challenging. See also: farming.
Healer
One who, well, heals. Tanks, healers, and DPS form the “holy trinity” of traditional MMO gameplay. See also: DPS, tank.
HoT
Abbreviation for heal over time. Something that causes a small amount of healing repeatedly for a set period. Common design is for one healing class to rely more on heal over time effects than other classes. It is traditional for players of this class to enquire whether their fellow players wish their girlfriends had HoTs like them. See also: DoT.
Imba
Abbreviation for imbalanced. Generally, and counterintuitively, used as a term of approbation. Essentially, since the purpose of the game is to excel in your chosen area, performing in an imbalanced way is desirable, hence imba is good. Confusingly, OP, which has similar connotations, can be either positive or negative. See also: OP.
Instance
A self-contained bit of the game of which a unique copy will be created for each group that enters.
Kiting
Moving away from an enemy such that it cannot reach you. Ideally, either you or your allies should be killing the enemy while this happens, otherwise it is something of a short-term solution.
Line of Sight
Sometimes abbreviated to LoS. As a noun, the parts of the virtual space that a particular creature can see. As a verb, the practice of attacking a ranged weapon-wielding enemy and then moving out of that enemy’s line of sight so that it will approach you, allowing you to fight it in more favourable conditions.
Macro
A means by which a complex set of commands can be tied to a single key. This has practical uses such as enabling rapid target switching or the casting of healing spells on characters you have not currently selected. It also has less practical applications such as being able to shout, “I shed the blood of Saxon men!” at a moment’s notice.
Main
Your highest level and best-geared character. Strangely, people you meet in MMOs are hardly ever playing their mains, who are always much better geared than the character they are currently playing. Or than you. Or than anyone else on the server.
Mainspec
The spec you primarily play or that you play most often with your guild. See also: offspec, spec.
Mana
A resource used to cast spells. Traditionally blue. Traditionally in short supply.
Mats
Abbreviation for materials. Many MMOs contain elaborating crafting mechanics that allow players to manufacture a wide variety of strange and wonderful items, none of which anybody wants or has any use for. Crafting these items requires raw materials (“mats”).
Melee
Not an abbreviation for anything and actually quite hard to explain without using the word. Fighting things when you are close to those things using sharp things or heavy things.
Mob
Usually an enemy. For those who are interested in the very specific etymology of video games, the term is actually an abbreviation of mobile object.
MT
Abbreviation for main tank. Usually your best-geared and most experienced tank, who will demonstrate this experience by letting the boss punch them in the face. See also: OT, tank.
Need
In loot distribution, to have immediate use for an item. That is, to be able to use it on your current character in their current spec. See also: greed, spec.
Nerf
To reduce in power or efficacy. Nerfs in MMOs offer a fine example of cultural relativism in microcosm. Nerfs directed at other people’s classes are fair, proportional, and justified. Nerfs directed at your class are nonsensical bullshit and evidence that the game developers have no idea how to do their jobs properly.
Offspec
In games that allow switching between specialisations, your offspec is the specialisation with which you are less familiar and for which you have less gear. See also: mainspec, spec.
Oom
Abbreviation for out of mana. An unfortunate condition that afflicts healers everywhere, leads to wipes, and is caused primarily by DPS standing in fire. See also: DPS, mana, wipe.
OP
Abbreviation for overpowered. Used with about equal frequency as admonition and approbation. For example, “lightning spear is flat-out OP. They should nerf it” (negative). “Omg, I am loving how OP lightning spear is right now” (positive). See also: imba.
OT
Abbreviation for off-tank. Usually the second best-geared tank in a raid. The OT’s job is to get hit in the face by all the things that aren’t hitting the MT in the face. See also: MT, tank.
Pb AoE
Abbreviation for point-blank area of effect. These are slightly less cool spells that let you do a thing to lots of things all at once but only if they’re standing right next to you. See also: AoE.
Proc
For those who care about video game etymology, proc is an abbreviation of spec proc, which is