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

Finding top secret government files should feel glamorous, but sometimes it just involves stealing a giant wooden spoon off a shelf.

The word "Intel" means two very different things in 007 First Light. On one hand, it is the digital currency you grind out in the Tactical Simulations mode to buy upgrades. On the other hand, MI6 Intel refers to the 23 physical collectibles scattered throughout the main story campaign. I am going to break down how to get your hands on both so you can max out your gear and hit 100 percent completion without tearing your hair out.

The TacSim Intel Shop and Clearance Levels

If you want to upgrade your gadgets or buy new cosmetic gear, you need to head to the Tactical Simulations (TacSim) mode from the main menu.

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

To buy anything here, you need two things: Intel (the currency) and a high enough Clearance Level. You earn both by hitting the Mission Selector and running simulations.

You have two ways to grind this out:

• Escalations: These are three-tier bite-sized trials focused on combat, stealth, or improvisation. Completing the specific challenges tied to each trial drops a heavy amount of Intel.

• Operations: These are massive sandbox missions that drop you in with specific objectives. Before you get overly ambitious and load into one of these, know they are strictly endgame activities. If you are struggling to survive, take a look at my breakdown of the difficulty levels and completion times to figure out what you are doing wrong. Operations dish out both Intel and Clearance XP.

How to Find All 23 MI6 Intel Collectibles

The actual collectibles in the campaign are a bit of a nightmare to track down because they do not share a uniform look. You are looking for everything from laptops and manila folders to driving gloves.

Worse still, they do not physically disappear from the environment when you pick them up. The game just quietly logs them in your menu. Before you waste three hours squinting at every desk in the game, get in the habit of tapping your Q-Watch button to scan rooms. It highlights interactable items in yellow.

If you missed a few files on your first run, do not panic. You can use Chapter Select to jump directly to specific checkpoints, grab the file, and immediately quit out. The game auto-saves collectibles instantly.

While you are doing your cleanup sweeps through the early hotel sections, make sure you also crack the manager's safe and punch in the laundry room code to grab those separate rewards.

I put together the exact location of every single MI6 file below so you can just check them off your list.

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 is 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 is 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 (do not 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 are 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.