User:Tanaric/Glossary

The terms used in Guild Wars are often obscure. This article exists to index all terms that a player might encounter in-game.

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.
 * 55: Refers to the Invincible Monk build, which is unique in that the monk has only 55 HP at level 20.

A

 * AI: Short for "artificial intelligence." Generally refers to the actions of henchmen and monsters.
 * Account: The account you use to connect to Guild Wars.
 * Active prot: A monk that uses Protection Prayers but not maintained enchantments.
 * Adept: NPCs involved with the Oracle of the Mists in Factions.
 * 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.
 * Allegiance: Refers to joining either the Luxons or the Kurzicks.
 * Alliance: A group of guilds banded together, usually under a faction.
 * 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.
 * Area boundary: "Portals" from one area to another.
 * Area of Effect: Skills that effect more than a single target. Abbreviated AoEs.
 * 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: Representative of the Gods of Tyria. Players only ever interact with avatars, never with the gods directly.

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 granted by an NPC, usually 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) 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: A skill that increases the abilities of a character.
 * 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.
 * 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.
 * 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.