Best Gadget Loadout in 007 First Light for Every Playstyle

TL;DR

• You can equip 2 gadgets per mission early on, expanding to 4 slots after Mission 7: Knightfall.
• The Q-Watch (hacking) and Q-Lens are always available — they do not take up a slot.
• Best stealth loadout: Dart Phone + Smoke Pods.
• Best combat loadout: Missile Pen + Shockwave Camera.
• Best all-round loadout: Laser Strap + Dart Phone.
• Best 4-slot loadout (post-Knightfall): Dart Phone + Laser Strap + Smoke Pods + Missile Pen.
• Always bring Laser Strap on collectible or challenge replay runs — many are locked behind it.

Choosing the best gadget loadout in 007 First Light is one of the most important decisions you make before each mission. You only have limited slots and limited charge, so going in with the wrong combination can make a smooth mission feel brutal. The good news is that every gadget in the game is usable in both stealth and combat — so with the right pairing, you are always covered. This guide breaks down the best loadouts for every playstyle and situation. For a full breakdown of what every gadget does and how to unlock them all, check our 007 First Light all gadgets guide. You can also get the game on the official 007 First Light website, PlayStation Store, Xbox Store, Steam, or Epic Games Store.

How the Gadget Loadout System Works

Before every mission, you visit the Gadget Cart in the Q-Lab to set your loadout. The number of gadget slots you have grows as you play through the story:

• Early game (Chapters 4–6): 2 gadget slots available alongside the always-equipped Q-Watch.
• Post-Knightfall (Mission 7 onwards): A 4th gadget slot unlocks near the end of Knightfall. This is not tied to any upgrade or TacSim activity — it unlocks automatically through story progression.

The Q-Lens (tactical vision scanner) and Q-Watch hacking function are always active and never take up a slot. Think of them as permanent tools. Your loadout slots are for the secondary gadgets: Dart Phone, Laser Strap, Smoke Pods, Flash Mine, Shockwave Camera, and Missile Pen.

Gadgets use either battery charge or chemical charge. Battery recharges at blue battery icons on electrical devices. Chemical charge replenishes from pickups like alcoholic drinks scattered around mission areas. Because the Dart Phone uses chemical charge and most others use battery, the Dart Phone is a good backup for when your battery runs out mid-mission.

Best Stealth Loadout: Dart Phone + Smoke Pods

This is the cleanest stealth combination in the game. It covers the two biggest problems you face when sneaking through a mission: getting spotted by a single guard, and getting caught in an open area with multiple enemies nearby.

Why it works:

• The Dart Phone handles individual guards quietly at range. Use Q-Lens to tag a target, fire the dart before they notice you, and move on. No noise, no body reaction sounds. It can also be fired at surfaces to lure guards away from positions you need to pass through.
• The Smoke Pods cover you when things get messy. Dropping smoke lets you slip past large groups, cross exposed areas safely, or disappear mid-combat and reset the engagement.
• Together, these two cover nearly every stealth scenario — quiet single takedowns and crowd-level concealment.
• The Dart Phone uses chemical charge and Smoke Pods use chemical charge too, so plan your replenishment accordingly. The Q-Watch hacking runs on battery separately, so you always have your hacking tool available even when chemical charge is low.

Best for: First playthroughs, social infiltration missions, missions with heavy civilian presence, challenge runs requiring no kills or no alerts.

Weakness: This loadout has almost no combat power. If a firefight breaks out, you are relying on melee and your sidearm. Have an escape plan ready.

Best Combat Loadout: Missile Pen + Shockwave Camera

This is the most aggressive loadout in 007 First Light. It is built for missions where fighting is unavoidable — or for players who simply prefer going loud.

Why it works:

• The Missile Pen is the most powerful gadget in the game outright. It fires a discreet explosive that instantly eliminates any direct target and deals area damage to those nearby. It is especially useful against heavily armoured enemies who soak up regular gunfire. Crucially, firing it does not immediately blow your cover the way a regular gun does — so it is more flexible than it first appears.
• The Shockwave Camera provides crowd control. When multiple enemies close in at once, a well-placed shockwave pushes them back and staggers them, giving you time to reposition, follow up with melee, or simply escape. It also destroys breakable cover and some locked doors, which is useful for forcing new routes mid-combat.
• Both gadgets use battery charge, so watch your meter. Recharge between encounters — do not wait until you are empty.

Best for: Licensed to Kill sequences, missions with armoured enemies, boss fights, and players who prefer an action-first approach over stealth.

Weakness: This loadout is weak for stealth. You have no distraction tools and no non-lethal options. One misstep tends to escalate into a full firefight whether you want it to or not.

Best All-Round Loadout: Laser Strap + Dart Phone

This is the most flexible two-slot combination in the game. It works well in stealth, holds up in combat, enables pickpocketing, opens locked routes, and covers you in a wide range of situations you cannot always predict before entering a mission.

Why it works:

• The Laser Strap does multiple things at once. It blinds enemies temporarily for clean stealth takedowns, stuns guards to open a window for melee in combat, disrupts electronic devices to create distractions, cuts padlocks and vents to open new routes, and is essential for accessing a large number of collectibles that are locked behind laser-only barriers.
• The Dart Phone handles long-range distractions and non-lethal incapacitation. It also enables pickpocketing from disoriented NPCs, which is useful for gathering intel and keys without confrontation.
• Together, this pair gives you a non-lethal ranged tool, a close-range utility tool, route-opening capability, and enough flexibility to adapt to whatever the mission throws at you.
• The Dart Phone covers you when your battery is low, since it runs on chemical charge independently.

Best for: Players who mix stealth and combat, players attempting collectible and challenge completions, and anyone who is not sure what the mission will demand.

Weakness: Neither gadget deals reliable damage. Against armoured enemies or in heavy firefights, this loadout starts to feel thin.

Best 4-Slot Loadout (After Knightfall): Dart Phone + Laser Strap + Smoke Pods + Missile Pen

Once you unlock the 4th gadget slot near the end of Mission 7: Knightfall, your options open up significantly. This four-slot combination is the most well-rounded loadout in the full game. It covers stealth, crowd control, route access, and heavy combat all at once.

Slot 1 — Dart Phone: Your non-lethal ranged tool. Handles individual guards quietly, enables pickpocketing, and runs on chemical charge as a backup when battery is depleted.

Slot 2 — Laser Strap: Your multi-purpose utility gadget. Blinds enemies, cuts locks, disrupts electronics, opens collectible-gated routes. The most consistently useful gadget in the game across all situations.

Slot 3 — Smoke Pods: Your crowd control and escape tool. Covers open crossings in stealth, cuts off enemy lines of sight in gunfights, and gives you room to switch to melee when outnumbered.

Slot 4 — Missile Pen: Your hard-hitter. Save it for armoured enemies, boss encounters, or moments when the mission escalates into full combat. Fires without immediately blowing your cover.

This loadout replaces the Shockwave Camera and Flash Mine, which are more situational. The Shockwave Camera is strong in pure brawls but less useful otherwise. The Flash Mine requires practice to place reliably and has a deceptively large trigger radius. For most missions, the four gadgets above cover more ground more consistently.

Loadout for Challenge and Collectible Runs

If you are going back via Chapter Select to complete missed challenges or grab collectibles, your loadout choice changes significantly. Always bring the Laser Strap. A large number of collectibles — playing cards, mementos, and intel — are locked behind padlocks and sealed vents that only the Laser can open. Without it equipped, some items are completely inaccessible.

The second slot should be the Dart Phone for most challenge runs. Many challenges require non-lethal approaches, no-kill runs, or going undetected — the Dart Phone is your most reliable tool for those conditions.

If a specific challenge calls for a combat approach, swap the Dart Phone out for the Flash Mine or Shockwave Camera as needed. Check the challenge requirements before loading in so you are not starting with the wrong setup. For more on replaying missions efficiently, see our guide on how to replay missions in 007 First Light.

Gadget Loadout by Playstyle: Quick Reference

• Pure stealth (2 slots): Dart Phone + Smoke Pods
• Pure combat (2 slots): Missile Pen + Shockwave Camera
• Hybrid / all-round (2 slots): Laser Strap + Dart Phone
• Collectible and challenge runs (2 slots): Laser Strap + Dart Phone
• Best full loadout (4 slots): Dart Phone + Laser Strap + Smoke Pods + Missile Pen
• Boss fights: Laser Strap + Dart Phone (use environmental hazards for damage; save Missile Pen if available)
• Licensed to Kill sequences: Missile Pen + Flash Mine or Shockwave Camera

General Tips for Getting More From Your Loadout

• Recharge before you need to, not after. Battery and chemical charge drain faster than expected. Whenever you see a blue battery icon, recharge immediately — even if you are not empty yet.
• Use Q-Lens constantly. Scan every new room before entering. It costs nothing and tells you exactly where guards are, what you can hack, and where your targets are located. The Laser Strap and Q-Watch work best when you know exactly where to aim them.
• Do not save gadgets for later. The game is designed around regular gadget use. There are enough charge replenishment points throughout each mission. Holding back your gadgets just makes the mission harder than it needs to be.
• Use the Dart Phone as a battery backup. When battery charge runs out mid-mission and you cannot find a recharge point, the Dart Phone keeps you operational because it runs off chemical charge independently.
• Think about the mission before choosing your loadout. The game shows you the challenge list for each mission before you load in. Read it. Challenges often hint at the type of encounter ahead — stealth challenges mean Dart Phone and Smoke Pods; combat-heavy chapters mean Missile Pen and Flash Mine.
• Gadgets work in combat too. Do not treat them as stealth-only tools. Blinding a sniper with the Laser Strap then taking a headshot, or using Smoke Pods mid-gunfight to switch to melee, are things the game actively supports and rewards.

For a full breakdown of every gadget individually, how each one is unlocked, and what it does in detail, visit our 007 First Light all gadgets guide. If you want to know every mission and what challenges each one holds, see our 007 First Light all missions, challenges, and collectibles guide. PC players can check 007 First Light PC requirements to make sure their setup is ready. And if you pre-ordered, see all 007 First Light pre-order and Deluxe Edition items to confirm what you received.