Glossary

This page contains a list of important terms and abbreviations commonly used by players.

3

 * 3 pigs - The Grustrag Three.

A

 * Affinity - Experience in Warframe. Contributes to levels for weapons, warframes and sentinels.
 * Alert - Missions that appear randomly and give additional credits or loot as a reward.
 * AMD - Antimatter Drop; Nova's 2nd ability.
 * Ancient Retribution - A well known glitch mod in Warframe.

B

 * Baking - Slang for an item being made in the foundry e.g. "I have a blue potato baking."
 * Ballistica Syndrome - A derogatory term for a weapon that spends more time reloading than firing.
 * Bar, BarPol - The polarity shape.
 * Baguette - Hind, due to the distinctive shape of the barrel.
 * Booben - Vauban.
 * Boxheads/Blockheads - Corpus, nicknamed for their box-like helmets. (Crewmen in general, Techs)
 * BP - Blueprint
 * Breeding Mods, Breeding Mod Set - The four dual-stat mods rewarded in Operation Breeding Grounds, known as Thermite Rounds, Volcanic Edge, Scorch and Scattering Inferno.
 * Buff, Buffed - Improving something's ability overall.

C

 * Cap, Capt, Capture - Refers to the Capture mission type. Players will often advertise Void runs and its difficulty. (e.g. T3 Cap)
 * Can Opener - Sheev.
 * CC - Crowd Control.
 * Cell - See Orokin Cell.
 * Cicero Mods, Cicero Mod Set - The four dual-stat mods rewarded in The Cicero Crisis, known as Malignant Force, Virulent Scourge, Pistol Pestilence and Toxic Barrage. Now rewarded by defeating Corrupted Vor.
 * Clan - A guild. A clan has its own chat channel, can build a Dojo, facilitates trades, and allows advanced weapons and items to be researched.
 * Clantech - Items obtained through research in the clan dojo.
 * Cmod, CM - Control Module
 * Cooking - Slang an item being made in the foundry e.g. "I have a blue potato cooking."
 * Co-op Door - Refers to a door that requires two players present to open when in a party.
 * Corpus - One of the three main enemy factions. They are a merchant cult, built on the foundation of salvaged technology and robotics.
 * Corrupted - The type of enemies encountered in the Orokin Void.
 * Corrupted Mods - Mods that increase one stat and decrease another, obtained in Orokin Vaults.
 * Copter, Coptering - Using the slide attack of fast melee weapons to fling a player a great distance quickly. See Zoren Copter. Also called 'spin dashing'.
 * Cryotic Mods, Cryotic Mod Set - The four dual-stat mods rewarded in Operation Cryotic Front, known as Rime Rounds, Frigid Blast, Frostbite and Vicious Frost.

D

 * D, DPol - The  polarity shape.
 * Dash, - The polarity shape.
 * Dashes, AbilityPol - The polarity shape. Used for warframe abilities. Proper term is scratch polarity.
 * DC, D/C - Disconnected.
 * Def, Defense - Refers to the Defense mission type. Players will often advertise Void runs and its difficulty. (e.g. T3 Def)
 * Derf, Derf Anyo - An officially recognized fan-made character, as Devstream 30 claims. Usually refers to son, nephew, or other familial bond to Sgt. Nef Anyo.
 * DNS (technical) - Domain Name Server. Used to determine a players IP address in an international scale, if a DNS address is mismatched, the player will not be able to connect to other certain players.
 * Dojo - A clan meeting place. Different rooms can be built, with purposes of research, trading, duels.
 * Doorway Hero - denotes the specific act of utilizing choke points (such as doors) to rapidly kill recently spawned enemies. The term Hallway Hero is sometimes used interchangibly.
 * Down, Downed - When you run out of health, you get 'downed' (a state that the game calls Bleedout). Teammates can revive you back to full health and shields.
 * Dogs - May refer to:
 * Internet-shared slang for Grineer. Originated during The Gradivus Dilemma where Alad V would generally refer to the Grineer as "dogs".
 * Kubrows, owing to their doglike appearance.
 * Dual/Dual-stat Mods - Refers to Nightmare Mode Mods which grant two different beneficial stats. Not to be confused with Corrupted Mods.
 * DS - Dark Sector. Usually followed by S - Survival (DSS) or D - Defense (DSD).

E

 * Ext, Exterminate - Refers to the Exterminate mission type. Players will often advertise Void runs and its difficulty. (e.g. T3 Ext)
 * Extract, Evac - To exit a mission or head to the extraction point.
 * Exp - Experience. Correctly called Affinity, used to level Weapons, Warframes and Mastery.

F

 * FTC - Failed to Connect to Server.
 * Farm - To play repeatedly or for long periods to achieve desired objective, usually something in larger number (such as a certain resource or enemy)
 * Forma, Forma'd, Formed - To use a Forma to alter a polarity slot(a.k.a. polarized, polarization).
 * x Forma - Adjective for a weapon or Warframe that has been polarized x times (e.g. 4 Forma Braton)
 * Frame - Warframe
 * Friendship Door - Refers to a door that requires two players present to open when in a party.

G

 * G3 - The Grustrag Three.
 * Gate - Nova's Worm Hole.
 * Gate Crash Mods, Gate Crash Mod Set - The four mods rewarded in Operation: Gate Crash, known as Buzz Kill, Fanged Fusillade, Sweeping Serration and Maim.
 * Glass Cannon - A frame capable of dealing large amounts of damage, while having low survivability.
 * Greedy Milk - Derogatory slang for Corpus, popularized by one of General Sargas Ruk's quotes during The Gradivus Dilemma; "Rraahudd Tenno! Now we fight together! Now we crush the greedy milk from their skulls. The Corpus will pay for their crimes with their useless lives."
 * Grind - To play repeatedly or for long periods to achieve desired objective (e.g attaining rare item)
 * Grineer - One of the enemy factions. A race of clones.
 * Groth - Gorgon Wraith.

H

 * Hallway Hero - A negative term referring to a player in a defense mission (endless, wave, mobile, or survival) who fights far from the defense objective or team, killing enemies too far to share Affinity and spreading out pickups too thinly. The term Doorway Hero is sometimes used interchangeably with Hallway Hero.
 * Harvester - The original name of Zanuka Hunter.
 * Hitscan - A type of weapon with projectiles that hits targets 'instantly' i.e.: Braton, Burston, Soma.

I

 * Infested - A main enemy faction. Comprised of Corpus and Grineer that have been infected with the Technocyte Virus.

J

 * John, John Prodman - A meme of a fan-named Prod Crewman, who is said to be able to take down Phorid single-handedly. Often that the fans refers the Prod Crewman in DE's videos as John Prodman. Confirmed as canon, although more information has yet to be released.
 * Juggling - A strategic move that forces enemies to remain in a ragdoll-phase repeatedly. (e.g spamming Pull)

K

 * Kappa - A very commonly played mid-level  Mobile Defense mission, which may change control based on invasion, located in Sedna. Known for affinity farming, and when under Corpus control, the best Oxium farm.
 * Keys - Void Keys, Derelict Keys or Dragon Keys used to enter the Orokin Void, Orokin Derelicts or Vaults.
 * Kill Frame - A warframe capable of killing large groups of enemies quickly.

L

 * LFM, LFG - Looking for member, group.
 * Lotus - The Tenno players' guide.
 * LS, Life Support - Life Support Modules that are dispensed from dead enemies in Survival missions.

M

 * Mastery - Your overall account level. Increased by leveling up weapons, Warframes and companions (not counting forma(s)) and completing a test.
 * Mats - Resources. Short for Materials.
 * MD, MDef, MobDef - Mobile Defense.
 * Merchants - slang for Corpus due to their nature as mercantile cult.
 * Mods - "Cards" picked up during missions and won for completing some missions to enhance the power of Warframes, weapons, and sentinels.
 * MR - Mastery Rank.
 * MP, M Prime - May refer to:
 * Molecular Prime, Nova's 4th ability
 * The second mission on Mercury.

N

 * Nerfed, Nerf - Something that was recently weakened or needs weakening.
 * Nightmare Mods - See dual mods.
 * NM, Nightmare - Nightmare Mode. A high difficulty mission that can occupy random nodes indicated with a skull and rewards special mods unique to these missions.
 * NM may also refers to Narrow Minded.
 * Nuke - any weapon or ability that can kill a large quantity of enemies at once (i.e Molecular Prime, the Ogris).

O

 * Octopus - The Phage rifle. Nicknamed for its appearance when firing.
 * OC, OCell, OroCell - Orokin Cell.
 * OD - Orokin Derelict, usually followed with an additional letter indicating the mission type. e.g. ODS, ODD and ODA refer to Orokin Derelict Survival, Defense and Assassination respectively.
 * ODV - Orokin Derelict Vault, a section of the Orokin Derelicts that awards players Corrupted Mods.
 * Orokin - The name of the race that previously ruled the solar system. Tenno are their descendents.
 * OV - Orokin Void, usually followed with an additional letter indicating the mission type, as well as the Tower number representing the difficulty. For example: OVS, OVD and OVE refer to Orokin Void Survival, Defense and Exterminate respectively. And for the Tower number, a general T1, T2, T3 or T4, meaning Tower one, two, three or four.

P

 * Panty/Panties, Le Panties - The Infested boss Lephantis.
 * PC - Price check. Used on the trading channel to find out how much something is worth.
 * Plat, Pl, Pt, P - Platinum, the game currency that can only be won or paid for.
 * PM - Private message. Use /w message to whisper to the player.
 * Pol - Polarity, the 'shape' associated with a slot in a warframe or weapon.
 * Potato, Blue/Gold Potato - An Orokin Catalyst or Orokin Reactor, named such for their resemblance to potatoes.
 * Potatoed - Refers to equipment that has a Catalyst/Reactor installed.
 * Potato Seed - Orokin Cells, owing to their similar appearance to Catalysts and Reactors
 * Precept - The abilities that a sentinel or a kubrow can use. Precept mods have the polarity.
 * Prime - May refer to:
 * The surname given to an enhanced version of a warframe or weapon
 * Molecular Prime.
 * PST - Please send tell. Use /w message to whisper to the player.
 * PUG, Pugs - Pick-up Group. Used to describe a group that is not preorganized or a player that is not part of the organized group.

Q

 * QT - The Quick Thinking mod.

R

 * Red Text - In-game announcements that appear in chat from the developers at Digital Extremes. The text is written in red, hence the name.
 * Rep/Reputation - Syndicate Standing
 * RNG - Random Number Generator. Used to refer to the random chance of things happening in the game, such as mod drops or the appearance of the Stalker/Zanuka Hunter/G3. Sometimes jokingly called Random Number God.
 * RNGesus - Also known as RNJesus, a joke considered as "the God of RNG".
 * Rollers - Grineer Roller enemies.
 * rPol - The polarity shape.
 * Rush - To complete a mission as fast as possible.

S

 * Salad V - a popular nickname for Alad V.
 * Sandal, SV - Snipetron Vandal
 * Scratch, ScratchPol - Also refers to the ability polarity.
 * ShieldPol - Shield Polarize.
 * Space Nazi - Grineer or New Loka.
 * Speed Nova - A Nova modded with Overextended causing Molecular Prime to increase the speed of affected enemies instead of slowing them down.
 * Stunlock - A tactic that forces enemies in a Stun-phase or remain them plummeting to the ground.
 * Syndicate - A group of Factions with unique ideologies that the Tenno can side with.

T

 * T1/T2/T3/T4 - Tower 1, 2, 3 or 4 Orokin Void missions.
 * Tank - A player that can take large amounts of damage.
 * Taxi - A player that has a mission or planet unlocked that will form a group for a player that does not.
 * Tethra Mods, Tethra Mod Set - The four dual-stat mods rewarded in Tethra's Doom, known as Jolt, Shell Shock, High Voltage and Voltaic Strike,
 * Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3 / Tier 4 - The difficulty or level group of enemies in a mission or wave. The tier determines the reward pool players have access to.

U

 * Ult, Ultimate - The '4' ability on a Warframe. Comes from the 4th ability often being the most powerful and costly warframe ability.

V

 * V, VPol - The polarity shape. Sometimes called rPol.
 * Vault - See ODV.

W

 * Warframe - The exosuit worn by Tenno. These have special abilities that are used for specific tasks.
 * WTB/WTS/WTT - Want/Willing to Buy/Sell/Trade

X

 * Xini - A very commonly played high-level Infested defense map, located in Eris.
 * XP - Experience. Correctly called Affinity, used to level Weapons, Warframes and Mastery.

Y

 * Yelling - Having a discussion through in-game chat, then distributing it to the forums.

Z

 * Zoren Copter - Using the slide attack of fast-attacking melee weapons to move faster. See Coptering.

Legacy Terms
These are terms that may still be used by long-term players but refer to things that no longer exist.
 * Green - Life Support pick-ups in Survival missions. Named for the green HUD indicator that was unique to them.
 * Naked Nick - The person inside the Warframe Cryopod before the current model took its place.
 * R+QT - A combo between Rage and Quick Thinking mods which granted invulnerability. The combo was nerfed in Update 11.1.
 * Rainbow Build - A mod loadout popular during Damage 1.0 that used all elemental damage mods for maximum damage. Fell out of favor with the introduction of Damage 2.0.