Guild Wars Glossary of Terms

This is the Guild Wars Dictionary. It is designed to help people who want to browse through the various sayings, words, phrases, and abbreviations commonly used in Guild Wars. You may also want to see the Glossary category for a complete list (but requires an extra click to get to the definition).

If there is a specific term you are looking for, just type the term in the search box to directly to go the article.

Numeric

 * 1: Commonly used in party chat to indicate readiness.
 * 1.5k armor: Refers to armor that usually costs 1500 gold to craft that has the best possible stats.
 * 12v12: 12 vs. 12 player-vs.-player Alliance Battles in Factions.
 * 15k armor: Refers to Ascended Armor and Obsidian armor that usually costs 15 platinum to craft.
 * 15^50: A weapon with a perfect "Strength and Honor" inscription, that deals 15% more damage when Health is above 50%.
 * 55: Refers to the Invincible Monk build, which is unique in that the monk has only 55 HP at level 20.

A

 * AB: Alliance Battles, a form of pvp event available to Factions accounts featuring 12 vs 12 combat.
 * AI: Short for "artificial intelligence." Generally refers to the actions of henchmen and monsters.
 * AL: Armor Rating, The amount of armor a piece of armor provides. For example an Elementalist's max AL is 60 while a Warrior's is 80 and so the Warrior will take much less damage.
 * Account: The account you use to connect to Guild Wars.
 * Active prot: A monk that uses Protection Prayers but not maintained enchantments.
 * Adept (NPC): NPCs involved with the Oracle of the Mists in Factions.
 * Adept (Staff): Staff upgrade.
 * Adjacent: Skill range that requires you to be right next to your target.
 * Aeromancer: Elementalist dedicated to Air Magic.
 * Aftercast delay: The time after using a skill in which your character cannot move or use skills.
 * Aggro: When monsters switch from passive to aggresive. Can be used as a noun or a verb.
 * Aggro circle: See Danger Zone.
 * Allegiance: Refers to joining either the Luxons or the Kurzicks.
 * Alliance: 2-10 Guilds joining together to increase the amount of players or for other reasons.
 * Alliance Faction: The amount of Kurzick or Luxon faction held by an alliance, used to control outposts.
 * Ally: Anything that isn't trying to kill you.
 * Alpha: An early stage of testing for upcoming Guild Wars chapters.
 * Annihilation: An arena and challenge game type, in which you must completely destroy the other team.
 * Archer: Ranger specializing in marksmanship. Also an NPC found during Guild vs Guild battles.
 * Armor: The clothing used by your characters, the Al (Armor rating) can vary from 0-100. Only certain headpieces grant 0 armor AL. There are certain skills that give armor buffs which decrease the damage taken by your character.
 * Ascension: Ascending in the Crystal Desert to change professions or gain access to the Fissure of Woe (FoW) or Underworld (UW). In Cantha, the equivalent is Weh no Su and in Nightfall, the quest Hunted!.
 * Area boundary: "Portals" from one area to another.
 * Area of Effect: Skills that effect more than a single target. It's abbreviation is AoE.
 * Arena Guard: NPCs that teleport you to arenas.
 * Armor penetration: The extent to which damage ignores an enemy's armor.
 * Artisan: Crafter that combines common crafting materials to make rare crafting materials.
 * Ascended Armor: Armor that looks better than standard level 20 armor. Generally considered a status symbol.
 * Ascension: Attaining legendary heroic status, which allows you to survive fights with certain enemies.
 * Attribute Point: Used to raise attributes.
 * Attribute quest: Quest that rewards 15 Attribute Points.
 * Attuned: Being under the effect of an attunement spell so as to lower your energy costs.
 * Avatar: (1)Representative of the Gods of Tyria. Players only ever interact with avatars, never with the gods directly.(2) A Dervish Skill or Form that allows you to become an Avatar of the gods.(3) Your Guild Wars charracter. You do everything in Guild Wars with your Avatar.

B

 * Backline: Refers to line of spellcasters behind the tanks in an attack formation.
 * Battery: A necromancer who uses Blood is Power.
 * Beta: The testing stage after alpha but before public, commercial release.
 * Beta Weekend Event: Events that allowed players to play before the release of Guild Wars. Replaced by World Preview Events.
 * Blessing: A temporary bonus, usually granted by an NPC for a price.
 * Block: Completely avoiding damage from an attack. Granted by certain skills.
 * Blue item: In terms of item rarity, the most common uncommon item.
 * Body block: The act of preventing other character from passing through your physical location.
 * Bonder: Monk that uses Life Bond and/or Life Barrier.
 * Bonus: In missions, refers to extra objectives that grant extra experience and (in Factions)
 * Boss: An enemy leader that is usually a higher level then their counterparts. They are surrounded by auras indicating their profession, and have additional affects that makes them more resilient or more powerful (see Natural resistance). Many Bosses drop a unique item. skill points.
 * Boon prot: Monk that uses Divine Boon and Protection Prayers.
 * Bot: An automated program generally used to farm items. Bots are prohibited.
 * Buff: (1) A skill that increases the abilities of a character; (2) a change to a skill, mission, etc. that makes it better. Opposite of Nerf.
 * Bug: A flaw in the game that prevents it from working as intended.
 * Build: A template of skills and ability allocation that fulfills a role needed in a party. See builds.
 * Build number: Essentially the version number of the Guild Wars release.
 * Bundle tank: A defunct strategy to outwit the enemy AI using carryable items.

C

 * Call: Broadcasting your actions over the team channel.
 * Cantha: The continent in which Factions takes place.
 * Character: A player's avatar in Guild Wars, the player you see in Guild Wars.
 * Campaign: E.g., the Prophecies or Factions campaigns. Also known as chapters.
 * Cancel stance: A stance used less for its intrinsic benefits and more to cancel another stance's downside.
 * Capture: Usually refers to skill capture or screen capture.
 * Capture the Relic: A "capture-the-flag" game mode in the Global Tournament.
 * Cast: To use a spell or skill.
 * Caster: Any character that relies more on spells than weapons.
 * Celestial: In Factions, an suffix indicating something of incredible power.
 * Challenge: A practice player-vs.-player-style mission against AI opponents.
 * Character: Generally refers to the in-game representation of other players. "John Doe" is the player, "Ragnar the Mighty" is the character.
 * Character level: A general indication of the might of a character, ranging from 1 to 20.
 * Character slot: Every character created on an account occupies one character slot.
 * Charr: A foe in Guild Wars and the main threat in part of Prophecies and Eye of the North.
 * Chest run: A form of farming in which characters run to chests in high-level areas without fighting.
 * Cinematic: The cutscenes before, during, and after missions.
 * Class: See profession.
 * Clean: A weapon with no weapon upgrades, dye, or other modifiers.
 * Collectable drop: Loot that can be traded in at a collector.
 * Collectors: NPCs that give items in exchange for collectable drops.
 * Command line: A method of changing the way Guild Wars runs.
 * Competitive online role playing game: What Guild Wars is. Not quite a MMORPG.
 * Condition: A negative status effect.
 * Container: Any inventory item that can hold other inventory items.
 * Continent: The separate regions that each campaign takes place in.
 * Cooperative Mission: The missions that make up the player-vs.-environment campaigns.
 * Core: Used to label any content that isn't specific to any one campaign.
 * Corpse denial: Corpse exploitation with the explicit purpose of preventing the enemy from exploiting corpses.
 * Corpse exploitation: Utilizing a corpse for a necromancer skill.
 * Counter: Using one skill or build to specifically oppose another.
 * Cover hex: A cheap hex placed immediately after a more expensive hex, to make removing the expensive hex more difficult.
 * Crafter: An NPC that converts crafting materials into something else.
 * Creature: Anything with a health bar that isn't dead.
 * Customize: Customized equipment can only be used by the character it was customized for.
 * Cutscene: See cinematic.

D

 * Damage dealer: A party member who concentrates solely on dealing damage, as opposed to a tank or a healer.
 * Damage over time: Any kind of damage that doesn't take effect immediately. Abbreviated DoT.
 * Danger Zone: The white circle on the compass that illustrates the range at which mobs will aggro.
 * Death penalty: A cumulative penalty to your maximum health and energy for dying.
 * Debuff: A negative condition, or health or energy degeneration; something which makes characters weaker. Opposite of a Buff.
 * Degeneration: When the health or energy bar steadily decreases by a set amount based on the amount of degeneration used from between 1 to 10 "pips".
 * Direct damage: Damage that comes in a single unit, as opposed to damage over time.
 * Disrupt: See interrupt.
 * District: An instance of a public area, to be used for trading, chatting, and forming parties.
 * Divine Aura: A visual effect that owners of the Collector's Edition get while dancing.
 * Drop: Usually refers to loot from mobs, but can also mean to lose connection to the game.
 * DoA: Domain of Anguish, a certain map in the end of Guild WarsNightfall containing high-end monsters. You go to DoA after defeating Abaddon; it is where you defeat Abaddon's remaining followers and "generals".
 * Dual Attack: A devastating type of assassin strike.

E

 * Elona: The continent in which the events of Nightfall occur.
 * Energy: The amount of mana a character has until it can no longer cast spells. To find your energy look for the blue bar above your skills.
 * EotN: The first and only expansion to Guild Wars players. It uses the same continent as Prophecies.
 * Echo chain: A strategy involving multiple uses of Echo and Arcane Echo to duplicate a spell many times.
 * Elite Mission: Missions in Factions that require alliance control to enter.
 * Elite skill: A skill more powerful than other skills. Only one elite skill can be equipped at a time.
 * Emblem: The graphic that appears on a guild cape.
 * Emote: A command that causes your character to animate an action.
 * Enchantment: A spell that causes a positive effect for a period of time. Opposite of hex.
 * Energy denial: A strategy that focuses on removing the energy of your enemy, preventing him from using skills.
 * Environment Effect: A spell or enchantment that takes effect upon entering a certain area.
 * EoE Bomb: A mostly defunct PvP strategy that focused on the use of Edge of Extinction.
 * Err 7: The error code returned by Guild Wars after a server disconnect.
 * Exclusive area: In Factions, the portion of an outpost that only the controlling alliance's members can enter. Sometimes used to refer to areas which can only be reached at a certain point in the game, such as the "balcony" in Kaineng City.
 * Experience: The mechanism by which characters gain character levels and skill points.
 * Exploit: A bug in the game that can be used to illegitimately benefit a character.
 * Explorable area: The areas between outposts and cities.

F

 * Factions: The second campaign available to Guild Wars players. Has many relations to Asian culture.
 * Farming: To repeatedly enter an area and destroy the inhabitants simply for dropped items and money. (See Solo)
 * FoW: Fissure of Woe, an Explorable Area accessed from Temple of the Ages, Zin Ku Corridor, and Chantry of Secrets to get armor from the Forge Master or Farm the enemies for money and drops. Players must be Ascended to enter, and Henchmen cannot enter.
 * Faction (alliance): Kurzick or Luxon faction points used to gain alliance territory.
 * Faction (Balthazar): Points earned in PvP that can be used to unlock goodies on your account.
 * Faction Rewards: The NPC type used to exchange faction points.
 * Faction Transfer: The NPC type used to donate alliance faction points.
 * Faction farming: Methods by which to accrue faction points at an incredible rate. See FFF.
 * Factions Campaign: The second chapter of Guild Wars. See Guild Wars Factions.
 * Fame: Points accrued upon victory at Heroes' Ascent that eventually increase your rank.
 * Farming: Repeatedly killing the same things to repeatedly gain the same reward, be it items or something else.
 * Favor of the Gods: Reward granted to the world for noteworthy achievements in PvE.
 * Ferry: A player that provides transport to Elite Missions, often for a fee.
 * Fissure Armor: See Obsidian armor.
 * Flag runner: In GvG, a dedicated player that plants his team's flag in the flag stand.
 * Flag stand: In GvG, a point at the center of the map that can be controlled via a team's flag.
 * FotM: Flavor of the Month. Refers to a build that becomes extremely popular, but dies out as soon as a counter is made well-known.
 * Flawless victory: In PvP, a victory in which no members of the victorious party died.
 * Fleshy creature: A creature that leaves a corpse and that can be afflicted with all conditions.
 * Focus swap: A technique involving changing your equipment to avoid energy denial.
 * Frame rate: Simply speaking, the speed at which Guild Wars graphics appear to update.

G

 * GL/GG: Good Luck/Good Game. Used often before and after PvP matches.
 * GLF: "Group Looking For..." A term used when an already-formed party is looking for more members, usually of a specific build or profession. Example: "GLF more monks"
 * Gold: The money used to trade or buy in Guild Wars.
 * Guild: Many Guild Wars players joined together in a large group. (See Alliance).
 * Guild Hall: The outpost where members of a guild can meet each other. Only players from a certain guild can visit that guilds Guild Hall, unless guested.
 * GvG: Guild Versus Guild, Guilds battling against one another from their Guild Hall.
 * GW:EN: Short for Guild Wars: Eye of the North. Also could be a driven term for Gwen, a mesmer hero in Eye of the North from the original Prophecies story.

H

 * HA: Hero's Ascent, a PvP arena where you can battle other players around the world for the Hero Title.
 * Health: The amount of life character has until it dies. Your health is the red bar above your skills list.
 * Hero: (1) A party member like and unlike a henchmen that a player can control. (2) A title for mainly PvP players that you can obtain from winning battles in HA.
 * HoM: Hall of Monuments in Eye of the North.
 * HoS: Heart of the Shiverpeaks

I

 * IAS: Increased Attack Stance/Speed.
 * Inventory: The list available by pressing "I" to show how much space you have to obtain items.
 * Item: (1) Drops from monsters or other party members/NPCs that go into your inventory.Money is a special type of item or drop.(2) Ritualist spells or certain things found on the ground that allow you to hold up the ashes of great heroes, or are used for quests or grant temporary effects. You can not attack while holding an item.
 * IWAY:(1) "I Will Avenge You!", A Guild Wars Warrior skill mainly used in PvP. (2) An infamous gimmick build which involved suiciding pets to create massive regeneration and constant IAS.

K

 * K: 1,000 Gold pieces or one platinum. Ex: WTB (A certain Item) for 8k

L

 * LFG: "Looking For Group". Used to solicit party members in an outpost.
 * LOL: "Lots of Laughter" or "Laughing Out Loud." A term used when something is funny.

M

 * Mana: Uncommonly used way of saying energy.
 * Material(s): Materials are used to craft armor. See (Materials)
 * Max (Armor): Armor that has the highest possible AL for your profession.
 * Mission: See Mission

N

 * Nightfall: The third campaign available to Guild wars players. As players progress in Nightfall the day moves on. For example in the first few missions the sun is barely rising but as you progress near the end the sun starts to set and turn to night.
 * NRG: Energy. Sound it out. (See Energy)

O

 * Outpost: A town. See Outpost.

P

 * Platinum: 1,000 Gold. Ex: WTB (A certain item) for 8 Platinum
 * Professions: See Professions.
 * Prophecies: The original Guild Wars campaign. See Tyria and Eye of the North.

Q

 * Quest: A task your character can uptake for a reward, or to continue the main story line.(See Quest)

R
(2) To get ran by a highly experienced character to another town without having to complete the storyline for Guild Wars. (3) To have a highly experienced character finish all the work needed to complete a certain quest or mission.
 * Run:(1) To use a running or speed buff skill to increase how fast your character can move.
 * Test Run: When an experienced player wants to test their strategy to "run" other players, these "runs" are usually free
 * Pro Run: A run done by a very experienced player who has done the run before and has a high success rate of completeing the run


 * Note: Most runs require the inexperienced player to pay the experienced player (or "runner") a certain fee depending on how difficult the particular quest/mission is.

S

 * Solo (Farming): To defeat many foes in one area without any other party members. Most farmings are solo.
 * Species: A species of monsters or allies in the game, in Guild Wars the only playable species is Human. In Guild Wars 2 that will change. (See species)
 * Squishy: A profession with low armor rating that can easily be killed by attacking foes. (Mesmers and Monks are primarily considered squishies)

T

 * Tank: A Warrior or Dervish designed specifically to take all of the enemies and have them attack you while taking no damage leaving your party to deal all of the damage unharmed.
 * ToA: Abbreviation of Temple of the Ages, an outpost in Kryta, Prophecies where players can receive quests or finish quests with eight party members, and it's mainly used for to farm or complete the UW or FoW.
 * Title: A reward or goal obtained from exploring continents, killing things while under a bounty, etc. (See Title)
 * Town: The main outpost of a area. See Town
 * Trade: Giving an item from one character to another, usually using the Trade command.
 * Tyria: The continent that players walk and play on in Prophecies.

U

 * UW: Underworld, An explorable area available in Temple of the Ages, Zin Ku Corridor, and The Chantry of Secrets; used to farm for money and drops, get spiders (pet), or just complete it for a statue in the Hall of Monuments.

W

 * WTB: Want to buy, a Guild Wars Player wanting to buy an item. Ex- WTB Totem Axe for (a certain price)
 * WTS: Want to sell, a Guild Wars Player wanting to sell an item. Ex- WTS Shiro's Sword for (a certain price)
 * WTT: (1) Want to trade, a Guild Wars Player wanting to trade an item for another. Ex-WTT Ecto for Onyx Gemstone. (2) Can be used as another way to say WTS. Ex- WTT Ecto for 5k.