What Is Cursed Mode in BO7 Zombies? Full Guide (2026)

Cursed mode is a hardcore challenge mode in Black Ops 7 Zombies that strips the game back to its roots. No minimap. No objective markers. No loadout weapons. Just you, a 1911 pistol, and whatever you can scavenge. It is available on every round-based map in BO7, and it completely changes how the game feels.

If you have been wondering what Cursed mode actually is, how the relic system works, or whether it is worth playing, this guide covers everything.

Our team has been grinding Cursed mode since launch across all four maps. Everything in this guide comes from first-hand experience at different skill levels combined with research from Doughnuts' Ultimate Guide to Cursed, the Call of Duty Wiki, and dozens of Reddit threads.

---

What Changes in Cursed Mode

Cursed mode is not just "hard mode." It fundamentally changes how you play Zombies. Your loadout weapons are gone. The minimap is blank. There are no quest markers, no damage numbers, and no health bars on enemies. It is a throwback to pre-Cold War Zombies where you had to figure things out yourself.

The biggest mechanical change is the point system. In normal mode, you earn points per kill. In Cursed, you earn 10 points per hit, regardless of whether the zombie dies. Melee hits give even more.

This means keeping a weak, unpacked weapon is actually better for farming points early on, because the more shots it takes to kill a zombie, the more points you earn. Shotguns are especially strong for point farming since each pellet counts as a separate hit.

Pack-a-Punch costs are doubled across the board:

PaP Tier	Normal Mode	Cursed Mode
Tier I	5,000	10,000
Tier II	15,000	25,000
Tier III	30,000	50,000
Tier IV (Cursed only)	N/A	100,000

Zombie health also scales differently. In normal mode, zombie health caps out at 50,000 at round 55. In Cursed, they cap at 100,000 at round 85. That sounds terrifying, but the tier rewards (more on that below) give you the tools to deal with it.

---

How the Relic System Works

Relics are what make Cursed mode more than just a "no HUD" challenge. Every map has a set of relics you can unlock and equip. Each relic adds a debuff to your game, like disabling power-ups, randomizing your weapons each round, or making enemies take only critical hit damage. Sounds rough, and some of them genuinely are. But equipping relics is the only way to access the best rewards in Cursed mode.

Relics come in three difficulty tiers:

• Grim relics have mild effects. Things like randomizing your equipment each round or disabling the mystery box. Annoying, but manageable.
• Sinister relics hit harder. Random perks from machines, increased health regen delay, or losing self-revives entirely.
• Wicked relics are the nastiest. Enemy health regeneration, double enemy damage, or losing a perk every 100 kills.

Each relic tier is worth a different number of points: Grim relics give 1 point, Sinister relics give 2 points, and Wicked relics give 3 points. Your total relic points determine your Cursed tier, which determines what rewards you unlock. For example, equipping three Grim relics gives you 3 points, which is enough for Tier 1. Or you could equip one Wicked relic (3 points) to reach Tier 1 in a single slot. To reach Tier 3, you need 9 points total from any combination of relics.

---

Tier Rewards: Golden Armor, PaP IV, and Ultra Rarity

This is why people play Cursed. The rewards are not cosmetic fluff. They are game-changing upgrades that you cannot get anywhere else.

Cursed Tier	Points Needed	Reward	What It Does
Tier 1	3+	Golden Armor	Massively increased survivability
Tier 2	6+	Ultra Weapon Rarity	Highest weapon rarity, increased base damage
Tier 3	9+	Pack-a-Punch Tier IV	100,000 point PaP upgrade, roughly 2x damage

Golden Armor is the first unlock and arguably the most impactful. One of our mods, who plays Cursed almost exclusively, put it simply: "Gold armor makes it survivable." Without it, high rounds in Cursed feel brutal. With it, you can actually tank hits and recover.

Pack-a-Punch Tier IV is the crown jewel. At 100,000 points it is expensive, but combined with Ultra weapon rarity, your weapons deal roughly double the damage of a standard Tier III weapon. That 2x damage bonus is exactly what you need to offset the doubled zombie health cap in Cursed mode. As Doughnuts explains in his Ultimate Guide to Cursed, this is by design: the game gives you harder enemies but also gives you the tools to match. The official Black Ops 7 Zombies page does not go into this level of detail, which is part of why the Cursed system confuses so many players at first.

---

Why Tier 3 Is Easier Than Tier 1

This is the thing that confuses most new players. You would expect that equipping more relics (more debuffs) would make the game harder. The opposite is true.

At Tier 1, you have Golden Armor but your weapons are still limited to Tier III Pack-a-Punch with standard rarity. Zombie health is already doubled compared to normal mode, but you do not have the damage output to match. At Tier 3, you have Golden Armor, Ultra rarity, and Pack-a-Punch IV. Your weapons now deal enough damage to melt through the health pool, and Golden Armor keeps you alive through the relic debuffs.

Our team confirmed this independently. Multiple mods said the same thing: "Higher tier cursed is always easier. You get all the benefits. The lower you go, the harder it is." Tier 3 gives you everything you need to deal with the relic debuffs comfortably.

If you are going to play Cursed, do not stop at Tier 1. Push for Tier 3. The relic debuffs sound scary on paper, but the rewards more than compensate. Tier 1 is actually the hardest version of Cursed mode.

---

All Relics Across Every Map

There are 24 relics spread across all four round-based maps in BO7 Zombies. Each map has its own set with unique unlock quests and effects. Below is every relic organized by map and tier.

Ashes of the Damned (9 Relics)

Ashes of the Damned has the most relics and is the map where most players start their Cursed journey. The Doughnuts video linked above covers every relic unlock method on this map in detail.

Grim Relics

Sinister Relics

Wicked Relics

Two relics stand out as ones to avoid. Lawyer's Pen fills the map with mimic props that ambush you constantly. Doughnuts himself warns: "Please do not run this." Blood Vials removes augments entirely, stripping a core gameplay mechanic for very little benefit.

Astra Malorum (6 Relics)

Spider Fang is one of the easiest relics in the entire game. The perk cost penalty only matters if you go down and need to rebuy. If you are staying alive, you do not even notice it. Seed is also painless if you prefer wall weapons over the mystery box.

Totenreich (6 Relics)

Totenreich is the map our team has spent the most time on in Cursed mode. Our most experienced Cursed player calls it "the best map" for Cursed overall. We have detailed guides for three of these relics already.

Totenreich has a sixth relic, Wrestler's Belt (Grim), which randomizes wall buys each round. The Dancing Arnie is one of the least punishing Sinister relics in the game. The random perk effect is a minor inconvenience at most since you can keep buying until you get what you need. The Stuffed Elephant sounds harsh on paper (7-second health regen delay), but with Golden Armor, the extra delay barely matters. The real challenge on Totenreich is Music Box: enemies only dying to critical hits forces you to aim for headshots constantly.

Paradox Junction (3 Relics)

Paradox Junction is the newest round-based map and currently has three relics: Mangler Helmet, Summoning Key, and Rocket. Unlock quests and relic effects are still being documented by the community. If you want to learn about Mr. Peeks and egg rewards on Paradox Junction, we have a separate guide covering spawn locations and tier-based rewards.

---

How to Unlock Relics

Relics are not just handed to you. Each relic has a unique unlock quest tied to its map, and every quest ends with a trial: a combat challenge inside a portal that tests your ability to survive under specific conditions.

The unlock process works like this:

1. Complete a map-specific quest (find hidden items, perform ritual steps, cook ingredients, etc.)
2. When you complete the final step, you hear Mr. Peeks laugh, and a green trial portal appears
3. Enter the portal and survive the trial with a specific challenge modifier active
4. If you survive, the relic is permanently unlocked for that map

Trials are gated by round number and Cursed tier:

Relic Tier	Minimum Round	Required Cursed Tier	Trial Waves
Grim	Round 20	None	4 waves
Sinister	Round 40	Tier 1+	5 waves
Wicked	Round 60	Tier 2+	6 waves

This means you need to unlock relics in order. You cannot skip straight to Wicked relics. You must first unlock enough Grim relics to reach Tier 1, then enough Sinister relics to reach Tier 2, before Wicked relic quests become available. One full Cursed run from start to Tier 3 takes a serious time investment, often several hours.

---

Cursed Survival Mode

Cursed Survival is a separate variant from standard Cursed mode. It is a wave-based survival challenge with its own reward track, including exclusive weapon charms. Most online guides completely ignore Cursed Survival, which is a shame because our team considers it one of the best additions to BO7 Zombies.

Our team runs Cursed Survival regularly and considers it one of the best additions to BO7 Zombies. For now, Ashwood is the go-to map for Cursed Survival. The charms you earn from completing it are worth going for if you care about cosmetics.

Cursed Survival is best played solo or with a coordinated squad. In public matches, the same problem applies as standard Cursed: random players often do not equip relics, which means you get stuck at low tiers with none of the good rewards.

---

Best Relic Combos From Our Team

Choosing which relics to equip is the most strategic part of Cursed mode. You want to hit Tier 3 (9 points) while avoiding relics that genuinely ruin the experience. Our mods shared their go-to loadouts.

High Round Build

Teddy Bear + Focusing Stone + Bus + Dancing Arnie + Spider Fang. This build combines two of the easiest relics (Teddy Bear and Spider Fang) with manageable mid-tier options. The Bus relic (enemy health regen) is only a problem during boss fights, so if you are just going for high rounds, it barely matters. Pair this with the 1911 for point farming and the ion sniper for boss fights.

Solo-Safe Build

VRIL Sphere + Teddy Bear + Bus + Matryoshka Doll + Dancing Arnie. This build trades Focusing Stone (no self-revives) for VRIL Sphere (4-perk limit). If you are running solo, losing self-revives can end your run instantly, so VRIL Sphere is the safer pick. You can break the 4-perk limit through free perk Easter eggs and TED tasks, which makes VRIL Sphere much less punishing than it sounds.

---

Tips for Your First Cursed Run

We asked players at different experience levels for their advice on getting started. Here is what they agreed on.

Learn the Map First

Do not jump straight into Cursed on your first game. One of our newer players tried that and realized they did not even know how to turn the power on. Normal mode gives you objective markers and hints. Cursed gives you nothing. Play the map in standard or directed mode first so you know where the perks, traps, power switch, and Pack-a-Punch are. Our team agreed that map knowledge is the biggest mistake new players make: "lacking knowledge of the map, understanding key locations such as perk locations, trap locations, and power."

Prioritize These Perks

Our team gave the same perk priority: Juggernog and Quick Revive first, always. After that, Deadshot, Double Tap, and Speed Cola. The exact order depends on the map, but survivability perks come before damage perks.

Keep a Weak Gun for Points

The classic point system rewards non-lethal hits. A weak weapon that takes 8-10 shots to kill a zombie earns you 80-100 points per kill instead of 10. This is a massive difference in the early rounds when you need points for perks and Pack-a-Punch. Our team found that keeping a weak gun is the most important early game strategy: "the more hits a zombie takes, the more points you get."

Push for Tier 3

Do not stop at Tier 1. As we covered in the tier paradox section, Tier 1 is actually the hardest version of Cursed. Once you hit Tier 3 and get Golden Armor, Ultra rarity, and Pack-a-Punch IV, the game opens up significantly. Pick relics from our recommended combos above and aim for 9 points.

Play Solo

Public Cursed matches are "very boring most of the time because most players don't equip relics." You rarely get above Tier 1 with randoms, and some players do not even understand the basic mechanics. Solo lets you control the experience entirely. If you want to play with others, bring a friend who knows what they are doing.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Cursed mode in Black Ops 7 Zombies?

Cursed mode is a hardcore challenge mode available on all round-based maps in BO7 Zombies. It removes the minimap, objective markers, and quest hints from the HUD, restores the classic hit-based point system, and introduces a relic system that lets you add difficulty modifiers in exchange for powerful rewards like Golden Armor, Pack-a-Punch Tier IV, and Ultra weapon rarity.

How do you unlock Cursed mode in BO7 Zombies?

Cursed mode was unlocked globally after the first team completed the Ashes of the Damned main Easter egg. You do not need to complete it yourself to access Cursed mode. However, unlocking relics within Cursed requires beating the main Easter egg on that specific map. If you have not done the Easter egg yet, try directed mode first since it has easier versions of the quest steps.

What are relics in BO7 Cursed mode?

Relics are difficulty modifiers you can equip in Cursed mode. Each relic adds a specific debuff, like disabling power-ups or randomizing your weapons each round. Relics come in three tiers: Grim (1 point), Sinister (2 points), and Wicked (3 points). Accumulating enough relic points unlocks tier rewards. There are 24 relics across four maps.

Is Cursed mode harder than normal Zombies in BO7?

Without relics, yes. You lose the HUD, start with a pistol, and pay double for Pack-a-Punch while zombies have double the health cap. But with relics equipped at Tier 3, the game becomes easier than normal because Golden Armor, Pack-a-Punch IV, and Ultra rarity give you roughly double damage output. Experienced players say Tier 3 Cursed is easier than base Cursed or even standard mode in the late rounds.

What is Pack-a-Punch Tier IV in Black Ops 7?

Pack-a-Punch Tier IV is an upgrade exclusive to Cursed mode. It costs 100,000 points and is unlocked by reaching Cursed Tier 2 (6+ relic points). Combined with Ultra weapon rarity, Tier IV weapons deal roughly 2x the damage of standard Tier III weapons. It is the strongest weapon upgrade in BO7 Zombies.

What is Golden Armor in BO7 Cursed mode?

Golden Armor is the Tier 1 reward in Cursed mode, unlocked with 3+ relic points. It acts like an upgraded armor vest that significantly improves your survivability in high rounds. Our team considers it the single most impactful Cursed reward since it lets you survive hits that would otherwise end your run.

What is Cursed Survival mode in BO7?

Cursed Survival is a separate mode from standard Cursed. It is a wave-based survival challenge with exclusive cosmetic rewards including weapon charms. It is severely undercovered by guides online. Our team considers it one of the best additions to BO7 Zombies and recommends Ashwood as the best map for it.

Can you play Cursed mode solo in BO7 Zombies?

Yes, and many experienced players prefer it. In public matches, most random players do not equip relics, meaning you rarely reach Tier 1. Solo gives you full control over which relics you run, letting you reach Tier 3 and access all rewards. If you want to play with others, use a coordinated squad instead of matchmaking.

---

If you need help with Cursed mode or want to discuss relic strategies, join 40,000+ players in the COD Central Discord. We have dedicated Zombies channels where the community helps each other complete relic trials daily.