World of Warcraft Wiki
World of Warcraft has built up two decades of jargon, and the same word can mean different things depending on the version you log into. This part of the Onlyfarms wiki explains that vocabulary in plain English: what a term means, where you meet it in the game, and what it changes for your character or your group.
Entries are kept current for the versions people play in October 2026. On the retail side that is Midnight, now on patch 12.1 and in its second season. On the Classic side it covers Classic Era, the Hardcore and Season of Discovery realms, the Anniversary realms that moved on to The Burning Crusade early in 2026, Mists of Pandaria Classic, and WoW Forever, which is scheduled to launch on 4 November 2026. When a mechanic such as threat, ammo or the global cooldown works differently in retail and Classic, the entry gives both versions.
The topics below follow where these words come up in play: class tools, group content, tanking, targeting, PvP, gear, gold, the Classic realms and the interface. Larger topics have a glossary page that collects every related term with its own section, and the A–Z list at the end shows each WoW entry. Words that are not specific to WoW, such as LFG or loot rules, are explained in the general gaming wiki.
Found a term that is missing or out of date? Tell us through the contact page.
Classes, specs & abilities
Spells, racials, pets and auras: what a class tool does and how it differs between retail and Classic.
- WoW Abilities, Racials & Combat Stats TermsGlossaryAbsorbs, armor reduction, durability, Arcane Torrent, Axe Specialization, Aspect of the Viper and Arcane Surge in WoW, with Classic vs…
- Auto-Cast ToggleLetting a pet use an ability by itself, and when to switch that off.
- AurasPaladin auras such as Devotion Aura, and what addons mean by an aura.
- Arcane Surge TimerTiming the Arcane Mage burst window and the cooldowns lined up with it.
- Axe SpecializationOrc racial for axes, removed from retail in 6.0.2, kept in Era, TBC and MoP Classic.
- Arcane TorrentThe Blood Elf racial and how its effect changed from one expansion to the next.
More in this topic:Aspect of the Viper, Arcane Surge
Guides:Best DPS specs in Midnight
Dungeons, Mythic+ & raids
Words for group content: controlling packs, keeping the group alive and stopping the casts that end a run.
- AoE CC: Area of Effect Crowd ControlStuns, fears and disorients that hit a whole pack, and how diminishing returns cap them.
- HPS: Heals per SecondHealing per second, why overhealing inflates it and why it is not a healer ranking.
- Auto-interruptAddons that tell you when to kick a cast, and why fully automatic kicks are banned.
- Focus targetA second remembered target, handy for interrupting or controlling one enemy.
- Leash and resetWhy an enemy dragged too far runs home, heals to full and forgets its threat.
Guides:Midnight dungeons and their rewards, Best healers in Midnight
Related service: Mythic+ dungeon runs
Tanking, threat & aggro
How an enemy picks its target, how a tank keeps it and how everyone else avoids pulling it away.
- WoW Threat & Aggro GlossaryGlossaryHow threat and aggro work in World of Warcraft: the 110%/130% rule, threat meters, taunts, aggro range, leashing and threat…
- Aggro PullHow close you can walk to an enemy before it notices you and attacks.
- Threat meterBars that show how close each player is to taking aggro from the tank.
- Aggro TableThe threat list every enemy keeps, and the rule for when it changes target.
- Threat capThe 110% melee and 130% ranged margin needed to pull an enemy off its target.
- TauntAbilities that force an enemy to attack you, used for tank swaps.
More in this topic:TPS (threat per second), Aggro warning, Threat drops
Guides:Best tank specs in Midnight
Targeting, rotations & swing timers
Who your abilities hit and how fast you can press them: assist, macros, the global cooldown and auto-attacks.
- WoW Targeting, Assist & Swing Timer TermsGlossaryAssist and main assist, focus, action targeting, spell queue window, GCD, swing timer, attack speed, cast sequence and interrupts in…
- Auto-Targeting SystemAction Targeting, soft targeting and the Interact key, which pick targets for you.
- Auto-target switchingWhat happens to your target when the enemy you were hitting dies.
- Cast sequenceThe /castsequence macro that casts a list of spells, one per key press.
- AssistTaking another player's target as your own with the /assist command.
- Attack targetThe enemy your auto-attack and targeted spells hit, and the ways to pick it.
More in this topic:Global cooldown (GCD), Swing timer, Action delay and spell queue
Guides:One-button rotation guide
PvP & world PvP
Arena, battleground and open-world words: PvP talents, realm rulesets and camping.
- Chrono ShiftThe Arcane Mage talent that slows enemies and speeds you up, now a PvP pick.
- Normal, PvP and RP rulesetsWhat each ruleset changes about being attacked by the other faction.
- CampingWaiting at one spot for a rare spawn, or for an enemy player to come back.
Stats, damage & gear
The numbers behind a hit or a heal: scaling, armor, absorbs and the durability of your gear.
- Ability ScalingHow spell and attack power turn into damage, including the Classic coefficient rule.
- Armor reductionDebuffs that lower enemy armor: central to Classic raids, gone from retail.
- AbsorbShields that soak a set amount of damage before it reaches your health.
- Durability and repairsHow your gear loses durability and what keeps the repair bill down.
Gold, professions & the auction house
Crafting materials, vendor junk and auction house habits, from Classic transmutes to price alerts.
- Arcanite BarsThe Classic transmute, its cooldown and the gear that needs the bars.
- Auto sellThe Sell All Junk button and addons that clear grey items at a vendor.
- Auction snipingBuying underpriced listings the moment they appear, then reselling them.
- Auction alertSale mail and addon warnings when an item is listed below your price.
- TradingWhy every trade still needs both players to confirm the trade window.
Guides:Best professions in Midnight, Solo gold farms in Midnight
Classic, Anniversary & WoW Forever
Realm types and terms that belong to the Classic branches, from one-life characters to hunter ammo.
- WoW Classic Realm TypesGlossaryClassic Era, Anniversary, Hardcore, Season of Discovery, MoP Classic and WoW Forever explained: what each realm type is, its rules…
- ArrowHunter ammo and quivers in Classic and TBC, and why later versions dropped them.
- Anniversary realmsFresh realms from November 2024; the Normal and PvP ones are now in TBC.
- HardcoreRealms on Classic Era content where every character has exactly one life.
- WoW ForeverThe level 60 branch with new content, scheduled to open on 4 November 2026.
- Season of DiscoveryThe seasonal Classic version built around runes engraved on gear.
More in this topic:Fresh realm, Classic Era, Self-Found, MoP Classic progression realms
Guides:Classic or retail: which to play, TBC Anniversary factions and reputation
Related service: TBC Anniversary services
Interface, addons & automation
Settings, keybinds and addons that loot, mount and move for you, and what the game will not automate.
- WoW Auto-Loot, Auto-Dismount & Interface AutomationGlossaryAuto loot, auto dismount, random favorite mount, sell all junk, trade, potions and auction house alerts in WoW: what the…
- Auto dismountLeaving your mount automatically when you cast a spell or interact.
- Auto-MoveAuto run on Num Lock, what stops it and how the /follow command works.
- Auto lootThe setting that takes everything from a corpse in one click.
- Auto group inviteInvite commands and the addons that send invites for you.
- Auto mountThe Summon Random Favorite Mount button and mount macros.
More in this topic:Auto equip, Auto-use potion, Auto-loot filtering, Auto gather
Guides:Best addons for Midnight
