more damage, and you can take more damage.
- Enemies are weaker and take longer to spot you in stealth.
Intended
This is the intended and recommended difficulty for 007 First Light, and provides the most balanced experience:
- Enemies are tuned to give a fair challenge.
- You take appropriate damage, and deal appropriate damage.
- You'll have to gather items to regenerate gadgets.
Purist
This is the hard difficulty and should only be attempted by the most experienced of you who like an extreme challenge:
- Your health is extremely low.
- Your gadgets take far more resources, and said resources are harder to find.
- Enemies attack faster and harder to ensure you're always outmatched in a direct fight.
I recommend playing 007 First Light on Intended, as it's the balanced difficulty that the developers had in mind for your first experience. However, you shouldn't be disheartened to try something easier, like Novice, especially if you need help with specific challenges.
How to Change Difficulty in 007 First Light
You can change the difficulty by failing your objective, which involves getting killed in action during a combat encounter. Once you die, you have three options, and instead of hitting retry, you can change your difficulty.
However, you can also change your difficulty by returning to the main menu and, on Story, clicking Select Chapter. You can then select the current chapter you were on and filter through the checkpoints to change the difficulty that way too.
Does 007 First Light Have Difficulty Achievements?
There are no difficulty achievements in 007 First Light; this means you can play on any of the three difficulties provided without worrying about missing out on the perfect achievement run. Completing the game in the easiest difficulty will reward you the same as if you were to complete the hardest difficulty.
Does 007 First Light's Difficulty Affect Challenges?
Changing the difficulty in 007 First Light does not impact challenges, meaning that you can complete challenges on the easiest difficulty if you wish. This can be extremely helpful for some challenging stealth-related encounters, so you shouldn't feel guilty for picking a difficulty that suits your needs.
007 First Light
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 88/100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- May 27, 2026
- ESRB
- Teen / Blood, Language, Suggestive Themes, Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- IO Interactive
- Publisher(s)
- IO Interactive
