How to Recreate the Classic Legacy HUD Theme in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies
Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 introduces one of the most customizable HUD systems the franchise has ever seen. If you're someone who misses that old-school vibe-or simply wants a UI with less screen noise-Black Ops 7 Zombies gives you all the tools you need to replicate the classic Legacy HUD.
Below is a full breakdown of how to recreate the Classic Legacy HUD look step-by-step in Black Ops 7 Zombies.
Why Players Want the Classic HUD Back
Before jumping into the steps, it's worth understanding why players look for a more traditional HUD:
1. Less visual clutter
Players often find modern HUDs to be crowded with icons, waypoints, toasts, compass markers, feeds, and damage numbers.
2. Clearer field of view
A simpler HUD improves immersion and visibility during chaotic zombie encounters.
3. Nostalgia
Nothing beats the clean round counter, perk icons, and basic loadout info reminiscent of earlier Black Ops Zombies games.
4. Gameplay focus
By hiding unnecessary widgets or minimaps, players can focus entirely on movement, training, and survival.
Black Ops 7 delivers by giving players near-total control over every HUD element-making the return of a legacy layout fully possible.
How to Get the Classic HUD Look in Black Ops 7 Zombies
To recreate the Legacy HUD from older Zombies titles, you'll need to adjust two major categories:
1. HUD Presets (Themes + Layouts)
2. Interface settings (HUD Element Toggles)
Follow the steps below to completely transform your Zombies UI.
Step 1: Select the Aetherium Theme
The Aetherium theme is the closest match to the classic Zombies aesthetic, featuring vintage colors, familiar iconography, and reduced modern UI gloss.
How to enable the Aetherium Theme:
1. Go to Career
2. Select Customize
3. Open Zombies HUD Presets
4. Choose "Aetherium"
This theme changes the overall presentation of your HUD, including fonts, perk icon styling, and the general color palette. It's the perfect visual foundation for a legacy-inspired layout.
Step 2: Apply the Classic Layout
Next, you'll want to swap the HUD profile to the official Classic Layout, which pulls elements toward the screen edges similar to older Zombies games.
To enable the Classic Layout:
1. Open Career
2. Select Customize
3. Navigate to Zombies HUD Presets
4. Choose "Classic Layout"
This preset places Perks, Round Numbers, and essential HUD elements in the traditional positions used throughout Black Ops Zombies history.
Step 3: Customize the HUD Elements Manually
Even with the Classic Layout enabled, modern BO7 Zombies retain many extra HUD widgets that didn't exist in early games. To get a truly vintage feel, you'll need to adjust your HUD element visibility in the Interface settings.
Navigate to:
Settings → Interface → Gameplay HUD Menu
Once inside, modify the following options:
HUD Widget Visibility Settings
Enable HUD Widget Visibility (On), then enter the sub-menu and adjust:
·Loadout Information: On
·Minimap Visibility: Off
·Compass: Off
·Scorestreak Widget: Off
·Mission Tracker: Off
·GobbleGums: On
·Squad Widget: On
·Round Numbers: On
·Perks: On
These settings remove modern navigational clutter like minimaps, compasses, and mission trackers, giving the screen a much cleaner look. Retaining Perks, GobbleGums, and Round Numbers keeps the classic Zombies feel intact.
HUD Info Visibility Settings
Enable HUD Info Visibility (On), then adjust:
·Player Names: Full Name
·Player & Streak Toasts: Off
·Medals and Notifications: Off
·Score Feed: Off
·Elimination Feed: Off
·Elimination ID: Off
·In-Game Text Chat: On
This removes modern multiplayer-style feeds and popups, which never existed in the classic Zombies era and often clutter the right side of the HUD.
Step 4: Disable Hit Indicators and Damage Numbers
For the final touches, turn off:
·Zombie Healthbar: Off
·Zombie Damage Numbers: Off
What the Final Classic HUD Looks Like
After applying all the settings above, your HUD should:
·Display a clean round number in the classic location
·Show perks in a traditional row layout
·Hide maps, compasses, feeds, score tickers, and health bars
·Present a simple loadout display without modern indicators
·Use the Aetherium theme with the COD Zombies visual style
The result is a clean, immersive, uncluttered UI that feels incredibly close to the classic Black Ops 1-3 Zombies HUD experience.
Perfecting Your Setup in Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies
If you're trying to fully refine your new Legacy HUD-especially for high-round survival, movement practice, or training zombie spawns-Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies can help you test your layout with zero pressure.
Many players who want to optimize their HUD, sensitivity, or movement routes choose to buy CoD Black Ops 7 Bot Lobbies so they can experiment freely without interruptions from real players. It's an easy way to fine-tune your visual setup before jumping into public or competitive matches.
Final Thoughts
Black Ops 7's Zombies mode introduces a modernized interface, but thanks to its robust customization options, it also allows players to recreate the nostalgic HUD from earlier eras of Call of Duty Zombies. By using the Aetherium theme, Classic Layout preset, and fine-tuning every HUD element in the Interface menu, you can restore the beloved minimalist UI many long-time fans grew up with.
Whether you want a cleaner screen for high-round gameplay or simply want to relive the classic Zombies experience, this HUD setup is the best way to achieve that vintage feel in Black Ops 7.