Heroes of the Storm is not categorized as a MOBA by its creators, but as a Hero Brawler, and there are definitely big differences between Heroes and other popular MOBAs. Nonetheless, a lot of the players you're going to be seeing in-game will have played MOBAs before, and thanks to the similarities to MOBA play, you're going to be seeing a lot of MOBA jargon. And you might not understand it all, but we're here to help. We're not going to go into every individual phrase that might ever be uttered, but we're going to spell out some of the more common ones.

Let us know if there are other things you've heard that you haven't understood, and hit the break for the Glossary!

AD	Attack Damage. Term for the damage done by the Hero's basic attacks, and the stat that increases it. Some heroes also have special abilities which are increased by attack damage.
AP	Ability Power. Term for the damage done by the Hero's special abilities, and the stat that increases it.
Assassin	Hero type. Deals a lot of damage, but can't take much without dying.
B	Returning to base, using a hearthstone. "I'm B" or "B"
bait	Trick an enemy hero into over-extending, usually making themselves vulnerable to your allies or structures.
Bot	Used to refer to the bottom-most lane on the map. Also occasionally a term for AI heroes.
Bruiser	Hero type term from other MOBAs, a melee hero who can take damage and exercise good CC or damage.
Care	Take care, be careful. Often used to suggest caution as an enemy player is missing/MIA.
Carry	Hero type term from other MOBAs. From a Heroes perspective, basically an assassin. Implies they may need assistance from a support or other hero to be at their most effective.
CC	Crowd control. Incapacitating, stunning or slowing effects.
Creeps	Term for what Heroes of the Storm calls Minions -- the little NPCs that appear in lanes.
D, Def	Defend
DK	Occasionally used as an abbreviation for Dragon Knight. Not to be confused with Arthas, the Death Knight hero.
Doubloons	Collected on Blackheart's Bay to hand in to the pirate in the center of the map, by killing NPC camps and destroying chests. Also sometimes referred to as Gold.
E	Similar to the other letter-bound abilites. People will often refer to the one bound to E by default as "your E" rather than its ability name.
Feeding	Dying repeatedly to the other team, thereby granting them XP.
Focus	Direct everyone's attacks onto one hero, structure, etc. "Focus Arthas!"
Fort	Large structure, behaves similarly to a tower in that it will shoot you, but with more ammo and more health.
Gank	A surprise attack. Often said as an imperative "gank top" -- asking for fast help, or a warning that a hero is MIA -- "watch for the gank."
GG	Good game
GJ	Good job
Gold	Earned by completing quests on a player account level. In game, can refer to Doubloons. Gold in the LoL sense -- an in-match item shop -- doesn't exist in Heroes.
Golem	A large and powerful NPC, similar to a merc, which will fight for you when captured. In Haunted Mines, collecting skulls defines the strength of your Grave Golem -- a key map mechanic.
Jungle	The area between lanes.
Jungler	Player/Hero who spends their time lurking in the jungle, aiming to gank opposing heroes in lanes.
Keep	Large structure, behaves similarly to a tower in that it will shoot you, but with more ammo and more health.
Kite	Remaining out of range, forcing an enemy to chase you. Key to baiting.
Lane (noun)	Term for the paths that run from one base to another, sometimes three in Heroes maps such as Dragon Shire, or two in Haunted Mines.
Lane (verb)	To kill minions in lanes in order to gain XP, other MOBAs have a "laning phase" where players are just building up to a certain level.
Last-hitting	Key in League of Legends, not relevant in Heroes, but you may hear it. Having the killing blow on a creep/minion/hero.
Merc	Mercenary. Heroes has several mercenary camps throughout the maps that can be captured to have them fight for you.
Mid	Used to refer to the middle lane on the minimap.
Mines	On Haunted Mines there are entrances to a lower level where you collect skulls. This area is called the Mines.
Missing/MIA	Used to describe an enemy hero that is no longer where they were, e.g. has left the bottom lane and is not visible. "Arthas MIA." Often a warning to expect them to appear suddenly elsewhere.
Moonwell	A structure that can be used to regenerate health and mana with a cooldown. Usually situated near gates.
OOM	Out of mana
Palace	The structure you're working to protect. Destroying the enemy palace ends the game.
Poke	To move into enemy range and use short bursts of ranged attacks and abilities, then quickly retreat before the enemy can counter.
Push	To push a lane is to focus on destroying the minions and structures in that lane.
Q	Similar to the other letter-bound abilites. People will often refer to the one bound to Q by default as "your Q" rather than its ability name.
Shrine	Area captured on Dragon Shire by standing in it.
Skillshot	An ability that has a controlled direction, not a target, requiring the player to aim it
Skin	Accessory allowing you to change the look of your hero.
Skulls	Collected by killing NPCs in the mines on Haunted Mines.
Specialist	Hero type. Specialized, unique heroes that might fulfill any of the other roles or something completely different
Split Push	To have most of the team, usually 4, pushing one lane, while other members push another lane.
SS	Used to describe an enemy hero that is no longer where they were, e.g. has left the bottom lane and is not visible. "Arthas SS." Often a warning to expect them to appear suddenly elsewhere.
Support	Hero type. Heal, buff, or use other abilities to assist their allies as well as dealing some damage. Often "Sup"
Tank	Hero type term from other MOBAs. From a Heroes perspective, a Warrior who is focused on survivability over damage.
Top	Used to refer to the top-most lane on the minimap.
Tower	The turret-like structures that are usually either side of gates, they shoot you if you get too close.
Town	A collection of buildings, in Heroes usually a couple of towers and a gated point to push into.
Tribute	Item collected on Cursed Hollow by clicking it. Collecting three will cause your enemy to become cursed.
Ult	Your Ultimate ability, a powerful extra ability bound to R by default, called a Heroic Ability in Heroes and granted at level 10.
Vision	Something that grants vision shows you any enemies in that area.
W	Similar to the other letter-bound abilities. People will often refer to the one bound to W by default as "your W" rather than its ability name.
Warrior	Hero type. Deals a fair amount of damage, can also take a fair amount of damage.
Watchtower	A capturable point that grants vision in the area

Filed under: Heroes of the Storm