Little Medeor Seeks His Fortune

...or How to find a Raiding Guild

I have always been part of small to medium family-sized guilds. I've read all the horror stories about end-game raiding guilds and listened to the infamous “50 DKP MINUS!” tirade that was popular with the World of Warcraft crowd [editor's note: If you've lived in a cave for a while, Google "50 dkp minus" and you're sure to find a video or sound bite. Watch for falling F-bombs!]. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous when I decided to try a raiding guild. It's hard leaving the safety of a family style guild, but every family has its issues too. Regardless of guild size, I'm finding that guilds and families are a lot alike.

Like guilds, every family is screwed up; some are just more screwed up than others. Families always have that crazy aunt or uncle that shows up at the barbeque and says embarrassing things like, “Come level me and give me gold, kk?” (Oh wait, that could have been guild chat, but I think my uncle may have said it once when hyped up on Robitussen and Red Bull.) There are times you want to type in /quitfamily, but it doesn't work that way. Guilds are funny things, too--unlike your whacky family, you can pick your guild, yet we often want our guilds to be like families.

To put more “real world” flavor on this dish of an article, this cub reporter went into the field for an in-depth look at the art and science of getting into a high-end raiding guild. I took a couple of my higher level (but not max) characters in some popular MMOs (one sounds like NoW, and the other is a sequel to a very popular game that allegedly started it all) and submitted my applications.

Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona

Looking for a new guild can leave you feeling like you are in the middle of a small desert city, but for me, joining a 200 person raiding guild was even more unnerving than usual. I have played in family style guilds or start-up guilds for most of my gaming experience. I have always been intimidated by the big kids on the block, also known as (insert ominous music here) Raiding Guilds. So using my reporter cap as a +5 ego shield, I jumped into the fray. I decided that it was time to take the plunge into end-game raiding content. The first thing I needed to do was find a guild.

There are many tools at our disposal when looking for a guild. Most games typically have a way to look at some of the rankings for a server whether it be their PvP scores, or just through the forums. Armed with this information, you can quickly arrive at a list of the top-ranked guilds on the server. Of course it also helps to keep your eyes and ears open in the game. One tool that put a lot of that information in one place for me is GuildPortal.com. After finding some of the larger guilds on my server and looking into them more, I went to their websites and put in my application. I never heard back from some, but others gave me immediate responses.

Eureka, I've Found It! Now What?

The first lines on any application require your character’s name, class and level. With that in mind, here is a tip: If you know that you want to head for end-game raid content in any game, be proactive by picking the essential character type which is always in short supply, also known as the healer, for your main character. It is harsh, but if you play the most popular character type, you may find yourself in a long line waiting to get into the raiding guilds. Think of it this way: there can be only one quarterback, but the coaches always need linemen, so pick a lineman position. I play Clerics, Priests, Templars...whatever the uber-healer is for the game. I can get into groups almost any time I need to and, as my experiment shows, I can get into raiding guilds. I wasn't even max level and they said, “You're in.”

I love how people always say, “Play the character you like to play.” Wrong. If you’re more into progression and less into roleplaying, play the character that will get you where you want to go. I wasn't always enamored with playing the healing class, but if you read my article about my favorite class you may note that I really enjoy it now. There are still some times I don't want to play the healer, but that’s what alts are for.

From Strong Leaders Come Strong Guilds

The last (but certainly not least) factor to consider when joining the guild is the make up of the leadership. The better guilds I have been associated with have strong leaders with a core group of supporters (usually the officers). These guilds include a diverse group all heading in the same direction. The motto is generally: “Like it or not, this is the way we are going.” Interestingly, direction (even when it isn't in a direct line with where you want to go) is contagious. You feel as if you have a cause. I've watched quite a few guilds explode when the direction of the guild was unclear or changed often. Herein lies another tip: Get on board with a guild that has direction. I asked the guild leader before joining, “What are the goals of the guild?” He didn’t respond, “Dude, we're raiding and getting phat lewt, you want in or what?” Actually, he had a well thought out response which gave me a good comfort level by illustrating that the guild’s goals are discussed and decided. Of course the flip side is, if you don't want to end up where the guild is going, get off the bus now.

If You Can't Join 'em, Beat 'em

What do you do when you get to the end of your search and don't find a guild that is right for you? You can start your own. This is one area in which I don't have the stomach or desire. While I have been in guild management, it is not a role I enjoy and most of the time I would rather sit in the bleachers cheering...or healing as the case may be. The drama of scheduling, loot allocation and general tattle-tale/whining makes it difficult for me to enjoy the game. I deal with more than my share of scheduling, loot allocation and whining at work. But maybe this sort of thing is for you. In that case, keep in mind the discussion above as you set out to create the perfect guild.

The only thing tougher than finding the right guild is leaving a guild you've invested time and gold into, so it’s important to select the right one from the start. (Still, dumping your guild is easier than trying to ditch your family, though the real life equivalent of /ignore might work.) There is no magic formula for getting into the right guild; there’s just a lot of trial and error. Read through the guides on all of the Ten Ton Hammer communities and research what types of guilds might be right for you. Don't forget to stop by our Guild Hall so you can get involved and be ready with your mates when Vanguard: Saga of Heroes launches this