TL;DR
- This is in Chapter 11: Uninvited, Checkpoint 05 – Get Upstairs.
- Completing it unlocks the Behind the Scenes challenge.
- The Press Room is to the left of the main Gala stage, west of the blocked staircase.
- Inside, there is a restricted section with two guards. You need to distract both to reach the backstage area.
- Guard 1: Use the switchboard or circuit breaker nearby to distract him.
- Guard 2: Use a Phone Dart or any gadget distraction.
- With guards clear, go to the left side of the stand near the entrance — there is a small hidden gap in the corner. Squeeze through it.
- On the other side, shimmy through the gap ahead, then open the door to reach a staircase leading directly upstairs.
- This route avoids all three staircase guards and requires no keycard, no disguise, and no eavesdropping.
The 007 First Light Press Room backstage door is one of the most hidden routes in the entire Uninvited chapter. While most players are hunting for a photographer disguise, a security guard identity, or a keycard, this method quietly slips Bond through a gap behind a stage stand that most people walk straight past. It’s fast, stealthy, and requires almost nothing — just two guard distractions and sharp eyes for the hidden corner gap. Completing it unlocks the Behind the Scenes challenge.
This guide covers the exact location of the Press Room, both distraction methods for the guards, and precisely where to find the gap that almost everyone misses. For full chapter coverage including all 29 Uninvited challenges, see our 007 First Light Uninvited all challenges guide.
When Does This Challenge Become Available?
The Behind the Scenes challenge is part of Checkpoint 05 – Get Upstairs in Chapter 11: Uninvited. At this point Bond is inside the main Gala room after using his invitation to enter. Three guards block the main staircase. The Press Room backstage door is one of five different ways to get past them in this section — and it is the most covert of the lot.
Unlike the photographer route which requires eavesdropping and name-dropping, or the security guard method which involves café research, the backstage door approach needs no preparation at all. You just need to deal with two guards inside the restricted Press Room area and know where the gap is.
Where Is the Press Room?
The Press Room is located to the left of the main Gala stage, on the west side of the Gala room. It sits just to the left and slightly behind the staircase that the three guards are blocking. It is the same room used in the photographer route — if you’ve read our how to pose as a photographer guide, you’ll recognise this space immediately.
When you walk into the Press Room, you’ll see a stage area with chairs in front of it. On the right side of the stage is a locked door that requires a keycard to use — ignore that. The route you want is on the left side, in the restricted section that two guards are patrolling. That’s where the backstage gap is hidden.
How to Complete the Behind the Scenes Challenge – Step by Step
Step 1 – Enter the Press Room
From the main Gala room, head left of the stage and enter the Press Room. Walk in casually — you don’t need to alert anyone just by entering the room. The restricted area you need to access is on the left side once you’re inside, guarded by two security staff. Stay calm and assess the room before acting.
Step 2 – Distract Guard 1 With the Switchboard
Look for a switchboard or circuit breaker near the closed door on the left side of the restricted area. It’s a wall-mounted electrical panel. Interact with it — turning it off causes a disturbance that draws the first guard away from his position to investigate. This creates the opening you need on that side of the room.
If you can’t immediately spot the switchboard, use your Q-Lens to scan the area. Interactable objects appear highlighted, making the switchboard easy to identify even in a crowded room.
Step 3 – Deal With Guard 2
While Guard 1 is investigating the switchboard, deal with the second guard. The cleanest method is a Phone Dart — it makes the target feel ill and walk away to find a bin, removing them from the area without a fight or a body to deal with. Alternatively, you can use the Laser Strap to create another distraction, or wait for Guard 2 to turn and slip past him while Guard 1 is still occupied.
You don’t need to knock anyone out for this challenge. The Behind the Scenes challenge only requires Bond to physically pass through the backstage gap — not to clear the room silently. That said, staying undetected keeps you eligible for the stealth-related challenges in the same checkpoint.
Step 4 – Find the Hidden Gap Behind the Stand
This is the step where most players get stuck. With both guards distracted or moved, go to the left side of the stand near the entrance of the restricted area. Look in the corner behind the stand — there is a small gap in the structure there. It’s deliberately hard to spot, tucked against the wall in a corner that doesn’t look like a route at first glance.
Squeeze through the gap. Bond slips through it into a narrow backstage passage. You are now behind the scenes — which is also the exact trigger point for the Behind the Scenes challenge to register as complete.
Step 5 – Shimmy Through and Open the Door to the Staircase
Once through the gap, you’ll immediately see another narrow passage ahead — shimmy through it as well. At the end of this second squeeze, there is a door. Open it normally. This door leads directly to a staircase that takes Bond straight upstairs to the security wing, bypassing all three staircase guards completely. No confrontation, no disguise, no keycard required.
The Behind the Scenes challenge completes the moment Bond passes through the backstage gap in Step 4. By the time you reach the staircase, it should already be ticked off in your challenge list.
Why This Is the Best Upstairs Route for Stealth Runs
Out of all five ways to get upstairs in the Uninvited Gala section, the backstage door route is the one that requires the fewest interactions with other characters and the least preparation. Here’s how it compares:
- Behind the Scenes (this route): Two guard distractions, one hidden gap. No research, no disguise, no eavesdropping required. Fastest stealth route once you know the gap’s location.
- Say Cheese! (photographer): Eavesdrop on journalist, learn a name, distract two guards in the same Press Room, steal camera, return to journalist, get escorted up. More steps but earns a separate challenge. See our how to pose as a photographer guide.
- Always on Duty (security guard): Eavesdrop on guards, café research, find guard rota, bluff a security guard. More work, separate challenge. See our how to pose as a security guard guide.
- Gate Crasher (force entry): Use gadgets and chemicals to push past the three staircase guards. Fast but loud. See our Gate Crasher guide.
- VIP keycard route: Hackpocket a keycard from a woman with a guard escort. Uses a different entry point. See our how to get the VIP entrance keycard guide.
Because all five routes unlock separate challenges, you’ll need to replay Checkpoint 05 five times across separate Chapter Select runs to get full chapter completion. The backstage door route is worth doing first since it’s the quickest — which means you can clear it fast and move on to the others.
Grab Collectibles While You’re in the Press Room
Since you’re already in the Press Room dealing with guards, it’s worth grabbing the nearby collectibles at the same time:
- Webb Industries Press Pack (MI6 Intel): This intel file is on the table in the restricted area, near where the guards were standing. Grab it after distracting Guard 1 and Guard 2 — it’s right there. See our all MI6 Intel Files locations guide for full details.
- Anniversary Pin (Memento): This is in the Cloakroom just down the left corridor from the Press Room. Distract the single guard at the Cloakroom entrance, slip past him, turn right inside, and squeeze through the gap to find the pin on a shelf. See our all mementos locations guide.
- Ober of Roses (Playing Card): In the room upstairs accessed through the Cloakroom — kick down the door, go upstairs, defeat the enemies inside, and the card is on a white box in the middle of the room. See our all playing cards locations guide.
Common Problems and Fixes
- “I can’t find the gap in the corner” — It’s on the left side of the stand, tucked into the corner where the stand meets the wall. Use the Q-Lens to scan and look for the squeeze/shimmy prompt. The entrance is very tight visually and blends into the staging equipment.
- “The guards spotted me before I reached the gap” — Make sure you trigger the switchboard distraction before moving toward the gap. Both guards need to be occupied or moved. If either one is in patrol range of the gap, they’ll spot Bond squeezing through. Restart from the checkpoint and be more methodical with the distractions.
- “The challenge didn’t complete” — Make sure you’re fully through the gap, not just crouching next to it. The trigger registers when Bond completes the squeeze animation and enters the backstage passage. If it still doesn’t pop, restart the checkpoint and try again.
- “I used this route but also want the photographer challenge” — Both challenges are available in the same checkpoint. After completing Behind the Scenes in one run, use Chapter Select to reload Checkpoint 05 and do the Say Cheese! route on a fresh run. They don’t conflict.
What to Do After Getting Upstairs
Once you’ve used the backstage staircase and reached the upper security wing, the chapter continues with the CCTV room objective. From here you can either grab the CCTV keycard from the adjacent glass office, or take the rooftop skylight route for the Dropping In challenge — which also earns A Quiet Night and Top Notch Security in one clean stealth run. For full details on the skylight method, see our how to enter the CCTV room through the skylight guide.
More 007 First Light Guides
- How to pose as a photographer – Say Cheese! challenge
- Uninvited all challenges guide
- Enter CCTV room through skylight – Dropping In
- How to pose as a security guard – Always on Duty
- Enter Webb Industries Gala – Gate Crasher
- How to get the VIP entrance keycard
- How to get the press badge – Press Only challenge
- Data center disguise – After Hours and Underdressed
- Safe in Webb’s office – Crackerjack challenge
- All playing cards locations
- All MI6 Intel Files locations
- All mementos locations
- Best gadget loadout
- Trophy and achievement guide
007 First Light is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, and Epic Games. Developed by IO Interactive.
