Guilds: Needed or not?

I wasn't implying that they should take anything out.

I was asking because I have never had the need to be in a 'proper' guild, but after completing both games I thought maybe I was missing out on something... I was curious to hear other peoples thoughts on the issue and to make others think about the point I asked. I don't want to remove anything from the game. As I said the title is 'Guild Wars', which kind of leads you to think of guilds...it was an innocent honest question and if I really thought I had any influence on what got taken out of the game....

A guild is NOT required for anything other than gvg and Alliance stuff (such as owning a town).

That being said, I think without my guild, I likely wouldn't be playing the game. Our guild consists of my husband as leader, and mostly either friends from other random boards (non-guildwars related) or even this board. We've had a few that we picked up ingame but a lot of those scattered to the winds with time or WoW. I've made awesome friends and those of us who have stayed with the guild and grown a bond feel more like family.

We always try to be there for each other... just like any guild we have our drama at times but it works out usually. I love the people in my guild and they are the reason I still play <3!

(I even baked cookies for one of our guildies for his birthday - he came to visit last week ^_^!)

Bingo! Anyone that does that (begging or spamming) in my guild will find my size 7.5 boot print on their tushy

Edited for clarification.

Guilds definitely aren't mandatory in any sense in GW. I played through most of Ch1 without a guild and didn't have many problems, even with the PuG-hating THK Mission. Got all the way to Ring of Fire Islands before I saw a recruitment spam in LA one day and said to myself "why not?".

Joined up with the guild which seemed to be going through some leadership changes right off the bat as the guild leader quit and nominated one of the officers as guild leader (kinda funny to see the guy say hello to the guild and freak out when he realized he was guild leader). Nice people, not very talkative though. Seemed pretty much the same as playing by myself except with someone asking for help with a mission every so often.

The alliance members were much more help than my actual guild, so I usually looked to them for advice on builds or where to farm certain materials. Although now, I'm begininng to shy away from GW (finally bought Oblivion ).

A great guild could definitely bring more atmosphere and a better sense of belonging to the game and help you achieve things you may not have thought of otherwise (holding HA, doing ToPK or UW). A so-so guild got me bored rather quickly.

I personally prefer a structured guild, with fairly strict rules. For example if you are an HA guild, you CAN PvE but if a call is put out in guildchat you SHOULD offer your services.


Is a guild necessary? as answered multiple times PvE=no PvP=yes

Required? No.

Add to your GW experience? Definitely!

A good guild makes the game so much more fun to play through. Henching it through the missions and quests is OK but it is kinda sterile. When you play with your guild friends there's friendly banter, a sense of accomplishment and team work for beating a tough mission, a feeling of community, grace when playing with a weird build and just so much more that comes with the community. That's to say nothing of being able to ask for help and get it.

Our community extends beyond the game and into our forum where we tease each other (like Thor and the worlds shortest ranger) and share some pains (like someone facing a layoff) as well as all the game related stuff. The co-leader and I have even spoken on the phone over some things going on in the guild.

A good guild is an awesome thing and should be a positive influence on you and the game!

Anyone who thinks guilds aren't important really hasn't been in a good one. Guilds are like a giant friends list to help you through the game, and to have fun in pvp. Whether your guild is serious or not, the point is to play the game with people that have something in common with you. If you're into pvp, gvg is some of the most fun. You're playing with people that you know and work well with, and you don't have to worry about trash talking from the other team, because gvg guilds are generally mature.

It depends on what you want. Like Carth up thread, not much changed when I joined a guild except that I can ask for help or answer calls for help. I'm not big on socializing in-game--it's not a need I have--so belonging to a guild for that aspect isn't necessary for me, but could be a big plus for other PvE players. I'd love to hook up with someone and go through the game with them, from Old Ascalon to the end of the Canthan storyline. I think that would be a great shared accomplishment and a lot of fun, even if we only played together a couple of times a week and it took us months to do it. Otherwise, hooking up with people for the odd mission or quest is okay, but I get the same sense of accomplishment, sometimes more, if I hench it. If all missions/quests/bonuses were henchable, I'd be quite happy to be guildless.

But that's PvE. Like everyone has said, if you GvG or PvP, a good guild is essential.

I played alone for the few first months, when I got Prophecies, didn't mind playing with PUGs, henched a bunch of it too. It probably made me a better player by learning more on my own, but I am also glad I joined my guild. Missions and quests with guildmates you can trust is much more enjoyable. If the whole team gets trashed except for 1 or 2 teammates, you know no one will ragequit.

Even in other games that don't officially recognize guilds, like first person shooters, will you see guild tags too. Playing UT2k4 online, I've seen a number of Tags for guilds.

Having a Guild is nothing new, Guild Wars just gave us a better way to communicate in-game with guildmates.

For me. Talon The Cat has it right - treat the Guild as a massive friends list and you can't go wrong.

With some guilds, it's more akin to being in the army :/

I've been in three or four guilds and they were fun at first as everyone was working together. Then the core group started dropping off in time online, people left, and things just got empty. I was handed a guild once, and built it up for a month or two, but it was difficult to devote the time necessary to build it up properly. So I turned it over to someone else, joined another guild, and they are fading out.

I think the key to keeping it fun with a guild is to join one that is active and doing a lot of stuff together. It is no fun when there are 5 people in the guild online, you say hello, and no one responds.

That's exactly my problem. Maintaining a guild worth staying in is very, very time-consuming, and requires a commitment on the part of all the people in the guild. I dropped from 20 people to 4, and now I'm questioning whether I have the time to run one.

It doesn't help that everyone and their uncle's goldfish has a guild, either. It's very difficult to recruit people with that being the case. I hate this sort of thing, trying to recruit people when people seem to be joining guilds 'just because', or at the first offer. It's insane, and all the time I see people trying to start new guilds, spamming the chat window along with more established guilds, who won't have any success either, because everybody in the district is already in a guild.

I think starting a guild should cost 10K. That would give people a reason to think 'Hey, do I really need my own guild when there are already so many out there? One of them must be a good fit for me'...

Uh oh... I better stop now, before I start ranting...

I imagine tombs and arenas would be pretty empty without real people...

Are guilds necessary?

Depends what you're after. I myself have been playing for a year (would have a pet if I hadn't deleted my first character >.<) and in all those months I've been in a guild for maybe a grand total of one of them. Currently guildless, and have been for a long time. Guildless, I've finished both Prophecies and Factions. I've explored the PvE environment. I've done missions and chest runs with random groups. I've done random arenas. I've done team arenas. I've done HoH. I've done basically everything except GvG (which I got a taste of once while in my brief guild stint) and AB. And I've met people who've become friends, and people who I consider jerks. I've had good times and bad times.

Now... there are good guilds and bad guilds. I've seen some nasty stories about guilds who entice people to join, demand all their loot then kick them. Stuff like that. There are also some wonderful guilds of supportive, friendly people. Joining one of them, while not 'necessary', *will* most likely enhance your GW experience. Not all of them GvG etc. And it's rather spoiling to go on a mission with pleasant, experienced guildies who won't abuse you for being half a second too late with Orison of Healing.

Again, depends what you're after. If you're looking for a guild, see what they focus on. You might not want to join a guild that's only interested in faction/fame farming. You might want one that focusses more on PvE than PvP, or vice versa. But above all, try to suss out if they're friendly...

I think avoiding people or guilds in GW doesn't make sense because the concept isn't a single-player game.

So honestly, yes you do need to get into a guild or at least play with a bunch of people you call friends in the game. That's like a guild in a way, since most are simply a group of friends.

Like others have said the key is playing with others, making friendships and playing together. The biggest reason why people leave MMO's is their friends leave, so that kinda says something right there. The game can change but if your buddy you play every night with quits, you most likely will too.

Very well said, Shadow of Light. Agree 100%.

I've been in 2 guilds but ended up leaving, as I felt no one really got me. I guess I'm just more of a loner in the grand scheme of things. I don't really PvP aside from the occasional RA, so I don't feel really left out. I've got a few good (and reliable) people on my friends list, who are good for the occasional chat and/or quest. In fact, I made a good friend during DDF, and we ended up doing all the titan and SF quests together.

Like what the guy a few posts up mentioned, everyone and their mother seems to have a guild. I can only imagine how many invites we guildless folk would have if Anet hadn't of added that 100g per invite update. Phew!

That is *so* true. If I had to count the number of times people whisper to me "I notice you're not in a guild..." or "Want to join us? We have hall, cape etc...". Then there are the people who will whisper "Can I have a moment of your time?" to which I've simply started responding to with "Only if you're not going to ask me to join your guild."

I had someone whisper me once with the usual "Do you want to join my guild etc". I replied with "No thanks " They said "NP. At least you replied instead of ignoring me." To which I replied, "People are probably sick of being asked. I know I am. "

All this aside, I don't intend to stay guildless forever. I'm currently attempting to join a guild that, IMO, is one of the good ones, and I've played with some of the members on several occasions and have a blast with them every time. For some people (like me) it just takes a while to find a place where you feel at home.

I did everything in tyria with a PUG or Henchmen. I didn't start using henchmen until everything from THK after including bonuses. You'll eventually aquire friends along your journey and you can invite them for hard quests like Titan Source and what not since the member limit on some of those is lower than normal anyways and for you and a few friends and all henchies groups are nice. Guilds are only good in my oppinion for GVG, HOH, and if you have trouble finding friends online for stuff your guild can be a backup of aquantances to do things together. Of course if you're in a high up guild you have about 12 members and know each other well, talk on TS/vent and can rip up TA like nobodies business and can do GVG and HoH skillfully and have some real fun.

I have been in many many guilds. More than anything I have found I simply enjoy having someone to talk to other than the morons in Local. Makes me said I left my last guild to start my own; now I only have myself to talk to.

Now is not a good time to go guild hunting, seems they all want you donated 5k+ Faction daily, which I think is moronic given the natural half-life of faction.

I've played mostly without a guild for over a year and I've still had fun.

Every once in a while, I'll meet someone cool somehow or another and end up joining their guild, or seeking out one that I might fit into well - maybe asking for currently recruiting guilds interested in me to whisper me with a brief bit about theirs and something like, for instance, their favorite flavor of ice cream. First person to say something more clever than "whatever u want it to be lol join my guild", I'll join.

Usually, though, within a few days, it turns out no one in the guild and often even the alliance really interacts with one another much, the guild lacks any sort of color or bonding, and I abruptly leave. I imagine I'd have more fun with a good guild, but I haven't found one yet and it hasn't been so bad.