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Experience Abstraction Glossary

Every term you’ll see in-game, in the community, and on this wiki — defined in one place.

Core terms

Term	Meaning
Abstraction / to abstract	Transforming from a normal player into a distorted entity. The game’s core mechanic, borrowed from TADC lore (full explainer).
Abstracted	A player who has turned. Spreads abstraction by proximity; has no attacks.
The three routes	The trigger conditions: isolation, darkness, proximity. Any one is sufficient.
Distortion	The escalating visual warping that signals abstraction progress — the game’s only progress indicator (timer page).
Stacking	Meeting two conditions at once (dark + isolated) for the fastest turn (speed guide).

Community shorthand

Term	Meaning
Seeding	The first deliberate abstractions that kick off a server’s infection arc (phases).
Hub	The bright central spawn area — the default safe zone.
Rotation	A survivor’s set of bright multi-exit rooms to cycle between under pressure (endgame guide).
Chokepoint / door duty	Abstracted players camping corridors; survivors assigning one watcher per entrance.
Herding / shepherding	Abstracted playstyle of walking groups toward dark corners rather than chasing (villain guide).
The panic trap	Fleeing alone into darkness — satisfying two triggers at once. The most common accidental abstraction.

TADC lore terms

Term	Meaning
TADC	The Amazing Digital Circus, the GLITCH web series that inspired the game.
Caine	The AI ringmaster of the digital circus; appears in the game’s abstraction cutscene.
Kaufmo	The clown whose abstraction opens the series — the canonical example of what the game simulates.
The Cellar	Where Caine keeps abstracted performers in the show. Not currently a location in the game.