What Does 'Nerf' Mean? - Gaming Glossary

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Menu Nerf

Nerf refers to a change to a game that reduces the desirability or effectiveness of a particular game element. Abilities, talents, characters, and maps can all be subject to nerfs. Nerfs are intended to bring the effected element more into balance with the game’s meta, or in other words – to make things less imba.

The term is also used as a verb for the act of making such a change. The opposite of nerf is buff (in one of that term’s two usages).

The term originated with Ultima Online, and refers to the Nerf brand of toys which are soft and less likely to cause serious injury.It is used in the context of virtual worlds such as MMORPGs (like UO) and MUDs, but has become a part of the general vocabulary of gamer slang and can be found in various places where adjustment of power levels from one version of a game to the next is relevant.

Nerf Toss; Toss IMBA. David Kim pls

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