Mark · Game Mechanic Compendium

Definition

A mark tags a chosen figure, and the tag moves with it. It keeps the figure’s position known through darkness, walls, stealth, invisibility or distance, or makes it a designated target that the user or the whole side strikes harder; many forms do both. Reveal works on an area and exposes whatever is hidden there, so World of Warcraft’s Track Humanoid and Apex Legends’ Bloodhound scan are reveals. Scry moves the viewpoint to a place; the tags a scouting companion leaves are marks. A ping on a place belongs to the map-markers mechanic, while a spot that follows an enemy is a mark. Lock-on targeting holds aim on a target; a mark leaves aim to the player. A damage-taken curse that neither tracks nor designates, such as Diablo II’s Amplify Damage, is a curse, and Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition’s defender marks are taunts under threat-aggro.

Behaviour

The user picks a target, usually one in sight, and the tag lasts rounds, minutes, or until moved. In tabletop it is a condition; in video an outline, a silhouette, a triangle overhead or a minimap icon. Many forms allow one mark per user, moved by marking again. Because the tag defeats stealth, counterplay falls on the marker: Assassin’s Creed Mirage posts archers who shoot down the marking eagle.

Variations

Quarry mark (Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition, Pathfinder (second edition)): one designated target and a personal bonus, such as an extra 1d6 or +2 to track the prey.
Team vulnerability mark (Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, World of Warcraft): every attacker gains, as +2 to hit or ranged attack power.
Tracking tag (Monster Hunter, Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos): map position or sight at any distance, with no bonus to hit.
Recon tag (Battlefield 3, Far Cry 3, Assassin’s Creed Mirage): many targets tagged by looking at them, shared with a team or seen through walls.
Mark and execute (Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction, Assassin’s Creed Mirage): queued tags are spent in one automated chain of kills, bordering lock-on targeting.

Gating

Tabletop forms pay in the turn economy. Advanced Dungeons & Dragons and 5th edition spend a spell slot; 5th edition adds a bonus action and concentration, which a second concentration spell breaks. Pathfinder (second edition) makes Hunt Prey a one-action designation, and the 2024 rules give rangers free castings per Long Rest. Early video forms cost mana; Monster Hunter makes the mark a consumable competing for item slots. From Battlefield 3 onward recon marking is at will, and the price becomes time and exposure. Splinter Cell: Conviction keeps marking free but gates the execution behind points refilled by takedowns.

History and provenance

The earliest documented use cited is the druid’s Faerie Fire in the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook (1978), which outlines chosen creatures, invisible ones included, and gives opponents +2 to hit them. Its antecedent in Eldritch Wizardry (1976) only outlines an object; earlier wargame spotting remains unsurveyed, so confidence is medium. Warcraft III (2002) is the earliest video example cited, World of Warcraft (2004) used the name Hunter’s Mark, and 5th edition reused it in 2014.

Notable examples

Notable examples, in chronological order. Notes describe how the ability behaves in each game; gating is what limits its use there; the latest reference is a widely played game from 2020 or later.
Game	Year	Medium	Gating	How the ability behaves
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Players Handbook Gary Gygax (TSR)	1978	Tabletop RPG	Spell slots	The druid's 1st-level Faerie Fire outlines chosen creatures, about 12 linear feet per level, each fully before the next, within a 4" radius at 8" range for 4 rounds per level with no save. Outlined figures, invisible ones included, are visible at 8" in the dark, and all opponents gain +2 to hit them.
Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos Blizzard Entertainment	2002	Video	Mana	The Druid of the Talon casts Faerie Fire on one enemy unit, stripping its armour for a limited duration and letting the druid observe the unit at any distance while the spell lasts. The manual gives no cost, armour value or duration.
Natural Selection The NS Team (Charles Cleveland)	2002	Video	Mana	A Half-Life modification released on 29 October 2002. The alien Parasite infects a marine so that he shows up on the aliens' hive sight at all times, and the parasite cannot be removed; alien abilities cost energy from a bar that refills.
Monster Hunter Capcom	2004	Video	Consumable	A thrown Paintball, crafted from Paintberries, marks a large monster's position on the area map for 10 minutes and works only on flying dragons and large monsters; bowgun Paint S ammunition does the same for a set time. The hunter marks first, then follows the marker from area to area.
World of Warcraft Blizzard Entertainment	2004	Video	Mana	Hunter's Mark is instant at 100 yards and raises the ranged attack power of all attackers against the target, by 20 to 110 across four ranks costing 15 to 60 mana. The target can always be seen by the hunter through stealth or invisibility and shows on the minimap; the 2004 guide gives 10 minutes. It draws no aggro.
Battlefield 3 DICE (Electronic Arts)	2011	Video	At will	Pressing the spot input over an enemy soldier puts a red triangle over his head and singles him out on the minimap for the whole team, a 3D spot shared by every teammate. Spotting has no cost.
Far Cry 3 Ubisoft	2012	Video	At will	Holding the camera or a weapon scope on each soldier or animal tags it, and afterwards its silhouette stays visible around the camp so its movements can be tracked while sneaking. Tagging costs only the time spent with the camera out.
Path of Exile Grinding Gear Games	2013	Video	Mana	Since 3.12.0 a Mark applies to one targeted enemy, and only one enemy can be marked at a time. Assassin's Mark grants critical strike chance and multiplier against the target and a power charge, life and mana when it dies; Sniper's Mark makes it take 16 to 35% more projectile damage and splits projectiles off it.
Dungeons & Dragons, 5th edition Wizards of the Coast	2014	Tabletop RPG	Spell slots, Action cost	Hunter's Mark, a 1st-level divination, is a bonus action at 90 feet held by concentration for up to 1 hour (8 or 24 hours from higher slots). Weapon hits on the one marked creature deal an extra 1d6, checks to find it gain advantage, and when it drops to 0 hit points the mark moves to a new target as a bonus action.
Assassin's Creed Mirage Latest Ubisoft	2023	Video	At will	Flown over an area, the eagle Enkidu marks enemies, treasure, keys and hidden passages, and Eagle Vision lets Basim highlight and mark enemies through walls. Some outposts post an eagle archer who shoots Enkidu down. Assassin's Focus marks several enemies, up to five when upgraded, for a chained kill.

Provenance

Earliest documented use: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Players Handbook (1978), tabletop rpg. Confidence: medium. The druid's Faerie Fire outlines chosen creatures one after another, keeps them visible in the dark and when otherwise invisible, and gives every opponent +2 to hit them: a tag on chosen figures that serves both tracking and attack. The direct antecedent is the Faerie Fire of Eldritch Wizardry (1976), which only limns an object with a pale glow, with no bonus and no mention of invisible creatures; on a loose reading it would move the date to 1976 at low confidence. Spotting rules in earlier wargames remain unsurveyed. Warcraft III (2002) is the earliest video example cited; video carry-overs of the AD&D spell in 1990s role-playing games remain unsurveyed.

Sources

Gary Gygax (TSR). (1978). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, Players Handbook. Rulebook Druid spells, 1st level, Faerie Fire, c. p. 55; Rangers, tracking, c. p. 24. Accessed 2026-10-24. Faerie Fire on chosen creatures, invisible ones included, with +2 to hit for opponents; ranger tracking as a percentage skill with no tag on the target.
Gary Gygax and Brian Blume (TSR). (1976). Dungeons & Dragons Supplement III: Eldritch Wizardry. Rulebook Druid spells, 1st level, Faerie Fire. Accessed 2026-10-24. The outline-only antecedent; the archive.org item is a multi-book upload titled after another book.
Blizzard Entertainment. (2002). Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos manual. Rulebook Night Elf units, Druid of the Talon, Faerie Fire. Accessed 2026-10-24. The armour strip and sight of the marked unit at any distance.
The NS Team. (2002). Natural Selection v1.0 - Half-Life Mod (installer, in-game help text). Website Help text: Parasite; hive sight; alien energy. Accessed 2026-10-30. Parasite's permanent mark on hive sight, and abilities paid with energy.
BradyGames. (2004). World of Warcraft: Official Strategy Guide. Book Hunter chapter, spell table, Hunter's Mark ranks 1-4; General Tips; Druid chapter, Track Humanoid. Accessed 2026-10-24. Ranged attack power for all attackers, sight through stealth and invisibility, the minimap, duration and mana by rank; Track Humanoid as the area form on the reveal side.
BradyGames. (2004). Monster Hunter Official Strategy Guide. Book Items table, Paintball; Ammunition table, Paint S; dragon strategy. Accessed 2026-10-24. The consumable tracking mark, its 10 minutes, and the restriction to large monsters.
Wizards of the Coast. (2016). System Reference Document 5.1. Rulebook Spells, Hunter's Mark, PDF p. 155. Accessed 2026-10-24. The 2014 spell text, its bonus action, range, concentration, damage, and moving the mark.
Wizards of the Coast. (2025). System Reference Document 5.2.1. Rulebook Ranger, Favored Enemy, Relentless Hunter, Precise Hunter, Foe Slayer, p. 58; Spells, Hunter's Mark, p. 141. Accessed 2026-10-24. The 2024 free castings restored on a Long Rest and the class features built on the mark.
Paizo. Archives of Nethys, Ranger, Hunt Prey. Wiki Pathfinder (second edition) Hunt Prey as a one-action designation of a single prey, lasting until the next daily preparations.
Wizards of the Coast. (2008). D&D 4E Keep on the Shadowfell. Rulebook Pregenerated characters, Fighter (Combat Challenge) and Paladin (Divine Challenge); Conditions, Marked. Accessed 2026-10-24. Defender marks that penalise attacks not aimed at the marker, the taunt form on the threat-aggro side of the boundary.
Blizzard Entertainment. (2000). Diablo II manual. Rulebook Necromancer skills, Curses, Amplify Damage. Accessed 2026-10-24. A damage-taken curse with no tracking or designation, on the curse side of the boundary.
Michael Harradence (PSU). (2011). DICE drops Battlefield 3 details, confirms 3D spotting. Article Accessed 2026-10-24. The red triangle over a spotted soldier, the minimap mark, and the team-wide 3D spot.
Kirk Mckeand (GamingBolt). (2012). Far Cry 3 Review. Article Accessed 2026-10-24. Camera tagging of each soldier and the silhouettes visible afterwards.
GamesBeat. (2012). Far Cry 3 is a superior rumble in the jungle (review). Article Accessed 2026-10-24. The camera tags enemies and animals so their movements can be tracked.
GR Staff (GameRevolution). (2010). Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Conviction Review. Article Accessed 2026-10-24. Mark and Execute, refilled by hand-to-hand takedowns, with points that do not stack.
Nathan Birch (Wccftech). (2023). Assassin's Creed Mirage – Stealth Tips for Those Looking to Master the Murderous Arts. Article Accessed 2026-10-24. Enkidu's marking, Eagle Vision through walls, eagle archers, and Assassin's Focus marking up to five enemies.
Grinding Gear Games. (2020). Content Update 3.12.0 -- Path of Exile: Heist. Website Accessed 2026-10-24. The Marks rework, with one marked enemy at a time, and the effects of Assassin's Mark and Sniper's Mark.
Grinding Gear Games. (2025). Content Update 3.27.0 -- Path of Exile: Keepers of the Flame. Website Accessed 2026-10-24. An Assassin notable making Mark skills cost no mana, which they otherwise do.

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West, James, Jr. (2026). "Mark." Game Mechanic Compendium, updated 2026-10-30. http://localhost:4321/abilities/mark

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