Guild Lingo, Source: Game Tech Advance
When I first started doing my research on the game WoW the initial thing I noticed is that there seemed to be a lot of terminology and jargon usage, especially in my interview and having the opportunity to watch Travis play the game myself. When hearing the terms, I was extremely confused. Right when I got home I looked up some of the terminology that Travis and his teammates were using and that gave me a clearer understanding of what they were talking about. Using the different jargon and terminology allows the player to communicate in an easier and quicker way.
I have a list of some of the key terms that are used most amongst “First Legion Germanica” Guild. I found a website called World of Warcraft terminology/ A-Z, where it shows a whole list of the terminology used in WoW.
One-handed weapon. Carried by most classes, though carried purely for stats by Mages, Warlocks, Priests and Druids. All other classes rely on these for damage output. The classes who use weapons for damage output will generally carry 1H weapons in PvE, where holding a shield in the other hand is important for damage Mitigation. Rogues, Hunters and Warriors will often Dual Wield (two 1H weapons, one in each hand) for primary DPS output; Shamans are not able to use two one handed weapons unless they have invested a talent point to learn them. 1H weapons are subdivided into Main Hand, Off Hand, and One Hand. The first two, as their name suggests, can only be wielded in a certain hand, while those designated “One Hand” can be wielded in either hand.
A duel between two characters, the simplest form of PvP. Popular dueling sites are in front of Stormwind (the main Alliance capital) and Orgrimmar (the main Horde capital). 1v1 PvP also can occur randomly when opposing faction members encounter one another.
The term used for low-leveled players that pull much higher leveled monsters due to the extended aggro range. Can mean a player who mismanages their aggro level when fighting in a group. Also refers to a player who pulls aggro on a monster when in a group, called a ‘tank.’ Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.
A player who practices the blacksmithing skill. An abbreviation for the Hunter Tier 0 armor, Beaststalker Armor.
To capture a flag, tower, graveyard, etc. in battlegrounds. A disparaging term for the hard-to-spell and formerly hard-to-reach Camp Taurajo (a flight path has since been added).
A Warlock spell, Curse of Doom.
A Warlock spell, Curse of Weakness. Reduces the damage dealt by target.
Low level creatures that do not give experience points when killed, and do not attack you at all. Examples include rats, cows, small cats, and squirrels.
“Capture the Flag”, a type of game play in which the objective is to capture the enemy’s flag by picking it up and running it back to your own flag/base. Requires teamwork and coordination. CTF play occurs in the Warsong Gulch battlegrounds (see WSG). Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.
Death Knight. Hero class added in Wrath of the Lich King.
Do Not Disturb; typing /dnd will put you in this state, notifying all private message (whispers) senders, that you are DnD. Do not mistake it for Dungeons and Dragons. Also stands for the Death Knight spell Death and Decay
Enemy Infantry. Used to specify that you are referring to the enemy when typing out “enemy” takes too long.
Feign Death (A hunter ability that causes the caster to appear dead to other players).
A Warlock ability that causes the target to run in terror for a short period of time. Dangerous in certain areas, as the ‘Fear’ed creature stands a good chance of running into nearby mobs. Priests and warriors also have fear abilities.
Flight Point/Path.
or
An abbreviation for “Good Luck”
Game Master – The Blizzard team responsible for managing and upholding the rules in realms.
or
Refers to the Grand Marshal PvP ranking.
or
Refers to the Guild Master of a guild.
Honorable Kill. Occurs when a player kills a member of the opposing faction. Honorable kills increase a player’s honor ranking. Honor does not decay over time, as stated in the Honor System FAQ and the World of Warcraft Guide
Adding someone to the /ignore list.
Refers to a player’s Kill/Death Ratio. When playing in Battlegrounds the number of times you die or kill another player are tracked by the system and can be viewed at any time during or after the match. Although they have no impact on scoring or Honor, they are still used as bragging rights.
Learn to play. An insulting phrase usually directed at someone who has clearly made an incorrect statement. Use of ‘L2p’ is usually colored by disdain. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.
Legendary items are of extremely high quality, and are color-coded orange to identify their status. These items are exceptionally rare, and are obtained through repeated item gathering in high level raid dungeons and various other raid level quests. A player who has a legendary item has typically spent 50-60 hours of playing time to get it.
A player designated to select a target for other players to attack. Usually used in Raids to concentrate damage on one enemy at a time during larger battles.
A name used to describe a group of aggressive NPC‘s in a group or close proximity to each other, see: creep. People commonly use this term to describe creeps even when there’s only one, because of an older term stemming from text based MMO games, where the coding utilized designated these NPCs as “Mobile Objects.”
A basic, derogatory derivation of; “newbie” – someone new to the game, applied to a new player that does not know what they are doing. A player that “sucks” at playing their class. Someone who can not win any duels. Can also be applied in jest to someone who has made a mistake or error that new players often make. Commonly used as a synonym for morons, idiots, imbeciles, or as a general replacement. (See also ‘Scrub’)
Points Per Run. Alternative loot divvying system to DKP.
Pickup Group. A group of random players that are grouped together via the matchmaking system, usually to do an instance or quest. PuGs are notoriously seen as incompetent noobfests, and most raiding guild members attempt to avoid them at all costs due to worry of unreliable player ability, stealing rare items (see: “ninja”), or abrasive attitudes, though since WotLK’s debut, PuGs seem to be more commonly available and able to complete more endgame content than pre-WotLK content.
Short for Power Word: Shield, a priest ability.
Teamspeak, A chat client enabling players to communicate verbally and free up their hands for gaming. Teamspeak and Ventrilo are always employed by guilds for use in 20 and 40 man raids. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.
WoW
World of Warcraft.
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