The following table lists useful terms used in and out of the game.
Glossary of Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Adds | Additional mobs that attack while you fight another. Many boss fights introduce adds to create a tougher challenge. Crowd-control abilities become invaluable in these instances. |
| Aggro | To attract the attention of an enemy, or the amount of aggression generated from the mobs. It’s best not to aggro too many enemies at once. Leave this task to melee fighters or, better yet, the Tanks, allowing weaker casters to remain out of harm’s way. |
| Alt (alternate character) | A character that is not your main. Typically, this is a secondary character created for the purpose of handling another, mundane task, such as crafting or extra storage. |
| AoE (area of effect) | A skill that causes an effect over an area. When an enemy casts an AoE, a red shape appears on the ground to show the area that will be affected. |
| Buff | An effect on a player that temporarily improves an attribute or ability. |
| Boon | In Elder Scrolls Online, a boon is a permanent buff given from a Mundus Stone. There are 13 available boons in the game, but you can only possess one at a time. |
| CC (crowd control) | Abilities that allow the player to control an enemy’s movement. A skill that stuns an opponent is an example of crowd control. This is an extremely important job when facing higher numbers of foes, such as while exploring dungeons. |
| COD (Cash on Delivery, via mail) | When trading through the in-game mail system, this setting means that money must be sent upon receiving the item. Note that there is a postage fee associated when using C.O.D. |
| CP (Champion Points) | A Champion Point is awarded each time the Champion Bar is filled after reaching Level 50. These points can be allocated into a constellation at the Champion screen, giving the player new powerful Passive Abilities. Currently, you can spend a maximum of 630 Champion Points. |
| Debuff | An effect placed on a player that temporarily lowers an attribute or ability. |
| DoT (damage over time) | An attack that continues to cause damage after the initial hit, usually with an applied status effect, such as Bleed. |
| DPS (damage per second) | The amount of damage that a player causes every second. |
| Instanced | A location or item that is duplicated for each player. For example, group dungeons are instanced for each group, isolating the team from other players. Clear a Dark Anchor and an instanced chest is awarded, allowing everyone involved to get their cut. |
| Main | This is your main character. |
| Mob | A computer-controlled enemy is often referred to as a mob. |
| NPCs (non-player characters) | Any characters that are controlled by the computer are NPCs, such as vendors, quest givers, Stablemasters, and Navigators. |
| PvE (player versus environment) | Any combat between a player or group of players and computer-controlled enemies. Outside the zone of Cyrodiil and the Battlegrounds in Vvardenfell, everything is PvE. |
| PvP (player versus player) | Any combat between human players. This is limited to Cyrodiil, the Imperial City, and the Battlegrounds in Vvardenfell. |
| Skill Line | A set of abilities that are improved together with earned Experience. Two-Handed weapons are an example of a skill line. The following categories have their own skill lines: race, class, guild, weapon, armor, world, Alliance War, and crafting. |
| Status Effect | Temporary change to a player’s stats, typically caused by an enemy, though traps in the environment may also produce a status effect. Snared, Stunned, Defile, Bleed, and Silenced are all examples. |
| Tank | A character build set up to absorb damage. It’s best for the player to keep the enemy’s attention with an ability such as a Taunt. |
| Trash Mob | Weaker enemies the player faces between boss fights. |
| WTB (Want to Buy) | Commonly used in chat by a player who wishes to buy a specific item. |
| WTS (Want to Sell) | Commonly used in chat by a player who has an item that they wish to sell. |
| XP (Experience) | Gained by defeating enemies and completing quests. The player moves up a level with certain amounts of XP. |