This online glossary can help you directly in the game through mein-mmo.de. Our experts have compiled a list of the most well-known abbreviations and special terms that you may encounter in an MMO. So if something seems strange (in Spanish, Orcish, or Teldarian), just switch to this glossary. There is a high chance that you will find exactly the answer you’re looking for in our MMO wiki. You can bookmark the glossary in your browser.
We have compiled the glossary to be understandable for beginners, but it can also provide valuable advice to experienced players. Because what is a root for one, is a mezz for another!
P.S.: Surveys by elven researchers have shown that 32.7% of all wipes are due to communication problems! Put an end to that and recommend the mein-mmo.de glossary!
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- Adds
Adds is an abbreviation for “additional enemies”. The term is used in three different forms. First, as a designation for weaker enemies that accompany a strong boss mob. Then as a general... - Aggro
Aggro means enjoying the attention of a mob and being attacked by it. Ideally, it should be on the tank. “Aggro” can also be used as a call for help – often repeated several times.... - Alt
“Alt” refers to an “alternative character”, meaning a secondary or tertiary hero. In German online jargon, some also refer to them as “Twink“. - AoE
Refers to abilities that affect an area rather than just individual targets. Example: An arrow shot typically affects only one target, while a volley of arrows or a rain of arrows affects an entire... - Assist
Assist is a call to attack the same target. Particularly in PVP, the command is used. The assist target should generally also be the focus target. The target is set by the target caller. A group of... - Bind on Equip
The item is bound upon creation, and cannot be traded afterward. However, it is freely sellable until then. BoE items from raids that are hard to obtain are a valuable source of income for players. - Bind on Pickup
The item is immediately bound to the player when it comes into their possession. It can no longer be traded afterwards. Quest rewards or loot from raids or dungeons are often BoP. - BiS
Best in Slot. BiS refers to items that are currently part of a perfect item build. A player whose equipment consists only of BiS items is perfectly equipped or “min-maxed”. BiS can also... - Buffbot
A player character that does not actively participate in the events but only provides its buffs. Usually, it is logged in by an active player on a second account. In most current games, this is no... - Buffs
Strengthening spells, which are often essential for optimizing the impact of a group. In many games, the buffs are distributed across different classes, making it worthwhile in many games to strive... - Build
A “build” refers to a specific way of customizing your character. This can relate to skill distribution, equipment, or both. Often, a “build” is a special design of a gameplay... - Campen
Waiting stationary for a player to immediately kill a specific enemy upon their appearance in order to reap the reward for it. In the PvE area, rare enemies are often “camped” to secure... - Carebear
A Care Bear – this is a derogatory term for a softie who wants to care for everyone, has understanding for everything, and does not conform to the typical macho image of an MMORPG player. - Castzeit
The duration of the magic. This is how long it takes from clicking a button until the desired effect occurs. - CC, Crowd Control
This refers to any kind of ability that changes the opponent’s state of movement, keeping them away from the fight for a period of time. Crowd Control is often not well-received in PVE because... - Chinafarmer
Pejorative for a player who stupidly and persistently engages in certain activities that are not enjoyable. It comes from the idea that Chinese gamblers sit in an internet sweatshop, selling virtual... - Competitive
“Competitive” refers to forms of “player-versus-player” content that take place under official rules and with great ambition. The competitions should be as fair as possible.... - Content
Content refers to game content, primarily including raids and dungeons. A sentence like “We outgear the content” means that the instance or raid is perceived as too weak in relation to... - Cooldown oder CD
The cooldown of an ability. “CD” is often also used as a term for strong abilities, as in many games the strong abilities have a longer cooldown. A phrase like “Save your CDs”... - Crafting
The crafting system within a game. Crafters can create items and then either use them themselves or sell them to other players. Depending on the game, the range of crafted items varies from a club to... - Damage Dealer
One of the pillars of the Holy Trinity in class design. A DD (long Damage Dealer) is a class that should deal as much damage as possible as quickly as possible. Typically, it is the job of the DDs to... - Debuff
A weakening spell. Can be used to weaken opponents. If you are affected by it, you have to either wait it out or remove the spell. - Dispel
A dispel removes a positive or negative effect that is placed on players or mobs. This is crucial in many boss fights. For example, it is important to remove a buff from a boss that would otherwise... - DKP
This is a point system used in some fixed raid groups to distribute loot. DKP is a kind of virtual currency earned by participating in raids, which can then be spent on items. The DKPs are not... - DoTs
DoTs are damage-over-time spells that distribute their damage over time. Often, rogues or warlocks have abilities that trigger DoTs. Curses, poisons, or bleeding wounds that work over a longer period... - DPS
Damage per Second – how much damage a damage dealer can deal per second. This is a measure of the quality of a DD. There are often special tools that calculate these values, known as damage meters.... - Drop
Another term for loot. What an opponent drops after being defeated. - Dungeon
Delimited, hostile areas, which usually require a group to handle them. Often, in a specific dungeon, special enemy types and bosses are waiting at the same spots for the group. Dungeons are the... - Emotes
Emotes are commands that make a character perform a pre-defined animation. With /bow the character bows, with /cry it starts to cry, or with /dance it breaks into crazy twitches. For role players,... - Epics
A quality level for items. Usually the highest in a game. - Equip
Equipment, also called Gear. The equipment of a character. - EXP
Experience, in English experience points, which are needed to bring a game character to the next level. Often only interesting in the leveling phase. - Faceroll
This means that someone is probably just rolling their head thoughtlessly over the keyboard; otherwise, their idiotic actions in the game cannot be explained. A ‘Faceroller’ class, on the... - Farmen
Farming can be used in various ways. On one hand, it is often the monotonous activity of gathering the required reagents for crafting. On the other hand, it can also mean killing enemies or hunting... - FC
False chat, used as an exclamation to explain that what was said before was not intended for this communication channel. Therefore, those present are to simply ignore it. - Ganken
The Ganken or the Gank are terms from PVP that refer to a surprise attack in which the victim has no chance. A Gank can either be carried out by a much better-equipped player or by a numerically... - Gear
“Gear” refers to the equipment in online games, especially in MMORPGs. This includes all items that a character is currently wearing – often including weapons. - Gilde
A guild is an association of players who pursue common goals. Depending on the game and setting, there are various terms for this association. In fantasy games, “guild” is common; in... - Gimp
Gimp is a derogatory term for something weak. It can refer to a class that is inferior in balance or to a player who makes many mistakes. Gimp is the opposite of uber or imba. - GM
As a GM or Game Master, employees of the game operator are referred to as those who design in-game events, assist with problems, punish misconduct, or resolve disputes. - Grief Play
Grief Play refers to gameplay methods that primarily aim to spoil another player’s fun using unfair tactics. This can be as simple as intentionally blocking a specific NPC to make it difficult... - Grinden
Grind (or the grind) always refers to a laborious, mindless activity intended to achieve a specific goal. When grinding levels, one defeats the same mobs repeatedly, without completing quests or... - GZ
An abbreviation for congratulations, it is usually used for level ups, especially good drops, or similar joyful events in a player’s life. It can also be used for real-life events. It is... - Heiler
One of the three pillars of the Holy Trinity in class design. It is meant to prolong battles as much as possible and counterheal the damage that the group takes. In newer class designs, healers are... - HoT
A Heal over Time, a healing spell that only takes effect over a longer period of time. - Housing
The term housing zone refers to areas that are owned by players and can be customized by them. Normally, there is no combat in these areas; rather, they are reserved for roleplay and socializing. In... - Imba
Comes from “imbalanced”. It is usually used to mean “too strong”, “stronger than intended”, or simply “super”. The term can be used as a complaint... - INC
Either pronounced as an attack signal during a planned assault on an enemy group or shouted in panic when one becomes a victim of such an attack. Simply means “Incoming” – enemy contact. - Instant
A spell or ability without a casting time. Part of many rotations. - Instanz
An instance, shortly called an Ini, is detached from the main world and can only be used by one player or a group of players at a time. Other players who also want to enter this area can do so, but... - Inv
An invitation to a group, raid group, or guild. An official invite usually takes place on raid nights at a specific time. It can be viewed similarly to the departure time of a bus from the hotel to... - Kiten
Kiting means in PVE to maintain the aggro of a mob without getting into its attack range. In PVP, it refers to a ranged fighter dealing damage to a melee fighter without the latter being able to... - KoS
Kill on Sight – a term from PVP servers, where a player is attacked and eliminated as soon as they are sighted. Fire is opened without prior warning. A KoS state is considered a status of... - KS
The kill steal. A kill steal occurs when a player intervenes in a PVP fight that has already been decided, with the intention of delivering the finishing blow. The finishing blow is often rewarded... - Leechen
Leeching is an action where a player benefits from stronger teammates, but does not contribute enough to the success of the endeavor. Often, however, it is also used in a joking manner and for... - LFG
Looking for Group – The player who says this is looking for a group themselves. Often, LFG is supplemented by the player’s level, class, and the desired goal of the group. - LFM
Looking for Mates or Members – The player who says this is in a group and is looking for more fellow players. This term is also always supplemented by a profile of potential players and the... - Loadout
A “loadout” refers to an equipment configuration, which gear a character is wearing. If you have different loadouts, you have different sets of equipment saved, between which you can... - Lobby
The term “lobby” refers to a system in which the actual gameplay activities do not take place in a world shared by all players, but in separate instances. These instances are... - Loot
The loot. Items that are transferred to players after mobs die. Players who place so much importance on these items that it disrupts the cohesion of the group are referred to as “loot... - Loot Council
The loot council is a special way of distributing loot, where a council of selected players decides who is awarded which item. - Lore
The background story that underlies a game world. Often, the lore is not only told within the game but is based on other media, such as books or films in the same universe. It often explains the... - LoS
The Line of Sight. In long-range spells and attacks, it is often necessary to keep the target in clear view. If the opponent hides behind obstacles or barricades to avoid the LoS, they are “out... - Main
The main character of a player. The game character that a player plays most frequently. - Mana
The magic points of a player that are needed to perform special, often magical abilities. - Mezz
A form of crowd control that renders an opponent incapacitated. However, the condition is broken when the controlled player takes damage. - Min-Maxing
Min-maxing refers to the optimization of a game character and a particularly efficient style of play. The term is often used pejoratively because it implies something obsessive and nerdy. - Mob
A mob in the language of MMOs and MMORPGs stands for “Monster or Beast” – A term for hostile non-player characters. This can also refer to opponents in human form. The antagonists in... - Mule
A game character that has no other purpose than to hoard items or assist in item exchanges. It has nearly disappeared due to the new game designs. - Named
Named refers to mobs that are designated with proper names and not just with the genus name. This also includes boss monsters, but the term Named is most commonly used for special quest mobs that are... - Need before greed
Is a rule for loot distribution that should make it clear that the one who truly needs the item and whose character will become stronger receives it. This promotes the overall strength of the player... - Nerf
The nerf is the weakening of a class, a skill, a game principle, a situation, or a mob that was previously perceived as too strong by the game developer or the community. When a player class is... - Ninja-Loot
Ninja looting means grabbing loot against an existing agreement and disappearing with it. In most gaming systems today, this is no longer possible, unless the loot master themselves breaks the given... - Noob
A derogatory term for someone who has no clue about the game. Unlike a Newbie, a Noob is not only new but also completely clueless and incompetent. They are not interested in getting better. However,... - NPC
These are friendly or at least neutral game characters that are not controlled by a player (English term: Non-player character). Typical NPCs are merchants, quest givers, or simply figures that make... - OMW
Abbreviation for “I am on my way/I’ll be right there/I’ll take care of it.”. English: On my way. - Oom
Most panically shouted abbreviation for “Out of Mana/I need a break.” Is usually ignored by the tank unless the healer screams it at a frequency only audible to tanks and dogs. - OP
Overpowered, see “imba”. Usually, “OP” is pronounced somewhat sheepishly after the defeated one picks up their bones: “That guy is so op!” - Open PvP
Unlike the instanced PvP in battlegrounds or arenas, open PvP is not restricted to a specific zone and can be practiced anywhere – or at least in designated free areas, that is, areas without... - Open World
The term “Open World” in online games differs from the “normal definition.” In online games, “Open World” refers to the shared, collective world in which all... - Outgearen
“Outgearing” in PvE means that you can resolve a boss encounter without having to adapt to the abilities of the boss enemy. This is because you have much stronger equipment than would be... - Overgeared
In MMORPGs, “Overgeared” refers to a character equipped with much stronger items than necessary for the activity they are currently undertaking: They are “too strong” for the... - Pet
A pet is a companion of a game character. The so-called pet classes have controllable companions that can perform various tasks and usually represent important parts of the class design. Especially... - Plündermeister
A loot master or lootmaster distributes loot to the players in certain loot systems. This is meant to ensure loot fairness. - Pot
A pot is a drink or another consumable item that serves to either restore life to the drinking player (Heal-Pot), refill their reservoir of spell points (Mana-Pot), or temporarily strengthen them. - Powerleveln
Power leveling means leveling up as quickly as possible, regardless of the enjoyment of the game. Often, dubious external providers also offer a service they call “power leveling.” In... - Pull
The process of starting a fight against a mob or a mob group. With complicated opponents, this often involves a tactic where enemies are taken into crowd control before the pull. With a successful... - PvE
Game mode, Player versus Environment: Players compete against mobs or opponents that are controlled by the game itself (artificial intelligence). Quests and raids are just as much a part of PvE as... - PvP
Game mode, Player versus Player: Players compete against each other alone or in groups. - Quest
Quests refer to tasks that a player must complete. Often, a reward awaits at the end of a quest. The quests are designed to guide a player through an area and often tell interconnected heroic deeds.... - Raid
A raid in PvE means tackling a special instance, a raid instance, that requires more than just one group of players. In PvP, a raid usually refers to an attack on a particularly well-protected enemy... - Reggen
Take a short break to replenish the hit points or magic points of the character. “I need to regen for a moment” indicates the necessity of such a break. - Reppen
In many games, equipment loses effectiveness when it is used too often or when the player dies. By repairing at a blacksmith or a merchant, they become fully operational again. Generally, players... - Respawn
The resurrection of enemies. Defeated opponents often reappear after a certain time to keep the world populated and also to give other players the opportunity to conquer these foes. Can be used both... - Rezzen
Revive a dead player with a special spell. “Can you resurrect me?” is a standard question when a player does not want to “run” after a wipe, but instead waits for someone to... - Rooten
Rooting is a form of crowd control where an opponent is immobilized in place – so to speak, rooted to the ground. They do not lose control of their character but can only not move. Rooted... - Rushen
A rush refers to a storm attack in PvP and a particularly fast run through an instance that is perceived as weaker in PvE. - RvR
Game mode, Realm versus Realm: Players compete in groups of their faction or realm against each other – often it is about tactical and strategic advantages. - Schwitzen
“Sweating” or “Sweats” refers to “Competitive” in some games. Even though it doesn’t always involve leaderboard positions, “sweating” means... - Snare
A snare is another form of crowd control, where an opponent is slowed down. - Snowflake
Sometimes also called “Special Snowflake”. A pejorative term for someone who likes to be the center of attention and seeks this through various means. An example would be the unsolicited... - Stack
A stack refers to a pile of identical items that occupies only one slot in the inventory. “Stacking” refers to a situation where particularly many game pieces of a class belong to a raid,... - Structured PvP
Under “Structured PvP” or sPvP, we mean player-versus-player content that takes place under controlled conditions: fights in an arena or on a battlefield where equally sized groups of... - Stun
A form of crowd control where an opponent is usually incapacitated for a short period of time and can be fully attacked without breaking the stun. A sequence of abilities that keeps an opponent in... - Supporter
Supporters are game characters that take on a supportive role in a group. Usually, this refers to healers. However, it can also be hybrid classes that derive a large part of their usefulness for the... - Tank
A tank is another class type according to the system of the Holy Trinity. A tank holds the aggro of the mobs and is responsible for having them attack him instead of damage dealers or healers.... - Tier
The English “tier” refers to a level of content that encompasses a difficulty level or the instances of a content patch. In many games, items of a quality level are further differentiated... - Tryhard
The term “tryhard” refers to players who are overly ambitious. Often, this is meant derogatorily. Unlike the “pro,” who plays fantastically without showing it, making... - Twink
Twinks are all game characters that are not main characters. Players often use twinks to experience different aspects of the game than with their main char. - Undergeared
“Undergeared” refers to the situation where players wear weaker equipment than what is actually intended for an activity. Those who want to master a challenge while being... - Upgraden
In many Asian-inspired games, there is the possibility to continually improve items by enhancing them with specific objects. Often, the likelihood of successfully carrying out such an upgrade... - Wipe
A wipe is the complete defeat of a player or raid group. A wipe fest refers to an evening where the group is constantly defeated. With a sentence like “Sorry guys, not in the mood for... - WTB
Want to buy, a player is looking for an item and wants to buy it. - WTS
Want to sell, a player sells the item they are mimicking in this shortcut. - WTT
Want to trade, a player wants to trade the first item they mention for the second. In “WTT sword for shield”, the player has a sword and wants to trade it for a shield. - WvW
Game mode, World versus World: Players compete against each other in groups according to their server – this is the RvR in games that have no factions. - Ziehen
In carrying, a weaker character is dragged by a stronger player or by a group through an instance or another player experience. It is thus a form of “leeching”, but the carrying is done... - Zone
Zone means an area that is distinctly different from other areas of the game. Often, a zone has a specific theme and a clearly defined level range.