ReferenceSeason 3Patch 11.2.7

WoW PvP Glossary – Arena Terminology & Slang

Complete guide to World of Warcraft PvP terminology, arena slang, and composition names. Learn the language of competitive WoW PvP.

By Skill Capped•Published January 1, 2025

Welcome to the Skill Capped PvP Glossary! This comprehensive guide covers all the terminology, slang, and composition names you'll encounter in World of Warcraft PvP. Whether you're new to arena or a seasoned veteran, this reference will help you understand the language of competitive WoW PvP.

A

AA – Acronym for Auto Attack. Refers to your character's basic melee swing that occurs automatically when in range of your target.

Add – An additional enemy that enters combat, typically used in PvE but can refer to extra targets in battlegrounds.

Alter – Short for Alter Time, a Mage defensive that returns you to your previous position and health.

AMS – Acronym for Anti-Magic Shell, the Death Knight defensive ability.

AMZ – Acronym for Anti-Magic Zone, the Death Knight raid cooldown.

AoE – Acronym for Area of Effect. Refers to abilities that affect multiple targets in a specified area.

Arena – Instanced PvP combat between small teams (2v2 or 3v3). The primary competitive PvP format in WoW.

B

Base – The starting area in battlegrounds where players resurrect and regroup.

Barrier – Short for Power Word: Barrier, a Priest raid cooldown.

BG – Acronym for Battleground. Large-scale PvP with objectives like flag capture or resource control.

Blind – Refers to the Rogue ability that incapacitates a target.

Block – Short for Ice Block, the Mage immunity. Also can refer to preventing an action through CC or interrupts.

Bloodlust – Bloodlust (Horde) or Heroism (Alliance). The Shaman ability that increases haste for the group. Also called "Lust" or "Hero."

BoF – Acronym for Blessing of Freedom, the Paladin ability that removes movement impairing effects.

BoP – Acronym for Blessing of Protection, the Paladin ability that makes a target immune to physical damage.

Bolt – Short for Frostbolt or similar cast-time abilities.

Bubble – Common term for Divine Shield (Paladin) or similar immunity effects.

Burst – A concentrated window of high damage output, typically using offensive cooldowns.

C

Cap – Short for capture, referring to objectives in battlegrounds or reaching a rating milestone.

Cap Totem – Short for Capacitor Totem, the Shaman AoE stun.

Cast – Using an ability with a cast time. Also refers to predicting and interrupting enemy casts.

Caut – Short for Cauterizing Flame, the Evoker dispel.

CC – Acronym for Crowd Control. Abilities that disable or impair enemy players (stuns, fears, polymorphs, etc.).

CD – Acronym for Cooldown. The recovery time before an ability can be used again.

Cheap – Short for Cheap Shot, the Rogue stun from stealth.

Cloak – Short for Cloak of Shadows, the Rogue defensive that removes magical effects.

Clone – Short for Cyclone (Druid ability).

CMs – Acronym for Counter Measures, referring to defensive cooldowns and escapes.

Cocoon – Short for Life Cocoon, the Mistweaver Monk defensive.

Coil – Short for Mortal Coil, the Warlock horror effect.

Colossus – Short for Colossus Smash, the Arms Warrior debuff.

Combust – Short for Combustion, the Fire Mage burst cooldown.

Comp – Short for composition. The combination of classes and specs on a team.

Convoke – Short for Convoke the Spirits, a powerful Druid ability.

Counter – Short for Counter Shot (Hunter) or Counterspell (Mage).

Cross – Short for Cross CC, when multiple crowd control effects are applied to different targets simultaneously.

CS – Can refer to Colossus Smash (Warrior), Counterspell (Mage), or Cheap Shot (Rogue) depending on context.

D

Dampening – A mechanic in arena that progressively reduces healing received as the match continues.

Dark – Short for Darkness, the Demon Hunter raid defensive.

Deathmark – Deathmark, the Assassination Rogue burst cooldown (formerly Vendetta).

Deep Breath – Deep Breath, the Evoker mobility/damage ability.

Def – Short for defensive or defend. Calling for teammates to use defensive cooldowns or protect an objective.

Desp – Short for Desperate Prayer, the Priest self-heal.

Dispel – Removing beneficial or harmful effects from a target. Dispel Magic is the Priest version.

DoT – Acronym for Damage over Time. Abilities that deal damage in ticks over a duration.

DP – Acronym for Devouring Plague, the Shadow Priest damage ability.

DR – Acronym for Diminishing Returns. The mechanic that reduces CC duration when reapplied quickly.

Drink – Using a consumable to restore mana out of combat.

E

Evasion – Evasion, the Rogue defensive that increases dodge chance.

Exhaustion – Exhaustion (or Sated), the debuff preventing multiple Bloodlust effects.

F

Farm – Repeatedly defeating opponents for rating, honor, or gear.

Fear – A crowd control type that causes targets to flee uncontrollably. Examples: Fear (Warlock), Psychic Scream (Priest), Intimidating Shout (Warrior).

Flex – Adapting strategy based on the situation, or a flexible team composition.

Fort – Short for Fortifying Brew or Power Word: Fortitude.

G

Gank – Ambushing an unsuspecting player, typically in world PvP.

Gap – Short for gap closer, abilities that quickly close distance to a target.

Gate – Short for Demonic Gateway (Warlock ability).

GCD – Acronym for Global Cooldown. The short lockout after using most abilities.

Global – Killing a target in a single GCD or very quickly.

Go – Calling to initiate burst or a kill attempt on a target.

Grip – Short for Death Grip (Death Knight) or Leap of Faith (Priest).

Ground – Using Grounding Totem or similar abilities to absorb spells.

GS – Acronym for Guardian Spirit, the Holy Priest external.

H

Hard Cast – Abilities with cast times that can be interrupted (as opposed to instant casts).

Hardswap – Suddenly changing kill targets without setup.

Hero – Short for Heroism, the Alliance version of Bloodlust.

HoJ – Acronym for Hammer of Justice (Paladin stun).

HoT – Acronym for Heal over Time. Can also refer to Howl of Terror (Warlock).

HP – Acronym for Health Points or Holy Paladin.

HS – Acronym for Healthstone, the Warlock-created healing item.

I

IBF – Acronym for Icebound Fortitude (Death Knight defensive).

Immune – Being unaffected by certain types of damage or effects.

Imprison – Imprison, the Demon Hunter CC ability.

Incarn – Short for Incarnation abilities (Druid).

Inc – Short for incoming. Warning that enemies are approaching.

Interrupt – Stopping an enemy's cast and locking them out of that spell school.

J

Juke – Canceling your own cast to bait an enemy interrupt.

K

Kick – Short for Kick (Rogue) or any interrupt ability.

Kill Target – The primary target your team is trying to eliminate.

Kite – Maintaining distance from enemies while dealing damage or waiting for cooldowns.

L

Lag – Network delay causing delayed responses to inputs.

Land – Successfully applying crowd control or damage.

Lasso – Short for Lightning Lasso, the Shaman stun.

Line – Using terrain or pillars to block line of sight.

LoH – Acronym for Lay on Hands (Paladin emergency heal).

LoS – Acronym for Line of Sight. Using obstacles to prevent targeting.

Lust – Short for Bloodlust.

M

Mana – Resource for casting spells. Managing enemy healer mana is a win condition.

Mass – Short for Mass Dispel, the Priest ability that dispels multiple targets.

Master's – Short for Master's Call, the Hunter ability that frees a target from movement impairing effects.

Medallion – The PvP trinket that removes crowd control effects.

Meta – Short for Metamorphosis (Demon Hunter) or the current state of the game.

Mobility – Movement abilities and speed. Essential for positioning in PvP.

Mortal – Short for Mortal Strike or mortal wounds (healing reduction effects).

MS – Acronym for Mortal Strike or Movement Speed.

N

Nado – Short for Tornado or Cyclone effects.

Netherwalk – Netherwalk, the Demon Hunter immunity talent.

Node – Capture points in battlegrounds like Arathi Basin.

Nuke – Concentrating all damage on a single target.

O

OOM – Acronym for Out of Mana. When a player has exhausted their mana pool.

Opener – The initial abilities used when starting combat, especially from stealth.

Orb – Short for Shadow Orb or Frozen Orb abilities.

Overextend – Pushing too aggressively and becoming vulnerable.

P

Peel – Controlling enemies to protect a teammate in danger.

Peek – Briefly entering line of sight of enemies.

Phase – Short for Phase Shift, the Evoker blink ability.

PI – Acronym for Power Infusion.

Pillar – Obstacles in arenas used to break line of sight.

PoM – Acronym for Prayer of Mending.

Pop – Activating a cooldown or ability.

Port – Short for Demonic Circle: Teleport (Warlock) or Transcendence (Monk).

Pre – Using an ability in anticipation of an enemy action (pre-wall, pre-kick).

Precog – Short for Precognition, a PvP gem that provides CC immunity.

Primal – Short for Primal Rage, the Hunter pet Bloodlust.

Proc – An effect triggered by a random chance or specific conditions.

PS – Acronym for Pain Suppression.

Purge – Removing beneficial effects from enemies (Dispel Magic, Spellsteal, Tranquilizing Shot, etc.).

R

Rain – Short for Rain from Above, the Demon Hunter PvP talent.

Ray – Short for Ray of Frost.

Re – Getting a follow-up CC on the same target, or resetting the fight.

Rescue – Rescue, the Evoker ability to pull an ally to you.

Roll – Short for Roll the Bones. Most commonly talked about when players obtain True Bearing for cooldown reduction or Ruthless Precision for a massive crit modifier.

Root – Crowd control that prevents movement but allows other actions.

RoP – Short for Ring of Peace.

Rot – Damage strategy focused on spreading DoTs to multiple targets.

RNG – Acronym for Random Number Generator. Refers to luck-based mechanics.

S

Sac – Short for Blessing of Sacrifice.

Sated – Sated, the debuff after receiving Bloodlust/Heroism.

Shadow Dance – Shadow Dance, the Subtlety Rogue burst window.

Shadowmeld – Shadowmeld, the Night Elf racial ability.

Sheep – Short for Polymorph (Mage ability).

Shroud – Short for Nullifying Shroud.

Silence – Preventing a target from casting spells.

Sleep – Short for Sleep Walk.

Slow – Reducing a target's movement speed.

Spam – Repeatedly using the same ability.

Spec – Short for specialization.

Spellsteal – Spellsteal, the Mage ability to steal enemy buffs.

Spin – Using AoE on objectives to prevent captures, or Bladestorm to remove CC.

Sprint – Any significant movement speed increase ability.

Static – Short for Static Field Totem, the Shaman PvP talent.

Stealth – Being invisible to enemies until revealed.

Step – Short for Shadowstep (Rogue ability).

Stun – Crowd control that completely disables a target.

Surge – Short for Arcane Surge.

Swap – Changing targets mid-fight. Can also refer to Void Shift (Priest).

SWD – Acronym for Shadow Word: Death.

T

Tiger's – Short for Tiger's Lust, the Monk freedom ability.

Time Warp – Time Warp, the Mage version of Bloodlust.

Train – Continuously attacking one target without swapping.

Tranq – Short for Tranquilizing Shot, the Hunter dispel.

Trap – Short for Freezing Trap (Hunter ability).

Treants – Short for Grove Guardians.

Tree – Short for Incarnation: Tree of Life.

Tremor – Short for Tremor Totem.

Trinket – The PvP Medallion that breaks crowd control.

Tunnel – Over-focusing on one target while ignoring other factors.

Turtle – Playing very defensively, or Aspect of the Turtle.

U

UA – Acronym for Unstable Affliction.

V

Veins – Short for Icy Veins.

Vendetta – Vendetta, the historical Assassination Rogue cooldown (now Deathmark).

VT – Acronym for Vampiric Touch.

W

Wall – Using a major defensive cooldown (e.g., "I'm walling"). Also refers to Earthen Wall Totem.

Will – Short for Will of the Forsaken (Undead racial).

Wings – Short for Avenging Wrath (Paladin).

WSG – Acronym for the Warsong Gulch battleground.

Z

Zone – Controlling space to keep enemies at distance, or Anti-Magic Zone.

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Arena Compositions

Understanding composition names is essential for arena communication. Here are the most common 3v3 compositions:

B

Beast Cleave – Enhancement Shaman / Hunter / Healer

Boomy DH – Balance Druid / Havoc Demon Hunter / Healer

C

Cupid – Retribution Paladin / Hunter / Healer

D

Dancing with the Stars – Balance Druid / Rogue / Healer

Double Dragon – Preservation Evoker / Devastation or Augmentation Evoker

DHDK – Unholy Death Knight / Havoc Demon Hunter / Healer

E

Ebola Cleave – Feral Druid / Unholy Death Knight / Healer

F

Fireplay – Shadow Priest / Fire Mage / Healer

FLX – Feral Druid / Warlock / Healer

FMX – Feral Druid / Mage / Healer

Frozen Chicken Cleave – Balance Druid / Frost Mage / Healer

G

Godcomp – Shadow Priest / Mage / Restoration Druid or Holy Paladin

H

Hero Cleave – Unholy Death Knight / Havoc Demon Hunter / Healer (same as DHDK)

HLX – Hunter / Warlock / Healer

J

Jungle Cleave – Feral Druid / Hunter / Healer

K

KFC – Warrior / Hunter / Healer

Kitty Cleave – Feral Druid / Warrior / Healer

L

LSD – Warlock / Elemental Shaman / Restoration Druid

LSD2 – Warlock / Balance Druid / Restoration Shaman

LSD3 – Warlock / Enhancement Shaman / Restoration Druid

M

Melee Cleave – Any composition with two melee DPS and a healer

MLX – Mage / Warlock / Healer

O

Owlplay – Balance Druid / Shadow Priest / Healer

P

PHDK – Death Knight / Hunter / Healer

PHP – Retribution Paladin / Hunter / Healer (same as Cupid)

R

Ret War – Retribution Paladin / Warrior / Healer

RLX – Rogue / Warlock / Healer

RMX – Rogue / Mage / Healer

RPX – Rogue / Shadow Priest / Healer

S

Scatterplay – Hunter / Shadow Priest / Healer

Scooby Doo Cleave – Retribution Paladin / Rogue / Healer

Shadowplay – Shadow Priest / Warlock / Healer

Shadowcleave – Death Knight / Warlock / Healer

Shatterplay – Shadow Priest / Frost Mage / Restoration Druid or Holy Paladin

Smoke Bomb Cleave – Rogue / Death Knight / Healer

Spell Cleave – Any composition with two casters and a healer

Spicy Chicken Cleave – Balance Druid / Fire Mage / Healer

T

The Walking Dead (TWD) – Windwalker Monk / Death Knight / Healer

Thunder Cleave – Elemental Shaman / Warrior / Healer

Thug Cleave – Rogue / Hunter / Healer

TSG – Death Knight / Warrior / Healer

Turbo Cleave – Enhancement Shaman / Warrior / Healer

V

Vanguards Cleave – Retribution Paladin / Death Knight / Healer

W

WLX – Warrior / Warlock / Healer

WMX – Warrior / Mage / Healer

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Now that you know the terminology, you're ready to communicate effectively with your teammates and understand arena strategy discussions. Good luck in the arena!