MMORPG Dictionary (2025)

Permanent record for doing something notable (boss kills, collections, events). Sometimes grants titles, cosmetics, or points.

Synonyms: Feat of Strength · See also: Mount, Title

Your visible hotkeys for abilities and items. Arrange by frequency and role (defensives, interrupts, mobility).

See also: Keybinds, GCD / Global Cooldown

An extra enemy that joins a fight mid-encounter. Often must be controlled, interrupted, or killed quickly.

Synonyms: Additional mob, Add wave · See also: Cleave, Priority target

Weekly modifiers that change how a dungeon plays (e.g., explosive, fortified).

See also: Mythic+, Key

Not actively playing. In groups, say AFK if you need a moment.

See also: PUG, Group etiquette

How much attention an enemy focuses on you. Tanks build and hold threat so others don’t get hit.

Synonyms: Threat, Hate · See also: Taunt, Tank

Player marketplace for buying/selling items. Prices fluctuate with supply/demand.

Synonyms: Market, Broker · See also: Trading, Economy

An alternate character on your account. Often used for different roles, professions, or storage.

See also: Main, Warband / Roster

An ability that hits multiple targets at once—cones, circles, ground effects, etc.

See also: Cleave, DoT

Maximum number of targets an AoE can hit (if limited).

See also: AoE, Cleave

Small-scale PvP mode focused on duels or team fights with tight balance and fast matches.

See also: Battleground, MMR

Action RPG (e.g., Path of Exile). Session-based loot-driven gameplay, sometimes MMO-adjacent.

See also: MMORPG

Targeting or focusing the same enemy as your leader for burst damage or coordinated CC.

See also: Focus target, Kill order

Joining an in-progress group/match to replace someone who left.

See also: PUG, Queue

Abilities that do more damage from behind/side of a target.

See also: Flank, Melee DPS

A currency earned from dungeons/raids used to purchase gear.

See also: Tomestones, Vendor gear

Intentionally placing a boss ability in a safe spot by standing there at the right time.

See also: Positioning, Stack / Spread

The strongest possible item for a gear slot for a given build.

See also: Meta, Min-max

Item or unlock shared across your account/roster.

See also: Warband / Roster

Item that becomes soul-bound to you once you equip it (tradeable before equipping).

See also: BoP, BoA

Item bound to you immediately when looted; can’t be traded.

See also: BoE, BoA

Short-term crowd control that breaks on damage.

See also: CC (Crowd Control), DR / Diminishing Returns

Paying gold/money for others to carry you through content. Often restricted or against rules depending on game.

See also: RMT, ToS

A timer/threshold after which a boss deals massive damage to punish slow kills.

See also: DPS check, Soft Enrage

A stat point at which something changes (e.g., extra DoT tick, cooldown alignment).

See also: Stat weights, Haste

High damage/healing output in a short window using cooldowns.

See also: Cooldowns, Sustained

Short verbal/text cues during fights (e.g., “stack left,” “interrupt skull”).

See also: Raid Lead, Mechanic

Hold a spawn area to continuously kill enemies or control territory.

See also: Farm

A maximum value. Hard caps can’t be exceeded; soft caps have diminishing returns.

See also: Diminishing Returns

A strong player/team completing content while others contribute little.

See also: Boosting, PUG

Abilities requiring time to complete; can be interrupted or moved out of.

See also: Interrupt, CC

A timed or scaled difficulty version of a dungeon.

See also: Mythic+, Variant / Criterion

A strategy that trivializes mechanics, sometimes unintended.

See also: Exploit, Bait

Damage that hits the main target and nearby enemies (usually limited arc/cone).

See also: AoE

Single-use items like potions, flasks, food that grant buffs or healing.

See also: Buff, Food, Potion

Time before an ability can be used again. Off-GCD abilities don’t trigger the global cooldown.

See also: GCD / Global Cooldown, oGCD

A player anchors a mechanic to a safe position so others can move freely.

See also: Bait, Positioning

Visual appearance of gear independent of stats.

See also: Glamour, Transmog

Loot distributed by a leader or council, rather than automated rules.

See also: Personal Loot, Need/Greed

Professions that create or collect items and materials for the economy.

See also: Economy, Auction House

Chance to deal increased damage or healing.

See also: Stat weights, Versatility / Tenacity

Abilities that limit enemy actions: stun, root, fear, polymorph, blind, silence.

See also: DR / Diminishing Returns, Interrupt

Tasks that reset on timers for steady progress (currencies, rewards, caps).

See also: Lockout, Reset

Short, repeatable PvE instance designed for 1–5 players; steady rewards without fixed group.

See also: World Quest, Dungeon

NPC ally that assists you in Delves; adds flexibility to solo play.

See also: Delve

Client and server positions don’t match (rubber-banding, phantom hits).

See also: Lag, Ping

Removing buffs from enemies (purge) or debuffs from allies (cleanse/dispel).

See also: Debuff, Magic school

Periodic damage effect. Keep uptimes high for maximum value.

See also: HoT, Snapshot

Core roles: damage dealer, sustain/support, and fight control.

See also: Off-tank, Threat / Aggro

Moments that test raw output or survival.

See also: Boss Enrage, Mechanics

Repeated CC on the same target becomes less effective for a time. Also used for stat scaling.

See also: CC, Soft cap

Automatic matchmaking for 4–5 player dungeons.

See also: Roulettes, Trust / Duty Support

Random daily duty category for big XP/tome rewards.

See also: Roulettes

The in-game market: crafting mats, supply/demand, price cycles, sinks.

See also: Auction House, Inflation

Hidden rating used to match PvP players/teams.

See also: Rating, Tier

Content at max level targeted at progression: raids, high keys, extreme/savage, ranked PvP.

See also: Lockout, Gear Score / Item Level

Strict time limit before a boss wipes the group.

See also: Soft Enrage, DPS Check

Alt-progression or roguelike dungeon systems with unique rules and rewards.

See also: Side Content

Abusing a bug or unintended rule to gain advantage; usually against ToS.

See also: Cheese, ToS

Repeat an activity for currency, mats, or XP.

See also: Grind

Anyone can loot; usually chaotic without agreements.

See also: Master Loot, Personal Loot

A secondary target watched for casts or interrupts while hitting something else.

See also: Interrupt, Assist

A PvP kill.

See also: K/D Ratio

Ambush a weaker or unprepared player, often in open world PvP.

See also: PK, Zerg

Progress locked behind requirements (level, attunement, rep, quest).

See also: Attunement, Key

Short shared cooldown after most abilities. Some skills are off-GCD (oGCD).

See also: oGCD, Weaving

Summary number that approximates gear quality for matchmaking or entry.

Synonyms: GS, ilvl · See also: Stat weights, Scaling

Sportsmanship shorthand: Good luck, have fun, good game.

A player who intentionally ruins others’ experience. Reportable in most games.

See also: ToS, Report

Repetitive play for rewards. Efficient routes and goals reduce burnout.

See also: Farm

Say hello, clarify roles/loot, be patient, and explain if someone is new.

See also: PUG, Need/Greed/Pass

Player organization for social play, progression, and events.

See also: Static, Roster

Harder versions of content with tighter checks and special rewards.

See also: Normal Mode, Extreme

Absolute limit vs. diminishing returns after a threshold.

See also: DR / Diminishing Returns

Stat that speeds casts, GCD, or DoT/HoT ticks depending on the game.

See also: Breakpoint, Weaving

Mechanics that stress healing/cooldowns (big raid-wide damage).

See also: Tank Buster, Mitigation

Extra talent tree unlocked at higher levels for additional flavor.

See also: Talents

Rules for who gets credit/loot for a kill when multiple parties hit the same mob.

See also: Open Tagging, Tapping

Periodic healing effect.

See also: DoT, oGCD

Player-owned homes/rooms/plots with decor and storage; often prestige.

See also: Instanced, Server economy

A build that mixes roles or splits stats for flexibility.

See also: Min-max

Brief period where you can avoid damage with a skill or dodge.

See also: Tank Buster, Mechanic

Private copy of content for you/your group.

See also: Phasing, Sharding / Layering

Stops or locks an enemy cast. Often the most important button in dungeons.

See also: CC, Focus Target

Your combat role/class in FFXIV (unlockable and switchable on one character).

See also: Roulettes, MSQ

Kills divided by deaths; simple PvP stat that ignores objectives/support.

See also: MMR, Objective

Item that unlocks or scales a dungeon’s difficulty.

See also: Mythic+, Affix

Your chosen hotkeys for abilities. Comfort and consistency beat novelty.

See also: Action Bar, GCD

Stay out of melee range while damaging/controlling enemies.

See also: Slow, Root

Mechanic that pushes players away from a source.

See also: Positioning, Anti-knockback

Delay between your input and server response. Lower is better.

See also: Desync, Region

The server creates multiple copies of a zone to handle population.

See also: Instance, Phasing

Looking for More / Group / Raid. Common group finder tags.

See also: PUG, Queue

Obstacles can block spells/projectiles. Use LoS to avoid damage or force enemies to move.

See also: Kiting, Positioning

Timer that prevents repeating a boss/raid until reset.

See also: Daily / Weekly, Reset

Leaders assign drops for team progression. Requires trust.

See also: Master Loot

Click “Need” if it’s an upgrade for your current role, otherwise “Greed,” or “Pass.”

See also: Personal Loot

List of items a boss/monster can drop and the odds.

See also: RNG

Your primary character vs. your best-geared alternate.

See also: Alt, Roster

Automatic creation of balanced groups/matches (PvE/PvP).

See also: MMR, Queue

A scripted boss or dungeon action you must respond to (soak, bait, interrupt, stack/spread).

See also: Stack / Spread, Bait

The commonly accepted best builds/strategies for current content.

See also: Tier List, Min-max

Optimize every stat/choice to squeeze the most performance.

See also: BiS, Stat Weights

A non-player enemy.

See also: NPC

Rideable speed boost or flying companion; often collectible.

See also: Cosmetic

Primary story questline that unlocks content and gives top leveling XP (esp. FFXIV).

See also: Roulettes, Trust / Duty Support

Scaling, timed dungeon system using affixes to add difficulty.

See also: Affix, Key

Balance change that weakens/strengthens classes, items, or encounters.

See also: Patch, Tuning

Someone learning the game; most communities are happy to help.

See also: Noob

Derogatory way to say inexperienced or unwilling to learn. Prefer “new player.”

See also: Newbie, Group etiquette

Non-player character (vendor, quest giver, enemy, companion).

See also: Mob, Quest

Win condition elements (flags, nodes, payloads) that beat raw K/D.

See also: MMR, Teamfight

Abilities used between GCDs; weave 1–2 safely without clipping.

See also: GCD, Weaving

Multiple parties can get credit/loot for the same kill.

See also: Kill Credit, FFA

Shared spaces outside instances. May include world quests, bosses, PvP.

See also: World Boss, Sharding

Community focus on meters/logs; helpful for improvement but can be toxic if misused.

See also: Speedrun, DPS Check

Content or balance update; hotfix is a quick, smaller fix.

See also: Nerf / Buff, Tuning

NPC movement logic; also player routing around terrain for speed/safety.

See also: Line of Sight, Kiting

Monetization for time savers (boosts, cosmetics, QoL) without raw power.

See also: P2W

Paying real money for direct power advantage; controversial.

See also: RMT, Pay for Convenience

Drops are rolled per player by the system.

See also: Master Loot, Need/Greed

Different players see different states of the world based on quest progress.

See also: Instance, Sharding

Temporary icons to coordinate movement/targets.

See also: Callouts, Raid Lead

Open-world killing of other players; some games punish via karma systems.

See also: Gank

Player Killer Killer—hunts down PKers.

See also: PK

Consumables that restore health/mana or boost stats for a duration.

See also: Consumable, Pre-pot

Actions taken right before combat starts (potions, buffs, positioning).

See also: Pull, Burst

Enemy that must die or be controlled first (healers, summoners, dangerous adds).

See also: Kill order, Interrupt

A random effect that triggers under certain conditions.

See also: RNG, Snapshot

Temporary group formed via chat or matchmaking.

See also: LFG / LFM, Queue

Player vs Environment; Player vs Player; Realm vs Realm; World vs World.

See also: Objective, MMR

Join a matchmaking line for content.

See also: Dungeon Finder, Roulettes

Large-group boss content with multi-phase mechanics.

See also: Lockout, Raid Tier

Coordinates strategy, positions, and cooldown plans.

See also: Mechanic, Callouts

A set of raid bosses released together, often with themed gear.

See also: Patch, Lockout

Your visible competitive rank based on MMR and wins.

See also: ELO / MMR

Where your character exists; choose a region near you for lower ping.

See also: Region, Transfer

Change stats or talent choices. Modern games often allow free or cheap respecs.

See also: Talents, Build

Geographic server cluster (NA/EU/SEA etc.). Affects ping and language.

See also: Ping, Realm

Gear wears down on death; repair at vendors with gold.

See also: Wipe, Consumable

When activities unlock again for rewards.

See also: Lockout

Bonus experience gained after being logged out in rest areas.

See also: XP

Your account-wide character list and shared progress (where supported).

See also: Alt, BoA

The order you press abilities. Priority lists adapt to procs and cooldowns.

See also: Weaving, Snapshot

Daily random duty categories that give bonus rewards.

See also: Duty Finder, Tomestones

Game scales your level/ilvl to content or party to keep fights fair.

See also: Downsync, Upsync

Parallel copies of the same zone to reduce crowding.

See also: Layering, Phasing

A DoT/HoT taking a “snapshot” of your stats at cast time for its full duration. Game specific.

See also: DoT, Haste

Boss ramps damage or adds mechanics instead of a hard timer.

See also: Enrage Timer

How long before enemies or bosses appear again.

See also: Camp, Farm

Finishing content as fast as possible; “parse” often refers to DPS logs/percentiles.

See also: Combat Log

Group up to share damage (stack) or separate to avoid chaining effects (spread).

See also: Mechanic, Bait

Relative value of each stat for your build; helps with gearing decisions.

See also: BiS, Min-max

A consistent team that raids together weekly.

See also: Guild, Roster

A role providing buffs, debuffs, and control more than raw damage or healing.

See also: Healer, DPS

First hitter or shared tag determines loot/credit rules.

See also: Open Tagging, Kill Credit

Large single-hit damage aimed at a tank; requires mitigation/cooldowns.

See also: Mitigation, Healer Check

Forces the enemy to target you and often raises your threat above others.

See also: Aggro / Threat, Tank

Fast travel skill or item to a bound location.

See also: Aetheryte, Waypoint

Community ranking of classes/specs. Use as guidance, not gospel.

See also: Meta

Endgame currency for gear; capped weekly.

See also: Badge / Token

Rules of the game; violations can get you suspended or banned.

See also: Exploit, RMT

Non-boss enemies in dungeons/raids.

See also: Pull, Skip

Run story dungeons with NPC allies. Great for learning.

See also: Roulettes, Dungeon Finder

Developers adjusting numbers to balance difficulty and classes.

See also: Nerf / Buff, Patch

Interface elements or customizations to improve clarity. Some games restrict mods.

See also: Action Bar, Weakauras

Temporary scaling of your level/stats up or down to match content.

See also: Scaling / Sync

Low-value items meant to be sold to vendors for gold.

See also: Economy

A balanced stat that gives damage and reduction (game-specific names).

See also: Crit, Haste

Account-wide progression/collections for your roster.

See also: Roster / Warband, BoA

Using oGCDs between GCDs without clipping the global cooldown.

See also: oGCD, GCD

Entire group dies; reset and try again.

See also: Repair Bill, Mechanic

Large boss out in the open world for many players.

See also: Open World, Spawn Timer

Short tasks in the open world for currencies and rep.

See also: Daily / Weekly

Experience points for leveling your character or battle pass.

See also: Rested XP

Overwhelm with numbers rather than strategy; blob of players.

See also: Gank, WvW / RvR

Entering or leaving an instance or area.

See also: Instance