007 First Light Wiki

Gunplay — 007 First Light Mechanics Explained

Gunplay is gated by License to Kill

You cannot draw a pistol whenever you want. Bond’s firearms only unlock during the License to Kill ROE state (covered fully on the License to Kill page). Outside that state, the trigger does nothing.

Once License to Kill is live, everything below is available.

What unlocks during License to Kill

  • Standard gunfire with any equipped firearm
  • Disarming shots — one well-placed round knocks the weapon out of an enemy’s hand without killing them; the gun lands at their feet and you can pick it up
  • Weapon pickup from disarmed or killed enemies
  • Focus state (R3) — slow time for precision shots, consumes Instinct
  • Aim-from-cover — crosshair follows screen center while behind cover so you can pre-line a shot before peeking
  • Empty-gun throw — when out of ammo, throw your pistol at an enemy’s face to daze them and free a melee window

Default loadout

Bond starts with the silenced Walther PPK (“Q Pistol”). It’s the only weapon guaranteed to be in your hand at the top of every chapter. Everything else is looted on the fly.

For the full list of confirmed firearms — Walther PPK, Walther P99 “Agent’s Mark” (Deluxe), Heckler & Koch VP9, Golden Gun (Legacy), AK-47, UMP45, APC9, Super-Shorty, RPG-7, and the rest — see the Weapons hub.

Focus state — slow-mo aim

Hold R3 to enter Focus. Time slows, the reticle calms, headshots become trivial. The cost is Instinct, which also funds Bluff and Lure.

Best uses:

  • Multi-target headshot strings during License to Kill
  • Disarming shots on tight angles
  • Catching a Watcher or armored guard mid-charge

Worst uses:

  • Spending it in a calm room “just to see”
  • Using it on a single low-threat guard you could have meleed

Step-by-step: a clean gunfight

  1. Wait for the banner to flip to “License to Kill.” Until then, your sidearm is decoration.
  2. Aim from cover. Center the reticle on a head, then peek and fire.
  3. Open with a disarming shot. One round, one weapon on the floor, one less threat.
  4. Pop Focus (R3) for two headshots, then drop it. Don’t burn the whole meter on one room.
  5. Loot dropped weapons for variety — an AK or UMP45 changes how the rest of the fight plays out.
  6. Throw the empty gun when the slide locks back. Free daze, melee follow-up.

Tips

  • Suppressed sidearm is king in TacSim — enemies react dynamically to missed shots, broken lights, and sound direction.
  • Shooting grenades out of the air works. So does hacking their timer with Q-Watch mid-throw.
  • Shoot red explosive barrels to remove cover and topple armored foes.
  • Save Instinct for Focus during License to Kill, not for Bluffs you don’t need.
  • The Casino Royale empty-gun throw is a legit combo opener, not a meme — use it.

Common mistakes

  • Mashing fire outside License to Kill (no input does anything).
  • Spending all Focus in the first encounter.
  • Killing the last armed enemy too fast and dropping out of License to Kill before looting.
  • Ignoring disarming shots. Even on lethal runs the free pickup is worth it.

FAQ

Can I use any weapon outside License to Kill? No. The ROE check is hard-locked at the trigger.

Do silenced shots break stealth? Less than unsilenced shots, but they still register if a guard sees a body drop or hears the impact. Distance and sightlines matter.

Is there aim-assist on PC? Default settings include light aim assist on controller; PC mouse aim is raw. Both can be tuned in Settings.

What about throwing knives? Throwing knives are confirmed in the weapons roster and behave as a silent ranged option in some contexts — see Weapons for current status.