007 First Light: Against The Odds walkthrough
Overview & Key Takeaways
It's officially time to don a slick suit, take your martini shaken, but certainly not stirred, and remind people that your name is not just "Bond", it's James Bond. That's right, 007 First Light is finally here, but to become Bond, you have to earn the 00 license, and it's unfortunately not as simple as handing your CV into MI6 headquarters, making sure to point out your Duke of Edinburgh certificate.
It's officially time to don a slick suit, take your martini shaken, but certainly not stirred, and remind people that your name is not just "Bond", it's James Bond. That's right, 007 First Light is finally here, but to become Bond, you have to earn the 00 license, and it's unfortunately not as simple as handing your CV into MI6 headquarters, making sure to point out your Duke of Edinburgh certificate.
No, Bond's metaphorical CV hand-in takes place on our first main mission in Iceland. We'll meet a pre-007 James Bond caught up in a dicey situation where he'll have to work with a mystery MI6 contact. Our walkthrough will guide you through your first adventure in Bond's shoes, getting you to grips with the basic controls while saving the captives trapped behind enemy lines.
In this guide:
Against The Odds walkthrough
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Our adventure begins in the back of a helicopter in the process of being gunned down, as we meet the latest version of James Bond, then immediately watch him plummet into the ocean. It's not time for a hangout with Davy Jones in his spooky locker, though, as a quick QTE sees Bond emerge as the only survivor of the wreck. With that, you'll gain control.
Infiltrating the island
Now we're behind the wheel, it's time to escape the little rotters who decided to detonate our chopper and leave Bond shivering in his little booties. When you're ready, push forward towards the sound of gunshots from ahead, watching as Bond's former comrade is executed further up the beach.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Approach the body and examine it. As you do, a trio of armed gunmen will converge on your position. Their arrival will teach us that, by pressing the C key / RB / R1, Bond will dash to whatever cover you point him towards, letting you quickly move between vantage points.
Hit it right now to hustle over to the conveniently positioned rock to your right and wait as the trifecta of guards walk past to take a nice, long gander at the body they just gunned down. Navigate around them, then continue following the route up past a fiery wreck and between two rocks.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
On the other side, you'll immediately clock more soldiers approaching. Hit CTRL / Right Trigger to duck down, then move into cover against the rocks to your left, following them around until you reach a patch of tall grass.
Step into the tall grass, and Bond will hide in it. As you sneak past the roaming guards, Bond's radio will start to beep incessantly, so mash the button prompt that appears to disable it.
The nearby guards will come to investigate, so, once the radio's deactivated, hustle to the opposite side of the tall grass patch and, once they look away, cross to a second tall grass patch on the other side of the path, following it up to the ridge ahead.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Climb the ridge and follow the route until you cue a cutscene, where Bond is contacted by a mysterious MI6 operator...
Reaching base camp
After a quick back and forth, the mysterious woman on the phone will task Bond with locating the militia's base camp, meaning you're heading for the light shining beyond the cliffs. After the call's finished, push up the cliff path until you come to a sheer drop.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Look towards the cliff face on your right and climb up to the ridge in the centre to hang from it. Now, shimmy across to your left until you come across a break in the ridge, which you can hop across. When you do, Bond will accidentally pull a big chunk out of the wall, causing it to plummet down to the ground.
Quickly shimmy left until you reach the end of the ridge, then drop down to the path below. Get back to following the route, speeding up by using SHIFT / RB / R1 to sprint until you reach a small hole in the rocks that you can crouch walk through.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
You'll emerge at a sheer drop, so sidle across the ridge to your right, and you'll find a long route through some rocky caverns and clifftop paths. Follow it until you find a crevice you can squeeze through to reach a vantage point looking out over the militia's camp.
Infiltrating base camp
After Bond has chatted with the operator, you'll regain control. Take a right, and you'll see a ridge on the cliff face you can scale. Climb up to it, then shimmy across, and Bond will lose his grip, falling into the water below.
When you're back on your feet, sneak over to the patch of tall grass on your left and slowly start to navigate towards the camp. Eventually, Bond will dart forward to a rock with two guards chatting just beyond it. Wait for them to walk away, then continue forward.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Up ahead, you'll see a very welcoming open window emanating warm light. Hop through it to cue a cutscene, where Bond manages to track down a comfy jacket that finally allows him to stave off the hypothermia goblins. I'm sure they're shaking their little icy fists in rage right now, but the following cutscene shows that the coat doubles up as a nifty disguise.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
When you regain control, you'll be given free rein to explore both nearby rooms. Examine the various interactive items in each of them to get a little more context, then leave through the main door. As you do, Bond will don a balaclava, and you'll enter the camp disguised. For this portion, the guards will absolutely believe you're just one of the squad, so you're free to explore to your heart's content.
When you're outside, head into the building on the left-hand side of the camp to find some more tidbits about these mysterious masked dudes. When you're ready, return to the main path.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
As you stroll through, an AI-controlled truck will cut off your path, reversing hard into a box in front of you. A couple of guards ahead will ask you to move the truck, changing your objective marker to a boxed computer just to the right of the crash site.
Collectible: 7 Of Acorns Card
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
While you're backing up the truck, make sure to stop in and grab the 7 Of Acorns Card nearby. While facing the terminal that reverses the truck, look towards the shelves on your right. You'll find the 7 Of Acorns stashed inside. Grab it to add it to your collection.
Access the terminal to force the truck to back up, then proceed past it and head up to the tent. When you're in, navigate to the central chamber, and follow the path, trying not to think too much about the mysterious noise that makes Bond double over in pain.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
When you reach the centre of the tent, you'll see the "crashed object" that the operator's been discussing in hushed tones. Really struggling to believe this isn't some ancient alien craft teeming with parasitic eggs from the stars...
The operator will tell you to look for a computer inside the object, so interact with it, and Bond will search for the computer. It isn't in the debris, so you'll be instructed to search the boxes to your right; however, it really starts to seem like Bond's feeling a little bit poorly...
Finding the Antidote
During your fruitless search for the computer, Bond will spot two scientists donning full hazmat suits, which it seems you really should be wearing. Turns out Bond's been poisoned with an airborne nerve agent, and he needs an antidote right away.
You'll find the syringes in here! | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
When the two scientists leave the tent, circle to the door they entered through and make your way into the medbay. The operator will tell you to look for a green box with a bright orange stripe. Ignore the items in the first room, and pass through to the back one, where you'll find said box on a shelf at the end of the path.
Open it, and you'll find two syringes. You're told to just use one, but Bond can't distinguish them through his enabled puke vision filter and decides to use them both to be safe. When you get the prompt to inject them, hit it, and Bond will pass out.
When he comes to, he's cured of the nerve agent and ready to get his well-deserved evac. Well, he is, until he realises that there are still hostages being kept on the island, and he refuses to leave them behind.
Saving the hostages
When you regain control, you'll be able to climb some cliffs to your left and cross over to a vantage point looking out over a small outpost. You'll be told to escape and come home, but Bond will refuse.
From here, we have two goals: find the hostages trapped in containers G9 and B4. This is one of First Light's many scenarios where you're largely free to experiment, explore, improvise and find alternate routes to your objectives.
If you want to see all the different opportunities you could make use of to complete your objective, take a look at our Against The Odds Challenge guide. Challenges are First Light's method of tracking all the most Bond-coded ways you can complete your goal, and it can be a good way to rinse a level for all of its best routes. For now though, here's our recommended path:
Saving the G9 Hostages
We're going to start with saving the hostages trapped in G9. As soon as you drop down from your vantage point, you'll want to take a left and head towards the G6 container. You'll spot a group of guards hanging around the G6 container, generally blocking the route.
Collectible: Cruciform Key
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
While you're at G6, you might as well cross over to container F8. When you're inside, you'll find the Cruciform Key Legacy entry on a shelf at the back of the room, just to the right of the smashed TV. I swear the Cruciform Key is a Mission Impossible MacGuffin rather than a Bond one, but it's a cool little spy-centric easter egg. When you have it, return to container G6.
Trigger the flares circled above, then wait for the guards to leave and push past them. | Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Look for some boxes directly to the left of the doorway into G6. On top of them, you'll find some signal flares, which you can interact with to create a distraction. Ignite the flares, then enter the tall grass just opposite them and wait for the guards to investigate.
After looking the situation over, they'll wander off, allowing you to circle the perimeter, following the cliff wall and bypassing them. Along the way, you'll find a trench in the ground. Remember this, as it'll be important in just a bit.
For now, climb up to the G9 container. The front door's locked, so you'll have to skirt around the side to reach the back door, where you'll spot two guards chatting.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
Cross to the boxes just to your left and take cover behind them. On top of the boxes, you'll see an SAS radio. Turn it on to cause a distraction, then execute a cover takedown to take out the guard that comes to investigate.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
With one guard down, enter the back door to G9. Inside, you'll find a guard looking at some wall panels. Take him down, then grab his Storage Room Key and turn back towards the door into the Storage Room, which is directly behind where he was standing.
Collectible: Satellite Part Memento
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
While you're in this container, look for a desk directly opposite the door you entered through. On top of it, you'll find a Satellite Part. James can pick it up as a Memento.
With the guard down, proceed into the Storage Room to find the first group of hostages. Free them, and then we'll turn our attention to the B4 hostages.
Saving the B4 hostages
Remember that trench I told you to keep in mind earlier? Now's the time to use it. Return to the trench and proceed through it, making your way down the path, slipping through the rocks at the end of the route and then arriving directly below the B4 container.
Collectible: Iceland Postcard
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
In just a second, we're going to go under B4, but before we do, climb up the side of the trench and move into the tall grass on the right-hand side of the B4 container. There are a few guards here, but most of them are facing away from you, so take the opportunity to cross over to the B2 container to your right.
Head inside and you'll find an office. There's a soldier behind the whiteboard in here, so sneak around and take him down, then loot his desk to find the Iceland postcard. When you have it, make your way all the way back down into the trench.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
While facing B4, you'll notice there's a path that runs directly underneath the building. Follow this route until you arrive on the other side. If you look up, you'll spot a window leading directly into B4. Scale the rocks to reach the window, vault inside, and then take down the guard watching over the hostages.
When he's out for the count, free the hostages, whom Bond will immediately ask for help setting up a distraction. They'll drop a ladder we can use to reach the roof, where we'll be able to mess with a support cable, causing the giant pylon in the centre of the outpost to crash to the floor and open a path to escape.
Escaping The Camp
Once the pylon's fallen, follow the path the camera directs you towards, dropping down from the rooftop and sprinting across the cliffs to reach the open window to container C2. Hop through the window and then out of another window opposite it, cueing a cutscene as one very brave militia soldier decides it's time for a 1v1.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
The ensuing scuffle has a few quick-time events to click through, concluding with Bond sprinting away from a giant chain-gun-mounted truck and some quad bikes. When you regain control, run after the scientists, who will lead you down a side path, where Bond will be attacked by a dude whipping around a quad bike.
It's some impressive manoeuvring, but when he lands, complete the QTE to disarm him, then run over and interact with the quad bike. Bond will channel his inner Battlefield player and use the quad to blow it to smithereens.
Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun / IO Interactive
When you regain control again, follow the scientists as they climb up the rocks, and you'll cue a cutscene. All that's left is to hit the button prompt that appears while holding the detonator to blow up the entire facility and segue us to a swanky Bond title sequence.
And, with that, it's time to make tracks and move on to the next pit stop of Bond's globetrotting adventure: Malta. Hop over to the next page to continue following our walkthrough of 007 First Light's main story. If you need any extra help, you can also check out our lists of all the Legacy collectibles and Memento collectibles, as well as our guides on completing all the A New Home challenges and Against The Odds challenges. But if none of those are quite what you're looking for, you can find more guides on our 007 First Light hub.
