Meat shield

A meat shield is usually a ranger pet or a necromancer's minion whose primary purpose is to soak up damage and cause a distraction for foes in PvE and Alliance Battles. While not its primary purpose, a high level meat shield can produce significant damage in addition to causing distraction. Meat shields are highly effective in PvE because they can body block enemy pathing and attract aggro. They are not generally as effective in PvP because they are rarely targeted, but they can still block pathing.

A meat shield may also refer to a player (typically a martial profession using defensive skills) purposely keeping aggro off of other party members.