TL;DR
- The auction takes place in Chapter 10: The Past Never Dies at Aleph’s black market.
- You need $100,000 as an entry fee before you can join the auction.
- There are no wrong answers — almost every dialogue choice leads to the same outcome.
- Auction Answer 1 (Polygraph): Pick any option — all three pass the lie detector.
- Auction Answer 2 (Opening bid): Pick any of the three bid amounts — none changes the outcome.
- Key action: When Mr Leung bids, use the Q-Watch to hack his polygraph and disqualify him.
- Auction Answer 3 (Counterbid): Pick any of the three options — all are accepted as a great offer.
- Final action: When Miss Bachchan undercuts you, hit Improvise immediately before the timer runs out — this is the only moment you can fail.
007 First Light all auction answers in The Past Never Dies are straightforward once you know what’s happening. Bond and Greenway infiltrate a secret black market auction in Aleph, Mauritania, hosted by Barkhad Ali. Their goal is to win the bid — not with cash, but with spy tactics. This guide walks through every dialogue choice, every bid option, and the two actions that actually matter: hacking Mr Leung’s polygraph and hitting Improvise before the timer expires.
Before you can even sit down at the auction, you need to raise $100,000 as the entry fee. If you haven’t done that yet, see our guide on how to obtain the auction fee in 007 First Light. For a full picture of everything in this chapter, our The Past Never Dies all challenges guide covers all 23 challenges.
How to Get Into the Auction
After earning the $100,000 entry fee in the black market, return to Bawma’s men and hand over your invitation and the money. Then follow Greenway through to the auction venue and take a seat. The auction is hosted by a man named Barkhad Ali, and it features two other bidders — a rival named Mr Leung and another called Miss Bachchan.
The auction runs in five distinct phases. Here is exactly what to do in each one.
All Auction Answers in 007 First Light
Phase 1 – The Polygraph Test (Auction Answer 1)
Before any bidding begins, every attendee must prove their identity through a standard polygraph test. This is the auction’s security check. When it’s Bond’s turn, you will be given three dialogue options:
- This man (Greenway) hates me.
- Call me James.
- Thrilled to be here.
Pick any one of them. All three pass the polygraph and turn it green. There is no wrong answer here. This first phase is purely a character moment — Bond’s charm shines through no matter which line you choose.
Phase 2 – The Opening Bid (Auction Answer 2)
Since Bond and Greenway are first-time participants, they are given the courtesy of placing the opening bid. You will be asked to choose a starting bid from three amounts:
- 9 Million USD
- 3 Million USD
- 1 Million USD
Again, it doesn’t matter which you pick. The story progresses identically regardless of the amount. Select whichever feels most Bond-like and move on. After you place your opening bid, the other participants will start placing their own bids, trying to outdo yours.
Phase 3 – Hack Mr Leung’s Polygraph (Required Action)
This is the first action in the auction that actually matters. When Mr Leung steps up to place his bid, you need to sabotage it. Here’s how:
- Open your Q-Watch when Mr Leung bids.
- Aim at his polygraph machine.
- Hack it using the prompt button on screen.
The polygraph readout will flip from green to red, immediately disqualifying Mr Leung from the auction. It’s a clean, dirty trick — exactly what Bond would do. After this, it is back to your turn to bid.
Phase 4 – The Counterbid (Auction Answer 3)
With Mr Leung out of the picture, you place your next offer. You will be given three options again:
- Remove Scorpius from Aleph
- Next-gen solar panel blueprints
- Two long-distance missile strikes
Once more, any choice works. Barkhad Ali will call it a “wonderful offer” regardless of what you select. The real challenge is just about to come.
Phase 5 – Improvise Against Miss Bachchan (Required Action)
This is the only moment in the entire auction where you can actually fail. After you place your counterbid, Miss Bachchan steps in and undercuts your offer by proposing an exclusive contract directly to Bawma — a far more tempting deal for the auctioneer.
The moment she makes her move, an Improvise button prompt will appear on screen with a rapidly depleting timer. You must press it immediately. Do not hesitate. If the timer runs out, you will fail the mission and be sent to the last checkpoint.
When you press Improvise, Bond responds by offering up three decades’ worth of classified MI6 intel. It’s a wildly reckless move — Greenway will not be happy — but it wins the auction. Barkhad Ali agrees and will help Bond locate 009, who is on a boat gifted by Bawma.
With the auction won, you unlock the Win, Lose or Die achievement and the story moves forward. Bond and Greenway split up, and you must make your way to 009’s boat via a crane section.
Does It Matter Which Answers You Choose?
For the dialogue choices, no. Almost every option in this auction leads to exactly the same story outcome. IO Interactive built the scene with “plot armour” — Bond wins regardless of what you say during the polygraph test, the opening bid, or the counterbid round.
However, the two mechanical actions are not optional:
- Hacking Mr Leung’s polygraph — you must do this when he bids or he won’t be disqualified and the auction sequence won’t progress properly.
- Pressing Improvise in time — this is a timed prompt. Missing it causes a mission failure. React the moment you see it appear on screen.
How to Earn the $100,000 Auction Entry Fee Fast
Before the auction, you need to raise the full entry fee in the Aleph Black Market. There are several ways to do it. The fastest approach is to combine the Fight Pit ($60,000 reward) and the Crypto Wallet job ($50,000 reward), which puts you over the target in just two activities.
Other ways to earn money in the market include the shooting range, the cup game, the Scorpius deal, and pickpocketing guards. For the full breakdown, visit these guides:
- How to collect $140k in the market
- The Hammer – Fight Pit and Hammer Time challenge
- Shooting range challenge guide
- How to win the cup game – Cupped challenge
- Scorpius deal – Art Lover challenge
- Secure Transaction challenge
What Happens After You Win the Auction?
After winning the auction, Bond and Greenway split up. Bond must reach 009’s boat by navigating a crane section and climbing across ships while avoiding or fighting pirates. You can use the Q-Watch on electric cabinets and ladders to slip through. There is also a stereo near the top that can lure a lone guard for a quiet takedown before you drop down to the boat.
This post-auction section has its own set of challenges. If you’re going for full chapter mastery, see our The Past Never Dies all challenges guide to make sure you don’t miss any of the 23 available. Completing all of them unlocks the Mauritania outfit for TacSim.
Quick Summary – All Auction Answers
- Phase 1 – Polygraph: Any answer passes (This man hates me / Call me James / Thrilled to be here)
- Phase 2 – Opening bid: Any amount works (9M / 3M / 1M USD)
- Phase 3 – Hack Mr Leung: Open Q-Watch, aim at his polygraph, hack it to disqualify him (required)
- Phase 4 – Counterbid: Any offer is accepted (Remove Scorpius / Solar panel blueprints / Missile strikes)
- Phase 5 – Improvise: Press the timed prompt immediately when Miss Bachchan undercuts you (required — fail if you miss it)
More 007 First Light Guides
- All postcard locations in 007 First Light
- All legacy item locations
- Tech Support challenge – Rogue Decoder guide
- When to bluff, lure, or takedown
- All gadgets in 007 First Light
- Best gadget loadout
- Trophy and achievement guide
- All missions, challenges and collectibles
- How long to beat 007 First Light
- All safe codes and door codes
007 First Light is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games. The game is developed by IO Interactive.
