TL;DR

You need $100,000 as an auction entry fee during The Past Never Dies mission (Mission 4).
There are 6 ways to earn the money in the Aleph black market.
No single method covers the full amount — you need to combine at least two or three.
Once you hit $100,000, the game immediately locks you out of remaining activities.
If you want the Show Me the Money challenge, push to $140,000 before triggering the cap.
Best fastest combo: Fight Pit ($60,000) + Crypto Wallet ($50,000) = done.

How to Obtain the Auction Fee in 007 First Light is one of the biggest questions players face when they arrive at the Aleph black market during The Past Never Dies. Bond and Greenway need $100,000 just to get through the door of an exclusive weapons auction to find 009 — and the game drops you into a sprawling criminal hub with zero instructions on where to start. This guide covers all six ways to make money, how much each pays, and the smartest order to do them in.

007 First Light is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games Store. More info at the official IO Interactive site.

Table of Contents

Why the Auction Fee Matters

The $100,000 auction fee is a story objective in The Past Never Dies — the 4th mission with challenges in 007 First Light. It has 23 total challenges, the most in the game. Raising the fee is not just a money grind. It is tied to multiple challenge completions, so the activities you choose and the order you do them in has a real impact on your progress.

The most important rule: do not hit $100,000 too early. The second your total crosses that threshold, the game tells you to head to the auction and locks off every remaining money-making activity. If you still have routes left to do — especially if you are chasing the Show Me the Money challenge ($140,000) — you will miss them entirely. Plan your order before you start spending.

For the full list of everything in this mission, see our 007 First Light: The Past Never Dies all challenges guide.

All 6 Ways to Obtain the Auction Fee

Here is a full breakdown of every method available in the Aleph black market, along with what each one pays out.

1. Fight Pit — $60,000

The Fight Pit is the highest single payout in the market and the best place to start. Head down the stairs from the auction area and go southeast until you see a shark skull hanging over an arch. Go through the arch to reach the Fighting Pit entrance.

Eavesdrop on the conversation between the Ring Master and the Trainer near the blue barrel. After the eavesdrop, speak to the Ring Master, then go outside to find the Trainer and sign up. You will need to beat Omar in a quick trial fight first — if you want the Fall Guy challenge, shove him over the railing using the push move (R1 + Square on PlayStation / RB + X on Xbox).

Once inside the arena, you face three rounds of unarmed combat:

Round 1 — One normal fighter. Straightforward.
Round 2 — Two opponents at the same time. Time your parries and use wall throws.
Round 3 — A large Brute called the Hammer. Block yellow glints, dodge red ones, and chain takedowns when he staggers.

After winning all three rounds, speak to the Trainer to collect your $60,000. Be ready for a trio of angry fighters who will confront you on the way out. Deal with them and move on.

2. Crypto Wallet — $50,000

The Crypto Wallet route is the most involved method but also one of the biggest payouts. It also unlocks the Secure Transaction challenge. Start by speaking to Nirmala at the pawn shop near the left side of the market entrance ramp. Exhaust all her dialogue to learn about a buyer trying to purchase weapons with cryptocurrency.

Follow the objectives to eavesdrop on a man on the phone, pickpocket a crypto hardware wallet from a woman near a tea stall (distract her with a Phone Dart or by sabotaging a charging station), then navigate through a thug hideout without fighting. Avoid combat — multiple enemies per floor will all rush Bond at once if spotted. Reach the top, connect the wallet to the Aleph Cell Tower, and Moneypenny does the rest.

This adds $50,000 to your auction total and completes the Secure Transaction challenge in a single run. For the full step-by-step breakdown, see our 007 First Light Secure Transaction Challenge guide.

3. Scorpius Art Deal — $52,000

The Scorpius Deal is a stealth and combat sub-objective that pays out $52,000 and also completes the Art Lover challenge. From the bottom of the market stairs, turn right immediately. You will find two Scorpius guards near a chain-link door. Do not eavesdrop on them directly — instead, hack the TV nearby to distract the guards, then slip past them through the left side of the door.

Inside the hideout, stay in stealth. Follow the objectives to steal a burner phone, then head to the back of the market area to find Container 76, which holds the art. Once you secure the art, a group of armed Scorpius mercenaries will attack. Fight them off. After the shootout, the buyer arrives and pays you $52,000.

The Scorpius compound is also where you can grab the Scorpius Disguise, which helps with multiple other challenges. See our Scorpius Disguise and Soldier Boy challenge guide and the full Scorpius Deal and Art Lover challenge guide for details.

4. Cup Game (Jewel of Jahari) — $30,000

This is a quick puzzle activity that uses the Q-Lens to guarantee a win. Before you approach the cup game, speak to Nirmala first (if you haven’t already) to start the Jewel of Jahari sub-objective — this ties into the Cupped challenge.

After the Fight Pit, turn left and find a shoe stall. To the right of it is Aadan running a cup scam. Pay the $3,500 entry fee and the game begins. The moment the cups start shuffling, hold L1 (PlayStation) or LB (Xbox) to activate the Q-Lens. It highlights the jewel in orange under one of the moving cups. When Aadan asks you to pick, choose the cup the jewel is under — it will almost always end up in the middle if you track it correctly.

Take the jewel to Nirmala’s pawn shop to cash out for $30,000. For the full method, see our Cup Game guide.

5. Shooting Range — $30,000

The Shooting Range is a fast and low-risk way to add $30,000 to your total. It also unlocks two challenges at once — Gunslinger and Shoot ‘Em Up. Head east from the market entrance, through the yellow shipping container, then follow to the back left to find Basim.

Pay the $3,000 entry fee (pickpocket the nearby soldier using a Phone Dart if you need cash) and shoot all 10 targets before they drop back down. The targets appear one at a time. The last two appear simultaneously — use Focus (L3) to hit them both before the timer runs out. Hit all 10 and Basim grudgingly hands over $30,000.

Full instructions are in our 007 First Light Shooting Range Challenge guide.

6. Pickpocketing — ~$3,000 Per Target

Pickpocketing is the slowest method but useful for recovering small entry fees or topping up your total. Activate the Q-Lens and walk around the market. Any character with an orange square on their belt is carrying cash and can be pickpocketed. Distract them first — the Phone Dart is the easiest tool — wait for the question mark to appear above their head, then steal the money clip. Each successful pickpocket gives roughly $3,000.

This is not a primary route. Use it to recover the $3,500 Cup Game entry fee or to bridge small gaps between other activities. For tips on gadgets that make pickpocketing easier, see our best gadget loadout guide.

How to Obtain the Auction Fee: Fastest Method

If you just need the $100,000 as fast as possible without worrying about challenge completions, this two-step combination is the most efficient:

Fight Pit — $60,000
Crypto Wallet — $50,000

That totals $110,000, giving you a small buffer over the required amount. Both activities are available from the moment you enter the market and neither requires spending your own money upfront.

Best Order If You Want All Challenges

If you are going for full challenge completion in The Past Never Dies — including the Show Me the Money challenge which requires $140,000 — do things in this order:

Step 1: Fight Pit — earn $60,000
Step 2: Cup Game — earn $30,000 (costs $3,500 entry)
Step 3: Pickpocket to recover the $3,500 Cup Game entry fee
Step 4: Scorpius Deal — earn $52,000
Step 5: Crypto Wallet — earn $50,000
Step 6: Shooting Range — earn $30,000 (costs $3,000 entry)

Following this order keeps you under the $100,000 cap for longer, lets you complete every sub-objective, and pushes well past $140,000 before the auction locks you out. For the exact route with step-by-step instructions, see our dedicated guide on how to collect 140K in the market.

Important: What Happens When You Hit $100,000

As soon as your total reaches $100,000, the game immediately tells you to head to the auction. Any remaining market activities become permanently unavailable for that run. You cannot earn more money, complete more market challenges, or pick up certain collectibles tied to market sub-objectives.

The Pirate Grillz memento — a collectible at a stall near the market entrance — only becomes purchasable after you hit $100,000, so make sure you buy it before heading to the auction.

If you miss anything, you can replay the relevant checkpoint using chapter select. See our guide on how to replay missions for details.

Gadgets That Help

Having the right gadgets equipped makes every money-making route smoother. The most useful ones for this mission are:

Phone Dart — Best distraction tool for pickpocketing and sneaking past guards in the Scorpius compound and Crypto Wallet route.
Q-Lens — Essential for winning the Cup Game, identifying pickpocket targets, and scanning enemy positions.
Laser Strap / Laser Gadget — Alternative to the Phone Dart; also used to open the padlocked fence near the boat anchor (where a Mauritania Postcard collectible is hidden).

See our full all gadgets in 007 First Light list and best gadget loadout guide to set yourself up before entering the market.

007 First Light: How to Obtain the Auction Fee (All 6 Methods)

Why the Auction Fee Matters