All Black Ops 7 Zombies modes explained

What are all the Black Ops 7 Zombies modes? There are four modes coming to Zombies: Standard, Directed, Survival, and Cursed, each offering different incentives and experiences to players, from intense waves of enemies to a more relaxed narrative focus.

A few of these modes are available when the Black Ops 7 release date rolls around later this month, but some modes will be added at a later date. We're hoping new modes and Zombies maps will unlock in Season 1, which should release this year, but in the meantime, here's what each Zombies mode does, and what to expect from the brand new Cursed mode in Black Ops 7.

Here are the Black Ops 7 Zombies modes:

• Standard
• Directed
• Survival
• Cursed

Standard

This is the Zombies that you know and love; round-based waves of enemies set in the Ashes of the Damned map, continuing the story of the Dark Aether. It features all the easter eggs you'd expect from Zombies alongside the main campaign and side quest combat. The standard mode is available when Black Ops 7 launches, and this is what most players will opt for. It has been recommended for experienced players, as unlike some of the other modes, you need to search for clues and uncover easter eggs on your own, without any hints.

Directed

This Zombies mode was first available in Black Ops 6. It's an easier version of Zombies as it gives you guidance and on-screen instructions to the main quest, giving you a step-by-step walkthrough of how to complete tasks and find easter eggs. If you want to focus less on fighting Zombies or searching for clues, and more on exploration, Directed is the best mode, but it's worth noting that side quests are disabled to focus on the story.

There's also a max round cap, so the Zombie hordes never get too intense, making Directed essentially a chiller Zombies experience. Like Black Ops 6, Directed mode won't be available at launch, but most likely will be a part of the Season 1 update later in the year.

Survival

If, however, you don't want to focus on the story at all and what you enjoy from Zombies is, well, killing zombies, then Survival is making a comeback. Survival mode is all about staying alive as you and your pals fight waves of enemies in a small part of the Ashes of the Damned map. There's no story, main campaign, or quests; it's just you and your team fighting it out to survive relentless and increasingly difficult waves of undead enemies, and the aim is to hold your own for as long as possible.

The first Survival map is a smaller version of the Vandorn Family Farm, complete with accessible caches and machines as well as crafting tables and wall buys to fully stock up and use Essence and Salvage to improve weapons and gear. Survival is available at launch, with likely more maps to follow in future updates.

Cursed

One of the most talked about new modes to emerge on the Call of Duty Zombies scene, Cursed is a whole new experience coming to Black Ops 7, and it's set to be extremely challenging for those hardcore Zombies fans. Described as an old-school mode for veteran players, Cursed looks to strip back Zombies to what we experienced in previous entries, like starting the game with just a pistol and figuring out what to do and where to go.

In Cursed, there's an emphasis on exploration and figuring things out, but it also sounds like it's going to be pretty tough; there's no mini-map, and it goes back to the points-based system. The aim in Cursed is to discover relics that unlock permanent modifiers, which can be used to increase the challenge, as well as the rewards.

These relics hark back to the history of Zombies, so they'll likely be some cool details to discover in these powerful artifacts, but it doesn't sound like obtaining them is that easy, either. Once applied, modifiers include things like limiting Perk-a-Colas or removing ammo caches, but with the promise of power-ups and unique benefits, like gold armor.

More maps and relics are set to be added in future updates, too, but Cursed won't be available at launch, in fact, it won't be unlocked until someone in Black Ops 7 completes the main quest in Ashes of the Damned, so you better brush up on the Black Ops 7 field upgrades and all the Black Ops 7 wonder weapons to give yourself the best chance.

Now that you're caught up on the Black Ops 7 Zombies modes, check out all the Zombies maps we've seen so far and how Black Ops 7 prestige works alongside Black Ops 7 carry forward, explained, so you can bring your old gear with you.