Definitions

This page contains a list of terms and definitions that are commonly found when discussing Warcraft III.

General gameplay terms[edit]

A[edit]

A-Move: Attack move
AA: Anti-Air - Units or attacks that target air units (e.g. Gargoyles are anti-air units)
Abo, Abom: Abomination
AC: Archer
Aco: Acolyte
AG: Regame, starting the game again usually due to technical reasons.
AI

Ancient Isles
Artificial intelligence, see Wikipedia's article "Artificial intelligence" for more information.

AL: Autumn Leaves
Alch: Goblin Alchemist
All-In: An attack where the player commits everything in an offensive attack to win the game, sometimes even including some or all of this player's workers. If this all-in attack fails, the game is almost certainly lost, as the player has sacrificed so much to attempt it.
All-Kill/AK: A situation in team tournaments when one player defeats the entirety of the opposing team.
AM: Archmage
AMS

Anti-magic Shell, Banshee's spell

AoE: Area of effect - A spell or ability that hits an area on the map rather than a specific target (e.g. Blizzard, Thunder Clap).
AoW: Ancient of War
APM: Actions per minute - The number of clicks and key presses performed in one minute according.
AT: Arranged Team - a group of people that met on the chat and agreed to fight in one team. Also see RT
AZ: Amazonia

B[edit]

B: (Get) Back - phrase used in teamgames.
Backstab

After the opponent moves out of his base with an army, run around the opponent's army and attack the lightly defended base. Not necessarily an allied player.
Attacking an ally (in FFA)

Banshee House: A name for Temple of the Damned given due to extremely rare usage of Necromancers.
Base Race or Base Trade: Players attacking each other's bases with the intent of destroying all enemy buildings before the opponent.
Bat: Troll Batrider
Bear: Druid of the Claw
BeM: Beastmaster
BG: Bad Game - phrase said at the end of the game, contrasting to GG. It is commonly seen as bad mannered.
Blight: Undead buildings, can create a sludge known as 'Blight'. This is useful for map control. Blight increases health regeneration of Undead units.
Blizz

Blizzard Entertainment - the creators of Warcraft III.
Blizzard - Archmage's spell

BlM: Blood Mage
Bloodcastle: A strategy involving possessing/charming an enemy worker in order to train a hero of the opponent's race. It was first used by Moon against Rainbow in a practice game and later against ToD at World eSports Games 2005 Season I
BM

Bad Manner - Acting toward another person with disrespect. Also see Manner.
Blademaster
Blood Mage
Beastmaster

BN: Battle.net
BO: Build Order - The creation order of buildings and units in the early game to achieve a specific strategy. Also see opening.
BoF: Breath of Fire, Pandaren Brewmaster's spell
BoX: Best of (Number) - The winner between two players is determined by winning the majority of a set number of games. For example, Bo5 ("Best of 5") means a player must win the majority of 5 games to win the series. Common BoX's are Bo1, Bo3, Bo5, and Bo7.
Buff

A beneficial spell or ability. For exaple Bloodlust is a buff because it increase attack and movement speed. Also see [[#D|debuff]
A beneficial change in an update. For exaple Keeper of the Grove was buffed in Patch 1.30.0 Also see nerf

C[edit]

Cata: Catapult, siege unit
CC: Creeping; abbreviation mainly used in teamgames.
CG: Custom Game. Usually a non-ladder game.
CH: An abbreviation for Concealed Hill
Cheese: A strategy that is intended to take the enemy by surprise. Cheese is difficult to defend if it's not scouted. Cheese may come even in later stages of the game.
Chainwave: A combination of Far Seer's Chain Lightning and Tauren Chieftain's Shockwave.
Chim: Chimaera
Choke: Chokepoint - A narrow area in between two or more open areas.
CL: Crypt Lord
Concave: Used to describe the surface area of an attacking army. Pre-engagement, generally it is recommended to spread your army before attacking to ensure optimal damage output and prevent units cluttering amongst each other trying to reach the front line in order to attack.
Creep: Neutral mobs that give gold, experience and items when killed. The act of killing these mobs is known as "Creeping".
CreepJack: The act of attacking a player while they are creeping in order to put them at a disadvantage.
Crit: Critical Strike, Blademaster's ability
CW: Clan War - a series of fights between members of two clans, set up by the clan leaders, usually with many observers

D[edit]

DE: Double elimination bracket, a tournament format
Debuff: Spell negatively impacting its target without dealing damage. For example Faerie Fire is a debuff because it decreases armor. Also see buff
Destro/Desis: Destroyer
Demo: Demolisher
Disc: Disconnect, lost connection
DH: Demon Hunter
DK: Death Knight
DL: Dreadlord
Doc: Troll Witch Doctor
DR: Dark Ranger
Drop: The act of unloading combat units from an aerial transportation unit (Zeppelin) inside the enemy's base.
Dry: Dryad
DPS - Damage Per Second: The amount of damage dealt by a unit in one second. DPS is also used loosely to mean "Rate of Damage".

E[edit]

Early game: The start of the game where a player decides which build order and strategy to open with, which is sometimes decided upon based on scouting information.
Economy: The state of a player's rate of income and number of mining units compared to the enemy's rate of income and number of mining units.
EI: Echo Isles
Expo: Expansion - Building a Town Hall/Great Hall/Haunted Gold Mine/Tree of Life in a place where it can gather resources. Also see Natural.

F[edit]

FE: Fast expansion - Creating a Town Hall/Great Hall/Haunted Gold Mine/Tree of Life quickly in order to gain an economic advantage.
FFA: Free for all - one of the game modes
FL: Firelord
Flanking: The act of attacking from an additional angle to create a better concave, increase surface area, and block off retreat. Flanking increases the odds that the aggressor will win the engagement.
Fog of War: The gray area of the map which can only be revealed by scouting.
FoK: Fan of Knives, Warden's spell
Food: Generic term for Supply.
Foot/Footy: Footman
FS: Far Seer
FT: Fast tech - quick advance to tier 2/3 units.

G[edit]

Garg: Gargoyle
GG

Good Game - said by the losing player just before surrender as a show of good sportsmanship.
(Let this be a) Good Game - said at the beginning of games as a show of good sportsmanship.

GLHF: Good Luck, Have Fun - said at the beginning of games as a show of good sportsmanship.
Gosu (고수): Korean term meaning a highly skilled player.
Greedy: A player who takes a great risk for a large economic gain. For example, a Human player who techs before creating enough towers to defend his/her expansion.
Gryph: Gryphon Rider
GW: Gnoll Wood
Gyro: Flying Machine (formerly known as Gyrocopters)

H[edit]

Harass: Harass or Harassment is the act of using a small number of units, usually with superior mobility, to cause damage to the enemy without a large engagement. Harassment is usually targeted at damaging or disrupting the enemy's economy, sometimes even the production.
Hard Counter: A unit or strategy that overwhelmingly dominates another unit or strategy (e.g. Gargoyles hard counter Chimaeras).
Hawk: Dragonhawk Rider
HH: Troll Headhunter
Hippo: Hippogryph/Hippogryph Rider
HU/Hum: The Human race
Hunt: Huntress

I[edit]

Imba: Imbalanced - A claim that a race, unit, or strategy is so overpowering that it destroys the balance which keeps all four races equally strong. Also see OP.
Invis: Invisibility

J[edit]

K[edit]

Kiting: Using micro to take advantage of one unit having higher range than another so one unit can harm the other without taking damage. The unit with the higher range attacks the other unit, moves slightly away, attacks again, and so on, maintaining the proper range.
Kodo: Kodo Beast
KotG/KOG: Keeper of the Grove
KotH/KOF: King of the Hill/King of Fighters - team tournament format where winner stays in the game

L[edit]

Late-game: Phase of the match where the map's resources are nearing depletion, control over the remaining expansions becomes vital and High tech units are in play.
Lag: Lag refers to the game not running smoothly in almost any way. Lag can occur when any party connected to your game has a slow computer or a slow or unreliable connection to the game. In the presence of lag, units will take noticeably longer to respond to commands.
Lore: Ancient of Lore
LR: Last Refuge
LS: Lightning Shield, ability possessed by Shamans and some creeps.
LT: Lost Temple
LV: Ladder Version - new map versions introduced before Patch 1.29.0

M[edit]

Macro

Macromanagement - The creation of units, buildings, upgrades, and expansions. Also see micro. Can also be used describe a long, or 'macro'-orientated game.

Main

The general area around the player's starting base.

Manner

The general way one person treats another person which is either "good manner" or "bad manner".

Infinitive - Telling someone "To manner (up)" means "to behave" or "To act with respect" (ex. "Manner!", "Manner up or leave").
(Adjective with OBJECT/ACTION) - A "Manner ((Building Name))" (e.g. "Manner Great Hall") is a building created in an obvious fashion at the loser's base to show the winner's dominance in the match. This tells the losing player how much money the winning player had when the losing player lost. Usually expensive or redundant buildings are used.
(Adjective with PERSON) - Calling someone manner (ex. "ThorZaIN is so mannered") means that he acts respectfully in all showmatches, doesn't badmouth his opponents, and never shows rage or foul-mouthed behaviors.

Map Control: The amount of vision and mobility a player has on the map.
Mass: A big amount of the same-type units.
Merc/Merc Camp: Mercenary unit/Mercenary Camp
Meta: Most popular strategy currently, nothing out of the ordinary.
MG: Mountain Giant
Micro: Micromanagement - The control of units to maximize their effectiveness. Also see macro.
Mid-game: Phase of the match where a player is expanding, creating Mid tech units, making tech choices, and attacking the enemy. Also see late game.
MK: Mountain King
Mort: Mortar Team
MV: Melting Valley

N[edit]

Naga: Naga Sea Witch
Natural: Natural Expansion - The closest expansion to the main.
NE: Night Elf
Necro

Necrowagon: Strategy involving Necromancers and Meat Wagons
Nerf: A negative change in an update. For example Brilliance Aura was nerfed in Patch 1.30.0. Also see buff
NI: Nomad Isles
Ninja Expansion: Creating a hidden, resource gathering expansion where the enemy is unlikely to scout.
NIS: Northern Isles
Noob/Nub/n00b: Terms used to refer to experienced players that still play bad. These words can sometimes be derogatory.
Newbie: Terms used to refer to inexperienced players. It's much more neutral than Noob.

O[edit]

OP: Overpowered - A claim that a race, unit, or strategy is too strong. Also see imba.
Opening: The build order of the first few buildings and units.

P[edit]

Pala: Paladin
Panda: Pandaren Brewmaster
Peon Line/Peasant Line: The area where Peasants/Peons gather gold next to a main. This area is a prime target for harassment.
PotM: Priestess of the Moon
PI: Plunder Isle
PL: Pit Lord
Power-Building: Only possible as Human. Action of building a structure with several Peasants. Reduce the time required to erect the building but cost additional Gold and Lumber.
Proxy: Creation of a unit producing or tech structure anywhere that is not part of a player's base. A proxy unit producing structure reduces travelling time from the structure and the enemy's base leading to a strategic advantage. A proxy tech structure is used to hide the player's tech path and intention from the enemy.

Q[edit]

Queuing: The act of telling a unit producing structure to build more units than it can create immediately. This is considered bad macro because it locks away resources that could be spent elsewhere.

R[edit]

Racks/Rax: Barracks, unit producing buildings
Rdm: Random race selection
Regen: Regeneration (of health points or mana)
Reju: Rejuvenation, Druid of the Claw's spell
Reverse All Kill: Seen in team play winner goes-on format, when a team is down to a final player with a score of zero, and that player is able to win the match with multiple consecutive wins.
Reverse Sweep: When a player makes a comeback to win a series. For example a player who loses 0-2 in a bo5, but wins 3-2 in the end.
RH: Random Heroes - a special game mode where heroes are generated randomly
Rifle: Rifleman
RoC: Reign of Chaos - basic version of the game, without the expansion pack.
RT: Random Team - a team of players set together by the Battle.Net. Also see AT
Rush: Optimizing production to reach a specific number of units with the intent of early pressure on the enemy. A rush is not as risky as an all-in, so recovery is still possible if the rush fails.

S[edit]

SB: Spell Breaker
Scouting: Revealing remote areas of the map to gain information about your opponent by using units or abilities.
SE: Single elimination bracket, a tournament format
SG: Shallow Grave
SH: Shadow Hunter
Sham: Shaman
SimCity: The act of placing non-attacking buildings in a defensive way to dramatically decrease the effectiveness of rushes and attacks. Also see wall-in.
Shop: Any building where heroes can buy items.
Soft Counter: A unit or strategy that has some advantage over another unit or strategy but not enough to totally dominate it. A soft counter can be negated by a reasonable numerical advantage or superior micromanagement.
Sorc: Sorceress
Smurf

An experienced player posing as a newbie under an alternate name
An experienced player hiding his real identity to not let any planned strategies get out by people uploading replays.
A player who wishes to test out new strategies without losing his public placement in the ranking.

SS: Shadow Strike, Warden's ability
Statue: Obsidian Statue
Stream cheating: Looking at the live stream of your opponent in order to see what he does and beat him with an unfair advantage.
Stream sniping: Looking at a stream and begin searching for a match at the same time as the streamer in order to get the streamer as your opponent. Sometimes done repetitively.
Supply stuck: The state of being unable to create additional units due to a player's current food being equal to or greater than the maximum food allowed. Build additional Farms, Burrows, Ziggurats or Moonwells to stop a food block.
SV: Secret Valley
SW: Spirit Walker

T[edit]

T1, T2, T3: Evolution level of each race's main building (1, 2, or 3). Used to describe a player's progress in the tech tree.
Tank

Siege Engine
A high hit-point unit that takes damage so other weaker units can survive and deal optimal damage, also called "meat shield". (i.e. Mountain Giants, Abomination)

Talon: Druid of the Talon
TBA: To be announced - Information not yet disclosed by the person or organization in question.
TBD: To be determined - Something yet to be determined such as tournament participants, map pool, or release date.
TC: Tauren Chieftain
TFT: The Frozen Throne - the game's expansion pack.
Tier: Level of advance of the main building.
Tilt: When a player's emotions harm decision making abilities. Also see (Wikipedia:Tilt (poker)).
TH

Timing Attack: An attack which takes place in a timing window.
Timing Window: A time period in which an attack will have greater efficiency than an attack outside of that time period. Timing windows are often created by tech choices and expansion timings.
ToL: Tree of Life
TP: Town Portal/Teleport
TR

Turtle Rock
Tower Rush

TS: Terenas Stand
Turtling: Spending most or all of the game defending instead of attacking. Turtling can be seen as BM if it unreasonably drags out the game.
TM: Twisted Meadows

U[edit]

UD: Undead
Ulti: Ultimate ability of a hero, unlocked at level 6.

V[edit]

W[edit]

W3A: W3Arena
W3C: W3Champions
Wagonmancer: See necrowagon
Wall-in: The placement of buildings to narrow choke points and reduce the effectiveness of incoming early rushes. Also see SimCity.
WE: Water Elemental
WP: Well Played - Stated by the losing player or team just before surrendering to express admiration of the opponent's play or strategy.
WW: Wind Walk, Blademaster's spell
Wyv: Wind Rider (formerly known as Wyvern)

X[edit]

Y[edit]

Z[edit]

Zapper: Goblin Sapper
Zig: Ziggurat

Chinese building abbreviations[edit]

In China, buildings are called by the hotkeys used to build them

BA

BB

BC

BD: Ancient of Wonders
BE: Beastiary
BF: Farm
BG

BH

BL

BM

BN: Necropolis
BO: Orc Burrow
BP: Ancient Protector
BR

BS

BT

BV

BW

BZ: Ziggurat

General

Specific