tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post3220776283199824295..comments2024-03-27T07:57:48.010-04:00Comments on The Grumpy Elf: How Do You Find a Guild?TheGrumpyElfhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-74713523595268316622014-03-07T01:00:33.769-05:002014-03-07T01:00:33.769-05:00Anon, Grumpy's former Guild Leader:
Really ex...Anon, Grumpy's former Guild Leader:<br /><br />Really examining your personal desires of leveling or PvP or some form of raiding should be the basis for any guild search. In other words what as a player do you want?<br /><br />Once that is figured out, the actual guild search can begin. For that, there are a variety of ways to gain information, some in game such as listening /trade and /general and others such as the in game advertisement page. Outside of the game, look up the guilds that might be of interest both using WoW's armory and other sources such guild websites. For serious raiders, additional resources online might be used to determine the quality of the raid team. <br /><br />Once the player has made some determination of what guilds look interesting, it is a matter of apply and try. This may well lead to guild hopping as it were, as one guild after another may turn out to be less than optimum. All you as a player can do is try and see. <br /><br />Of course, guild hopping is nothing new at all. It was going on from the beginning.in vanilla WoW. Heck, no matter how good a guild is to some folks, others will not find it as attractive. Our guild is a perfect example of this. We have existed almost from the beginning of the game and have had large number of folks who tried us out and found that for one reason or another, they did not fit. No harm in that. Most left on friendly terms and some continued to be friends.<br /><br />It is true that the de-emphasis of leveling and the reduction in importance for world group quests/world elites during the leveling process along with the LFx system have radically changed the grouping and getting to know process for the game. Personally I find that a less than wise choice but it was not mine to make. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-16556411862766087342014-03-05T11:40:58.959-05:002014-03-05T11:40:58.959-05:00Yeah, for whatever reason (certainly wasn't an...Yeah, for whatever reason (certainly wasn't anything I was looking for) all the guilds I joined had a strong leadership focus... basically, if the leaders weren't on, not much happened of note. If they were going to miss a raid it was more likely to be cancelled than go on regardless. Didn't help that in all 4 cases the leaders just disappeared... stopped logging in entirely and without warning (and they were all adults, we're not talking a kid whose parents can just pull the plug or stop paying).<br /><br />4 times bitten, very shy. Now I just run my own little guilds, mostly just my toons but a few buddies have toons in as well. Works fine for me although if I ever do want to join another guild there's nothing stopping me from doing it besides my unlucky history.<br /><br />You'd also probably be surprised how many guilds that have been around for a while haven't necessarily been consistent... quite a few of the top guilds on my main server have basically had to build back up from scratch at least once in the past few years, I'm not sure any have been consistent over time time frame even though you often don't see the turmoil if you aren't in the guild.Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-55831063336818097832014-03-04T15:20:16.835-05:002014-03-04T15:20:16.835-05:00I guess I should consider myself lucky then to be ...I guess I should consider myself lucky then to be in a guild that has been rocking it since vanilla. Never thought of it as anything special. Find a place you fit, stay there. I guess a huge factor is we never had that leadership void because the guild is a casual family friendly guild, so we pass leadership back and forth as people need a break. Never a worry about an absent leader.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-79217808777539877842014-03-04T15:17:14.002-05:002014-03-04T15:17:14.002-05:00Now is a great time. Guilds are looking to move u...Now is a great time. Guilds are looking to move up to 20 and they are trying to get the people to do so sooner than later.<br /><br />TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-62649560565363689602014-03-04T13:09:47.651-05:002014-03-04T13:09:47.651-05:00Everyone remembers Wrath, the glory days of 12M pl...Everyone remembers Wrath, the glory days of 12M players, pre-LFx when community meant something and accountability was a thing.<br /><br />I joined my first guild in early Wrath and later joined a second one on an alt. Both friendly guilds, both doing a bit of raiding but nothing serious. Both had complete leadership voids by mid-Ulduar and basically fell apart.<br /><br />Moved to a mid-tier raiding guild at that point now that I knew about raiding (in BC, WoW was an entirely single-player game for me), that got me through most of ToC until it too experienced a sudden leadership void... and fell apart.<br /><br />Moved from there to a more serious raiding guild (25s!), although my former 10 group from the previous guild stayed intact within that guild too so we 10 were running two full raids a week. In the late days of Wrath that guild, too, fell apart due to a sudden leadership void.<br /><br />4 guilds, within about 18 months, in the most active, vibrant period the game has ever had.<br /><br />So yes, you should feel lucky... I remain friendly with a couple of guilds that I met late-Wrath after the final guild dissolved but I never joined any of them and some of those died in early Cat, too.<br /><br />And yeah, in some cases there really isn't much benefit to being in a guild, except as GE mentions, sometimes that's a requirement to raid... but not always, I'm currently raiding with the #2 guild on the server and at least 3 of the regulars, myself included, aren't guilded with them. There is a perception of raiders being more accountable if they're in the guild, though, even though leaving a guild takes all of 6 keystrokes. It's a durable perception, though, so there must be at least something to it.Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-81516786816609761632014-03-04T13:02:28.822-05:002014-03-04T13:02:28.822-05:00One other comment... for someone looking for (or t...One other comment... for someone looking for (or thinking about looking for) a new guild, especially for raiders, now is the best time to be doing it... players are starting to play less, raids are starting to come up short of bodies when they weren't before, some players are looking to try out different roles... it's a period of flux and uncertainty, especially for 10H raids who are facing having to double their roster size for when 6.0 hits (the new 20-man Mythic size is coming in 6.0, apparently, not when WoD hits, so ballpark 3 months).<br /><br />Guild are going to be hungrier now than at any other point in the last year and will probably only get hungrier. Even if they aren't advertising, if a guild has caught your eye that you're interested in, make some casual inquiries, you never know. If you want to push into progression raiding, check out a guild's current progression on WoWProgress or similar... when was the last time they killed a new boss? If it's been more than a few weeks it's likely they're having issues and are probably swapping players in and out, maybe bringing in some pugs or alt specs and it's possible they'd prefer to have a dedicated regular who they could help gear up quickly. They may also not be advertising this fact if they don't want word getting out, once other raids hear they're having difficulties (since they probably are too) they could start putting pressure on raiders to make a move. The worst scenario for a bunch of RLs is when they're all consistently coming up a body or two short, none are short enough to consider disbanding or allying but but they're all too short for consistency.Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-7440326768478718002014-03-04T08:37:25.235-05:002014-03-04T08:37:25.235-05:00That makes sense if you are just looking for perks...That makes sense if you are just looking for perks. Most raid groups want the raiders to be in the guild so I guess that is why guild hopping still happens.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-9317200998660451752014-03-04T08:32:44.388-05:002014-03-04T08:32:44.388-05:00I need to get back there on my healer. Got my bro...I need to get back there on my healer. Got my bronze, was nearly out of mana, said screw this, and never even attempted silver.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-26962005417911457672014-03-03T15:57:32.178-05:002014-03-03T15:57:32.178-05:00I guess I should feel lucky. I've had 4 toons ...I guess I should feel lucky. I've had 4 toons in the same guild since about BC. In it's heyday we raided, we had an arena team running, always someone on line to run dungeons. Nowadays, we still have about a 5-6 active players. We're not raiding, heck we're seldom on at the same time, but we help each other. The other night, a guildie hunter was online and she offered to attempt to 2-man Twinbraid for the Legendary quest line. The adds killed us (twice), but she was willing to take the repair bill probably because guild pays(?) and I helped her 2 man Sartharion for the 25-man drake. <br /><br />With all the cross-realm options, including flex-raiding, and LFD, why do you even need a guild, except for the perks? You really just need to find a casual guild, probably like OOT, reap the perks. <br /><br />Guild hopping is OK, but starting over with Guild Rep sounds dreadful, unless the guild is very active. Elkagorasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16868176919786509891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-89721619154372101172014-03-03T14:08:21.950-05:002014-03-03T14:08:21.950-05:00When you hit Silver, they start attacking you and ...When you hit Silver, they start attacking you and you need to move around quite a bit. There's a Klaxxi that casts an amber blob that slows if it touches you. Best tactic I've found is to run around so that the blob hits their healer! :) I'd been dealing with random DCs during these fights, so I never achieved Silver level on my warlock. Maybe time to revisit this... <br /><br />On my healer it was easier. I was easily able to hit Silver and half way through Gold without issue. Elkagorasahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16868176919786509891noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-35612285431476137082014-03-01T11:24:03.907-05:002014-03-01T11:24:03.907-05:00Some classes and specs scale better with gear, so ...Some classes and specs scale better with gear, so some have an easier time.<br /><br />Like with a mage, frost will do good at 463 but fire will be horrible. Could it be done, sure, with real skill, but with frost it is so much more doable.<br /><br />With that said, the proving grounds are nice and all, but not really perfect. It is not the same challenge for everyone.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-60332530871996829962014-03-01T11:22:40.071-05:002014-03-01T11:22:40.071-05:00Starting a new guild now is kind of hard because p...Starting a new guild now is kind of hard because people all want the bonuses. So only the guilds that are already 25 get the people. It is good for them, to continue building, but it sucks because there is never anything new. People just stick where they are, not for the guild but for the bonus.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-74903502093528887242014-03-01T10:57:50.309-05:002014-03-01T10:57:50.309-05:00oh cool. Well, at least that part was thought out...oh cool. Well, at least that part was thought out :) Thanks GE. <br /><br />-roo-abhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14899567485973250660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-73023251174028226542014-03-01T08:13:35.463-05:002014-03-01T08:13:35.463-05:00Oh, I don't really expect to get any recruits....Oh, I don't really expect to get any recruits. If I do, it's just a bonus. It was just on my mind at the moment, so I posted it as part of my comment.<br /><br />Yeah, guild levels and rep were "supposed" to prevent people from guild hopping and to encourage community. Instead, they've encouraged people to not create/join new guilds and instead congregate in large guilds that are already level 25 (which are often quite annoying guilds because there are too many people) or do what many have mentioned here and just have their own personal guild for the perks.Jaegernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-64513021658361469472014-02-28T20:26:41.401-05:002014-02-28T20:26:41.401-05:00I think they have well. Exactly the opposite of w...I think they have well. Exactly the opposite of what they were intended to do. Community has taken a huge hit to begin with, I do not think guilds are hugely to blame for that.<br /><br />Hopefully you get some people from here. I don't think many read it however.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-6036312255311299952014-02-28T20:15:52.755-05:002014-02-28T20:15:52.755-05:00Seems like guilds are more a marriage of convenien...Seems like guilds are more a marriage of convenience more than anything else. What you have to offer them and what they have to offer you.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-87802586750474666022014-02-28T19:29:00.546-05:002014-02-28T19:29:00.546-05:00I think guild perks have hurt guilds as well. Peo...I think guild perks have hurt guilds as well. People just join a lvl 25 to get the XP bonuses, etc. And people just mass-invite noobs to level their guilds to 25 to get the perks... No one cares about community anymore. <br /><br />I was looking for a new guild, but couldn't really find one that looked promising and I don't really know anyone left on the server anyway. Now I'm GL of my old guild that transferred. Just keeping it on life support and slowly leveling it back up. It still has a ton of members but very few are active. I just don't have the energy for recruiting though. I did enable the guild recruiting stuff in-game and actually got a new member from it. Was quite surprised actually.<br /><br />So shameless recruiting plug:<br />If anyone needs a friendly alliance guild on Drak'Thul-US (or Skywall after the March 6th connection), check out Drak Thul Knights. Even if you just want to hide from the guild invite spammers or are just looking for a temporary home, that's fine too. Or if any other guild on Drak'thul or Skywall is interested in a guild alliance/merger, let me know.Jaegernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-21844128677072190362014-02-28T17:33:30.504-05:002014-02-28T17:33:30.504-05:00before I joined JuWun to my guild, I tried 10 or 1...before I joined JuWun to my guild, I tried 10 or 11 different other guilds. They were not interested in any kind of chatting or helping, just only if you were lvl 90 and geared up for raiding. Otherwise they never even said hello. Boom, dropped them all. I had Icey in a few guilds too and same thing. So, I joined a lvl 25 guild got as high as I needed to get the heirloom cape and pants, I think. Can't remember if there is one more piece or not. Helm? And the armadillo pet and the mount, then good-bye. <br /><br />Then my sister made a toon who I joined to my guild and she joined both of my toons to it. <br /><br />You are right, guilds have changed - the people have changed. I always told the GM, I was trying them out for a week or two to see if we would be a good fit. They did not seem to understand. I always thanked them for the look-see and said bye. And when I /gquit, no one asked why. thats ok.-abhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14899567485973250660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-27881914650246662472014-02-28T17:24:15.196-05:002014-02-28T17:24:15.196-05:00Yes, all gear is scaled down to 463 so if you have...Yes, all gear is scaled down to 463 so if you have a 489 and I have a 561 we both have a 463. The only difference is mine might have a gem slot where yours might not. That little bit helps of course, but otherwise we both have a 463.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-3438331474485020432014-02-28T17:22:43.958-05:002014-02-28T17:22:43.958-05:00but I bet you have a high ilvl score though and th...but I bet you have a high ilvl score though and that includes a pretty good weapon. Not pew=pew'ing, but I am at 489 with the Insect weapon. that does make a difference. But I was under the impression (right or wrong) that proving grounds was suppose to be for the non-raider equiped - am I wrong here? <br /><br />-roo<br /><br />Psst - I would welcome other folks comments too, not just GEs! (hear me "R")-abhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14899567485973250660noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-77240708861034449822014-02-28T16:00:29.047-05:002014-02-28T16:00:29.047-05:00It makes a lot more sense, community wise, if it w...It makes a lot more sense, community wise, if it were an agreed on test of time there. But in the old days if I looked you up online all I see is someone joining and guild and someone leaving a guild. So without knowing what context it was in, it might still appear as guild hopping.<br /><br />I agree in today's game it would not really be much of a problem as there is so very little community any more any way.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-42123694019364877672014-02-28T15:47:31.743-05:002014-02-28T15:47:31.743-05:00Not really guild hopping, to me a guild hopper is ...Not really guild hopping, to me a guild hopper is someone who'll stay in a guild until something better comes along and will jump at that point without concern about their previous guild's reaction. I'm talking an agreed-on one week trial where, if it isn't a fit, you gquit even if you don't have another guild lined up at all yet. The guild equivalent of speed dating... speed guilding, maybe. Shouldn't be any burned bridges, you just wanted/needed to see the internal socialization of the guild and there isn't an easy, accurate way to do that unless you're IN the guild. And if it is a good fit then you're done. Presumably you've done your homework to the point where the guild has potential so it's not like it should be a low probability of success.Rnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-68004716363824035142014-02-28T13:55:25.463-05:002014-02-28T13:55:25.463-05:00I too would avoid trade. Good for picking up a le...I too would avoid trade. Good for picking up a leveling guild or something just for perks and maybe the occasional raid. But I do not see guilds that just take anyone that whispers them as being a solid choice for a good chemistry as a group of people.<br /><br />Seems like you sort of suggest what another person did. Basically guild hopping. Seems sad but true that it might be the best way to find a guild. Just a few short years ago that would have been the way to burn any bridges you had of ever getting in a decent guild. Odd how time changes things.<br /><br />I like the flex idea and would be what I would suggest to someone. But I was more thinking about what if you are not a raider. If a non raider went on a flex they would probably not get a decent feel for the group because they would basically be getting carried. And on the other end, a real raider would not get a good feel because the mains would probably not be in the flex to compare yourself with. And if you do really outstanding of course they will kiss your ass.<br /><br />I think if they could do the new heroics like scenarios, where you need a group for them and leave normals for queue that would be a nice balance between the two.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-86264023208776678972014-02-28T13:38:10.311-05:002014-02-28T13:38:10.311-05:00It does seem like it would be harder for people to...It does seem like it would be harder for people to find a home than it used to be. Like you said, questing was a huge way to meet people. I met my lockpick friend that way, and he always opened up locks for me until I was able to. I met my first mage friend that way and she always was willing to port me if I needed. I met a lot of people while leveling and as I mentioned I met my raiding group by doing dungeons.<br /><br />When you had to interact you had no choice but to meet people and that was really good for the game and made even someone like myself who shuns most interaction that is not required open up a little bit.<br /><br />I feel sorry for the new player now, their only option really is what you said, guild hop until they find one they fit.<br /><br />I guess with no server community any longer it is not a big deal, but to me I still consider guild hoppers to be a bad thing. Maybe I am just stuck in the old days.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9015737272343810105.post-84822890379895430912014-02-28T13:34:25.871-05:002014-02-28T13:34:25.871-05:00For a raider it is always easier to find a guild. ...For a raider it is always easier to find a guild. You can put a number on what you are, just starting SoO, half way thought, finished normal, some heroic experience, or pressing for the end. Makes it easier to pick out who to look for, guild wise. Finding the one you fit with is still an issue of course, but at least you know which guilds to look at.<br /><br />You give some great advice. I would hope sharing the same to a new player would help just as much. I wonder how many new players really look to jump right into raiding however.<br /><br />I'd like to find a guild for my horde characters but being I do not play them often, and never really raid past LFR, it is harder. I kind of understand a little there how a new player would feel. Even more so a new player like me that is not social so would really never get the chance to just meet people on my server.TheGrumpyElfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07621615711198405365noreply@blogger.com