Difficulty guide

007 First Light Difficulty Settings: Which Mode Should You Choose?

Novice, Intended, and Purist change how much pressure you feel in stealth, gunfights, chases, and resource management. Intended is the safest first-playthrough choice; Purist is for players who already understand Bond’s tools.

Compare the modes How to change difficulty

Verified July 22, 2026 against the released game and current guides.

Official 007 First Light gameplay screenshot showing Bond aiming during a combat encounter — Official Steam gameplay media, cropped and compressed for this guide.

Best first runIntendedBalanced stealth and combat pressure.

Easiest modeNoviceBest for story, accessibility, or learning systems.

Hardest modePuristPunishing encounters and tighter resource decisions.

Quick answer

Choose Intended unless you already know you want easy or hard mode

007 First Light has three difficulty settings: Novice, Intended, and Purist. Intended is the recommended baseline because it preserves the tension of stealth and action without making early mistakes overly expensive.

Choose Novice if you mainly want the Bond story, cinematic set pieces, or a gentler learning curve. Choose Purist if you enjoy retrying encounters, managing limited opportunities, and solving combat or stealth problems with less room for error.

All 007 First Light difficulty settings explained

The modes do not change the story route. They change the pressure around detection, damage, combat recovery, and how forgiving encounters feel.

Easy

Novice

A forgiving mode that keeps the campaign moving when stealth breaks or a firefight becomes messy.

More room to survive mistakes.
Useful while learning Focus, gadgets, takedowns, and cover.
Good for story-first or accessibility-focused play.

Best for: new action players, story runs, and relaxed replays.

Normal

Intended

The developer-facing baseline and the best all-round choice for a first complete playthrough.

Stealth mistakes matter without becoming constant restart points.
Combat still rewards cover, positioning, and gadget use.
Shows the intended rhythm between investigation, infiltration, and spectacle.

Best for: most first-time players and balanced challenge.

Hard

Purist

The most demanding mode, designed for players comfortable with the full spycraft toolkit.

Enemies punish exposed movement and poor positioning quickly.
Resource and checkpoint decisions carry more weight.
Encourages cleaner stealth plans and deliberate combat.

Best for: experienced stealth-action players and challenge runs.

Difficulty comparison at a glance

Mode	Pressure	Best starting point	Main trade-off
Novice	Low	Story and learning	Less tension in combat
Intended	Medium	First playthrough	Occasional retries
Purist	High	Experienced players	Slower progress and more restarts

Exact encounter difficulty varies by mission and playstyle: a loud firefight can feel harder than a careful stealth route on the same setting.

Official 007 First Light screenshot showing Bond using Focus during a stealth encounter — Purist rewards deliberate sightline checks and careful use of Bond’s tools.

How to change difficulty without starting over

You can adjust difficulty during a playthrough. Current release guides report that the game offers a lower setting after failed objectives and also lets you change the active setting through checkpoint or mission options.

If the menu wording differs after an update, look under gameplay settings or reload/checkpoint options rather than starting a new save.

Pause or return to the checkpoint/mission menu.
Open gameplay or difficulty options.
Select Novice, Intended, or Purist.
Reload the checkpoint if the game asks to apply the new setting.

Changing difficulty can alter the feel of the current encounter immediately. If you want a clean comparison, change it at the start of a mission or checkpoint.

Best 007 First Light difficulty by playstyle

Pick the mode that matches the experience you want, not the label you normally choose in other games.

Choose Novice for story and spectacle

Novice is the practical choice if long action sequences, timing-heavy escapes, or repeated combat failures interrupt your enjoyment. It is also useful for collecting missed items or replaying missions quickly.

Choose Intended for the complete first-run balance

Intended keeps spycraft meaningful while leaving enough recovery room to experiment. It is the strongest default for players who alternate between stealth, gadgets, hand-to-hand combat, and gunplay.

Choose Purist for mastery, not prestige

Purist works best after you understand enemy sightlines, Focus timing, gadget combinations, and reliable escape routes. Pick it because you enjoy the process; the trophy path does not require proving yourself on the hardest setting.

Official 007 First Light screenshot showing a high-speed Aston Martin chase — Difficulty also changes how forgiving the action-heavy sequences feel.

Do trophies or achievements require Purist difficulty?

Current trophy roadmaps do not list a trophy for finishing the story on Purist. The platinum/achievement route focuses on missions, challenges, collectibles, and specific actions rather than a mandatory hard-mode completion.

That means trophy hunters can use Novice or Intended for cleanup unless a future update changes the list. Always check the in-game trophy description after major patches.

See the complete trophy and achievement roadmap.

Difficulty settings FAQ

What is the best difficulty for a first playthrough?

Intended is the best default for most players because it balances stealth, combat, and cinematic pacing.

Can you change difficulty in 007 First Light?

Yes. You can adjust the difficulty during a playthrough through the available gameplay, mission, or checkpoint options.

Is there an easy mode?

Yes. Novice is the easy setting and is designed to be more forgiving while you learn the game or focus on the story.

Does Purist unlock a trophy?

Current trophy lists do not require a Purist story completion. Use the mode for challenge rather than a mandatory platinum step.

Official references

007 First Light on Steam — Official store page and gameplay media.
PlayStation 007 First Light — Official gameplay and accessibility overview.