As I approach lvl 60, and as I have posted in my other WoW post, the need for better and better equipment becomes greater and greater. One guild in particular has been brought to my attention time and time again: Soverign.
Sov is one of those ultra guilds that spend almost every night doing the high lvl instances and getting the loot. Seeing them decked out makes me glad that I am a Alliance instead of Horde.
I have even been contacted in game about joining. It seems that Priests are always wanted, and a chance to get this great phat loot makes me happy in pants. Until I read their webpage and information on guild recruitment.
New recruits will be given the rank of recruit and will not be eligible for loot during their time of recruitment.
WHA?
First off, I can understand the idea behind that. They use a system called DKP (Dragon Kill Points) that tally up points based on participation in raids and instance runs with their guild. I have heard of very few people invited to group with Sov during their runs. Occasionally they will seek outside if they don't have certain classes, but I beleive that all of them make time to be there. So, if someone new joins the guild at lvl 60 and does, say, a Molten Core run, the new person can't roll on the items. It sort of reminds me of the troops of Work Experience students that have wandered in and out of work.
While I see the advantage, I don't think it is fair to new people. I am aware, a lot aware , that it takes many runs most of the time to get items people need for their epic sets, but what about hte new people? How long does someone stay a recruit? Their other reasonings being that they want to see if new recruits fit in with what is the guilds way of being. Do they mesh? Do they fit in? Are they a ninja looter? These are all important questions, but in the end, it puts a backlog on players getting the items that they need. Sure pick up groups are unreliable, but why go through a initiation process. I suppose the guidelines of such recruitment would have to be spelled out, but once again I see it as work experience. You join, they get some runs out of you, and if you don't meet their standards, you don't progress or are asked to leave.
The guild claims that they beleive that they wil lbe able to provide one of the best playing experiences in World of Warcraft, and from the members I have seen, it apparently does. But how many people will waste the 'recruitment' time, seeing all that loot get taken, and then have to walk away. The policy is sound in theory, but in practise, I don't know. People would leave their guilds for a chance at some of the loot, including stuff now coming out of Blackwing's Lair.
I myself am tempted, but is it worth it? I would leave my guild, were I am a high ranking official, to join a guild that doesn't nessisarily want me for me, but because Priests are rare and apparently getting rarer. Say I run five instances a week, because of work, I couldn't do anymore. If part of a guild like Sov, where would that put me in the guild? How long would it take me to be able to collect points to be able to loot? Or, flip it and ask that if I can't be on everyday, does that hurt my chances on staying with the guild, being concidered a 'viable' member, and therefore be kept on?
Guilds are supposed to be communities, and turning it into a sort of profitable business doesn't sit right with me. Maybe once I get a chance to try out the guild will I be able to get a clearer picture. I'll post my experiences if anyone is interested. Also, if you know of other guilds doing this, let me know.
The second part of this is who to join?
On my server, there are a few larger guilds, Sov being one, Acension being another, and Ninjai being a third. There are probably more, but they have not been brought to my attention. There are a few things to consider of course. My own guild likes to present itself as helpful and friendly, we are Canadian after all. I myself don't mind spamming some Fort buffs or killing bothersome horde for alliance players. I have even giving gold to players when they are in need, and not just my own guild. Once every two weeks, I give out free 8-10 slot bags in Auberdine.
I like being nice.
Now, I also agree that some guilds should have good players. Some of the so called elite guilds have had some of the stupidest players in it. A guild name doesn't mean good, and that is the first thing to remember. A well-crafted player that knows their rolls and sticks to them are good.
Rep for a guild is important, like I said. I don't want ot be associated with a guild that people spit on or badmouth me just because I belong. The servers are smallish, and the higher you go, the more close-nit the community is. The best example i can give is from my days on FFXI. A good friend, we'll call him D, was a nice guy. He couldn't play for crap and got a lot of people killed. After awhile, word spread. By the time I was leaving FFXI, no one would party with him because his rep was bad. So, no matter, people do pay attention to you and what you do.
Talk to some members of the guild you are interested in. Try and party with some of them. Get a feeling of what they are about. Are they going to ignore you until they need something or do they actually want to help? Do they have a bunch of looters and generally have a bad name? Remember, it is a game, but a game where you need help to get everything you need.