For those of you thinking of joining us in Eorzea, you will no doubt quickly come across an intimidating tidal wave of acronyms and abbreviations that may be completely alien to you. What does any of them mean?
Well, fear not. This is a non-exhaustive list of acronyms put together by yours truly. If anyone else wishes to contribute something, you are more than welcome to. Explain as clearly as you can (in layman terms if necessary) what it is and what it means.
A
ACC (n.) - accuracy - a critical stat for damage dealing classes and jobs. This stat determines the chance of your physical and magical attacks and abilities landing hits on a target.
ACN (n.) - Arcanist - one of the starting classes in the game. New players who choose Arcanist will begin the game in the city state of Limsa Lominsa. Arcanists are magic caster damage dealer classes. Wielding a grimoire, they tap into ancient arcane magicks to call forth pets to fight with them by their side. Arcanists can later on specialise to become either the damage dealing Summoner job, or the healing role of a Scholar.
Adds (n.) - additional enemy mobs that spawn in an ongoing fight - this usually occurs in boss fights. A boss will usually summon additional monsters that commonly have to be quickly defeated before re-focusing on the boss itself.
AFK (phr.) - Away from keyboard - any player currently away from their controller/keyboard/monitor/TV and getting a sandwich is AFK. Usually, the pink icon that denotes an AFK player pops up by their name after a set interval of time (that players can adjust in settings).
ALC (n.) - Alchemist - one of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes in the game. Players can unlock Alchemist by visiting the relevant guild in Ul'dah. Alchemists will mostly work with reagants and craft items ranging from potent potions to grimoires.
Alt (n.) - Alternative character - a secondary character by a player with an existing primary character is known as an alt.
AOE (or AoE) (n.) - Area of Effect - a telegraphed area on the ground where an ability or spell by friend and foe alike will have an effect on whoever is standing on it. Enemy AoE attacks are telegraphed most commonly by patterns such as frontal cones and a circle around them or a player. Usually you want to avoid these attacks, so step out of them when you see them.
ARC (n.) - Archer - one of the starting classes in the game. New players who choose Archer will begin in the city state of Gridania. Wielding bows, you will be a ranged DPS, having considerably more leeway than other classes to stand still from afar and let loose a torrent of arrow shots at an enemy target. Archers can later on specialise to become Bards, a similar bow-wielding damage dealer class, but with a double emphasis on songs and party support buffs.
AST (n.) - Astrologian - the upcoming new healer job debuting with the game's first expansion, Heavensward. While little is currently known of how this new job will exactly function, it is known that Astrologians will wield star globes with cards that can be used in a variety of ways to heal up a party. There may also be a strong emphasis on switching between different stance modes depending on the situation.
ARM (n.) - Armorer - tanks need their armour and Armorers can provide them. This is one of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes and an especially useful crafting class to level up for tanks. Head to Limsa Lominsa to unlock this class.
B
BiS (phr.) - Best in slot - The single best item for a specific class / job to use in a specific gear slot.
BLM (n.) - Black Mage - one of the game's jobs. Black Mage can be unlocked with a Thaumaturge at lvl 30 and an Archer at lvl 15. Black Mages continue where Thaumaturges have left off with a deadlier arsenal of offensive magicks such as Flare.
Bot (n.) - usually player characters that are governed by a third party action to perform certain actions in an automated fashion over and over again, without the need of a human behind the screen to actively control it. Bots are a no-no and should be reported when spotted.
BRD (n.) - Bard - one of the game's jobs. Bard can be unlocked with an Archer at lvl 30 and a lvl 15 Pugilist. Though a damage dealing job, Bards stand out for their support role. Utilising songs and other methods of enchantment, they can provide crucial buffs for a party, refreshing aspects such as MP for magic users and TP for tanks and most damage dealing players.
BSM (n.) - Blacksmith - One of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes and can be found in Limsa Lominsa. Blacksmiths chiefly forge weapons such as swords and axes.
BTN (n.) - Botanist - One of the Disciple of the Land gathering classes. Players itching to chop some trees or to harvest some bushes should head to Gridania to find the guild for this class. As a Botanist, you can collect a vast variety of items ranging from tree logs to species of plants that are necessary for crafting roles such as carpenting and alchemy.
Buff (phr., n.) - any effect on a player, enemy, weapon, armour, etc. with beneficial enhancements. Buffs are temporary and can be spell effects, or food effects.
Burn (phr., v.) - To inflict as much damage as possible on a target in a short amount of time.
C
Cleave (phr., v.) - An attack from an enemy with a frontal cone effect.
CNJ (n.) - Conjurer - One of the starting classes in the game. Conjurer is the sole starting healing class and players electing to start off as a Conjurer will find themselves in the city state of Gridania. With access to an arsenal of healing spells such as Cure and Medica, it is their job to keep party members alive.
Coil (n.) - This refers to any of the three "coils": Binding Coil of Bahamut, Second Coil of Bahamut and Final Coil of Bahamut. These sets of eight-man raids are generally considered to be the hardest of the game's content, usually requiring a level of practice and coordination unlikely to be found with an ordinary Duty Finder party.
CRP (n.) - Carpenter - One of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes in the game, found in Gridania. Carpenters obviously work primarily withwood to create items ranging from polearms to shields.
CT (n.) - Crystal Tower - this denotes any one of the three Crystal Tower 24-man raid dungeons: Labyrinth of the Ancients, Syrcus Tower and World of Darkness (though it is more common for the latter to simply be referred to as WoD rather than as part of the Crystal Tower itself).
CUL (n.) - Culinarian - One of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes. The Culinarian guild can be found in Limsa and as expected, you're dealing with food. Food in FFXIV provide players with a variety of helpful temporary little buffs.
D
DoT (phr.) - Damage over time - this is the amount of damage dealt by your character over a span of time. For classes/jobs such as Arcanist and Summoner, much of your damage will be DoT-related, with slow-burning offensive spells.
DoH (phr., n.) - Disciples of the Hand - a term that denotes the crafting classes: Alchemist, Armorer, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Culinarian, Goldsmith, Leatherworker and Weaver.
DoL (phr., n.) - Disciples of the Land - a term that denotes the gathering classes: Botanist, Fisher and Miner.
DoM (phr., n.) - Disciples of Magic - a term that denotes the magic classes/jobs: Arcanist/Summoner/Scholar, Conjurer/White Mage, Thaumaturge/Black Mage.
DoW (phr., n.) - Disciples of War - a term that denotes the following classes/jobs: Archer/Bard, Gladiator/Paladin, Lancer/Dragoon, Marauder/Warrior, Pugilist/Monk and Rogue/Ninja.
D/C, or DC (v.) - Disconnect - when your internet hates you and cuts you off.
Debuff (n.) - a temporary, negative and debilitating effect on your character, a party member, an enemy target, equipment, etc.
DF (phr., n.) - Duty Finder - the in-game tool with which your character can be matched up with players of the relevant, required roles from across various servers for dungeons and trial boss fights.
DEF (n.) - Defence - particularly, this denotes physical defence. The higher this is, the less damage you will eat from enemies.
DEX (n.) - Dexterity - an attribute that affects physical range damage, melee damage inflicted by Rogues and Ninjas, as well as parry and block rates.
DPS (phr., n.) - Damage per second - 1) DPSs are one of the three player roles, along with tank and healer. The following classes/jobs are DPS roles: Arcanist/Summoner, Archer/Bard, Lancer/Dragoon, Pugilist/Monk, Rogue/Ninja and Thaumaturge/Black Mage.
2) The damage dealt over time.
DRK (n.) - Dark Knight - the new tanking job debuting with the game's first expansion, Heavensward. While existing tank classes and jobs typically use TP, Dark Knights will draw upon the powers of darkness with their MP to grab enmity of enemies AND to deal damage at the same time.
DRG (n.) - Dragoon - the iconic Dragoon of the FF series is in the game as a job that can be unlocked with a lvl 30 Lancer and a lvl 15 Marauder. Dragoons, when they're not dead on the floor, specialise in jumping around and dealing damage while doing so.
Drop (n.) - this word is primarily to do with the loot that appears in treasure chests dotted around dungeons or dropped from boss encounters.
Well, fear not. This is a non-exhaustive list of acronyms put together by yours truly. If anyone else wishes to contribute something, you are more than welcome to. Explain as clearly as you can (in layman terms if necessary) what it is and what it means.
A
ACC (n.) - accuracy - a critical stat for damage dealing classes and jobs. This stat determines the chance of your physical and magical attacks and abilities landing hits on a target.
ACN (n.) - Arcanist - one of the starting classes in the game. New players who choose Arcanist will begin the game in the city state of Limsa Lominsa. Arcanists are magic caster damage dealer classes. Wielding a grimoire, they tap into ancient arcane magicks to call forth pets to fight with them by their side. Arcanists can later on specialise to become either the damage dealing Summoner job, or the healing role of a Scholar.
Adds (n.) - additional enemy mobs that spawn in an ongoing fight - this usually occurs in boss fights. A boss will usually summon additional monsters that commonly have to be quickly defeated before re-focusing on the boss itself.
AFK (phr.) - Away from keyboard - any player currently away from their controller/keyboard/monitor/TV and getting a sandwich is AFK. Usually, the pink icon that denotes an AFK player pops up by their name after a set interval of time (that players can adjust in settings).
ALC (n.) - Alchemist - one of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes in the game. Players can unlock Alchemist by visiting the relevant guild in Ul'dah. Alchemists will mostly work with reagants and craft items ranging from potent potions to grimoires.
Alt (n.) - Alternative character - a secondary character by a player with an existing primary character is known as an alt.
AOE (or AoE) (n.) - Area of Effect - a telegraphed area on the ground where an ability or spell by friend and foe alike will have an effect on whoever is standing on it. Enemy AoE attacks are telegraphed most commonly by patterns such as frontal cones and a circle around them or a player. Usually you want to avoid these attacks, so step out of them when you see them.
ARC (n.) - Archer - one of the starting classes in the game. New players who choose Archer will begin in the city state of Gridania. Wielding bows, you will be a ranged DPS, having considerably more leeway than other classes to stand still from afar and let loose a torrent of arrow shots at an enemy target. Archers can later on specialise to become Bards, a similar bow-wielding damage dealer class, but with a double emphasis on songs and party support buffs.
AST (n.) - Astrologian - the upcoming new healer job debuting with the game's first expansion, Heavensward. While little is currently known of how this new job will exactly function, it is known that Astrologians will wield star globes with cards that can be used in a variety of ways to heal up a party. There may also be a strong emphasis on switching between different stance modes depending on the situation.
ARM (n.) - Armorer - tanks need their armour and Armorers can provide them. This is one of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes and an especially useful crafting class to level up for tanks. Head to Limsa Lominsa to unlock this class.
B
BiS (phr.) - Best in slot - The single best item for a specific class / job to use in a specific gear slot.
BLM (n.) - Black Mage - one of the game's jobs. Black Mage can be unlocked with a Thaumaturge at lvl 30 and an Archer at lvl 15. Black Mages continue where Thaumaturges have left off with a deadlier arsenal of offensive magicks such as Flare.
Bot (n.) - usually player characters that are governed by a third party action to perform certain actions in an automated fashion over and over again, without the need of a human behind the screen to actively control it. Bots are a no-no and should be reported when spotted.
BRD (n.) - Bard - one of the game's jobs. Bard can be unlocked with an Archer at lvl 30 and a lvl 15 Pugilist. Though a damage dealing job, Bards stand out for their support role. Utilising songs and other methods of enchantment, they can provide crucial buffs for a party, refreshing aspects such as MP for magic users and TP for tanks and most damage dealing players.
BSM (n.) - Blacksmith - One of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes and can be found in Limsa Lominsa. Blacksmiths chiefly forge weapons such as swords and axes.
BTN (n.) - Botanist - One of the Disciple of the Land gathering classes. Players itching to chop some trees or to harvest some bushes should head to Gridania to find the guild for this class. As a Botanist, you can collect a vast variety of items ranging from tree logs to species of plants that are necessary for crafting roles such as carpenting and alchemy.
Buff (phr., n.) - any effect on a player, enemy, weapon, armour, etc. with beneficial enhancements. Buffs are temporary and can be spell effects, or food effects.
Burn (phr., v.) - To inflict as much damage as possible on a target in a short amount of time.
C
Cleave (phr., v.) - An attack from an enemy with a frontal cone effect.
CNJ (n.) - Conjurer - One of the starting classes in the game. Conjurer is the sole starting healing class and players electing to start off as a Conjurer will find themselves in the city state of Gridania. With access to an arsenal of healing spells such as Cure and Medica, it is their job to keep party members alive.
Coil (n.) - This refers to any of the three "coils": Binding Coil of Bahamut, Second Coil of Bahamut and Final Coil of Bahamut. These sets of eight-man raids are generally considered to be the hardest of the game's content, usually requiring a level of practice and coordination unlikely to be found with an ordinary Duty Finder party.
CRP (n.) - Carpenter - One of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes in the game, found in Gridania. Carpenters obviously work primarily withwood to create items ranging from polearms to shields.
CT (n.) - Crystal Tower - this denotes any one of the three Crystal Tower 24-man raid dungeons: Labyrinth of the Ancients, Syrcus Tower and World of Darkness (though it is more common for the latter to simply be referred to as WoD rather than as part of the Crystal Tower itself).
CUL (n.) - Culinarian - One of the Disciple of the Hand crafting classes. The Culinarian guild can be found in Limsa and as expected, you're dealing with food. Food in FFXIV provide players with a variety of helpful temporary little buffs.
D
DoT (phr.) - Damage over time - this is the amount of damage dealt by your character over a span of time. For classes/jobs such as Arcanist and Summoner, much of your damage will be DoT-related, with slow-burning offensive spells.
DoH (phr., n.) - Disciples of the Hand - a term that denotes the crafting classes: Alchemist, Armorer, Blacksmith, Carpenter, Culinarian, Goldsmith, Leatherworker and Weaver.
DoL (phr., n.) - Disciples of the Land - a term that denotes the gathering classes: Botanist, Fisher and Miner.
DoM (phr., n.) - Disciples of Magic - a term that denotes the magic classes/jobs: Arcanist/Summoner/Scholar, Conjurer/White Mage, Thaumaturge/Black Mage.
DoW (phr., n.) - Disciples of War - a term that denotes the following classes/jobs: Archer/Bard, Gladiator/Paladin, Lancer/Dragoon, Marauder/Warrior, Pugilist/Monk and Rogue/Ninja.
D/C, or DC (v.) - Disconnect - when your internet hates you and cuts you off.
Debuff (n.) - a temporary, negative and debilitating effect on your character, a party member, an enemy target, equipment, etc.
DF (phr., n.) - Duty Finder - the in-game tool with which your character can be matched up with players of the relevant, required roles from across various servers for dungeons and trial boss fights.
DEF (n.) - Defence - particularly, this denotes physical defence. The higher this is, the less damage you will eat from enemies.
DEX (n.) - Dexterity - an attribute that affects physical range damage, melee damage inflicted by Rogues and Ninjas, as well as parry and block rates.
DPS (phr., n.) - Damage per second - 1) DPSs are one of the three player roles, along with tank and healer. The following classes/jobs are DPS roles: Arcanist/Summoner, Archer/Bard, Lancer/Dragoon, Pugilist/Monk, Rogue/Ninja and Thaumaturge/Black Mage.
2) The damage dealt over time.
DRK (n.) - Dark Knight - the new tanking job debuting with the game's first expansion, Heavensward. While existing tank classes and jobs typically use TP, Dark Knights will draw upon the powers of darkness with their MP to grab enmity of enemies AND to deal damage at the same time.
DRG (n.) - Dragoon - the iconic Dragoon of the FF series is in the game as a job that can be unlocked with a lvl 30 Lancer and a lvl 15 Marauder. Dragoons, when they're not dead on the floor, specialise in jumping around and dealing damage while doing so.
Drop (n.) - this word is primarily to do with the loot that appears in treasure chests dotted around dungeons or dropped from boss encounters.
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