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Eight Essential MMO Terms

 
We understand that many new players in The Lord of the Rings Online™ are not familiar with the 20-year-old lexicon of MMOs (short-hand for Massively Multiplayer Online Game). With that in mind, we've put together a list of tips designed to serve as a quick reference point for many of the forthcoming New Player Guides that will be appearing on the official LOTRO website.
 
  • CC – Used as shorthand for "Crowd Control" CC refers to a set of spells and abilities that can momentarily stun or paralyze mobs and players. Crowd control is essential when dealing with large groups of mobs, making a class that excels at CC a highly desirable addition to any group.
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  • Class – A "Class" represents a particular set of in-game abilities which determine the way a player interacts with the world, primarily during combat. The most common class types consist of melee (close-range) offense, melee defender, ranged offense, crowd control, healing and general support.
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  • NPC/Mob – A monster (or humanoid character) controlled by in-game AI, and never another actual player. If the Fellowship from The Lord of the Rings are player-controlled characters, Gollum could be considered a Mob or NPC.
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  • AoE – An "Area of Effect" that generally refers to an area where an ability hits multiple targets. When Gandalf tells the Balrog, "You shall not pass!" the light his staff generates can be thought of as an AoE – which the Balrog could not, well, pass.
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  • Aggro – This term can mean a couple things. It can apply to a hostile mob that's noticed a player and is actively attempting to attack said player. However, it can also refer to the amount of “hostility” a player has generated on the mob. Most times, in combat, a defensive class will try to gather as much aggro as possible in order to keep mobs from attacking the more vulnerable group members. (Note: In LOTRO, aggro is also referred to as “Threat”.)
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  • Buff – A temporary boost to a character, usually improving health or another core statistic that improves weapon or magical attack damage. Think of it like a magical injection of caffeinated beverage without any of the drawbacks.
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  • Crafting – A game system designed around the creation by players of in-game goods. Generally, crafted items include weapons, armor, potions, enchantments, dyes, food, drink, and the like.
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  • DPS – "Damage per Second". this term refers to how much damage is being dealt to a target. You'll see its use for both player characters and non-player characters, such as mobs.

Bonus Term!
  • GLFF – "Global Looking For Fellowship" This is a LOTRO in-game term that refers to a player-created channel that's accessible via typing "/joinchannel GLFF" into your chat window. It's often used to find other players looking to cooperate against mobs or to finish quests. To talk with players in GLFF after joining, simply type /1 or if you've previously joined a player-created channel simply type /X, where "X" is the number of the new channel.