Game Terms & Definitions
Understand the terms, acronyms and slang you run into in ranked games. Search for a term or browse by game and letter.
111 terms
A
- All gamesACS (Average Combat Score)Valorant’s per-round performance score, built mostly from damage plus kills and assists, and used to rank players on the scoreboard.
- All gamesADR (Average Damage per Round)The average damage you deal to enemies each round, a simple way to measure impact in CS2 and Valorant beyond kills.
- All gamesAerialUsing jump and boost to fly your car and hit the ball in the air, one of the core mechanics of Rocket League.
- All gamesAffixesModifiers on Mythic+ keystones that make enemies tougher or add mechanics, with more of them as the key level rises.
- All gamesAFKShort for “away from keyboard”: a player who stops playing or leaves during a match, or idles in a game.
- All gamesAggroThe attention of an enemy, decided by a threat table: whoever has aggro is the one the monster attacks.
- All gamesAir DribbleCarrying the ball through the air with several controlled touches while you fly, usually starting from the wall or the ground.
- All gamesArmor SwapRestoring your shields mid-fight by taking armor from a deathbox instead of using shield cells or batteries.
- All gamesArtifactsThe five pieces of equipment that boost each Genshin Impact character’s stats, with main stats, substats and set bonuses.
- All gamesAugmentsPowerful bonuses you choose at set moments of a Teamfight Tactics game, picking one of three options to shape your board and strategy.
B
- All gamesBattle PassFortnite’s seasonal reward track: earn XP, level up and unlock cosmetics, with a free set of rewards and a paid premium set.
- All gamesBiS (Best in Slot)The best available item for each gear slot for your class, spec and content in World of Warcraft, usually tracked as a BiS list.
- All gamesBox FightingClose-range Fortnite fights inside and around small built boxes, won by editing, peeking and taking space faster than your opponent.
- All gamesBuffA patch change that makes something stronger, or a temporary positive effect on a character during a match.
C
- All gamesCarryA player or role that wins the game for the team, usually by scaling into the main source of damage.
- All gamesCC (Crowd Control)Effects that limit what an enemy can do, such as stuns, roots, slows and silences, used in MOBAs and MMOs.
- All gamesCheeseAn unintended but effective strategy that skips or trivializes a boss mechanic or challenge, often patched later.
- All gamesChemistryThe link system that rewards players from the same club, league or nation, from 0 to 3 per player and up to 33 per team.
- All gamesClutchWinning a round as the last player alive against one or more enemies, written as 1v1, 1v2, 1v3 and so on.
- All gamesCooldownThe waiting time before an ability, item or spell can be used again, often shortened to CD.
- All gamesCounter-StrafingTapping the opposite movement key to stop almost instantly, so your next shot is accurate in CS2 and Valorant.
- All gamesCrosshair PlacementKeeping your crosshair at head height where an enemy is most likely to appear, so you barely need to move it to shoot.
- All gamesCS (Creep Score)The number of minions and monsters you have last-hit, the main way to measure farming in League of Legends.
- All gamesCS Rating (Premier Rating)The visible number that ranks you in Counter-Strike 2’s Premier mode, shown in colored bands and on seasonal leaderboards.
- All gamesCycle DeckA deck with a very low average elixir cost that rotates its cards quickly to play the win condition again and again.
D
- All gamesDenyingKilling your own low-health creeps in Dota 2 so the enemy can’t get their gold, and gets less experience from them.
- All gamesDPSDamage per second, the main measure of a damage dealer’s output, and also the name of the damage role itself in World of Warcraft.
- All gamesDuelistThe damage role in Marvel Rivals: heroes built to deal damage and secure eliminations, with little direct help for teammates.
E
- All gamesEco RoundA round where a team spends little or nothing to save money for a full buy later, and how it compares with force and full buys.
- All gamesEconomy (Econ)How you earn, save and spend gold in Teamfight Tactics, from interest and streaks to when to roll or level up.
- All gamesElemental ReactionsWhat happens when two elements meet on a target in Genshin Impact: bonus damage, crowd control, shields and the newer Lunar Reactions.
- All gamesElixir TradeComparing how much elixir you spent with how much your opponent lost in an interaction: positive, even or negative.
- All gamesEloThe chess rating system LoL used in its early seasons, and the word players still use for their rank today.
- All gamesEntry FragThe first kill when a team enters a bombsite, and the player whose job is to take that opening duel.
F
- All gamesFACEIT EloFACEIT's skill rating for Counter-Strike 2: a number that rises and falls with each match and sets your level from 1 to 10.
- All gamesFast 8A TFT strategy where you save gold and level to 8 early, usually in stage 4, to find 4-cost carries.
- All gamesFlip ResetAn advanced Rocket League mechanic: touching the ball with all four wheels in the air gives you back your flip for a powerful mid-air shot.
- All gamesFodderCheap, high-rated player cards used only to reach the rating requirements of SBCs, not to play with.
- All gamesForce BuySpending almost all your money on weaker weapons and gear when you cannot afford a full buy, instead of saving.
- All gamesFreezeHolding the minion wave in place near your own tower, so you farm safely while the enemy laner is denied gold.
G
- All gamesGankingA surprise attack on a lane by a player from outside it, usually the jungler, to win a fight with a numbers advantage.
- All gamesGGShort for “good game”: said at the end of a match, but also used to admit defeat or to mock opponents.
- All gamesGod RollThe best possible combination of random perks on a weapon, usually different for PvE and PvP.
H
I
- All gamesIGLThe in-game leader: the player who calls strategies, manages the economy and makes mid-round decisions for the team.
- All gamesIntingDying on purpose to make your own team lose, from “intentionally feeding”, a reportable offense in most games.
- All gamesItem Level (ilvl)The number that shows how powerful a piece of gear is in WoW, and the average of your equipped gear that groups use to judge readiness.
K
L
- All gamesLast HittingLanding the killing blow on creeps in Dota 2, the main way heroes earn gold in lane.
- All gamesLegend AbilitiesEvery Apex Legends character has a Passive, a Tactical and an Ultimate ability. Learn the difference and how to use them well.
- All gamesLegendary RankedWild Rift’s top competitive queue: solo only, with its own MMR, points and tiers, open to players who reach Master in ranked.
- All gamesLineupA memorized position and aim point that makes an ability or grenade land in exactly the same spot every time.
- All gamesLow PriorityDota 2’s temporary matchmaking penalty for bad behavior, which limits you to Single Draft until you win a set number of games.
- All gamesLP (League Points)The points you win or lose in each ranked game, used to climb divisions and tiers in League of Legends and TFT.
M
- All gamesMap Rank (Skill Group)The skill group CS2 gives you on each map in Competitive mode, from Silver I to The Global Elite, tracked separately per map.
- All gamesMetaThe strategies, picks and builds that the player base considers the most effective in the current patch.
- All gamesMMRThe hidden rating League of Legends uses to estimate your skill, build fair matches and decide how much LP you gain or lose.
- All gamesMMR CalibrationThe first stretch of ranked games in Dota 2, where low Rank Confidence makes your MMR move a lot until your medal settles.
- All gamesMythic KeystoneThe item that opens a Mythic+ dungeon in WoW, setting which dungeon you run and at what level.
- All gamesMythic+World of Warcraft's timed dungeon mode for five players, where a keystone sets the difficulty and the rewards.
- All gamesMythic+ RatingWoW’s in-game seasonal score for Mythic+, built from your best result in each dungeon and checked by most groups before inviting.
N
O
P
- All gamesParseYour performance on a boss as a percentile on Warcraft Logs, compared with other players of the same spec.
- All gamesPeeker’s AdvantageThe small timing edge the player who peeks an angle gets over the player holding it, caused by network delay.
- All gamesPiece ControlThe Fortnite building skill of claiming the walls, floors, cones and ramps around you and your opponent so you control the fight.
- All gamesPity SystemThe guarantee rules behind Genshin Impact’s Wishes: a 4-star or 5-star after a set number of pulls, the 50/50 and Capturing Radiance.
- All gamesPlacement MatchesThe five ranked games you play in each queue to receive your starting rank, at the start of ranked and every new year.
- All gamesPlayStylesSpecial traits that give a player unique abilities, like Finesse Shot or Rapid, with an elite PlayStyle+ version.
- All gamesPower LevelYour character’s overall strength, based on the average Power of your equipped gear, which decides how hard activities feel.
- All gamesPower SpikeA moment when a champion suddenly gets much stronger, usually after reaching a key level or finishing an item.
- All gamesPrefireShooting at a common enemy position just before you can see it, so the first bullets arrive as the enemy appears.
- All gamesPrimogemsGenshin Impact’s premium currency, earned by playing or converted from Genesis Crystals and mainly spent on Fates for Wishes.
- All gamesPUGA pick-up group: a team of strangers formed through the group finder for a dungeon, raid or other group content.
- All gamesPvP RatingThe rating you earn in each rated PvP bracket in WoW, which sets your seasonal rank, rewards and titles.
R
- All gamesRaid LockoutThe weekly limit on raid loot in World of Warcraft: once you loot a boss on a difficulty, you can’t loot it again there until the reset.
- All gamesRank DecayThe LP you lose for not playing ranked at Diamond and above, managed through a bank of days that each game refills.
- All gamesRanked MarksWild Rift’s ranked progress unit: win to earn a Mark, lose to drop one from Silver up, and fill a division to move to the next.
- All gamesRanked Points (RP)The points that move you through Apex Legends Ranked, earned from kills, placement and bonuses after paying an entry cost.
- All gamesRecoil PatternThe fixed path a weapon’s bullets follow when you hold the trigger in CS2, different for every gun and learnable with practice.
- All gamesRerollSpending gold to refresh your Teamfight Tactics shop, and the name of comps built around 3-star low-cost champions.
- All gamesRetakeWhen defenders move back onto a bombsite after the bomb or Spike is planted, to kill the attackers and defuse in time.
- All gamesRNGShort for “random number generator”: the randomness behind loot, critical hits, shop rolls and other chance-based outcomes.
- All gamesRoamingLeaving your own lane to help elsewhere on the map, usually to set up a kill, take an objective or secure vision.
- All gamesRoshanDota 2’s strongest neutral creature: killing him gives your team the Aegis of the Immortal and other rewards that can decide the game.
- All gamesRotationHow teammates take turns going for the ball and falling back in Rocket League, so someone always covers the goal and the next touch.
- All gamesRR (Rank Rating)The 0–100 points that move you through Valorant’s competitive divisions, based mainly on wins, round margin and your MMR.
S
- All gamesSBCA Squad Building Challenge: you hand in a squad that meets specific requirements and get packs or special players in return.
- All gamesSlow RollA Teamfight Tactics strategy where you keep a gold floor, usually 50, and reroll only the extra each round to find 3-star units.
- All gamesSmurfAn experienced player using a new or low-ranked account, so they face opponents far below their real skill.
- All gamesSpiral AbyssGenshin Impact’s permanent combat challenge: clear floors of timed fights, earn Abyssal Stars and collect rewards that partly reset every month.
- All gamesSplit PushPushing a side lane alone to pull enemies away from the rest of the map while your team holds elsewhere.
- All gamesSpray ControlThe skill of pulling your mouse against a weapon’s recoil so a full-auto spray keeps hitting the target in CS2.
- All gamesStrategistThe support role in Marvel Rivals: heroes who heal and enable their team, often with some of the strongest ultimates in the game.
T
- All gamesTeam Composition (Comp)The group of champions, traits and items you build toward in Teamfight Tactics, and the board you aim to have by the late game.
- All gamesTeam-Up AbilitiesExtra abilities linked to a partner hero in Marvel Rivals: each hero picks one, with a base effect and a stronger effect when the partner is on the team.
- All gamesThird PartyWhen a squad joins a fight that two other squads already started, attacking both while they are weakened.
- All gamesThrowLosing a match or round that was clearly won because of avoidable mistakes, greed or overconfidence.
- All gamesTiltPlaying worse because frustration, anger or a losing streak has taken over your decisions.
- All gamesTrade KillKilling the enemy who just killed your teammate, so the exchange ends one for one instead of a lost duel.
U
V
W
- All gamesWallbangHitting or killing an enemy by shooting through a wall, door, box or other surface that bullets can penetrate.
- All gamesWave ManagementControlling where the minion wave meets in lane by choosing when to freeze, slow push or fast push.
- All gamesWin ConditionThe card in a deck whose main job is to damage and take down the enemy towers, like Hog Rider, Golem or X-Bow.
- All gamesWipeWhen the whole group dies, or gives up, during a boss or a pull, and the fight resets for another attempt.