The Out of the Ashes mission re-arms Bond in the Q-Lab before Mauritania, with the full gadget test, loadout advice and its one hidden collectible.
Out of the Ashes is the quiet, gadget-heavy mission that sends Bond back to MI6 to re-arm before the hunt for 009 moves to Mauritania. It closes out the hotel arc opened in Chapter 8, All the Time in the World, and it leans less on combat than on learning two brand-new tools you will rely on for the rest of the campaign.
This 007 First Light Out of the Ashes walkthrough follows the mission in order, from the descent into the Q-Lab to the final briefing with Moneypenny. We cover every objective, both new gadgets, the loadout choice that actually matters, and the single collectible tucked away on the Operations floor.
Because this is a hub-style mission, nothing here is truly missable under pressure, but the Intel file is very easy to walk straight past. We flag exactly where it sits so you can grab it in one run.
Re-arming in the Q-Lab: the Q-Watch and earpiece
The mission opens in the upper executive offices right after your debrief with M about 009’s movements in Mauritania. Exit M’s main doors, turn right down the primary hallway and use the elevator panel, selecting the Q-Lab sub-floor to drop into the manufacturing bays.
Step out of the lift to find Q coordinating with a group of research technicians straight ahead. Walk up and start the dialogue to trigger his escort path, then follow him through the automatic security bulkheads into the Q-03: Stress Testing room.
Head to the dual workspace tables marked by the objective markers. Interact to claim your new Q-Watch (replacing the unit sacrificed in Slovakia) and your tactical field Earpiece. Once both are equipped, follow Q back out to the central lab hub.
Out of the Ashes gadget testing: the Laser Strap and Flash Mine
Follow Q across the main floor and step into room Q-02: Gadget Testing to field-test your new kit.
The Laser Strap comes first: pick it up from the primary staging table. Face the heavy iron security gate, hold your Q-Lens Overlay (🎮 LB / 🕹️ L1 / ⌨️ Left Alt) and aim at the padlock on the chain links. Once the lock-on icon settles over the target, press Deploy Gadget (🎮 RT / 🕹️ R2 / ⌨️ 1 / LMB) to fire a thermal beam that shatters the lock. Then target the weapon in the armed training dummy’s hand behind the gate and fire again to disarm it cleanly from range. The Laser Strap melts padlocks, security chains and glass panels silently and disarms enemies at a distance; it drains your blue Battery Gauge, refilled from electronic items in the environment.
The Flash Mine is next: grab the casing from the secondary diagnostic table. Aim at the central training dummy, trigger your Q-Lens Overlay and launch the device to hit it dead-on for an instant knockout. For the proximity setup, toss a Flash Mine onto the flat target template on the rear concrete wall to mount it, then wait for the moving tracking dummy to cross its sensor path and set off the blinding flash. The Flash Mine can be thrown straight at an enemy for a knockout or planted on walls, floors and door frames as an invisible trap; it draws from your green Chemical Gauge.
Firing range loadout and the Service Pistol
With both calibrations done, walk to the mobile Gadget Cart near the testing room’s exit bulkhead. Your inventory keeps its strict three-slot limit: the Q-Watch is locked into Slot 1, so you pick two more tools to fill Slots 2 and 3.
Our recommendation is to keep the Laser Strap equipped before you leave this screen. Its cutting ability is required to break hidden barriers that hide key collectibles in the upcoming Mauritania mission, so it is worth a permanent slot for now.
Lock in your button mappings, leave Q-02 and walk down the corridor to the tactical firing range. Talk to weapons specialist Waters at the counter to finalize your combat clearance and pick up your standard Service Pistol.
Operations floor: the Niko and Tero Murto Intel
This is the one collectible in the mission, and it is the thing most players miss. Return to the main lift bank and ride up to the Operations floor.
As you step out of the lift, turn right, away from the objective marker, and inspect the row of steel storage cabinets along the left wall to find Intel: Niko and Tero Murto. Reading the file fills in background on the twin specialist mercenaries from the Slovakia detour, though what it actually reveals is best left for the file itself.
Then turn back toward the objective marker and head down the central hallway toward the executive suites. You can stop to chat with officers Whitlock and Bancroft for extra dialogue. Step into Moneypenny’s office and talk to her to review the Mauritania insertion with Greenway; choose “Exit to mission” when you are ready to close out the chapter.
Every key item, gadget and collectible in Out of the Ashes
Everything worth grabbing in the mission, in one place:
- Q-Watch: reclaimed at the tables in the Q-03: Stress Testing room; permanently fills Slot 1.
- Earpiece: tactical field comms, picked up alongside the Q-Watch.
- Laser Strap: new gadget from Q-02: Gadget Testing; keep it equipped for Mauritania.
- Flash Mine: new gadget from Q-02: Gadget Testing; thrown knockout or invisible proximity trap.
- Service Pistol: collected from Waters at the firing range.
- Intel: Niko and Tero Murto: the mission’s only collectible, in the steel cabinets to the right of the Operations lift.
There are no safe codes or door codes in this mission.
That wraps Out of the Ashes. With the Laser Strap slotted, Bond is ready for the desert: our The Past Never Dies walkthrough picks up the hunt for 009 in Mauritania, our best gadgets and loadout guide helps you fill Slots 2 and 3, and our all-collectibles 100% guide on Solo Jugadores pins every card, postcard and Intel file you might still be missing.
