Final Fantasy XI Common Chat Terms

The following terms are commonly used in chat.  Some you may be familiar with because they are general internet chat or are general RPG game terms.  Some are specific to Final Fantasy and some for other MMORPG's.  These are used in upper and lower cases depending on the person.

• +++ or - - -:  Relative level. Show's an item's or creature's level in relation to yours.
• # :  Level number
• 10 - 20 - 30 - etc.:  When stated by a caster in the group, tells the group what percentage of mana that caster has left.
• Add:  Used to describe that a monster (mob) has joined the fight that a group is already engaged in. Usually unexpected and quite troublesome. Your current target can call for help thus adding another mob.
• AE:  see AoE
• AFAIK:   As Far As I Know.  Indicates you're not certain you are correct, but you have no reason to believe you are wrong.
• afk:  Away from Keyboard.  The person is going to be away from his keyboard for a while.  If you are in a group be ready to protect the afk person and don't go attack something you can't kill without his help.
• AFK broom: Away from Keyboard for bathroom break.
• Agro: Aggressive. When a mob is close enough to someone that it starts to run towards him/her to engage in combat.
• AI:  Artificial Intelligence. This is the programming that controls the creatures in game.
• AoE:  Area of Effect. Spell that affects area around the target, not just the target. Good when needing to affect more than one mob at a time. Is also dangerous, can affect mobs not wanted and wake up mezzed ones.
• Assist:  Term used in a group situation where there are more than 1 mobs in camp. It is the action of assisting (using /assist) 1 person in the group in order to all have the same target.
• Atm:  At The Moment
• BAF:  Bring a Friend.  Used to describe mobs that will "Bring a Friend" (or more) when they are pulled.
• bait:  person who lures a monster in to a group and gets attacked first (see fetch)
• bind:  When you bind yourself at a bind stone, you will re-appear there when you die.
• Blue:  A term for a monster that is a level below you and thus usually soloable.  When you click on it, this is the color of the window you get.  So a player might say that its "blue to me".  Blue Mobs can usually be soloed.
• brb:  Be right back.  Usually typed by a person who needs to run away from the keyboard for a quick soda, beer, relief, etc.
• brt:  Be right there.
• BTM:  Blue to me.  Describes the level status of a monster.  See blue above.
• BTW:  By the way.
• Buff(s) or Buffing: Refers to casting skill or ability enhancing spells onto someone.
• Camp:  1. Refers to the practice of sitting at a spawn point and waiting for monsters to regenerate and then picking them off as they appear. Also, A place where a group stays together and have a puller go out and look for mobs to bring back to camp. Usually, camps are set up in safe-spots. 2. Waiting for event. 3. End playing session
• Caster: One who casts magic
• CFH:  Call For Help
• Clarity: Taken from Everquest,this term used to describe a type of spell that increases mana (power) regeneration. Also commonly referred to as "crack" because of the fact that you always want it after your character has received its effects for the 1st time. 
• Con:  Taken from Everquest, this is the color level of the Mob when you click on it.  Depending on it's "con" or color tells you whether you would get exp or get killed
• CR:  Corpse Recovery. Used when someone dies and has to go back to get his corpse (usually involves fighting back). Not really applicable to DAoC since you lose no equipment, but can be used to describe getting back to the gravestone. 
• Crowd Control:  Term used mostly by those who possess mesmerize/charm spells. Used when more than 1 mob has been pulled and all but one has been mez'd so that the group can concentrate on a single mob, without interference from the other ones.
• CSR: Customer Service Representative
• CU or Cya:  See you.  Good Bye.
• DD: Direct Damage spell.  Mostly used by spell casters to describe that type of spell, as opposed to bolt (who have a visible ball of magic hurled at the enemy) or dots. 
• Ding:  Go up a level
• DoT:  Damage over Time spell
• Drain:  Health transfer spell
• End:  Endurance
• EP:  Experience Points  Also EXP or XP
• Farming:  Term used when a person or group stays in one place and repeatedly kills the same mob or set of mobs for specific items.  
• Fatigue:  Less endurance
• Fetch or Fetcher: Refers to a member of a group that 'fetches' or gets a monster to chase them to an ambush spot where the other members of the party are ready to attack it. Used to avoid being surrounded deep in hostile territory.
• FM:  Full Mana or Full Magic Power.
• Focus: Spell enhancement
• FYI:  For Your Information.
• Gank:  Beat up/defeat
• GC: Guild Chat
• Gimp:  Cripple
• GM:  Game Master
• Gray: A term for a mob that is so low in level compared to you that you will get no experience or loot for killing it (from DAoC).
• Green or Greenies:  A term for a monster(s) that look easy when you click on it.  The monster description comes in green text.  You should be able to easily kill a green Mob. (From EQ and DAoC)
• Griefer:  Troublemaker
• GTG:  Good To Go.  Normally used to signal when you are ready to fight or move.
• GTM:  Green to me.  Describes a consider of a monster (see green above).
• Haste:  Term used to describe a property of an item or weapon that grants faster speed of attack to the wielder.
• IC: In Character. 
• IMHO:  In My Humble Opinion.
• IMO: In My Opinion. 
• Inc:  Incoming.  Shouted when a member of your group has lured a monster and is bringing it back to be killed.
• J/K:  Just Kidding.
• K or kk:  OK.  Yeah it is pretty lazy to skip the O, but many people do it.
• Kill stealing:  The act of taking a kill from another player by attacking a creature they have already engaged and doing enough damage to get the experience and treasure. Also called KS'ing
• Kite:  The use of a combination of spells which allow the caster to immobilize target, DoT, then meditate or run while the target attempts to reach the caster.
• KOS:  Killed on Sight.  Refers to the welcome, or rather lack of welcome, some players get from NPC's of opposite factions.
• KS'ing:  See Kill Stealing.
• Lag:  Slow Connection
• Lamo:  Stupid
• LD:  Linkdead.  If a person is linkdead, they are still in the game, but cannot defend themselves do to lag or another computer error.
• Leeching:  Unwelcome help
• Level up:  Increase your character level.
• LOL:  Laughing out Loud  (That was funny)
• LOM: Low On Mana. The M stands for mana and means you are probably playing with a former EQ player. See LOP.
• loot:  The process of stripping a kill of all it's useful possessions.
• LOP: The P is for power which is used in DAoC. See LOM.
• LOS:  Line Of Sight
• Lowbies:  What some high level characters call people under 20th level
• Mana:  Casting power
• Med:  Meditate.  If a magic user says he has to Med it means he is low on power and has to regenerate it by sitting down.
• Meleer:  One who hits for damage, melees
• Mez: Mesmerize. Term used to describe the action of mesmerizing a mob. Mostly used by those who possess this type of spell. 
• MOB:  Mobile Object.  Basically, any computer controlled creature which moves, which describes most FFXI monsters.
• MA:  Main Assist.  Describes the tank that the other players will all be assisting so that everyone ends up on the same Mob.
• MT: Empty or Main Tank.  Used mostly in high-end situations where a large number of people are required to defeat 1 mob, a designated "main tank" is used to take all the damage and keep the mob on him. Thus, healers can concentrate healing 1 person.
• Nerf:  Programmed to be less affective.
• Newbie:  Anyone new to the game, and thus unfamiliar with the rules.  Also refers to low level characters.
• Newbie Garden/Zone: Area with low level monsters.
• NP:  No Problem. It is usually used after someone gets thanked.
• NPC:  Non Player Character.  Any character that can be interacted with that is handled by the computer or even a GM rather than another player.
• Nuke:  The process of unleashing the most powerful spells everyone has as fast as you can.
• OHW:  On His/Her Way. Used to let someone know that he or she is on the way to meet them.
• OMFG: Oh My Fu**ing God/Gawd  Oh no. (really Oh no!)
• OMG:  Oh My God/Gawd (usually depends on religous preference) Oh no!
• OMW:  On my Way. This is to let someone know you are coming to meet them.
• OOC: Out Of Character. Used when talking on a chat channel from the player's perspective, as opposed to the character you incarnate in the game (as opposed to Roleplaying). 
• OOE:  Out Of Endurance.  See OOS.
• OOM:  Out of Mana.  The M stands for mana and means you are probably playing with a former EQ player.  Being out of mana/power means the inability to cast any more spells. 
• OOP:  Out of Power.  See OOM.
• OOR:  Out Of Range. Used when someone is trying to do an action (most often healing) and the recipient or other player involved is too far away. 
• OOT:  Out of Time.
• OOW: On Our Way. Used to let someone know you and more are coming to meet them.
• OTW:  On The Way. 
• Pet:  A creature summoned or charmed by one of the summoning/charming magic classes who will obey and fight for him.
• PC:  Player Character or Price Check. 
• PH:  Placeholder.  The creature that spawns in place of the creature you really want to kill.
• PK:  Player Kill.  The act of attacking other players in pvp.
• Pop:  Term describing that a mob has spawned near-by. Used mostly to alert the group that there might be an add to deal with soon. 
• Powerleveling:  Tanking or healing a lower level friend while he gets the experience.
• Proc: Process.  Used to describe a weapon that has an effect that activates (randomly) while you fight. 
• Pull:  Same thing as baiting:  bringing a MOB to a more defensible position so your party can beat the snot out of it in relative safety. People that do this are called "Pullers"
• Purple:  Term for a Mob that is many levels higher than you.  (From DAoC)
• PVE:  Player Versus Environment.
• PVP:  Player versus Player.  
• Quest item: Rare item. An item that can only be aquired throught the fulfillment of a quest/task.
• R or rdy:  Ready.  Signals readiness to attack or move on.
• Realm Points or RP: In-game "scoring" points. Finishing quests, or participating in the capture or defense of a relic will earn Realm Points.
• Red:  Term for a monster that is several levels higher than you.  (From EQ)
• Res/rez: Resurrect.  Term used to describe the action of resurrecting someone by magic. You are returned to life where you died, with less experience loss and constitution loss than if you simply released yourself.
• Rest:  To sit, med, to bring stats back up. ie-power and endurance.
• RFP:  Ready For Pull
• RL:  Real-Life. Used mostly in OOC conversations that have reference to real life. Also referred to as IRL (In Real Life). Occassionally referred to as RW: real world.
• Roamer:  Used to describe mobs that have a patrol route and move around. These are the most prone to become "adds". Also referred to as wanderers.
• ROFL or ROTFL:  Rolling on the floor laughing  (That was really funny)
• ROFLMAO or ROTFLMAO:  Rolling on the Floor Laughing My Ass Off  (That was simply hilarious)
• ROFLMFAO: Rolling on the Floor Laughing My Fu**ing Ass Off (couldn't be any more funny than that)
• RP'ing:   /roleplay or roleplaying.
• Root:  Root is a spell type which keeps a person or monster from moving.
• RTM:  Red to me.  Describes a consider of a monster.  See red description above.
• RVR: Realm Versus Realm.
• RW:  Real World.  See RL.
• Snare:  Slow spell
• Social:  Creatures that defend each other.
• SOW:  Spirit of Wolf.  An Everquest spell.  It is often used to generically refer to any spell that speeds up travelling.
• Spam or Spamming: sending the same message over and over again rapidly much to the displeasure of everyone else.  Very annoying.
• Spawn:  Creature creation. Where a creature pops into existence, it is said to have spawned.
• Spec:  Specialization
• SS:  Safe-spot or Screenshot.  1. Used when describing a place where no mobs spawn or roam near.  2. Used when talking about taking a screenshot.
• Static mob:  The opposite of roamers. Describes mobs that stay in place until they are pulled or otherwise agro'd. 
• Stun: Immobilze momentarily.
• Tank or Tanking: Refers to one person in a group that usually takes the brunt of an attack from a MOB while the others in the group attack with spells or from different angles.  Usually the group member with the highest AC and melee skills.
• Taunt: Enrage.
• TGW: See TPW
• Toon: Term used to describe your character/avatar.
• TP:  Weapon skill attacks in FFXI.
• TPW:  Total party Wipeout. 
• Train:    Anyone running and followed by one or more bad guys has created a train.  If you find yourself in the way, you could very well be attacked and die.
• TTFN: Ta Ta For Now. Casual good bye
• Twinking:  The process of giving decent items from your high level character to your new character, thus puffing him up far beyond the abilities he should have.  This is difficult to do in FFXI.
• TY: Thank You
• Uber or L33T:  Term meaning big, or high-end. Special mob encounters that are especially difficult/rare and/or named will often be referred to as uber-mobs. Also guilds that are very numerous and/or successful will also sometimes be referred to as uber-guild. 
• Warp:  Lag recovery. When lag causes a char or monster to run past the point where it actually stops, then "warps" back to that location.
• WB:  Welcome Back
• Woot or W00T:  Woohoo, great or congratulations.
• WTB: Want To Buy.
• WTF:  What the fu**.  No more need be said about this.
• WTT:  Want To Trade.
• WTS:  Want To Sell.
• YVW: You're very Welcome.
• YW:  You're Welcome
• XP:  Experience Points.  Also EP or EXP