[0 - 9][A - D] [E - H] [I - L] [M - Q] [R - U] [V - Z]
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A
Accolade
A type of badge. Some Accolades grant special powers or bonuses - these tend to be earned by collecting a specific set of other badges.
Add
An enemy that unexpectedly joins a fight, possibly due to one of the enemies running away and raising the alarm.
Aggro
Derived from ‘aggression’. ‘Aggroing’ refers to the act of encouraging enemies to attack you, either purposefully or otherwise. A player being attacked by an enemy is said to ‘have aggro’ from that enemy.
Archetype / AT
Your archetype defines your character’s role and determines the nature of the powers you have access to.
Archvillain / AV
An Archvillain is a powerful enemy, more dangerous than an Elite Boss. You will need to team up with other players in order to defeat one.
Arena
A place where you can organise PvP matches. Arenas can be found in Galaxy City, Talos Island and Peregrine Island in Paragon City, and in Port Oakes in the Rogue Isles.
Assist
To automatically attack the target of another player, select that player and launch your attacks as normal.
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C
Cap
Generic term for the maximum value a variable can achieve. The ‘level cap’, for example, is the highest level a character can achieve in a game.
Cape
A special costume piece available from level 20. To gain it, Heroes must complete a mission from the City Representative at City Hall in Atlas Park. Villains must complete a mission from Kalinda or Burke, depending on which contact you chose at the start of their career.
City Zone
A normal part of Paragon City, in which you can usually find a trainer and enhancement stores.
Class
A general type of career or group of abilities - a character’s class normally determines their basic role and what they can do in a game.
Click Power
A power that must be activated each time it is used. Most attacks, for example, are ‘click powers’.
Clue
Information relating to a mission or story arc, such as secret files or electronic devices. View the clues you have discovered by clicking on Clues in the Navigation window.
Combat Level
The level used to determine your character’s combat ability, including the amount of damage you can deal and receive. Your Combat Level increases the moment you level up, whereas your Security/Threat Level only increases when you visit a trainer.
Con
Short for ‘consider’ or ‘considering’, the act of determining the strength of a potential opponent.
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D
Debt
Debt is accrued when you are defeated by an enemy. While you have debt, half the XP you earn goes towards paying it off, slowing your progress. You earn less debt when defeated in a mission than when defeated outside, and there is a maximum amount of debt (the ‘debt cap’ ) that you can accrue at any one time, which varies with your level.
Debuff
Any power of effect that weakens a character for a limited period of time. The opposite of a ‘buff’.
Ding
Another term to describe levelling up (relates to the noise associated with reaching a new level).
Disorient
A type of status effect that stuns the target. Target cannot attack, but can move (very slowly, in a dazed state). Disorient deactivates the target’s toggle powers. Flying targets will fall and can take falling damage.
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E
Emote
An animation that allows you to express your character visually - see here for a complete listing.
Endurance / END
Represents a character’s energy reserves. Most Powers required Endurance in order to be activated or maintained. Your Endurance is indicated by the blue bar in the Stat Window.
Enhancement
A reward that grants a permanent boost to the power to which it is assigned. Enhancements can be bought from Contacts and Stores or may be dropped by a fallen enemy - read our Rewards Guide for more details.
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F
Fear
A type of status effect that terrifies the target. The target will be frozen in place and unable to act unless attacked. If attacked, target will be able to use a single power or move a short distance before becoming overwhelmed with fear again.
Ferry
A method of transportation in Paragon City and the Rogue Isles that allows instantaneous travel between zones. Read Getting Around for more information.
Flaming
Flaming can be defined as attacking others in harsh, personal terms. Such behaviour is a violation of the EULA in-game and the Message Board Rules and Guidlines on the Forums.
Flight
This allows you to fly the not-so-friendly skies. For obvious reasons, this is a very popular power, not least of which is the ability to make a beeline for your destination without having to worry about the terrain on the ground. Flight is a Power Pool, and available as an option for all characters.
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G
Gank
A term used in PvP when a significantly more powerful player or group of players kills a weaker player (typically at very little risk to themselves). Often derogatory.
Giant Monster
An enemy category, stronger than an Archvillain but weaker than Hamidon. Mostly found in outdoor zones as opposed to instanced missions.
Global Chat
A chat system that allows player to communicate with their friends no matter what character they are playing or what server they are playing on. You only need to know their ‘Global Chat Handle’.
Griefing
The deliberate act of spoiling another player’s enjoyment of the game in some way. Such behaviour is a violation of the EULA.
Grind
To perform repetitive tasks in order to progress or earn some reward (such as killing the same opponents over and over again in order to gain experience).
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H
Hamidon / Hami
Found in The Hive, the Hamidon is one of the most dangerous threats to Paragon City. Dozens of players working together are required to defeat it.
Hamidon Origin / Hami-O / HO
A special type of Enhancement dropped by Hamidon that boosts two aspects of a power rather than the usual one.
Hazard Zone
An area with higher levels of danger than normal, which requires a minimum Security Level to enter. Enemies in Hazard Zones will typically be found in larger, more dangerous groups than in City Zones.
Hit Points / HP
A measure of the amount of physical damage you can absorb from enemy attacks. Lost Hit Points are regenerated naturally over time, or can be boosted by using healing powers or abilities. If you are reduced to zero Hit Points, you will be defeated.
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IC
In Character. Used in Roleplaying (RP) to denote that someone is acting, or should act, in-character.
Immobilize
A type of status effect that prevents the target from moving. The target cannot change position (walk, run, fly or swim), but can attack. Flying targets may fall, depending on the power being used.
Influence / Infamy / Inf
A measure of your character’s reputation and standing. Inf is earned by defeating opponents and completing missions. It can be ‘spent’ to acquire Enhancements, Inspirations and other things, such as costume changes.
Inspiration
An Inspiration is a temporary boost that can help you through a particularly tight situation. Once you use an Inspiration it is gone for good - read our Rewards Guide for more information.
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K
Kheldian
An energy-based alien species that is involved in a long-running civil war. The Peacebringer and Warshade Epic Archetypes are both forms of Kheldian.
Kill on Sight / KoS
An instruction to take down an enemy without thought, as soon as they are encountered.
Kill Steal / KS
The act of attacking an opponent that has already been engaged by another player or group, thus ‘stealing’ subsequent rewards (experience, loot etc). Generally frowned upon.
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L
Lackey
A special option that allows low-level Villains to team up with Villains of much higher level. The lower-level Villain, the lackey, gains a temporary boost in fighting ability that allows him or her to fight alongside the higher-level Villain, the ‘boss’. You must be at least Security Level 10 before you can become a boss to a lackey. (Heroes can do the same thing with the Sidekick system.)
Lag
A period where there is high latency between the client and the server. Can cause stuttering, ‘rubber-banding’ or even disconnection. Extremely inconvenient in the middle of large fights as the actions taken by characters - or the response from the server - may be delayed, often leading to defeat.
Leaping
This grants you the ability to jump incredibly long distances, covering hundreds of yards in a single, town-crossing, bound. Though it isn’t entirely precise, it is a fun travel power. Leaping is a Power Pool, and available as an option for all characters.
Level / Lvl
A measure of a character’s power and experience - the higher the level, the more powerful and advanced the character.
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M
Macro
A macro is a combination of in-game functions - slash commands, powers, emotes or text - bound together to be executed by a single command.
Main
A player’s ‘main’ is the character he or she plays most often. This is usually their highest level character.
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N
Nerf
The act of intentionally weakening a skill, ability, feature, or class. Such changes are generally made in the interest of game balance.
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OOC
Out Of Character. Used in Roleplaying (RP) to denote that someone is acting ‘out of character’ (ie, not playing the role of their character). Conventions such as double brackets around text are often used to denote OOC chat, but this varies according to the RP group.
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Paragon Police Department / PPD
The law enforcement agency charged with the protection of Paragon City. The PPD has grown in strength, but still relies heavily on Heroes to combat super-powered threats.
Patch
A downloadable update that fixes bugs, improves stability and/or introduces new features to a program.
Pet
An NPC that belongs to a player, for instance summoned minions that can be commanded by the player to attack targets.
Plaque
Situated all across Paragon City and the Rogue Isles, plaques reveal some of the backstory and history of both games. Reading all the plaques about a certain subject can yield a badge.
Player versus Environment / PvE
Gameplay that pits players against the computer-controlled game world. Fighting NPC opponents, for example, is PvE combat.
Player versus Player / PvP
Gameplay that pits players against other players. Fighting player opponents, for example, is PvP combat.
Pocket-D
A nightclub located in another dimension, where heroes and villains can meet peacefully. Heroes can access Pocket-D via King’s Row, Talos Island and Founders’ Falls, Villains from Port Oakes, Sharkhead Isle and Saint Martial.
Point Blank Area of Effect / PBAoE
An Area of Effect power or ability that is centred on the character using it.
Power
The abilities a Hero or Villain is capable of using. There are several broad categories of Power, including Primary, Secondary and Pool.
Power Pool
A set of powers available to all characters. Travel powers, for example, are available from power pools. The power pools become available at level 6.
Power Set
A power set is a group of nine related powers. The powers in your chosen power sets will become available throughout your heroic or villainous career.
Power Tray
A Power Tray is a line of ten numbered circlular ‘containers’. Each character has nine separate Power Trays. You can drag your power icons from your Power Window to your Power Tray and arrange them in whatever order you prefer.
Powerlevelling
Refers to the practice of trying to advance a character to the highest level possible in as little time (and often with as little effort) as possible.
Characters who powerlevel rarely play the game fully and often try to use other players to help them level up quickly (playing in high-level areas to gain extra XP), or grind for XP without bothering with missions or role-play. As such, the term is often used in a derogatory sense.
Powerlevelling to ‘catch up’ to your friends’ levels is common in many MMORPGs. In City of Heroes and City of Villains, players can often use the Sidekick/Exemplar and Lackey/Malefactor systems to play with friends of different levels.
Prestige
A measure of a Super Group’s reputation and standing. Prestige is earned by defeating enemies when in Super Group mode. It is used to buy and outfit a Supergroup’s Base - read our Rewards Guide for more information.
Private Message / PM
A message sent from one player to another on a private channel, either in-game or on the official message boards.
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R
Reputation
Determines the difficulty level of a player’s missions. This can be changed by visiting a Field Analyst (for Heroes) or a Fateweaver (for Villains) and paying a small amount of Inf.
The default reputation is Heroic (for Heroes) or Villainous (for Villains). Higher reputations will pit you against more and/or higher-level opponents in missions.
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S
Salvage
Earned by defeating opponents and accomplishing missions while playing in Super Group mode. It is used to build items for Super Group bases and also to get buffs from empowerment stations in bases - read our Rewards Guide for more information.
Screenshot
To capture a screenshot in-game, simply press the Print Screen key. The screen will be saved locally in the ‘Screenshots’ folder in your game directory.
Security Level
See Level and Combat Level. You need to visit a trainer to increase your security level after levelling up. In order to gain entrance to certain Hazard Zones, a hero needs to have the requisite Security Level regardless of what level they are currently sidekicked or exemplared to.
The villain equivalent is Threat Level.
Server
A computer (or a group of networked computers) holding a complete copy of the game world. In most cases, characters created on different servers cannot interact.
Sidekick
A special option that allows low-level Heroes to team up with Heroes of much higher level. The lower-level Hero, the sidekick, gains a temporary boost in fighting ability that allows him or her to fight alongside the higher-level Hero, the ‘mentor’. You must be at least Security Level 10 before you can become a mentor to a sidekick. (Villains can do the same thing with the Lackey system.)
Single Origin / SO
Enhancements that can only be used by a specific origin. These give four times the boost of a training Enhancement.
Slash command
An in-game command invoked by typing in the chat window. All begin with / (hence the name!)
Sleep
A type of status effect that renders the target unconscious. The target is helpless, and cannot attack or move. Target will awaken if hit with any other power. Flying targets will fall and can take falling damage. Sleeps disable the target’s toggle powers.
Slot
A designated place where you can put an enhancement to boost your powers. More slots are added as a player levels up.
Spam
Spam is generally used to refer to repeated messages in chat, usually asking for something (such as a team - see LFT - or donations). Don’t spam!
Spawn
The point at which a particular mob appears or reappears in game, the appearance of a mob (as in, “the boss has just spawned"), or a group mobs that appear together (as in “let’s fight this spawn").
Stack
Used to refer to whether a power or effect is cumulative with another (as in “will these three debuffs stack?"). Also, a number of identical items placed in a single inventory slot to conserve space.
Status Effect
A type of effect that inhibits the target in some way, rather than doing damage. In most games, there are several types of status effect.
Strike Force / SF
A series of dangerous missions with a specific objective or goal. Strike Forces require a great deal of commitment and are very risky, but the reward for success is proportionate to the risk. The Hero versions are known as Task Forces
Super Group / SG
A permanent association of heroes or villains. You must be at least level 10 before you can form a Super Group. Members of a Super Group can all chat on the Super Group Chat Channel.
Super Group mode
Activated by clicking on ‘Super’ in the Chat window and ‘Enter SG Mode’. While in SG Mode you will earn Prestige for your Super Group. Depending on your level, this may result in you earning less Inf.
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T
Tailor
The place to go to make costume alterations (for a small fee in Inf). Tailors are marked on the in-game maps in both City of Heroes and City of Villains.
Tank / Tanking
The act of attracting enemy attacks in order to protect the other members of your team. In order to be an effective ‘tank’, a character must be able to get and maintain ‘aggro’ from the enemy, and be tough enough to take the damage they deal (or at least survive it long enough for the rest of the team to defeat the enemy). Most MMOs have a class or archetype that is well suited to tanking.
Task Force / TF
A series of dangerous missions with a specific objective or goal. Task Forces require a great deal of commitment and are very risky, but the reward for success is proportionate to the risk. The Villain versions are known as Strike Forces
Taunt
A power or ability that causes the target to focus its attacks on ("aggro") the character using it. Often used when ‘tanking’.
Teleportation / TP
When you need to get somewhere now, nothing beats teleporting. This power lets you cover vast distances without actually traversing the area in between.
Teleport is a Pool Power, and available to all characters who wish to take it.
Temporary Power
A power awarded by a contact/mission or purchased in a PvP zone that lasts for a predefined amount of time, or can be used a specific number of times.
Threat Level
See Level and Combat Level. You need to visit a trainer to increase your threat level after levelling up.
The hero equivalent is Security Level.
Toggle Power
A power that is turned on when activated and continues until it is turned off. Most toggle powers drain Endurance constantly while they are active.
Training Origin / TO
The weakest type of enhancements, these can be equipped by all players regardless of what their origin is.
Tram
A method of transportation in Paragon City that allows instantaneous travel between zones. Read Getting Around for more information.
Travel Power
Allow faster travel around Paragon City and the Rogue Isles. Fly, Superspeed, Leap and Teleportation are available at level 14 (provided one other power in that pool has been chosen between levels 6-12). Read Getting Around for more information.
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