MMO Terms to Know
Common Terms & Abbreveations
Carry - Avoid being one. A person who puts no effort towards the success of the group/raid/guild. Generally a bad player.
CD - Abbreviation for "Cooldown". This could be a hard hitting DPS ability or a heavy healing ability. There are also cooldowns that apply to a whole group (raid cooldowns). Also, the time for something to become ready again.
Cleanse - An ability that removes a debuff from a companion or yourself.
Debuff: A negative or harmful effect. However there are debuffs you apply to enemies; these buff you by harming them.
Buff: Positive effect. Something that makes you stronger/hit harder/live longer.
Purge - A purge is an ability that removes buffs from an enemy.
Cast - An ability/spell with execution time. Synonymously used for ability/spell/action.
Interrupt - Using a spell or ability that prevents a caster from finishing their spell or ability.
AoE - Area of Effect. Casting something on a large group or specified area.
ST - Single Target. Targeting one specific person, place or thing.
DPS - Damage Per Second - The amount of health points you reduce over a given time. Often times an indicator for performance/knowledge of a class/quality of gear.
HPS - Healing Per Second - The amount of health points you restore over a given time.
Cap - A threshold for ratings/statistics/items/currency and more. Surpassing a given amount either yields no change or less than before. Directly connected to Diminishing Return.
Intercept - A tank's ability to shield an ally from damage. Usually, this ability reduces the damage the target takes, up to 50% and provides shielding and guard. This ability is also used on many bosses as a mechanic. (Thanks Yarrelli)
Meta - The current status quo. The existing state of a thing, e.g. PvP. Using this word in a sentence grants your statement ultimate legitimacy. Kidding.
Proc - "Programmed Random OCcurrence". Either on items (example: Chance on hit to cause extra damage) or associated with abilities (example: Chance for spell X to become instant).
LFG - Looking For Group - Usually for 5-man instances.
LFM - Looking for More - Usually an already formed group looking for people to fill spots.
Strafe - To run sideways. Unless you've changed your keybinds this is done with the Q and E keys.
Keybinds - Using specific keys to correspond with an ability or action.
WTB - Want To Buy - WTB a cookie because cookies are love.
WTS - Want To Sell - WTS four partially eaten cookies to share the love.
WTT - Want to Trade - I'll give you a cookie for some heroine.
Stack (size) - To pile up. How many cookies you can pile up on one inventory slot/space.
AFK - Away From Keyboard - You think I'm gonna do these cookies at the computer?
Nerf - When the development team reduces the diffilculty of something.
Droprate - How frequently a specific item will appear when something is looted.
Loot - To take an item from something else, like a body, chest or dime bag. Or the items themselves.
Macro - A list of spells that are set to happen in a pseudo-code of actions, one after the other depending on cooldowns.
Example of a very basic macro in Rift (remove </>):
#show <ability name>
suppressmacrofailures
cast <1 minute cooldown ability>
cast <25 second cooldown ability>
casr <10 second cooldown ability>
cast <2 second cast ability>
cast <instant ability>
BoE - Bind on Equip - An item that can be traded or sold until it's equipped.
BoA - Bound on Account - An item that can only be shared between characters on one player's account.
BoP - Bind on Pickup - An item that binds to a specific character upon entering their inventory.
SB - Soulbound - An item only usable by the character who owns it.
PTT - Push to talk - Good to use if you have a microphone that picks up every little sound.
TTS - Text To Speech. Allows a computer generated voice to tell you what someone just said.
TTK: Time To Kill. The time it takes for a player to die in PvP.
TTL: Time To Live: The time a player can survive in PvP.
Rift specific
HM - Hard Mode
EM - Easy Mode (includes Introduction Mode)
NM - Normal Mode
RoF - Rhen of Fate (10man T1 raid)
MS - Mount Sharax (20man T1 raid)
IGP - Intrepid Gilded Prophecy (10man T2 raid)
HK - Return to Hammerknell (Nobody says RHK as regular Hammerknell was removed. - 20man T2 raid)
MoM - Mind of Madness (20man T3 raid)
NTE - Nightmare Tide Expert - The standard 5-man instances for level 65.
SPE - Starfall Prophecy Expert - The standarf 5-man instances for level 70.
NMR - Nightmare Rift - Usually followed up with a roman numeral indicating which level of rift. e.g. NMR IV.
CoA - Comet of Ahnket (10man T3 raid)
Greater (/Lesser) - Short for Greater (/lesser) Essences that go into your Focus slots.
CP - Crit Power
SP - Spellpower
SC - Spell Crit
PC - Physical Crit
AP - Attack Power
CD - Abbreviation for "Cooldown". This could be a hard hitting DPS ability or a heavy healing ability. There are also cooldowns that apply to a whole group (raid cooldowns). Also, the time for something to become ready again.
Cleanse - An ability that removes a debuff from a companion or yourself.
Debuff: A negative or harmful effect. However there are debuffs you apply to enemies; these buff you by harming them.
Buff: Positive effect. Something that makes you stronger/hit harder/live longer.
Purge - A purge is an ability that removes buffs from an enemy.
Cast - An ability/spell with execution time. Synonymously used for ability/spell/action.
Interrupt - Using a spell or ability that prevents a caster from finishing their spell or ability.
AoE - Area of Effect. Casting something on a large group or specified area.
ST - Single Target. Targeting one specific person, place or thing.
DPS - Damage Per Second - The amount of health points you reduce over a given time. Often times an indicator for performance/knowledge of a class/quality of gear.
HPS - Healing Per Second - The amount of health points you restore over a given time.
Cap - A threshold for ratings/statistics/items/currency and more. Surpassing a given amount either yields no change or less than before. Directly connected to Diminishing Return.
Intercept - A tank's ability to shield an ally from damage. Usually, this ability reduces the damage the target takes, up to 50% and provides shielding and guard. This ability is also used on many bosses as a mechanic. (Thanks Yarrelli)
Meta - The current status quo. The existing state of a thing, e.g. PvP. Using this word in a sentence grants your statement ultimate legitimacy. Kidding.
Proc - "Programmed Random OCcurrence". Either on items (example: Chance on hit to cause extra damage) or associated with abilities (example: Chance for spell X to become instant).
LFG - Looking For Group - Usually for 5-man instances.
LFM - Looking for More - Usually an already formed group looking for people to fill spots.
Strafe - To run sideways. Unless you've changed your keybinds this is done with the Q and E keys.
Keybinds - Using specific keys to correspond with an ability or action.
WTB - Want To Buy - WTB a cookie because cookies are love.
WTS - Want To Sell - WTS four partially eaten cookies to share the love.
WTT - Want to Trade - I'll give you a cookie for some heroine.
Stack (size) - To pile up. How many cookies you can pile up on one inventory slot/space.
AFK - Away From Keyboard - You think I'm gonna do these cookies at the computer?
Nerf - When the development team reduces the diffilculty of something.
Droprate - How frequently a specific item will appear when something is looted.
Loot - To take an item from something else, like a body, chest or dime bag. Or the items themselves.
Macro - A list of spells that are set to happen in a pseudo-code of actions, one after the other depending on cooldowns.
Example of a very basic macro in Rift (remove </>):
#show <ability name>
suppressmacrofailures
cast <1 minute cooldown ability>
cast <25 second cooldown ability>
casr <10 second cooldown ability>
cast <2 second cast ability>
cast <instant ability>
BoE - Bind on Equip - An item that can be traded or sold until it's equipped.
BoA - Bound on Account - An item that can only be shared between characters on one player's account.
BoP - Bind on Pickup - An item that binds to a specific character upon entering their inventory.
SB - Soulbound - An item only usable by the character who owns it.
PTT - Push to talk - Good to use if you have a microphone that picks up every little sound.
TTS - Text To Speech. Allows a computer generated voice to tell you what someone just said.
TTK: Time To Kill. The time it takes for a player to die in PvP.
TTL: Time To Live: The time a player can survive in PvP.
Rift specific
HM - Hard Mode
EM - Easy Mode (includes Introduction Mode)
NM - Normal Mode
RoF - Rhen of Fate (10man T1 raid)
MS - Mount Sharax (20man T1 raid)
IGP - Intrepid Gilded Prophecy (10man T2 raid)
HK - Return to Hammerknell (Nobody says RHK as regular Hammerknell was removed. - 20man T2 raid)
MoM - Mind of Madness (20man T3 raid)
NTE - Nightmare Tide Expert - The standard 5-man instances for level 65.
SPE - Starfall Prophecy Expert - The standarf 5-man instances for level 70.
NMR - Nightmare Rift - Usually followed up with a roman numeral indicating which level of rift. e.g. NMR IV.
CoA - Comet of Ahnket (10man T3 raid)
Greater (/Lesser) - Short for Greater (/lesser) Essences that go into your Focus slots.
CP - Crit Power
SP - Spellpower
SC - Spell Crit
PC - Physical Crit
AP - Attack Power