The EverQuest Gaming Glossary
What's "LD" and are there really "trains" in EQ? If you find yourself occasionally confused by some of the lingo in the world of Norrath, we're hoping we can help clear things up a little.
The EverQuest Glossary is an ongoing project that we'd like to invite all players to participate in. Below is our current glossary, but there's still room for improvement.
If you're new to Norrath and looking to decipher some of the jargon you're hearing in-game, this is the place to start. You'll find loads of abbreviations broken down, and definitions for all kinds of crazy internet and gaming terminology.
Or if you're an EQ veteran and you'd like to contribute, we're gladly taking suggestions over on the Official EQ Forums.
So start browsing the pages of this tome and soon you'll be "woot!"-ing with the best of them!
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P
Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z
A
AA: Alternate Advancement Ability
AC: Armor class
AE or AOE: "Area of Effect." Refers to spells that affect all valid targets in a specific area, rather than a single target. May also refer to the actual area such a spell would affect. ("Watch it - that spell has a large AOE!")
AC/HP: A common question to tanks asking, "What's your Armor Class/Hit Points?"
Add: Additional mob(s) incoming.
AFK: "Away from keyboard." Used to announce that a player is leaving his or her console for an indefinite period of time, but whose character will remain online.
Agro or Aggro: An abbreviation that refers to an aggressive monster, or to draw a hostile creature's attention. ("Don't run too close or you'll draw aggro.")
Agro/Aggro range: The range within which an aggressive monster will notice a player character and attack.
AOF: "Avatar of Fear." Creature from the Lost Temple of Cazic-Thule.
ATM: "At the moment."
Avatar: A player's character in the game.
B
BAF: "Bringing a friend." This is often an announcement from the puller that the party's intended opponent has attracted another aggressive monster.
BF: "Boyfriend."
BBL: "Be back later."
Bind point: Location your character will be returned to when gating, translocating or is killed.
BIO: An acronym used by a player when he or she needs to leave the console to visit the restroom.
BRB: "Be right back." Signals others that the player character will return to the group shortly, or that the player is leaving the console briefly, but keeping his or her character online.
Broadband: High-speed home Internet connection (e.g., DSL, cable).
BRT: "Be right there."
BTW: "By the way."
Bump or Bumping: In discussion forums, "bumping" is the action of gratuitously posting to a thread for the sole purpose of moving the thread to the top of the thread list. This action is not permitted.
Burn: To do max damage to a target.
Buff or Buffing: Refers to preparatory actions taken to combat, usually involving the casting of beneficial spells.
C
Camp or Camping: Refers to the repeated killing of a respawning monster by the same individual or party, often for experience or to gain items. Can alternately mean a player is leaving the game by using the Camp command.
CC: Camp Check ("Excuse me kind fellows, but where are you currently slaughtering monsters?")
CC: "Crowd Control", the ability to hold back most of an incoming crowd of monsters so that they can be dealt with singly or a few at a time.
Con: An abbreviation for the Consider command in EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers used to assess the strength of an opponent
CU and Cya: "See you later."
D
Dev: Short for a member of the Development Team or the Development team collective.
Dewd or Leet Speak: An abbreviated or encrypted chat code used by some gamers.
Ding: An announcement by a player to let others know they have just leveled up.
DNS: "Domain Name System." A system that translates a domain name into an Internet Protocol address.
Donate: Give someone some in-game currency in return for buffs.
DoT: "Damage over time." Refers to an effect that, when placed on a target, cause continuous damage over a limited period of time.
DPS: Damage per second.
Drop: Used to refer to the "giving up" of items or money by a defeated foe. "What did the gnoll guard drop?"
E
Emote: A convention used to express emotions through text in text-based games (sometimes referred to as "smilies" and physical animations on avatars in newer graphics-based games.)
EP, Exp or XP: "Experience points."
EQ or EQ1: An acronym for EverQuest, a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game for the PC, developed by Sony Online Entertainment.
EQ2 or EQII: An acronym for EverQuest II, the sequel to EverQuest and a massively multiplayer online roleplaying game for the PC, developed by Sony Online Entertainment.
EQOA: An acronym for the massively multiplayer online game EverQuest Online Adventures.
Evac: Evacuate, Succor, or leave quickly by your own methods.
F
FAQ: "Frequently Asked Questions." This section of a website, for example, will have answers to the most common questions a visitor may have.
Farming: A term that refers to the act of gathering rewards (esp. equipment) repeatedly, usually for resale for personal gain.
Flame or Flaming: The act of harshly rebutting someone (usually on message boards), often disparagingly. Flaming is considered detrimental to constructive discussion, and is not permitted in the EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers forums.
FM: "Full Mana"
FPS: "First person shooter." A combat game, played from a first-person viewpoint, generally in a futuristic or science fiction genre. Examples: PlanetSide, Doom, Quake
Friends List: A list of friends kept by a player.
FTL or 4TL: "For the loss." Opposite of FTW or 4TW.
FTW or 4TW: "For the win." An enthusiastic emphasis to the end of a comment, message, or post. Sometimes genuine, sometimes sarcastic.
FWIW: "For what it's worth."
FYI: "For your information."
G
Gank: To gang up on and kill an opponent. Sometimes also used to describe killing a single opponent very easily. ("I wandered into Kithicor at night and was ganked by a bunch of skeletons." Also to steal from another player. ("That halfling ganked my mob!")
Gate: This is a reference to the "Go Home" command that comes from the PC version in which players must cast a Gate spell to return home.
GF: "Girlfriend."
GH: Guild Hall
GL: Guild Lobby
Gimp: Of low gear level.
GM: Game Master. A customer service representative who helps to facilitate gameplay by resolving player issues.
Grief Player or Griefer: A player who purposefully seeks to ruin the enjoyment of others in a game.
GTG or G2G: "Good to go."
Guild: A formal association of players formed in EQOA that grants those players additional features, such as the guild chat channel.
H
HDD: An acronym for Hard Disk Drive.
Healer rotation: Rotation set-up for clerics and druids to keep up health points of a main tank by casting Complete Heal in an endless cycles.
Hehe: An expression of mild amusement and laughter.
Host: A computer that has full two-way access to other computers on the Internet.
I
IIRC: If I Recall Correctly
ICS: "Internet Connection Sharing."
IMO and IMHO: "In my (humble) opinion."
INC: "Incoming!" An announcement from a group member that an enemy is heading their way.
Invis: To make yourself invisible by spells or potions, helping to navigate quickly through dangerous zones without drawing aggro.
IP address: "Internet Protocol address." Internet Protocol is the method by which information is sent from one computer to another on the Internet; the IP address is the address of a computer on the Internet that allows information to be sent to a specific location.
IRL: "In real life."
ISP: Internet Service Provider.
J
J/K or JK: "Just kidding."
K
K: "Okay."
Kiting: Refers to a style of combat in which a player continually stays out of combat range of an enemy usually by running from it, while simultaneously causing damage to it.
KOS: "Kill on sight." Refers to a player character that is attacked on sight by a group of NPCs such as city guards, for example, usually because that player character is unpopular in that area through faction alignments.
KS: "Kill Stealing." Refers to the act of maliciously taking another person or party's prey.
L
Lag: Latency experienced during play resulting from any of several causes, including Internet traffic and breakdowns, server-side problems and/or client-side problems.
LAN: "Local Area Network."
Latency: The time delay experienced as data moves across the Internet.
LD: "Link dead." Refers to the state of a PC when the player has lost his or her Internet connection to the character.
Levi(tate): To make yourself levitate in the air by spells or potions. Helps to navigate quickly over dangerous cliffs or water spaces.
LFG: "Looking for a group to join."
LFM: "Looking for more for our group/raid."
LOH: "Low on health." An acronym used by a player to announce that his or her health statistic is getting dangerously low. Also, can be used to refer to the paladin's "Lay on hands" ability.
LOL: "Laugh out loud," and "lots of laughs." An acronym used to express amusement.
LOM or LOP: "Low on mana" or "Low on power," respectively. An acronym used by players to alert others that they will soon need a rest.
LOP: "Low on power." An acronym used to alert others that the player character's Power statistic is nearing depletion.
Loot: Term used to refer to either items or money retrieved from a vanquished foe. It may also be used as a verb meaning to take items or money from a defeated foe (as in looting a MOB).
Lvl: Abbreviation for "level."
M
MA: " Main assist." Players sometimes target the MA during fights so they are targeting the proper mob.
MAC address: "Media Access Control address." A MAC address is a unique number assigned to computer hardware on a network.
Mem: To memorize a spell.
MMOG: "Massively multiplayer online game."
MMORPG: An acronym for a genre of games meaning Massively Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game. EverQuest Online Adventures: Frontiers is an MMORPG.
MOB: Mobile or Mobile Object. A MUD term originally, used to describe creatures in a game, whether NPCs or enemies.
MOO: An acronym for an Internet game meaning MUD, Object Oriented.
MT: "Main tank." The job of the Main Tank is not only to maintain aggro, but also to mitigate and avoid damage.
MT: "Mistell." When a player accidentally sends a message to the wrong person or group.
MUD: An acronym for an Internet game that is generally text based. Stands for Multi-User Dungeon, Multi-User Dimension or Multi-User Dialogue.
MUSH: An acronym for an Internet game, commonly translated as Multi-User Shared Hallucination.
N
NA: An acronym referring to a Network Adaptor.
NAT: "Network Address Translation."
Newbie (also, Noob, Newb, etc): A young, inexperienced player. Sometimes derogatory.
Ninja: Secret, hidden.
Ninja loot: The quick looting of a fallen NPC's rewards. This is often a dishonest act.
NM: "Never mind."
No Drop: Describes the quality of certain objects that prevents characters from dropping or trading the item in question once it has been picked up.
No Trade: Formerly known as "No Drop," this means that the item in question cannot be transferred between characters, dropped on the ground, or put in the shared bank. On the Firiona Vie server, many items have this restriction removed.
NP: "No problem."
NPC: NonPlayer Character. Refers to any creature, or MOB, not controlled by a player.
NT: Acronym used on message boards meaning No Text and indicating that the body of the message is empty.
O
OIC: "Oh, I see."
OMG: "Oh my gosh!"
OMW: "On my way."
OOC: "Out of character." Usually used to qualify a message in a roleplay environment.
OOM: "Out of mana." Used by players to signal the group that they must rest before they can use their abilities (cast spells, for example).
OOP: "Out of power." Used by players to signal the group that they must rest before they can use their abilities (cast spells, for example).
OOR: "Out of range (for casting)."
OOW: "On our way."
OT: "Off topic." Message board acronym to indicate that content of the post diverges from the current topic.
OTM: "On the move." An acronym often used by a group leader to announce his desire to move the group.
P
Parse: To run a program that reads log files and gives damage per second info.
Pet: An NPC minion under the control of either another NPC or a player.
Ping: The measurement in milliseconds it takes a packet of data to travel from a console to a server and back over the Internet.
Ping: Term used in EQ to indicate earning an alternate advancement point.
Plat or Platz: "Platinum," in-game currency.
Plz: Abbreviation for "please."
PnP: An acronym for "pen and pad," which refers to traditional tabletop roleplaying games.
Port forwarding: Broadband router that provides a security buffer or firewall between a user's private network and public network.
Powerleveling: The act of helping a lower level player gain experience at an accelerated rate.
PST: "Please send tells (to me)." ("Looking for druid. PST if interested.")
Pull: The act of engaging an NPC in combat by a player character who then flees back to his or her group with the angered NPC in tow.
Puller: The player character who performs a Pull.
PvE: Player versus Environment. A game environment in which players may attack and kill NPCs and MOBs only.
PvP: Player versus Player. A game environment in which players are permitted to attack and kill one another's characters.
PvPer: someone who kills other players' characters, generally consensually.
PKer: Player Killer. A player who kills other players' characters randomly. It often has a negative connotation, applied to someone who kills excessively or by dubious means.
Pwn, pwned or 0wnd - "Own(ed)." The act of dominating an opponent. ("We totally pwnd those orcs!")
Q
R
Random: To take the dice and roll for loot.
Rdy: "Ready."
RL: An acronym for "real life," referring to a player's life outside of the game.
ROFL: Rolling on the Floor Laughing. A strong expression of amusement and laughter.
RUN: Run!
S
Shrink: To shrink yourself with spells or potions.
SOE: Sony Online Entertainment
SOW: Spirit of the Wolf
Spam or Spamming: Sending a message or messages repeatedly through a communication channel (tells, OOC, shouts, auctions, etc.) that annoys other players. Spamming is universally frowned upon in cyberspace, particularly in online games.
Spawn: The regeneration of a creature after it leaves the game world for a time. A rare spawn refers to an NPC that appears only occasionally in the game and is often hard to find.
Suxxors: A Dewd Speak expletive meaning, "It sucks!"
T
Tank: A player character that takes the brunt of attacks from an enemy for his or her party. It may also be used as a verb.
Taunt: A skill possessed by some of the melee classes that is used to attract the attention of an attacker usually away from the vulnerable spellcaster that angered it!
Tell: A form of direct global communication between two players only.
Temp: "Temperance," a beneficial spell that increases a character's hit points for a considerable time.
Thx: "Thanks."
Toon: A player's character.
Train: A large group of aggressive enemies that is pursuing a fleeing player character.
Twinking: The act of giving powerful equipment to lower level characters who could not have obtained the equipment at their current level of advancement, usually to aid in their level advancement.
Twitch: A style of gameplay that requires manual dexterity, quick reflexes, and strong familiarity with the user interface from the player.
TY: "Thank you."
U
Ubah: Derogatory or facetious version of uber.
Uber: A term used to describe a player, association, item, MOB, etc. as exceptionally powerful.
USB: "Universal Serial Bus." A plug-and-play interface between a computer and add-ons such as joysticks, keyboards, etc.
V
W
WB: "Welcome back."
WI/FI: "Wireless Fidelity." A high-frequency wireless local area network.
Wife Faction: (Also Husband/Boyfriend/Girlfriend Faction.) The amount of good will (or bad) your significant other currently bears toward your excessive gaming. ("Gotta go work on my wife faction (i.e., empty the dishwasher), so I can raid this evening.")
Woot! or w00t!: An expression of delight.
WTB: "Want to buy."
WTG: "Way to go!"
WTS: "Want to sell."
WTT: "Want to trade."
X
XP: "Experience Points"
Y
YW: "You're welcome."
Z
Zerg: An overpowering swarm of players, often used to defeat difficult raid targets. Sometimes derogatory as in attacking a target with no focused strategy other than overwhelming numbers.
ZI: Actual zone-in point of a zone.
Zone: EverQuest gaming term. Refers to an area within a game or the act of moving between two areas within a game ("I'm zoning.")