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Dota 2 glossary

What the words Dota 2 players use mean — plus general esports terms.

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1080pEsports 1080p is a screen resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, meaning 1920 dots across and 1080 down. It is also called Full HD, and it remains the most common resolution for gaming monitors. 1vXEsports 1vX is a situation in a round when one player is left against several opponents (X being their number) and must either win the round alone or hold out until the end.

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AbuseEsports Abuse is the overuse of a strong side of a game, such as a hero, weapon, move, mechanic or flaw, when a player repeatedly uses it to get an easy result. Aghanim'sDota 2 Aghanim's is an item in Dota 2 that grants stats and upgrades a hero's abilities; the term also refers to the upgrade itself, which changes or enhances skills. Players usually say "Agan" or "scepter." AimEsports Aim is a player's ability to accurately point their crosshair at a target and hit it, as well as a general term for shooting and aiming in shooters. Aim assistEsports Aim assist is a built-in game feature that gently helps a player steer their crosshair onto a target, most often when playing with a controller. Not to be confused with a cheat: legitimate aim assist is designed by the developers and is the same for everyone. Anti-cheatEsports Anti-cheat is a software system that detects and blocks the use of cheats (third-party software for unfair advantage) in a game. API keyEsports API key is a unique string of characters that a service uses to recognize which application or which user is accessing its data and functions. In essence, it is a digital pass issued to the account owner.

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Battle PassEsports Battle Pass is a seasonal reward system in games: a player earns prizes for completing tasks and accumulating experience, while access to the most valuable ones is usually unlocked for a fee. Battle RoyaleEsports Battle royale is a game format in which many participants fight on a large map, and the winner is the last surviving player or the last surviving team. Bo1Esports Bo1 is a tournament format in which teams play a single map, and the winner of that one game wins the entire match. The name comes from the English phrase "best of one." Bo3Esports Bo3 is a tournament match format meaning "best of three": teams play up to three maps, and the first to win two takes the series. It is the most common series format in esports. Bo5Esports Bo5 is a "best of five" match format: teams play up to five maps, and the team that is first to win three of them takes the series. BuildEsports Build is a pre-planned set of player choices: which items to buy, in what order to level up abilities, and which upgrades to take so that a hero or character performs a particular task. BuybackDota 2 Buyback is the option to instantly respawn your hero after death by spending in-game gold, instead of waiting out the standard respawn timer.

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CalibrationEsports Calibration is the initial series of ranked matches at the end of which the game determines your rank for the first time, or refines it after a break or a season reset. CarryDota 2 Carry is an in-game hero role — a character who is weak at the start of a match but becomes the team's main damage-dealing force by the late game thanks to gold and experience. Cheat softwareEsports Cheat software is third-party software that gives a player an illegal advantage: automatic aiming, visibility through walls, or other functions unavailable in fair play. CIS DerbyEsports CIS Derby is a match in which two teams from CIS countries play each other. The word "derby" emphasizes the heightened intensity and high stakes of such a meeting. Clan tagEsports Clan tag is a short label that a player or team member puts next to their nickname to show membership in a clan, team, or organization. ClutchEsports Clutch is a round or match that one player pulls off and wins alone against numerically superior opponents, after the rest of the team has already been eliminated. Console commandEsports Console command is a text instruction entered into an in-game console to perform an action, change settings, or retrieve technical information. Content MakerEsports Content maker is a person who creates gaming content for an audience: streams, videos, breakdowns, and highlight clips. In esports, the term covers both former pro players and those who build their careers entirely on media. CoreDota 2 Core is a role in Dota 2: a hero who gets the team's gold and experience first so they can become its main damage dealer and decide the match. Usually these are positions 1–3. Counter-pickEsports Counter-pick is the selection of a hero, character, or strategy specifically against what the opponent has already chosen, in order to gain an advantage through a favorable matchup. CringeEsports Cringe is internet slang for something awkward, absurd, or embarrassing enough to make you feel secondhand shame. In games and on streams, the word is used for failed jokes, strange behavior, and humiliating moments.

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DemoEsports Demo is a recorded file of a completed match that can be replayed from any angle to break down players' decisions, strategies, and mistakes. DenyDota 2 Deny is the act of finishing off an allied creep or another eligible allied target in Dota 2 to limit the enemy’s gold and experience rewards. DisbandEsports Disband is the breakup or dissolution of an esports roster, when its players stop competing together as a team. The organization itself may continue operating. DPIEsports DPI is a measure of a computer mouse sensor's resolution: how many "dots" per inch of mouse travel the sensor registers. The higher the value, the farther the cursor moves for the same hand movement. DraftDota 2 Draft is the phase of picking and banning characters before a match begins, during which teams shape their lineups to gain an advantage even before the first engagement. DropEsports Drop is an item or reward that a player receives at random: for a match, for time spent in the game, or on a schedule. The word comes from the English "drop," meaning "to fall" or "to let fall." DuoEsports Duo is a pair of two players who play together: in ranked matches, in the same lane, or as a pairing within a team. The word comes from the Italian/Latin "duo" ("two").

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EconomyEsports Economy is the system of in-game resources (money, gold, items) that a player or team manages in order to buy gear and gain an advantage over the opponent. It determines who can afford strong equipment, and when. Elimination MatchEsports Elimination match is a tournament game after which the losing team or player is out of the running for prizes and the title, while the winner advances. There is no margin for error in such a match. ELOEsports ELO is a system for calculating a player's or team's rating that evaluates the strength of opponents based on wins and losses and is used for matchmaking participants of roughly equal skill level. ExploitEsports Exploit is the use of an error or unintended feature in a game to gain an advantage. It may violate game or competition rules even without third-party software.

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FarmEsports Farm is the accumulation of in-game resources — gold, experience, items, or currency — through repetitive, similar actions, such as killing neutral creatures or waves of enemies. The word comes from the English "farming" and is used in many games. FlickEsports Flick is a fast, sharp snap of the crosshair toward a target that stops precisely on it, followed by a shot. The technique is used in first-person shooters, where you need to instantly put the crosshair on an enemy. FragEsports Frag is a kill of an enemy player in a team shooter or another competitive game. The word is used both as a unit of scoring in statistics and as a verb: "to frag", "to frag out". Frag highlightEsports A frag highlight is a standout moment in a match in which a player gets several kills in a row in a spectacular or unexpected way. Such moments are cut into clips and shown as the best of the game.

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Game SenseEsports Game sense is the ability to understand a game situation and anticipate opponents’ likely actions using available information and experience. It helps players choose an appropriate position, moment, and course of action. GankDota 2 Gank is a sudden attack by one or more players on an opponent who is not ready for a fight, usually aimed at quickly killing them and gaining an advantage. GG WPEsports GG WP is the phrase "good game, well played," written in chat after a match as a sign of respect toward opponents regardless of the outcome. GPMDota 2 GPM is a Dota 2 metric that shows how much gold a hero earns on average per minute of a match. It is used to evaluate a player's farming efficiency and economy. GrindEsports Grind is long, monotonous play aimed at a specific result: climbing rating, gaining experience, or collecting resources or items. In esports, the term describes persistently repeating matches or practice sessions in order to improve.

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Hero PoolDota 2 Hero pool is the set of heroes in Dota 2 that a player plays confidently and is ready to pick in a match. The wider and stronger it is, the less the player is constrained by the opponents' picks and the team's needs. HWID banEsports HWID ban is a block tied not to a game account but to a computer: the anti-cheat remembers a hardware "fingerprint" and refuses to let that machine into the game, even if a new account is created.

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IGLEsports IGL is a team player responsible for tactical decisions during the match itself: choosing strategy, assigning positions, and calling plays for a round or phase of the game. ImbaEsports Imba is gaming slang for something so strong that it breaks the balance of the game: a hero, a weapon, an ability, or a tactic. In a broader sense, the word has simply become the highest form of praise: "imba" means "awesome." InactiveEsports Inactive is the official status of a player on a team's roster when they temporarily do not take part in competitive activity but formally remain on the roster. InitiationDota 2 Initiation is the start of a team fight in Dota 2: the first strong action that pulls both teams into a battle on terms favorable to the initiating side. InviteEsports An invite is a direct invitation for a team to a tournament without going through qualifiers, usually given to teams that are strongest by rating or status.

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K/DEsports K/D is the ratio of a player's kills to deaths over a match or a selected period. It describes individual statistics but does not determine a player's contribution to winning on its own. KatkaEsports Katka is the slang term for a single game from start to finish: one match in a series or one ranked game. "To katnut katku" means to play one match. KDAEsports KDA is a measure of a player's performance in a match that takes into account kills, deaths, and assists. It is written as three numbers separated by slashes or calculated as a single ratio. KeyloggerEsports Keylogger is malicious or spyware software that secretly records everything a person types on the keyboard and sends that data to an attacker. It is used to steal account passwords, including gaming accounts. KickEsports Kick is the removal of a player from a match, lobby, or team roster. It can be initiated by other participants, an administrator, or the game system.

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LadderEsports Ladder is a ranked matchmaking system that arranges players by skill level in the form of a "ladder": the more wins, the higher the position and rank. Last HitDota 2 Last hit is the finishing blow on a creep or other unit, after which the player receives gold for its death. LeaderboardEsports Leaderboard is a public table in which players or teams are lined up by rating, points, or other results: the higher the row, the better the performance. Such tables exist on gaming platforms, in tournaments, and within games themselves. LobbyEsports Lobby is a virtual room before a match begins, where players gather into a group, configure the game and wait for it to start. The word is also used to mean the full set of participants in a single match. LootEsports Loot is the items a player obtains in a game: found in the game world, taken from defeated opponents, or received as a reward for winning. The word comes from the English "loot," meaning "plunder." Lower BracketEsports The lower bracket is the part of a double-elimination tournament bracket where teams go after their first loss. A second loss knocks them out of the tournament.

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MapmakerEsports Mapmaker is the author of game maps: a person who designs and builds locations for a game, most often in an editor and by community effort rather than by the developer studio. Match-FixingEsports Match-fixing is a game whose outcome or individual events have been agreed in advance by participants or outside parties rather than decided by fair competition. Such matches violate tournament rules and undermine trust in esports. MatchmakingEsports Matchmaking is an online game system that automatically selects players for a match, usually based on skill level and rating. The player presses the search button, and the service assembles the teams and opponents on its own. MetaEsports Meta is the set of the strongest and most frequently used strategies, heroes, weapons, or tactics in a game at a given point in time, considered the optimal choice for winning. MidlanerDota 2 Midlaner is a player who spends the early part of a match on the central lane of the map and usually plays a hero in position two. The team's path into the mid game often depends on their early tempo and decisions. MinimapEsports Minimap is a reduced-size diagram of the game map on the screen that shows the positions of players, objects, and events and helps you stay oriented without being distracted from the action. MMREsports MMR is a numerical estimate of playing ability that a system uses to match opponents of roughly equal strength. This rating can be visible or hidden. MOBAEsports MOBA is a genre of team-based computer games in which two teams each control individual characters and fight to destroy the opponent's main structure on a dedicated map. The name stands for "multiplayer online battle arena." Mobile Legends: Bang BangEsports Mobile Legends: Bang Bang is a mobile MOBA in which two teams of five players fight to destroy the enemy base; the game is often abbreviated to MLBB or called "Mobile Legends" in Russian. Multi-accountingEsports Multi-accounting is the use of several game accounts by a single person, usually to circumvent the rules: to boost rating, collect rewards, evade penalties, or influence match results. MVPEsports MVP is the "most valuable player" title of a tournament or match, awarded for the greatest contribution to a team's wins.

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NerfEsports A nerf is a weakening of a character, weapon, item, or mechanic in a game made by the developers, which makes it less effective.

O

OverlayEsports Overlay is a graphic layer displayed on top of a game or broadcast that shows additional information: chat, notifications, stats, the match score, or stream design elements.

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PatchEsports A patch is an official game update that changes balance, fixes bugs, or adds new content. Patch NotesEsports Patch Notes are the official text from developers listing all the changes included in a game update: mechanics adjustments, balance changes, bug fixes, and technical improvements. Peak ViewershipEsports Peak viewership is the largest number of viewers watching a match or tournament broadcast at the same moment. It is one indicator of an event’s popularity. PickEsports Pick is the selection of a character, hero, or map that a team or player makes before a match begins. Pick rateEsports Pick rate is the share of matches in which a particular hero, item, or other game element was chosen, out of the total number of games played in a given sample. It shows not strength, but popularity. PingEsports Ping is the time, in milliseconds, it takes for a signal to travel from your computer to the game server and back. The lower it is, the faster the game responds to your actions. PlaybookEsports Playbook is a team's set of prepared tactical schemes: how it attacks, defends, and acts in typical in-game situations. A kind of "book of plays" that the players know by heart. Position 5Dota 2 Position 5 is a role in Dota 2: the hard support, who gets the least gold and experience on the team and plays by protecting allies, buying wards, and helping with crowd control. PositioningEsports Positioning is the choice of where to stand on the map and how to place yourself relative to enemies, teammates, and objectives, which determines how safely and effectively a player acts at any given moment of a round or fight. Prize PoolEsports Prize pool is the total amount of money (and sometimes other rewards) that a tournament organizer announces in advance and distributes among participants based on the results of the competition. Pro RosterEsports Pro roster is a team of professional players that competes on behalf of an organization in tournaments for money and ranking points, as opposed to an amateur or academy roster. PubEsports A pub (public match) is an ordinary public game in which players are placed into teams at random through matchmaking, with no pre-arranged roster, tactics or coach.

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Ranked MatchEsports A ranked match is a game whose outcome directly changes a player's rating: a win raises it, a loss lowers it. It is the opposite of a casual game, where the result affects nothing. ReportEsports Report is a complaint against another player, submitted through a game's or platform's built-in system when that player cheats, behaves toxically or ruins the match. RoamingDota 2 Roaming is when a hero leaves their own lane and moves around other parts of the map to help allies, catch an enemy, or create a numerical advantage. The term is used in MOBA games, primarily in Dota 2. Role (Amplua)Esports Role (amplua) is the in-game role assigned to a player on a team: the set of tasks they carry out round after round and match after match. A player's role determines their position, playstyle, and contribution to the team's overall result. RoshanDota 2 Roshan is the strongest neutral monster in Dota 2, and killing him grants the team a large gold and experience bonus, plus a special item called the "Aegis," which brings a fallen hero back to life. RosterEsports Roster is a group of players who represent one team in tournaments and matches in a specific discipline. RotationEsports Rotation is the movement of a player or part of a team from one area of the map to another during a round or match. RoundEsports Round is a separate segment of play in a match that ends with one side winning and earning a point. A match consists of a series of rounds: whoever is first to reach the required number of them wins. RushEsports Rush is a fast and aggressive attack on a position or map site with minimal preparation, aiming to catch the opponent off guard before they can set up their defense.

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ScoutEsports Scout is a specialist who searches for and evaluates promising players for esports organizations. Their job is to find the right person before the whole market starts talking about them. ScrimEsports Scrim is a practice game between two teams arranged by mutual agreement, held to work on tactics without the pressure of a tournament. Sentry WardDota 2 Sentry Ward is a consumable item in Dota 2 that is placed on the map and reveals invisible units and enemy observer wards within a small radius around it. SetupEsports Setup is deliberate advance preparation: a team's positioning for a round, actions that prepare a kill, or the set of equipment a gamer plays on. The meaning depends on context. ShardDota 2 Shard is a single-use consumable item in Dota 2 that gives a hero a new ability or upgrades one of their existing ones. Its full name is Aghanim's Shard, i.e. "Aghanim's fragment." SkinEsports A skin is a cosmetic item in a game that changes the appearance of a weapon, character, or other element and has no effect on gameplay stats. Skin ChangerEsports Skin changer is an unofficial service or program that promises to trade, sell, or swap in-game skins by bypassing the built-in trading mechanisms and the marketplace. Solo LaningDota 2 Solo laning is playing a lane alone, without a partner: the hero farms, trades blows with the opponent, and survives until it can move on to more active play around the map. Stand-inEsports Stand-in (substitution) is a situation in esports when a player from the main roster cannot play in a match and someone else plays in their place. The word is also used for the player who takes the absent player's spot. Steam Community MarketEsports Steam Community Market is the official marketplace inside Steam where players sell and buy in-game items from each other for Steam Wallet funds. SupportEsports Support is a game role focused on helping the team: healing, buffing, protecting, or creating conditions for the carry and other roles to succeed.

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Team DamageEsports Team damage is damage dealt by a player to their own teammate instead of an opponent. For systematic team damage, a player can be kicked from the match. TeammateEsports A teammate is a player from your own team with whom you play a match or compete in a tournament together. Test BuildEsports Test build is a version of a game intended for checking its behavior and changes before the main version is released. Access may be limited to developers or invited participants, or available to anyone interested. Tier 1Esports Tier 1 is the highest level in esports' informal hierarchy: the term refers to a discipline's strongest teams, biggest tournaments, and most prestigious organizations. Tier-2 TournamentEsports Tier-2 tournament is a competition of the second level of significance, below majors and the largest championships, but above local and amateur tournaments. TiltEsports Tilt is a state in which a player, due to anger, frustration or a string of failures, loses composure and starts playing worse than usual, making impulsive decisions. TimingEsports Timing is the sense of a round's or a game's rhythm: understanding when the opponent's key actions usually happen and how to adjust your own actions to them. To callEsports To call is to tell your team over voice chat what is happening in a match or to propose a shared decision: where the enemy is, what we are doing, where we are going. The Russian slang word "коллить" comes from the English *to call*, meaning "to name, to announce". Top RosterEsports Top roster is a team of the strongest players that ranks among the best in its discipline and regularly competes for top places at major tournaments. The expression is used both for the team itself and for its playing lineup during a specific period. Tournament formatEsports Tournament format is the set of rules that defines how a tournament is organized: how teams qualify for it, how they are divided into groups, in what order matches are played, and under what conditions the winner is determined. Transfer WindowEsports A transfer window is a period in esports when organizations can officially change their rosters: sign players, release them from teams, and announce transfers. TransfersEsports Transfers are moves of players, coaches, and other team members from one esports organization to another. The word comes from traditional sports and means a change of club together with the agreements between the parties.

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UltimateEsports Ultimate is a character's most powerful ability in games where heroes have a set of skills. It usually unlocks later than the other abilities, has a long cooldown, and can turn the tide of a fight.

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VarianceEsports Variance is the spread of results around an expected value: random deviations in a game that mean the same skill or the same decision does not always produce the same outcome. VisionDota 2 Vision is map awareness in Dota 2: information about where enemies are and what is happening in the areas the team cannot see directly with its heroes. VoiceMeeterEsports VoiceMeeter is a Windows program that works as a virtual audio mixer: it takes sound from different sources and routes it to multiple outputs and tracks. It is used by streamers and players who need to control game audio, voice chat, and microphone separately.

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WallhackEsports Wallhack is a type of cheat software that lets a player see opponents and other objects through walls and obstacles. Using a wallhack is considered cheating and leads to an account ban. Warm-upEsports Warm-up is a player's preparation before an important match or practice session: a short stretch of play or a few exercises to get into rhythm and settle both hands and head. Win rateEsports Win rate is the share of wins by a player, team, hero, map or mode out of all matches played, expressed as a percentage. The metric answers the question "how often does this lead to a win".