Jargon, decoded
Glossary
The shorthand every MMORPG guide assumes you already know, defined plainly and listed alphabetically. Terms that mean different things in different games say which game they belong to.
A
Aggro- The threat value a monster has assigned to each player, and therefore who it attacks. Losing aggro control is the usual reason a pull goes wrong.
B
BiS- Best in slot: the highest-value item available for one equipment slot at a given point in a patch. It changes when the patch does, which is why a BiS list without a version stamp is unusable.
C
Chaos orb- The common mid-tier Path of Exile currency, and the unit most early-league prices are quoted in before the economy settles.
D
Divine orb- A high-value Path of Exile currency that rerolls the numeric values of an item’s existing modifiers without changing which modifiers it has.
DPS- Damage per second. Also used as a role name for a character whose job in a group is damage rather than healing or tanking.
G
Gearing- Raising a character’s item level to the point where the next tier of content is survivable. Distinct from progression, which is clearing that content.
I
Ilvl- Item level: the internal number that sets an item’s stat budget. Not the same as the character level required to equip it, and the two often diverge.
L
League start- The opening days of a fresh economy, when nothing has been farmed and prices bear no relation to their settled values. Most build guidance is written for one side of this line or the other.
M
Meta- The set of builds, specs or strategies currently considered strongest. It is a description of what people are playing, not a rule, and it moves every balance pass.
Mythic+- World of Warcraft’s scaling dungeon system, where a key level sets both the difficulty and the reward tier.
P
Prog- Progression: attempting an encounter the group has not yet cleared, as opposed to farming one it has. The two need different consumables and a different schedule.
S
Savage- Final Fantasy XIV’s harder raid tier, released after and above the normal version of the same fight.
V
Vault- A weekly reward chest whose contents are decided by what content a character completed that week. It is the reason a week’s first few runs are worth more than its last few.
W
Wipe- The whole group dying, ending the attempt and returning everyone to the start of the encounter.