Definition of Gank

[Rosario]

A gank is when you use greater numbers as your primary means of winning a fight, a 3v1 fight where all the 3 are actively engaging the 1 for example.

I feel compelled to say this simply because I keep seeing people use the word to mean basically any unwanted/disadvantageous fight, including 1v1s, 3v2s (3 being to their favor), that's not what it means. Plenty of people using it correctly to be sure, but plenty that aren't.

[neurosis51]

the people using it incorrectly are most likely just parroting terms they've heard, but don't comprehend due to ignorance. Something tells me this won't reach that many of them.

[Rosario]

Originally posted by neurosis51:

the people using it incorrectly are most likely just parroting terms they've heard, but don't comprehend due to ignorance. Something tells me this won't reach that many of them.

Probably, on all counts, but figured I'd give it a go.

[SubTonic]

It's especially funny when invaders are the ones being accused of ganking, when historically gank squads have been overwhelmingly host parties. It was hard to gank as an invader in previous games, and it's been made literally impossible to do so in Elden Ring, so every instance of ganking in this game is the host and phantoms.

[neurosis51]

not a 1 to 1, but it reminds me of people saying "irregardless", way too many do it.

[NEON KNIGHT]

honestly could care less about the term /s

[neurosis51]

Originally posted by NEON KNIGHT:

honestly could care less about the term /s

Meaning you care to a degree already.

[Nauct]

Originally posted by NEON KNIGHT:

honestly could care less about the term /s

Do you mean you couldn't care less?

[FireShark]

This is pvp lingo, it's not the Oxford English dictionary. A gank is just a quick catch-all term for disadvantageous situations. It's been used that way in Souls for probably almost a decade now.

[Doranvel]

Source

[⭕TheSodaman]

I think I've seen the term ganking used to describe rogues / stealth classes in MMORPGs in the early 2000 in PvP settings such as Everquest PvP or Dark Age of Camelot a bit later - but still pre-2003. When high level or decked out rogues go and ambush a lower level, sitting, and/or isolated player and often take them out within a couple seconds.

And since it was like that for the next 10 years, it was associated with stealth ambushes that you had no chance of winning usually.

[FireShark]

Originally posted by ⭕TheSodaman:

I think I've seen the term ganking used to describe rogues / stealth classes in MMORPGs in the early 2000 in PvP settings such as Everquest PvP or Dark Age of Camelot. When high level or decked out rogues go and ambush a lower level, sitting, and/or isolated player and often take them out within a couple seconds.

And since it was like that for the next 10 years, it was associated with stealth ambushes that you had no chance of winning usually.

Exactly. I would give you an award, but I've had to give out way too many lately.

[amathy]

Gank was used to describe level 60 rogues killing level 13s in WoW long before it was ever used to describe a 3v1 in Dark Souls
Terms can have multiple meanings

[Ratch]

Originally posted by ⭕TheSodaman:

I think I've seen the term ganking used to describe rogues / stealth classes in MMORPGs in the early 2000 in PvP settings such as Everquest PvP or Dark Age of Camelot a bit later - but still pre-2003. When high level or decked out rogues go and ambush a lower level, sitting, and/or isolated player and often take them out within a couple seconds.

And since it was like that for the next 10 years, it was associated with stealth ambushes that you had no chance of winning usually.

Yep. I blame WoW for this.

[neurosis51]

Originally posted by amathy oniichan uwu:

Gank was used to describe level 60 rogues killing level 13s in WoW long before it was ever used to describe a 3v1 in Dark Souls
Terms can have multiple meanings

True. It reminds me of some videos I've seen of shooter games and the comments get really riled up about the definitions of "hitboxes" and "hurtboxes". Most people in the know would call a hurtbox the area your character or enemy can get damaged, but in top down and fps shooters there is no delineation between that and hit boxes so they call it all hitboxes.

[Aphelion]

Originally posted by Rosario:

A gank is when you use greater numbers as your primary means of winning a fight, a 3v1 fight where all the 3 are actively engaging the 1 for example.

I feel compelled to say this simply because I keep seeing people use the word to mean basically any unwanted/disadvantageous fight, including 1v1s, 3v2s (3 being to their favor), that's not what it means. Plenty of people using it correctly to be sure, but plenty that aren't.

Huh, we have different meaning for the word

Ganking, in the sense that I'm familiar with is when you target someone with a form of crowd control that separates them from their group or healer. I've never really considered 3v1 as a form of being ganked, I also never even considered the act of getting ambushed by a higher level player ganking either. Words man they're crazy.