Do Marks do anything in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Customization has been a key part of the Pokémon series since the beginning, whether it be through the player’s design itself or the way they train their Pokémon. Within some of the more recent titles, more customization ways have become accessible, though some are not as easy to obtain.

One of the newest customization options comes in the form of Marks, which first made their debut in the series alongside Pokémon Sword and Shield. Marks have largely taken the place of the existing Ribbon feature, which could be obtained in previous entries in the series through the completion of minigames like Contests and Musicals, or through achieving feats including beating the region’s champion.

However, unlike Ribbons, Marks cannot be earned, rather they may be attached to Pokémon upon capture. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet introduced a plethora of new Marks for players to discover, many of which will only appear under very specific circumstances—with almost none of them being guaranteed to accompany a captured Pokémon, meaning players will oftentimes have to search harder for Marks than a Shiny Pokémon.

Yet outside of very unique circumstances, there are no guaranteed ways to get Marks to appear on Pokémon. Here’s all the information we have on this customization feature and whether they have any strategic effects in battle.

How to get Marks in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Just like Shiny Pokémon, Pokémon with Marks can be found nearly anywhere in the overworld of the Paldea region, Kitakami, or Blueberry Academy’s Terarium. However, in contrast to these rare, alternate-colored Pokémon, there is no visual indication that a Pokémon will have a Mark, making this customization option even more difficult to find.

Fortunately, finding Pokémon with Marks has been made slightly easier thanks to new features added in the most recent pack of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s DLC. After completing the Blueberry Academy Pokédex in The Teal Mask DLC, players can obtain the Mark Charm from Director Cyrano at the entrance to the academy itself. This key item greatly increases the chance of wild Pokémon being adorned with Marks, with the specific Mark depending on factors such as time of day or location—though players still won’t be able to tell before catching the Pokémon.

And thanks to updates to the lock-on feature that players can unlock in The Indigo Disk DLC via the League Club room’s PC, pressing ZL to focus on a specific Pokémon will provide them with more information on that specific Pokémon. This includes if the Pokémon is an outlier in its size category and if it has a Mark attached, which is visually indicated by a gold ribbon next to its name and gender.

Other circumstances where Marks can be obtained include seven-star Tera Raid Battles against Unrivaled Pokémon, which will each be adorned with the Mightiest Mark, or randomly earned through activities like cooking.

What do Marks do in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

Other than appearing in a Pokémon’s summary screen alongside any Ribbons it has, the main use of Marks is to confer titles to a Pokémon that will appear when sending them out in battle. Each Mark has a predetermined title—such as a Pokémon appearing as “the Unrivaled” when possessing the Mightiest Mark—that can be equipped by activating the Mark from the summary screen.

This is entirely a cosmetic feature and has no impact on a Pokémon’s stats or capabilities in battle. Rather, Marks and titles act as yet another way players can showcase their willingness to grind or their sheer luck to others.