007 First Light Extended Operations Adds New Game Plus and 00 Difficulty

007 First Light has received its first content-focused DLC, and it is arriving as a free update rather than a separate paid mission pack. Extended Operations adds five missions to the game’s TacSim mode, introduces New Game Plus and a new 00 difficulty setting, and brings in outfits, photo mode and several gameplay adjustments.

The update is notable less for advancing a new Bond story and more for giving existing players new reasons to return to systems and tools already present in the game. Its most conspicuous addition is a collection of operations built around the Valhalla, the supercar that appears only briefly in the campaign. Four of the five new TacSim operations focus on that vehicle, turning its weapons and gadgets into the basis for timed driving challenges.

That focus gives Extended Operations a clear identity: it is a replayability update. Players looking for fresh objectives, more punishing combat rules, or an excuse to revisit missions with a camera at hand have several new options. Players waiting specifically for a narrative expansion, however, should set expectations accordingly. The available details point to challenge content and systems work, not a new official adventure for James Bond.

Five TacSim operations, with the Valhalla in the spotlight

Extended Operations adds five missions to TacSim, the mode previously identified as a target for future content. Four of those operations revolve around the Valhalla. Footage associated with the update presents them as driving trials in which players use the car’s combat equipment and gadgetry to complete objectives against a timer.

That is an especially welcome use of the vehicle because its campaign presence is limited. Rather than leaving the Valhalla as a short-lived spectacle, the new operations appear designed to let players engage more directly with its distinctive kit. Timed objectives also change the nature of the task. A mission is no longer simply about reaching a finish line; it is about choosing when to deploy a gadget, how to make use of the vehicle’s weapons and how to avoid wasting the seconds that define a successful run.

There is one important restriction. The update does not allow the Valhalla to be swapped into other driving missions. In other words, it is not a universal vehicle-selection feature. The car is attached to its new operations for now, and players will still use the designated vehicles elsewhere in the game.

That boundary matters because it clarifies what the DLC is delivering. These are bespoke challenges built to showcase the supercar, not a wholesale rewrite of vehicle access across the campaign. It keeps the promise specific, while leaving open the possibility that broader use could be considered later.

New Game Plus comes with a much harsher 00 difficulty

The other major pillar of Extended Operations is New Game Plus. The term generally describes an option that lets players begin another run after completing a game, usually with a revised challenge structure or continued access to parts of their prior progress. The update announcement does not spell out every rule governing 007 First Light’s implementation, so players should avoid assuming exactly what carries over until they see the mode’s in-game details.

What is clear is that New Game Plus is accompanied by a new 00 difficulty, positioned above the game’s existing Purist difficulty. The new setting is described as significantly tougher, with several changes intended to make mistakes more costly:

Enemies react faster.
Some NPCs are replaced by tougher variants.
Combat becomes substantially less forgiving through two-hit kills.
The timing window for parries is tighter.

For players unfamiliar with the terminology, a parry window is the short period in which an input must be made to successfully deflect or counter an incoming attack. Tightening that window reduces the time available to react, putting a greater premium on anticipation and timing. A two-hit-kill rule, meanwhile, means survival can be decided almost immediately once a fight goes wrong.

Together, those adjustments suggest that 00 difficulty is not merely a slider that increases enemy durability. Faster reactions can put more pressure on stealth and positioning, tougher NPC variants can alter how safe an encounter feels, and a narrower parry window makes close-quarters recovery far riskier. The result should be a mode better suited to players who already know the game and want its action to demand greater precision.

It also gives New Game Plus a stronger purpose than repetition for its own sake. A second run becomes an opportunity to test route knowledge and combat habits under rules that punish casual improvisation. That is a sensible match for a Bond game built around competence: on 00, being stylish may matter less than being consistently prepared.

Photo mode and smaller mechanical changes round out the update

Extended Operations also adds a photo mode, allowing players to compose and capture images in-game. It is a straightforward but meaningful addition for a visually lavish espionage setting, particularly for people who want to preserve a dramatic location, a tailored outfit or an unusually clean action beat without relying on a standard system screenshot.

The update follows a recent path tracing addition as well. Path tracing is a rendering technique that simulates the paths of light to produce more physically detailed illumination, reflections and shadows. It can be demanding on hardware, but it is often used to make scenes feel more naturally lit. No additional technical specifics are provided here, but the timing means players returning for Extended Operations may also be coming back after a significant graphical update.

Outside the headline features, weapon animations have been improved. Animation refinements may sound modest on a feature list, but they affect actions players repeat constantly. Clearer or more polished weapon handling can improve the perceived rhythm of encounters even when the underlying rules remain the same.

There is also a more mischievous balance change: enemies can now throw Bond off cliffs. Players could already do that to enemies in the base game, so the update effectively extends the same environmental threat in the other direction. It is a small change with potentially large consequences in the wrong place. Anyone used to treating ledges as a one-sided tactical advantage may need to keep more distance from opponents near a drop.

What Extended Operations means for returning players

The strongest practical case for downloading the update is clear. Players who enjoyed 007 First Light and want more structured challenges get five operations, with a distinct vehicle-driven angle in four of them. Completion-minded players receive New Game Plus and an expert-oriented difficulty tier. Players who care about virtual photography gain an overdue tool, while the broader gameplay changes give repeat sessions a few new wrinkles.

The free price is important, too. It lowers the barrier for existing owners to see whether the Valhalla operations or 00 difficulty suit their tastes. It also makes this a useful test of what post-launch TacSim support can look like: compact, replay-focused additions that draw on assets and mechanics from the main game.

There is no indication in the update details that Extended Operations is a story expansion, and it should not be treated as one. Its value lies in varied repeat play rather than in new narrative revelations. That distinction is not a knock against the package; a free set of five operations, difficulty options and quality-of-life features has a different job to do.

For the broader PC audience, it lands amid a busy season of new things to sample, including a range of Steam Next Fest demos spanning co-op, stealth and strategy. But 007 First Light’s update is aimed squarely at people already invested in its particular version of the Bond fantasy: drive faster, fight cleaner, and perhaps stand a little farther from the cliff edge.