Carry means a player who contributes so much to a team's result that the team wins mostly because of them. As a verb, "to carry" is to lead the team to a win, and "to get carried" is to win thanks to a teammate.
In some games, "carry" is also a role or a character type, designed to be weak early and strong late so that it can win the game once it has gold or items. This usage is typical of MOBAs.
How players use it
- "Can you carry this game? We're losing"
- "I got carried by our Jett, 30 kills"
- "Who is the carry on our team?"
- "He's a hard carry, just keep him alive"
Two meanings of carry
- Player skill. A player who performs far above the team level, with kills, objectives and calls. "Hard carry" stresses that they do most of the work.
- Role. In Dota 2 the carry plays position 1, and in League of Legends the bot-lane AD carry (ADC) fills a similar job: the team protects them early so they can deal damage late. See the Dota 2 and League of Legends pages.
Carry and boosting
In casual speech, "carry" is positive: a friend carrying you through a hard raid or a hard match is just helping. When the carry is organized to raise someone's rank or progression, often for money, it becomes boosting, which most competitive games forbid. Services that sell "carries" in PvE raids and dungeons exist in some games, and their rules differ.
Being a carry in a team
- Know your win condition and what the team needs from you.
- Communicate: a carry who ignores the team still loses.
- Do not blame teammates when you cannot carry; sometimes the right play is support.
- Find teammates who fit: the duo queue guide shows how a steady partner helps.
Related terms
- Boosting: carrying for a rank or reward.
- Smurf: a strong player on a low account.
- IGL: the player who calls the plays.
- Clutch: winning a round from a bad situation.
FAQ
Is carry a compliment?
When said about a player, yes: it means they made a big difference. "Get carried" can sound negative if used about someone who did little.
Is carrying someone against the rules?
Playing well with a friend is fine. Selling carries, or playing to raise another account's rank, is boosting and often prohibited in competitive modes.
What is the carry role in a MOBA?
A role that scales into a strong damage dealer in the late game and relies on teammates for protection early on.