007 First Light Guide: Unlocking the Compound Basement
A locked door in a spy game is practically an invitation, but finding the keys to the Compound Basement takes a little legwork.
During the "Search the Compound" mission in the "A New Home" chapter, you explore a training facility in Malta. It's incredibly tempting to push straight toward your primary objective and ignore the side paths. Before you rush ahead and make life harder on yourself, take a five-minute detour to grab the Compound Basement keys. It opens up a much cleaner stealth route and hides a nice collectible you'll want for your completion run.
Stealing the Keys
The keys spawn the second you enter the large compound area. Look for a broken structure off to the side where a few soldiers are slacking off around a TV. The keys are hanging right on the left wall of that structure.
You have two choices here. You can crouch, time your movement while they're glued to the screen, and snatch the keys silently. Or, if you prefer a loud approach, you can drop them all first. If you choose violence, make sure your reflexes are sharp, and maybe brush up with the 007 First Light parry and combat guide if you're feeling rusty. I usually opt for the stealth route using the Q-Watch to pull their attention, but either method leaves the keys in the exact same spot.
Navigating to the Basement Door
From the structure, turn right and head across the steps. This puts you on a balcony with two soldiers having a chat.
Don't try to rush past them while they're together. You'll get spotted instantly and trigger a completely unnecessary alert. Wait patiently for their conversation to end so one of them walks away. Once they split up, sneak behind the remaining guard to cross the balcony safely. Follow the corridor all the way to the end, head down the stairs, and you'll spot the locked basement door on your left.
Clearing the Basement
Unlock the door and step inside. You're now in a massive room with three more soldiers to deal with. Don't charge in blindly. Use your Q-Watch to cause a distraction, splitting them up so you can take them down individually on your own terms.
Once the room is clear, check the top of a wooden pallet to find your real prize: the 7 of Roses playing card collectible. There are also plenty of extra resources lying around the room to restock your inventory. Clearing this basement keeps you far away from the heavy guard patrols above, making the rest of your Malta run incredibly smooth. And since you're already in the business of cracking locked doors, you might want to keep my 007 First Light safe codes guide handy for the rest of your playthrough.
