Markings

**The information in this article is outdated, incorrect, or incomplete. Help the pack out by correcting it!**

**Markings** are heritable traits that lay above a wolf's Base. Every wolf has 10 marking slots that layer over one another sequentially, with Slot 1 being below Slot 2, Slot 3 being above Slot 2 and Slot 1, and so on. Markings can also range in opacity from 1% to 100%, adding to the customizability of a wolf's appearance.
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Markings are split into eight tiers based on their origin and method of distribution.
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**Tier 0:** Basic NBW (and customizable) Markings
**Tier 1:** Customizable Markings
**Tier 2:** Raffle/Rare Markings
**Tier 3:** Event Applicator Markings
***Tier 4:** ? (empty category)*
***Tier 5:*** Placeholder/unreleased markings (Unreleased markings are placed in this category to prevent them from being in the Random Marking Applicator. For example, a new Lunar Event marking added to the game before the event launches will be placed in Tier 5 until players can obtain it, after which it will be moved into Tier 3.)
**Tier 6:** Combo Markings
**Tier 7:** Random Marking Applicator and Total Shuffle Exclusives
**Tier 8:** Rare NBW Markings
## Marking Genetics and Pass Rates

Markings, unlike bases, all pass at exactly the same rate. There is no marking in the game that passes more or less than any other marking. Puppies directly inherit markings from their parents in the same slot. If a wolf has a specific marking, such as Red Agouti in slot 8, it can pass its Red Agouti down to its puppies, but only into their slot 8. Colors and rarity do not impact the chance of inheritance. However, if both parents have specifically colored markings in the same slot, the offspring may receive a marking in a Combo Color. (See: Combo Markings below)

If one parent has a marking in a specific slot, and the other parent does not have a marking in that slot, there is a 50% chance that the puppy will inherit the marking in that slot, and a 50% chance of that slot being empty.

If both parents have the same marking in the same slot, there is a 75% chance that the pup will inherit that marking in that slot, and a 25% chance of that slot being empty.

If both parents have a different marking in the same slot, there is a 25% chance for one parent's marking, a 25% chance for the other parent's marking, and a 50% chance of that slot being empty.

A puppy can inherit multiples of the same marking in different slots. For example, if one parent has White Irish in slot 10, and the other parent has White Irish in slot 9, the puppy could inherit both slot 9 and slot 10 White Irish.

Additionally, the opacities of the parents' markings will affect what opacity the pup's marking rolls. The pup's marking's opacity will be the average of the two parents' opacities in that slot, give or take about 10%. This could also be represented by the formula:

(mother's opacity + father's opacity)/2 ± 10%

If one parent does not have a marking in that slot, their opacity will be 0%. So, if only one parent has a marking in that slot and the pup inherits that marking, the opacity will be 1/2 of the parent's opacity, with 10% wiggle room.

### Marking Deviations (Incomplete)

Some Tier 0 and Tier 1 marking shapes may deviate into different marking shapes when passed down. Deviations will always be from one subtype of the same marking to another- for example, Blanket can deviate into Blanket Ticking, which still has a similar name and the same shape and outline to Blanket. Marking deviations can only occur in Tier 0 and 1 markings, and so are *not* the same mechanic as the Tier 6 combo markings. Below is a list of all known marking deviations.

Back Half Patch --> Back Heavy Patch

Blanket Ticking <--> Blanket

Cape <--> Cape Ticking

Half Mask --> Mask

Mask --> Full Mask

Light Husky --> Heavy Husky

### Combo Markings

Some marking shapes and colors can produce new, unique colors when bred to one another. These new colors are called combo markings, and they are the only markings that inhabit Tier 6. They are recolors of existing marking shapes inherited from their parents. To produce a combo marking, two wolves that are bred to one another must each have a compatible marking color in the same slot. For example, a wolf with Black Agouti in slot 8 and a wolf with Red Agouti in slot 8 have a chance to produce a puppy with Auburn Agouti in slot 8. The two wolves do not have to share the same marking shape. For example, if the wolf with Black Agouti in slot 8 is bred to a different wolf who has Red Butcher in slot 8, they can produce a puppy with Auburn Agouti or Auburn Butcher in slot 8. Note that at least one of the parents' shapes must have a variant in the target combo color to be able to produce a combo marking, as not every Black or Red mark actually has an existing Auburn recolor. Black Sallander and Red Sallander both exist in the game, but Auburn Sallander does not.

Combo markings will pass down to puppies as if they are normal markings. For example, if a wolf has Silver Cape, a combo marking, its puppies can inherit Silver Cape directly even if the other parent does not have a Black, White, or Silver marking in the same slot.

The following table lists all compatible color combinations that currently exist in the game.

 Deira
 Dinar
 Doubloon
 Ducat
 Sepia
 Silver
 Sterling
 Tuff
 Zircon

## Auburn

  Auburn Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Beige

  Beige Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Black

  Black Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Brown

  Brown Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Cream

  Cream Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Dark Brown

  Dark Brown Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Deira

  Deira Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Dinar

  Dinar Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Doubloon

  Doubloon Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Ducat

  Ducat Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Gray

  Gray Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Honey

  Honey Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Red (In Progress)

  Red Markings

 Tier 1

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Sepia

  Sepia Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Silver

  Silver Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Sterling

  Sterling Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Tuff

  Tuff Markings

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

 Tier 6

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## White

  White Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Yellow

  Yellow Markings

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Zircon

  Zircon Markings

Added 2020-11-20 (Development Update 2)

Added 2020-1-26 (Development Update 5)

## Event Markings

  Event Markings

Added 2021-3-19 (Lunar Event #2)

Added 2021-5-21 (Lunar Event #4)

## Trivia

* Tier 5 on Lioden, Wolvden's sister sim, initially existed exclusively to contain the two hybrid mutation exclusive markings **Mottled Rosette** and **Mottled Stripes**. Tier 4 remaining an empty placeholder on Wolvden suggests that it is being held empty in case hybrid mutations are ever added to Wolvden, in order to contain a hybrid-exclusive marking in a similar manner.
* The Tier 2 markings **Merle** and **Merle Patches** are an exception to the general rule that Tier 2 Markings are "*Rare*/Raffle Markings". Merle and Merle Patches were the only existing Tier 2 markings during Wolvden's early access beta, which predates the Raffle Stud system, and so the two marking shapes were quickly distributed among early access players through Random Marking Applicator and Total Shuffle. Merle was distributed so quickly that it is (in terms of numerical wolf populations) the most abundant Tier 2 shape onsite, and so it is very rarely released on Raffle Studs, as there is no reason to do so. When a Raffle Stud with Merle or Merle Patches is released, Merle is usually not listed as one of his "special attributes" on his news page.