Guild Wars 2

Thats what it means in Tera online aparently not here.

Dem Necros, Sneaky little fellows. They will get you when you least expect it.

Let’s just fill in the hole and let this thread R.I.P

Uh…yes it does. Meta means whatever the populace decided it means. And it means most effective.

Vesuvius.9874:

Uhhh ya it totally means most effective! >_>

META = Most Effective uhhh… Traits… and umm Attributes? ^__^;;;

+1, good sir and/or ma’am.

Oooh, a necro thread.

Using “metagame” (often “the metagame”) to refer to the strategic landscape of a competitive game is pretty standard. This is established usage across a range of different game communities.

For example, from MTG: http://www.channelfireball.com/tag/metagame/ — these are all articles about what to expect when you go to a tournament and how to tune your own stuff to tackle it well.

(It’s “meta” because it’s driven by communities, analysis, and information cascades.)

I see meta builds as being the overall best builds for most situations. There will always be exceptions and ways to fine tune builds to specific encounters.

After reading the first post , I realised I just lost a few minutes of my life that i will never get back.

Originally, “meta” was used to refer to a PvP dynamic: one set of builds would dominate game play. To be competitive, you’d have to learn those builds and how to counter them, including by using builds that would work well against these dominating styles (and lose against the unusual ones).

This created a “game beyond the game” or “meta game,” in which people chose builds to compete with specific group styles. For short hand, people referred to this as “playing the meta.” Over time, this evolved to referring to the dominating builds as the “meta.”

And over more time, “meta” also began to refer to the dominating builds outside of PvP.

tl;dr in fact, the OP is misinformed about the origin of the term and about why its current usage makes sense (even if it isn’t strictly accurate from the original definition).

“Meta” is hardly the first word whose meaning has evolved during use. It will also not be the last. Language evolves all the time, and can evolve differently in different sub-cultures.

I first heard the term meta-gaming in tabletop RPG’s, where it was used to describe both building a character for greater effectiveness with regard to a specific in-game activity (e.g., combat) and role-playing the character using player knowledge that the character would not have access to.

An example of the latter is that of a player I GM’d for who noted that I would describe situations in more detail just before something was about to happen. So, if I started to describe, say, a farmer beside a cart with a wheel stuck in a rut, he’d say, “Ystudfach draws his sword!” His meta-gaming would vary as I varied my approach to invalidate his meta-gaming.

Too Long: Didn’t Read.

tl;dr

’nuff said

I dont pvp. But i learned never play “meta” in dungeons.

Meta players think we are gonna do speed record in this dungeon. Put your classcannon gears on.

Reality death dps is zero dps. Mayde you get some lag and all die coz ur classcannons. Everything dont go as planned.

ASP.8093:

Oooh, a necro thread.

Using “metagame” (often “the metagame”) to refer to the strategic landscape of a competitive game is pretty standard. This is established usage across a range of different game communities.

For example, from MTG: http://www.channelfireball.com/tag/metagame/ — these are all articles about what to expect when you go to a tournament and how to tune your own stuff to tackle it well.

(It’s “meta” because it’s driven by communities, analysis, and information cascades.)

This is the understanding of the term that I use because it’s what i find to be the most useful. Though I think it makes the most sense to use in terms of PvP because that’s where what other people play is the most relevant.

The metagame can be shaped by more than strictly what’s most efficient or the most powerful to do, too. Warriors are the most popular class in PvE because they fit the basic heroic archetype in Western fantasy. Rangers are the second most common because they’re Legolas. Some styles simply resonate with people and will exist no matter their place in the power rankings. Minion masters, GW1 Wa/Mos and so on. These can also be something you have to take into account when deciding on what strategy to pursue yourself.

educate yourself you ape http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=meta

META = Most Effective Tactic Available. And so, instead of saying that the whole time, you say Meta. Acronyms, yo.

Meta (or any other word) means whatever people who use it are trying to convey.

This is language 101, OP.

I always assumed the term “meta” as in “meta game” was used in video gaming the same way its used anywhere else.

The meta game: analysis and theory craft that could be considered above or aside from in game goals, MORE than itself, or self referencing in a quintessential manner.

This does not mean that the product of this theory craft cannot be applied to actual game goals, which is where “meta builds” comes into play.

Drop The Bass.9516:

META = Most Efficient Tactics Available
End of story.

Except that’s not where the term came from. It is not an acronym at all. Look up the post above yours, as well as ASP’s post earlier.

I just think it’s funny how people think EVERYONE uses meta builds in dungeons.

I had a guy come in to my party assuming i run certain weapons on my ele a few days ago, he was shocked when I told him I don’t.

“well go get some we can wait”

…or just do the dungeon, and not rely on having certain classes, with certain builds, to get things done.