Armor: Armor is a character stat, and a stat found on gear that contributes to physical damage reduction.
Block: Block is a tank stat that is a percentage chance. A blocked attack essentially subtracts your block value from incoming physical damage.
Block value: Block value is a stat found on gear that is subtracted from a successfully blocked attack
Block rating: Block rating is a stat found on gear that adds to your percentage chance to block.
Death Knight: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are undead minions resurrected against their will to serve the being who controls the risen dead; The Lich King, who have broken free from their bondage.
Defense rating: Defense rating is a stat found on gear that contributes to a tanks chance to be missed, increases dodge rating, increases parry rating, increases block rating, and reduces your chance to be critically hit. Defense is subject to diminishing returns, so this stat becomes less effective the more a tank has.
Defense skill: Defense skill is an important stat to mind at all levels of raids. Once a tank has enough defense rating to reach 540 defense skill, they can no longer be critically hit by bosses. Removing critical hits from the damage table is vitally important to regulate incoming damage, and make it much more stable. A critical hit from a boss delivers double damage, and can create a situation where a tank can be killed in one hit, which would cause the death of everyone in the raid.
Dodge: Dodge is a tank stat that is a percentage chance. Dodge itself is a percentage chance for a tank to completely avoid an attack.
Dodge rating: Dodge rating is a stat found on gear that controls how much dodge a tank has. Dodge is subject to diminishing returns, so this stat becomes less effective the more a tank has.
Druid: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are shape-shifters and command nature to battle.
Expertise: Expertise reduces the chances that your attacks and abilities will be dodged or parried by the boss. 26 expertise will cause the boss to be unable to dodge your attacks. 56 expertise will cause the boss to be unable to parry your attacks.
Expertise rating: Expertise rating is a stat found on gear that contributes to your overall expertise. It takes 8.1974973675 expertise rating to gain 1 expertise.
Hit: On your character sheet hit determines the percentage chance that you have to hit a monster. It’s an odd thing in World of Warcraft, because as a tank once you have 8% hit, you will always hit the boss (100%).
Hit rating: Hit rating is a stat found on gear that contributes to your overall chance to hit a (raid boss or) monster. It takes approximately 32.79 hit rating to gain 1% hit.
Hunter: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are ranged marksmen who can tame and command a wide variety of creatures.
Mage: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters specialize in commanding the elements, using arcane, fire, or frost magic to defeat their enemies.
Paladin: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are essentially holy-warriors who specialize in tanking, dealing damage, or healing others.
Parry: Parry is a tank stat that is a percentage chance. Parry itself is a percentage chance for a tank to completely avoid an attack.
Parry rating: Parry rating is a stat found on gear that controls how much parry a tank has. Parry is subject to much more harsh diminishing returns than dodge, so this stat becomes much less effective the more a tank has.
Player vs. Environment: When a player engages in activities where they fight against an artificial intelligence controlled monster, boss, dungeon, or raid.
Player vs. Player: When a player engages in an arena or battleground activities with the intent of teaming up with allies, and defeating/killing other players.
Priest: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters specialize in using their holy abilities to heal, or their powers of shadow to deal damage.
Raid: A group of 10-40 players that combine efforts to conquer a specific dungeon and/or boss in World of Warcraft.
Rogue: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are crafty assassins who specialize in stealthily invading and eliminating single foes before escaping back to the shadows.
Shaman: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are the spiritual warriors who specialize in commanding elements, totems, and nature.
Stamina: Stamina is a character stat that directly affects a tank’s health. 1 stamina equates to 20 health.
Strength: Strength is a character stat that affects the damage capabilities of your skills. The more strength you have, the higher your damage will be. The more damage you do, the higher your threat will be. Strength also plays a part in how much damage is blocked with your shield, which is explained in the block value section.
Tank/ing: The role players choose to take where they specialize in taking reduced damage, and focusing the attacks of enemies onto themselves for the purpose of protecting the other players that specialize in dealing damage, or healing.
Threat: Threat is a mechanic in World of Warcraft that controls the (raid boss or) monsters’ desire to attack you. The highest person on the (raid boss or) monster determines who they will attack. The stats that affect a tanks’ threat are: strength, hit, and expertise.
Warrior: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters are classic brute-strength juggernauts that specialize in wielding massive weapons and inflicting traumatic wounds when they close in on their prey.
Warlock: One of the ten playable classes in World of Warcraft. These characters specialize in demonic, shadow, and fiery powers. They are able to summon demons and inflict curses and afflictions on their opponents.
