12.1 I see people using terms I don't understand!

Here is a short list of some things you may see while playing any MMORPG. In essence, gamer have created their own bit of terminology to make reference to specific actions. Here we will better define them for the novice.

Loot - This actually refers to items and/or money that drops off an enemy once it has been killed. What you take from the character after it's demise is consifered "Looting" it.

Add - An extra monster has joined an existing battle.

Aggro - Aggro is a term addressing the instance upon catching the aggression of an enemy. If an enemy attacks you while you are running, without provokaction, you will say, "I have aggro."

Alt - refers to another "alternate" character played by the same player.

Buff - A Buff is any of a number of actions taken that enhance your abilities. These include spells, edible goods, ect. For example, certain classes are rewarded powerful buffs as they become more skilled. These Buffs help both themselves or members of their group, thus improving upon their statistics. Some buffs help you hit harder, while other heal you slightly when damaged.

Con - Many games use a system of measurement to display how much stronger or weaker an enemy is to you when clicked upon. Some use color coding tables to indicate how they "rate" against you in combat. This helps alleviate the unwitting attack of a very powerful beast when you are a 'newborn.' By conning them you can tell if you should engage in combat, or run!

Newbie - This term refers to any player who is new to the game.

Nerf - This is a popular phrase in the gaming community. It refers to any sect of individuals who have had their character changed by developers due to being overpowered. If the developers discover one Race has a huge advantage that's seemingly unfair over another race, they may weaken them a bit to even the odds. Those who are adversely affected by this course of action have been nerfed.

DOT - Refers to a spell or any other sort of action that does damage to an enemy over a predesignated period of time. Hence, dot (Damage Over Time.)

AoE - This is an action taken that affects an entire area. Some classes have poisons that, when cast, hit everything within a certain range (exception being other players) while others might have an effect that heals everyone within a certain range. Simply put, Area Effect.

Skills - Any number of things a player must learn or master in pursuit of a specific goal.

LD - When a player loses their connection to the server, they have gone Link Dead (LD).

Lag - This refers to any disruption of fluidity while playing the game. If the servers are entirely cramped, or your connection is weak, you might experience a fair amount of lag. This can consist of jagged animations, freezing for periods of time, or seeing distortion of graphics. Often you will hear "I have lag" when someone falls behind, or doesn't seem to be responding in a timely fashion.

Tell - A message sent to an individual pivately.

Mistell - A message sent to the wrong individual privately, having been intended for someone elses ears. Watch those mistells!

OOC - Often used by those who stick to a roleplaying ethic. Often they will say OOC before actually speaking Out Of Character. For instance, "OOC I have lag."

IC - Refers to something that acts specifically In Character.

XP or EXP - Refers to Experience, or any type of level or skill advancement.

Mobs - No it's not the mafia. Mobs actually means any one or many of an intended enemy.

NPC - This is a Non-Player Character in a game. An NPC is a fixture in the game that is not controlled by another individual.

Zones - This referes to an area, when you cross regions you may find yourself in another "zone." Also, while travelling and you appear to be incapable of going any farther, you might say "I've hit the zone wall."

Spawn or Pop - refers to any enemy or group of enemies that are regenerated by the game after being killed. If hunting in an area and you find you've erradicated all the enemies, you will need to wait for more to Spawn or Pop.

Grind - Grinding is a repetative action done for a long period of time in pursuit of gaining skills or experience in an effort to progress. This can be hunting, crafting or anything of the sort.

Bind - Determines where you will reappear after you have died.

LOS - This stands for Line Of Sight. For your character to see an enemy clearly and take action, you must not have anything obstuctiong your view, you want a clear LOS.

Pulling - This means engaging an enemy in combat. Often used while in groups to notify the members that an individual is bringing an enemy into their range.

Tank - Any person or persons who soley engage in up close melee combat and can take a lot of aggression from the enemy.

Inc - This means "Incoming." A player is bringing an enemy to the group.

LFG - Looking for group

PvP - Any instand where a player engages in battle with another player. Hence, Player versus Player.

PvE - Player Versus Enemy, this refers to any NPC or creature that is not controlled by a person.

Raid - A large scale attack conducted in an areal by a large number of players.

Rezz - This is short for Ressurrect.

Kiting - 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.

KS - Means to steal another players kill (Kill Steal).