World of Warcraft terminology/N-Z

Most of this page is redundant to the Game Terms category. All terms should be linked to individual articles. Those terms not covered should be separated into separate articles with [[Category:Game terms]] (and [[Category:Acronyms]] as appropriate) added to the bottom of the wikicode.

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See also

• World of Warcraft Terminology/A-M
• The Game Terms category list.
• The Acronyms category list.
• The Misspellings category list.

N

Naxx

A shortened name for the raid instance Naxxramas.

NE

Night Elf

Nelf

Night Elf (Blood Elves contracted to "Belf," respectively.)

Neutral Auction House (AH, GAH, NAH)

An auction house (see AH) which is open to both Horde and Alliance, as opposed to faction-specific auction-houses. Such auction houses exist in all three Goblin cities (hence the abbreviation GAH) and allow the players of one faction to auction items to the opposing faction, something that is normally not possible. Compared to the Faction Auction Houses, the Neutral Action Houses are not exactly sparkling with activity.

Newbie

Any new player to the game. Sometimes abbreviated as newb. Some players consider it a insulting term.

NM

Never mind.

Noob/Newb/n00b/nub etc

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')

NP

No problem.

NPC

Non-player Character.

NR

Nature resistance.

NS

Druid and Shaman's Nature's Swiftness. Can also mean Northshire, where Human players start

O

Org/OG

Orgrimmar (Horde city, and the capital city of the Orc race).

OL/Ony

Onyxia's Lair (raid instance).

OH

Refers to Off-hand weapons.

OOM

Out of Mana, unable to cast spells. "Guys watch out, I'm OOM!" or "Darnit, I need more INT to stop going OOM so fast."

P

Palla/Pally

Paladin (World of Warcraft)|Paladin. Sometimes referred to as Bubbledins, Loladins, Retadins or Tankadins, though these terms are more derogatory in nature. Those who specialize in holy talents are also known as a Healadins and since Blizzard announced that Paladins were the "easy" class meant for younger players they have also been known as n00badins. Overall, nearly any word ending with -adin refers to paladin

Pat/Pats

Short for Patrol. A 'patrol' is a group of NPCs that wander a set path in an instance.

Patt

An abbreviation of the word Pattern, which is a recipe for an item that can be crafted by players with the tailoring skill.

Paw

May also be called "Pink Paw", which refers to the druid buff Mark of the Wild. When cast, the Mark of the Wild buff shows up as a paw outlined in pink. May be used in a sentence requesting the buff such as "Toss me a pink paw and a fort."

PC

Price Check.

or

Player Character.

Pet

A non-combative NPC, such as a parrot, dog, or cat, controlled by a player.

PK

Player Kill or Player Killer.

PL

Party leader. Has access to group-management controls, such as inviting additional members, removing members, loot rules, and converting the party to a raid group, which can hold additional members (up to 40).

or

Refers to "Power Level" - an activity where a player of a much higher level assists a low level player with quests or instances to gain experience and gear at an accelerated pace.

PoM

Presence of Mind, a mage talent that requires 21 points in the arcane talent tree. Makes the next spell cast instant, with a 3 minute cooldown.

Pop

Respawn.

Port

References the Mage ability to open a portal to a capital city. May be used in a sentence requesting a portal, such as "Looking for port to Darn". To transport yourself or other players to another location in the world through spells or abilities. An abbreviation of teleport.

PPR

Points Per Run. Alternative loot divvying system to DKP.

Proc

Derived from MUD item flag name SPEC_PROC — "special procedure" — that signified that object have programming for additional special effect in addition to usual logic. In WoW this normally refers to item's chance on hit or similar effect, or something's percentage of a special ability or effect to be produced. ie. "Crusader doesn't proc enough, I want Fiery!"

PST

Please Send Tell, stemming from other MMOs chat terminology. Many ignorant players will add a secondary "please" in front of PST, incorrectly presuming "PST" is the written form of the interjection found at the beginning of a whisper spoken in real life.

PuG

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.

Pull

To draw a monster away from its current location and back to the party. Pulling is done so that the party can fight an individual monster and not groups of them.

Puller

A player that pulls monsters for the party.

PvE

Player versus Environment.

PvP

Player versus Player.

Purples

See "Epics."

Plate Rogue

A Fury Warrior. Rogues are known for their high DPS, which often comes from their ability to wield two weapons at once. Warriors also can wield a weapon in each hand, and in addition can wear Plate armor, which has much higher damage mitigation than anything a rogue can wear. So a "rogue in plate" refers to such a warrior, with his/her talent points almost always placed in the Fury tree, which provides numerous improvements to a warrior dual-wielding.

Q

QQ

Used as a symbol for crying, often derogatory in meaning ("Why don't you cry about it?"). Used in the World of Warcraft forums in response to posts that are seen as overly 'whiny' (ex. "QQ Learn2Play").

R

Rag

Ragnaros - The end boss of Molten Core.

Rage

Warrior energy (similar to caster's Mana) which begins at 0 and generates when a warrior inflicts or receives damage and is used by a warrior's skills and abilities. Also applies to a Druid in Bear or Dire Bear form. Rage slowly dissipates over time when the character is out of combat.

Raid

A large-scale attack on an area by a group of parties and players.

Res

An abbreviation of resurrect or resurrection.

Respawn

The act of a dead monster's spawning, or appearing, again. Also used to describe the respawned monster itself.

Respec

The act of switching from one talent tree from another via Dual Talent Specialization or going to a class trainer to unlearn all your talent points. This allows you to reallocate them to change the focus of your character. Cost increases each time you unlearn your talents, starting with 1 gold and capping at 50 gold, with the cost slowly decreasing over time.

RFC

Ragefire Chasm (instance). Located in the Cleft of Shadows in Orgrimmar.

RFD

Razorfen Downs (instance). Located in the Southern Barrens across from RFK near the Great Lift.

RFK

Razorfen Kraul (instance). Located in the Southern Barrens across from RFD near the Great Lift.

RH

Razor Hill or Raven Hill (cemetery).

Robes, The

A nickname for the casting classes in WoW (Priest, Mage, Warlock) (also sometimes called "Clothies").

Roll

Refers to rolling for chests or rare items while in a party. /roll generates a random number, between 1 and 100 by default (though this is modifiable with optional parameters to the command), and is used to determine who receives the item. Additionally, /roll is used in Master Looter settings.

or

Refers to creating a character ("I'm going to roll a Tauren"), based on paper-and-dice role playing games.

RPPVP (server)

Role-Playing and Player vs Player server. Similar to a role-playing server, but with the additional caveat that a player can be attacked freely in contested zones or if they attack another player that is flagged for PvP combat.

RR

Redridge Mountains.

S

S

Silver (coin). 100 copper = 1 silver. 100 silver = 1 gold.

SC

Stands for Shadowcraft, the tier 0 set for rogues. Can also be used for the "Scarlet Crusader" side of Stratholme, an instance in the Eastern Plaguelands.

Scholo

Scholomance, a 5-man instance (as of patch 1.10) in the Western Plaguelands.

Scaling

Scaling refers to the increase in an ability's cost as the player's level increases. Also applies to some game systems that raise or lower the difficulty of monster encounters according to the level of the player. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

Scrub

Similar to Noob, though usually used in place of "noob" when describing a PvP based player, whereas "noob" can be used for both PvE or PvP players.

SFK

Shadowfang Keep (instance).

SH

Sentinel Hill, the populated area of Westfall.

Sheep

To cast the Mage's Polymorph spell on a mob (or an opposing player in PvP), thus turning it into a sheep temporarily (e.g., "sheep the add!"). A common strategy for any party with a mage, though it varies in effectiveness, as any damage done to the 'sheep', even by accident, will cancel the spell and return the mob or player to its normal form. As well, while something is in sheep form, they have increased regeneration. Note that in Patch 1.11 Blizzard introduced other forms of Polymorph including the ability to turn an enemy into a pig or a turtle. However, this is still often referred to as sheeping the target.

Shield

Short for Power Word: Shield, a priest ability.

SL

Sheep Left. A term used by a mage during combat to notify his fellow party members that they will be casting Polymorph on the left target. Can also refer to Warlock's 31 point ability in Demonology tree, 'Soul Link'.

Sloppy seconds

When someone with a skinning profession follows another player who is killing creatures (and not skinning them) in order to skin them and gain their hides. (Also referred to as "S2nds"). Usually not used when there's only one skinner in a party or raid.

Slut Elf

Derogatory synonym for the Blood Elf race mostly before the expansion was released, used under the assumption that Blood Elf players will behave in as stereotypically slutty a way as many Night Elf players. Skank elf can also be used, with similar connotation.

SNES

An acronym for "Slutty Night Elf Stripper." Refers to the act of a player with a female Night Elf character removing all of the character's clothes and typing /dance. So named because the female Night Elf's dance routine is very similar to a lapdance. Has reached epidemic levels on some servers. Usually seen to be immature and puerile. Not to be confused with "Super Nintendo Entertainment System."

SM

Scarlet Monastery, a group of level 35-40 instances for both Alliance and Horde. It is not one main instance, but four separate sub-instances, each one more difficult than the last, played in the order of Graveyard, Library, Armory, Cathedral.

Solo

To complete a task individually, without help from others (i.e. to solo a quest at level 40). Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

SoS

Swamp of Sorrows, a contested area in east-central Azeroth.

Southshore Tug-of-War

A semi-constant Horde/Alliance battle occurring between the towns of Southshore and Tarren Mill, in which both sides alternately gain and lose ground at somewhat-regular intervals. Alternately, Battle of Hillsbrad.

Spawn

The location or process of a monster or monsters appearing when they are created in the world.

Spec

Short for specialization. This refers to the talent tree or talent tree type that a player chooses. To 're-spec' is to visit a skill-trainer NPC and 'unlearn' all of the character's current talents, usually to re-distribute the talent points in a different way. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

Sqi

An abbreviation of spirit.

Squishy

Semi-derogatory term for mages, warlocks, and priests, who must wear cloth armor only (and thus are easy, "squishy" targets for enemies). The 'squishy' classes may not consider this an offensive term, since many of them take pride in being 'squishy' and not having to 'hide behind a mound of armor'. Very rarely, this term is also used for the leather wearing classes as well. Sometimes refers to non-elite Mobs in instances. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

SR

Shadow resistance. Also for Sheep Right, which is a term used by a mage character to notify his fellow party members that they will be casting Polymorph on the target standing to the right.

SS

Southshore, an Alliance town on Azeroth's northwestern coast. Frequently used as a staging area for Alliance raids on nearby Tarren Mill, or the target of a raid from the latter town. When in a group with a Warlock, 'SS' also refers to a Soulstone, a stone that allows its target to instantly resurrect when killed. Also refers to [Sinister Strike], a rogue's primary method of generating combo points.

Strat (or Strath)

Stratholme (instance). Stratholme is split into an Undead half, and a living half, so a player will usually specify Strat UD or Strat Live, respectively. Also short for "Strategy."

ST

The Sunken Temple (instance).

Sta

An abbreviation of stamina.

Stack

A number of identical items placed in a single inventory slot to conserve space. Only certain items can be stacked.

Stocks

Abbreviation of The Stockade (instance).

Str

An abbreviation of strength.

STV

Stranglethorn Vale, the southernmost zone on the continent of Azeroth.

SPCD

Sub-Par Cool Down, similar to 3 minute mage. Referred to players who rely on extended timed abilities to win duels or general PvP. Quoted from the infamous Fris.

SW

Stormwind, the Human capital city.

SW:P

Shadow Word: Pain, a damage over time spell that deals X amount of Shadow Damage over Y seconds utilized by priests.

Sword and board

Refers to the common weapon choice for tanking warriors of a one-handed weapon with a shield (any 1H + shield configuration may be referred to as "sword and board" or "SnB", regardless of whether the weapon in question is actually a sword). Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

T

Tank

A character that engages in melee with enemies and can withstand a lot of damage. Warriors and paladins are two examples of tanks. Also used as a verb to describe the act of engaging in melee with enemies.

Taunt

To provoke a monster into attacking your character, thereby pulling its attention away from its current target.

TB

Thunder Bluff (Tauren capital). Also used to refer to the Thorium Brotherhood faction.

Threat

See hate.

Tick

Constitutes a two second span of time.

and

A player's health and mana regenerate an amount determined by the player's Spirit stat every tick, unless the player is in combat.

or

Refers to DoTs time periods of damage, usually between 1-3 seconds.

TM

Tarren Mill, a Horde town in Hillsbrad Foothills.

Toon

a player's character or avatar in game. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

Towning

Used to describe the act of completing errands in a major city, be it leveling professions, managing auctions, buying / selling in the Trade channel, and banking. The opposite of "Running," to run a raid or dungeon. ie. "Hey you wanna join us for an MC run?" "No thanks, I'm towning for a good hour."

TP

"Teleport", or "Town Portal" (from the Blizzard game 'Diablo'). The process of using a magical means to return to a town. Sometimes used in WoW instead of the WoW-native "hearthstone," "hearthing," or "hearth" (see "hearth").

or

Refers to a mage's Teleport spell, which teleports the mage to the capital cities of his faction.

or

Toilet Paper (see: Linen Cloth, Wisp Form) A sheep is commonly referred to as "Ogre TP."

TPS

Similar to DPS, it's a measure of the amount of threat generated by a person over one second.

TS

Timesink, meaning it takes up time to do.

or

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 back during the early World of Warcraft. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

Train

To lead monsters so that they will attack another player.

Twink

A low-level character made more powerful by higher-level characters, usually through gifts of armor and weapons that the character would not normally have at such a low level. Also used as a verb to describe the act of giving low-level characters powerful items uncommon at their level.

TY

Thank You.

U

UBRS

Upper Blackrock Spire (instance).

UC

Undercity, a Horde capital.

UD

Short for Undead, a player-character race.

ULD/Ulda

Uldaman (instance).

UDS/Backdoor Strat

Stratholme Refers to the Undead instance of Stratholme.

V

V

Vendor, used in the 'vendor/need' loot system to mean that the rare item that was dropped wasn't needed by the player, but would be sold to a vendor if no one typed "n" for Need. Obsolete since Patch 1.7 implemented "Need before Greed."

VC

Van Cleef - End boss in the Deadmines (Warcraft)|Deadmines. Often used as the abbreviation for the instance, since on some servers, DM is now more commonly used to indicate the Dire Maul instance.

Vendor Trash

Term used for gray items that can be safely sold to a vendor.

Vent

Ventrilo. A voice-over-IP program similar to TeamSpeak. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

VT

Vendor Trash, selling items that wouldn't sell on the AH and/or grey items.

W

WB

Welcome Back.

WC

Wailing Caverns (instance) or Warlord's Command (Onyxia Horde quest). Or "wrong chat", often used when a player has forgotten to change chat channels.

Wisp

The incorporeal form that the Night Elf takes when s/he has been killed. Wisps can travel faster than any other class while dead, which makes corpse running (see above) or resurrecting slightly quicker than with any other race. Also, as an April Fool's Day joke in 2006, Blizzard posted a page declaring Wisps as the new Alliance race for the expansion pack, World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade. The joke was regarded by many WoW players to be in poor taste, since Blizzard released the joke on March 31, rather than April 1.

WF

A Shaman weapon buff, [Windfury], you have a chance on each hit of getting 2 extra swings of your weapon & bonus attack power for the 2 swings.

or

Westfall.

WG

Wintergrasp, an outdoor Player vs. Player battleground located in Northrend.

WoW

World of Warcraft.

WP/WPL

Western Plaguelands.

WSG

Warsong Gulch, a 10-man capture the flag battleground, added in the 1.5 patch.

WTB

Want To Buy.

WTS

Want To Sell.

X

XL

Refers to [Goblin Jumper Cables XL], and is typically used by classes that do not have any player resurrection abilities. These cables give the player a relatively small chance to resurrect a player.

XP

Experience points. Also called exp.

XR

Crossroads, a Horde town in the middle of the Barrens. It is often a staging point for (and target of) PvP raids.

Y

Yard Trash

A term used to describe the Elites patrolling the path to an instance.

/yell

A chat command that goes one level higher than '/say'; analogous to a person shouting, as opposed to speaking in an 'indoor voice'. It appears in the chat window in red text, and many players consider it impolite, or at the very least, annoying. Proper use of /yell is extremely relative, and varies widely by individual. Players using /yell should be cautioned that excessive /yelling will often garner the same response in-game that it would in the real world — either retaliatory yelling or being added to an /ignore list.

Z

Zerg

To overwhelm an enemy or attack a target in an attempt to win by sheer numbers, rather than skill. Originates in the Blizzard game 'Starcraft', where the 'Zerg' are an alien race that can rapidly mass-produce small, weak units. Also known as 'Weenie Madness', from a Magic: the Gathering strategy of the same name, and functionally identical. Not really a World of Warcraft Specific term.

Zerker

A term used to describe a warrior who causes large amounts of damage to their targets. They use either Berserker Stance for increased damage at the cost of getting hit harder, or Battle Stance, which is the default stance. Zerkers tend to have high strength and agility scores to maximize critical strike rates and total damage per second. A zerker also tends to have less health and a lower armor class than other warriors. Players also refer to zerkers as "Rogues in plate," as rogues cannot wear plate but are relied upon for causing high damage. A zerker usually carries two one-handed weapons or a two-handed weapon instead of a one-handed weapon and shield. They do this to maximize total damage per second. The term "zerker" was taken from the game EverQuest, and is short for "Berserker." Many warriors can switch back and forth between 'zerker' and 'tank' positions by swapping out various armor and using different weapons, especially at higher levels, which prevents the warrior class from being 'typecast' into a particular method of play.

or

Shorthand for "Gurubashi Berzerker" a trash mob (often considered a sub-boss because of their toughness) in the 20 man instance Zul'Gurub.

Zul/ZF

Zul'Farrak (instance).

ZG

Zul'Gurub (instance).