If you're new to the MOBA mode (or to MOBAs in general), the in-game commentary and stats throw a lot of jargon at you. This page explains the most common terms in plain English. For more on the two MOBA engines (Camus vs Beta) and other MOBA-specific topics, also see the MOBA FAQ.

Multiplayer Online Battle Arena. Two teams of 5 players, each controlling one hero, fight on a fixed map. The goal is to push down lanes, take objectives, and destroy the enemy's core to win the game.

The character a player controls. Each hero has unique abilities, scaling, and a preferred role. In ESMO, your players choose a hero per match in the draft phase.

The big structure at the heart of each base. Destroy the enemy core to win the game. Everything else (lanes, towers, objectives) exists to give your team a path to the core.

Defensive structures along each lane. They block enemy pushes. You usually have to take towers in order, starting from the outer one.

The map has three lanes (top, mid, bottom) plus the jungle between them. Each player takes a different role on this map.

Plays the top lane, usually solo. Often a sturdy bruiser or a counter-picked carry. The top laner's job is to win their lane or hold it even, then join the rest of the team for objectives.

Plays the middle lane, usually solo. Often a high-damage hero who can move (roam) to other lanes to create kills. Their position in the middle of the map gives them the most influence.

Doesn't play a lane. Roams the jungle between lanes, killing neutral monsters for gold and XP, ganking enemy laners, and securing objectives like dragons. The jungler's tempo decides a lot about how the early game goes.

Plays the bottom lane with the support. Usually a ranged carry hero whose damage scales hard with items. ADC stands for "attack damage carry": their main job is to deal heavy auto-attack damage in fights, especially late game.

Plays the bottom lane with the ADC. Doesn't focus on kills or farm. Their job is to protect the carry, set up engages, and place vision around the map. The support's decision-making is often the hidden lever that wins or loses games.

Physical damage. Comes from a hero's basic attacks and from abilities that scale with AD. Most ADCs and bruisers care about AD.

Magic damage. Comes from a hero's abilities scaling with AP. Most mid laners and mages care about AP.

Number of minions (also called creeps) a player has killed for gold. Higher CS means more gold means stronger items. "Last-hitting" minions is one of the core mechanical skills of a MOBA player.

Note: in ESMO, "CS" can also mean the other game mode (the tactical shooter). Context usually makes it clear, but if a teammate says "I have 200 CS at 20 min", they mean creep score.

A player's score line. 10/2/8 means 10 kills, 2 deaths, 8 assists. KDA is a popular summary stat but it doesn't tell you everything: a support might have 1/4/30 and still be the MVP because they enabled all those assists.

How much stronger a hero gets over the course of the game. Some heroes are great early but fall off. Some are weak early but become monsters at full items. A "power spike" is the moment a hero crosses a threshold (an item, a level) and becomes much stronger than the minute before.

The opening of the match. Players are in their lanes, farming minions, and trading. Junglers are pressuring the map. Mistakes here snowball.

Laning phase breaks down, teams start grouping, neutral objectives (dragons, the Boss) become the main battlefield.

Full items, every fight is potentially game-ending. Vision and positioning matter more than mechanics.

The pairing of two heroes against each other (or two teams). "Bad matchup" means one side is at a clear disadvantage just from the heroes that were picked. Drafting well is mostly about creating favorable matchups.

Starting a fight (engage) or escaping one cleanly (disengage). Some heroes are specifically good at one or the other, which is why draft composition matters.

When a player (usually the jungler) shows up in a lane to help kill the enemy laner.

When a player leaves their lane to influence another part of the map.

A neutral map target that gives your team a strong buff or advantage. Examples: dragons, the Boss (an end-game neutral that gives a big team-wide buff), the Ram (an early/mid-game neutral that helps push lanes).

What part of the map your team can see. Wards and other vision tools let supports give the team info on enemy locations. Vision wins games quietly.

It's a quick rating of how well that player fits that role, based on their attributes. Higher means a better fit. If you put a player on a role they're not built for, that number will be low and they'll underperform.

Decision-making and vision are the big two. They're the engine of the team's early-game tempo. Map awareness, quickness, and game vision also matter heavily. Pure damage attributes are less important than for an ADC or a mid laner.

It indicates the player is currently in good form / high condition. Players in green will perform at full level. Yellow and red dots indicate tiredness or low morale and a likely drop in match performance.

No. ESMO's MOBA mode is its own original game, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a representation of any other MOBA. The genre is the same (5v5, lanes, towers, objectives) but the heroes, items, map, and mechanics are different. See the MOBA FAQ for more on engines and presentation.