007 First Light Guide: How to Farm Intel and Find Every MI6 File

Unlocking every gadget upgrade and reaching full completion in 007 First Light requires you to hunt down two entirely different types of Intel.

The word Intel carries a dual meaning in this game, which causes a lot of unnecessary confusion when you look at the menus. It acts as a digital currency you grind out in the Tactical Simulations mode to buy upgrades, but MI6 Intel also refers directly to 23 physical collectibles scattered throughout the main story campaign. I'm going to break down how to get your hands on both so you can max out your gear and hit full completion without tearing your hair out.

The TacSim Economy and Clearance Levels

Upgrading your gadgets or buying new cosmetic gear requires a trip to the Tactical Simulations mode from the main menu.

Walk down the stairs right outside the actual simulation room, and you'll spot the Intel Shop. This specific vendor is the only place in the entire game where you can purchase weapon skins, gadget upgrades, and new clothing. If you want to know exactly what kind of wardrobe you're grinding for, check out my complete suits unlock guide to see all the available options.

Securing those items requires spending Intel currency and holding a high enough Clearance Level. You earn both by hitting the Mission Selector and running combat simulations. Grinding for these gadget upgrades early dictates your survivability in the campaign. Expanding your Laser Strap capacity or increasing your Dart Phone ammunition completely bypasses some of the hardest late-game security chokepoints, saving you from getting stuck in difficult stealth sections with zero resources.

Selecting the Right Simulations

You have two different ways to grind out the currency you need.

Escalations act as bite-sized trials focused heavily on combat, stealth, or improvisation. Completing the specific challenges tied to each trial drops a heavy amount of Intel. These missions serve as your fastest method for farming raw currency to quickly afford basic weapon attachments so you can actually survive the harder content.

Operations offer a totally different experience. These massive sandbox missions drop you into open areas with specific objectives to clear. They dish out both Intel and Clearance XP, which you need to unlock the higher-tier cosmetic items. Treat Operations strictly as endgame activities. Jumping into one with an under-leveled loadout usually results in an instant fail. If you struggle to survive these encounters, take a look at my breakdown of the difficulty levels and completion times to identify what you're doing wrong.

Tracking Down the MI6 Collectibles

The physical collectibles hidden in the campaign are a bit of a nightmare to track down because they lack a uniform look. You're forced to hunt for everything from closed laptops and manila folders to driving gloves and wooden spoons.

Worse still, they don't physically disappear from the environment when you pick them up. The game just quietly logs them in your menu. Get in the habit of tapping your Q-Watch button constantly to scan rooms. The watch highlights interactable items in a bright yellow glow. Relying on the scanner prevents you from wasting hours squinting at empty desks in dark rooms looking for a tiny piece of paper, letting you clear out heavily guarded areas significantly faster.

If you miss a few files on your first run, don't panic. The game features a highly forgiving Chapter Select menu that lets you jump directly to specific checkpoints. The system auto-saves collectibles the exact moment you grab them. This allows you to pick up a missing file and quit to the main menu instantly, saving you from having to finish a 45-minute level just to secure one missing item. While you're doing your cleanup sweeps through the early hotel sections, crack the manager's safe and punch in the laundry room code to grab those separate rewards at the same time.

The Complete MI6 File Checklist

The timeline below tracks exactly where each file spawns so you know what checkpoint to load.

Chapter	Intel Name	Exact Location
4. The Heart of the Matter	Selina Tan	Inside the Q-Lab, go to the back right corner. Look for a cupboard where two scientists are talking.
4. The Heart of the Matter	00 Recruits	Also in the Q-Lab, but you have to speak to Q first. Check the laptop on the desk behind where Q originally stood.
5. A New Home	Lennox Monroe	Inside the penthouse living room. Look for the family photo sitting on the cupboard in the right corner.
5. A New Home	Cressida Bright	Walk to the end of the hallway into Cressida's bedroom. Interact with the gift box sitting on her bed.
7. A Matter of Considerable Delicacy	Arrowhead	Take the elevator to the Operations floor. Step out, turn completely around, and walk to the opposite end of the floor. It's on the middle desk.
7. A Matter of Considerable Delicacy	009	Sitting in plain sight on the desk inside Moneypenny's office.
9. Out of the Ashes	Niko and Tero Murto	Take the elevator back up to Operations. Look on the back left cabinet sitting directly behind the elevator itself.
10. The Past Never Dies	Bawma	In the black market area. Head to the back left corner, just left of the shooting range. Look for a delivery box on a stall table.
10. The Past Never Dies	John Greenway	While checking the crime scene on the boat, go into the very last room. Check the left cupboard for a photo.
11. Uninvited	James Bond	Back in your penthouse, go into Bond's bedroom. It's the framed photo on the nightstand right next to the bed.
11. Uninvited	Webb Industries	In the Gala room, turn left into the press area. Hit the fusebox in the right corner to distract the guard, bluff the woman inside, and grab the pack near the guard's post.
11. Uninvited	Stephen Bright	Inside the CCTV security room, take the door at the front right. Grab the notice sitting right on the table.
12. Knightfall	Roger Finch	After finding the office key in the bathroom stall, open the locked door and enter the office marked "R. Finch" on the left. Interact with the wooden spoon on the display stand.
12. Knightfall	Isola Vale	In the corridor blocked by lasers, push the obstacle to enter the vent. Go straight forward (don't exit left) into an office. Grab the contract on the desk.
12. Knightfall	Damien Webb	Inside the penthouse, go to the back right corner and pull the psych profile off the shelf.
13. Going Old School	Q	Right after you meet up with Q, look for the driving gloves sitting on a desk to the right.
14. Time to Die	Theresa Lorca	Immediately after the cutscene finishes talking to Lorca, look at the ground directly in front of the pool.
14. Time to Die	Caliban	After finishing the quick-time event where you tie your bowtie, grab the profile file off the living room table.
14. Time to Die	Riptide	After escaping your handcuffs, look for a black gun case resting on a wooden coil to the right.
15. Man of the Hour	Rhys Beckett	Use your laser strap on the fire extinguisher above the door scanner to enter Q-03 Stress Testing. Open the locked cabinet with code 4397 (the car's license plate) to grab the photo.
16. Wave of the Future	M	While you're inside the Security Office upgrading your ID bracelet, look at the desk.
16. Wave of the Future	Sir Nicholas Webb	Look for the chair sitting on top of a rock right next to the cat statue you have to rotate.
17. For England	Eve Moneypenny	In the utility tunnels, use the wall panel to disable the massive fan. Crawl through the blades and grab the wallet off the ledge before you climb down the ladder.