Nubs.

Throughout the ages of MMORPGs, the word noob has experienced many changes, even got itself developed for the use on specific groups of people. Nub and fr00b are just some of the many variations. In Runescape, it is not uncommon to see people with 99 def, or relatively higher defence being called a def nub in pvp based activities such as pking or clan/castle wars. I myself, despite only having 80 defence, had been greeted with that warm remark for a few times. As long as they are unable to break through your defences, you are a def nub. Or sometimes even, its just Nub! You're a nub. Plain and simple. I often find this word so overused that it no longer served as much impact that when i had just started the game. Of course, that could be a problem of me getting used to the insult, but it could also imply that the meaning of the word noob/nub had been confused, or "diluted" in the sense of intensity or effect.

I remember that early last year, i made a blogpost entitled "Noobs, The Pollutants of the Runescape Society". In that particular post, i defined the term noob as a player that is generally considered to be experienced, yet often makes mistakes that would more likely be attributed to a "newb." The term "noob" can also be applied to someone who is experienced, but blatantly disregards rules and etiquette through personal choice. Now it seems to me that the usage of noob/nub is no longer within the confines of noob-ish behaviour. The player who k0-ed you is a nub, the person next to you who doesn't want to help you with price checking is also a nub, even the person who refused to sell you the only pair of dragon legs he owns is a sad nub. As the usage of the word is diversified, the meaning of the word is inevitably changed. Nub can now mean a lot of things, so many that i'm not sure if the general meaning behind his word atill stands anymore.

Indeed, how do you define noob?