Guilds are without a doubt an integral part of the World of Warcraft
gaming experience. While you can choose to remain guildless and brave
the adventures presented to you solo or with a friendly PUG, most WoW
players choose to join a guild in order to make their play experience
that much easier and enjoyable. These guilds are as diverse as the
players within them. Some are small, filled with mostly real life
friends who enjoy kicking back and doing some 5 mans, some are hooked
on PvP, while others are top 10 in the US hardcore elitists, even more
fall in between.



Guilds have been forming and falling apart since WoW was released,
however it seems that some players are still confused on how to find
that perfect guild, how to avoid becoming fodder for jokes when filling
out guild applications, or even why they were rejected from the guild
of their choice. After talking to guild leaders and having tons of
guild leadership experience behind him, this week Mem steps up to try
and guide you on your journey to the perfect guild.

So You’re Looking
for a Guild, Now What?

Your guild has fallen apart, you’re not happy with the way
things are progressing, or you are looking for your first guild.
Regardless of the reasoning behind it you are searching for a guild and
you have only a vague idea of how to proceed. To begin you should pose
some basic questions to yourself to better understand what you are
looking for, while at the same time getting a firm grasp on what you
are actually capable of attaining.

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PVP or PvE?

How many hours can I devote to the game each week?

What times can I be online?

Casual or Hardcore?

Am I willing to server/faction transfer?

What is my gear like?

What skill level am I at as a player?

Where was my old guild at in progression?

Do prefer a mature environment?



Asking yourself these questions (and more) will give you an idea of
what exactly it is you are looking for when you begin your search. It
will also hopefully help you realize that your current gear level,
available play time, or skill level will restrict you from some guilds.
One of the most common and time wasting mistakes people make is
applying to guilds that are far more advanced than they are, or guilds
that require a higher attendance rating than the player can promise.
This should help you narrow down your search and make finding that
elusive perfect guild that much easier.

Navigating the Guild
Recruitment Forums

After narrowing down your search criteria it’s time to do the
actual work. If you are not willing to server transfer your job is a
little easier since your search will be limited to advertisements in
game, word of mouth, and your specific realm forum.  If you
are willing to server/faction transfer the field widens and you will
find yourself browsing the endless pages of the Guild Recruitment
forums on the WoW website. Be forewarned that this is not an easy task
and despair could overwhelm you while staring at page after page of
advertisements.

[protip]While you should be actively seeking a guild, don’t
forget to let the guilds come to you. Post your own advertisement
outlining your gear level, raid experience, availability, and
experience on the recruitment forums or your personal realm
forums.[/protip]



Most guilds will make it easy for you to see what classes they are
looking for as they should have listed in the post title any classes
they are looking for, and possibly even how advanced into raid
progression they are. For example most post titles will look like this:
<GuildName> looking for priests/rogues 9/9 Uld. Clearly
you can see this guild is looking for priests and rogues and has
currently killed 9/9 bosses in Ulduar. Keep in mind that the
recruitment forums move at a fast pace and things at the top will
quickly be pushed 3 pages back.



[protip]Most guilds will take applications from exceptional players
even if they are not looking for that specific class.[/protip]



Upon finding a guild that is looking for your specific class, click on
the link and read their entire advertisement. Here you should be able
to easily determine if their raid times match your hours of play. You
can also usually assess what attendance they require, and how hardcore
the guild really is. If the guild seems to fit your criteria make the
leap and browse their website. Here you should be able to find any
additional information you may need and also get a general idea of the
guild’s personality. If everything fits, it may be time to
/cower fill out an application. It is a good idea to make a list of all
the guilds you want to potentially apply to, including their guild
websites.

Filling Out The Guild
Application

When you have finally overcome the hurdle of searching out guilds that
are a good fit for you and have just breathed a sigh of relief the next
hurdle will dart at you. It is probably the most important yet
dangerous hurdle of them all. The guild application will literally
decide your future or non future with a guild.



 After making a list of the guilds that caught your interest,
go over them once again and decide which are your top three. These are
the guilds you will apply to first. Having too many applications out at
once is difficult to manage and also leaves the possibility of mistakes
on your part. As the guild application is your first and possibly only
chance to give a good impression mistakes are to be avoided at all
costs.



Pretend while filling out the application that you are applying for a
job. Read each question and be sure to understand it before you answer.
Answering the question without understanding it will scream I did this
in a hurry and just don’t care. Not something you want to
advertise to a potential guild.



Remember that one word answers are only acceptable for questions such
as “Class?”, or “ Age?”. The
guild will use this application to get to know you, so make your
answers at least a sentence or two and provide as much information as
you can. Proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling should be used at
all costs. Run your answers through a spell checker if needed to assure
it doesn’t look like a 4th grader typed up your application.
No guild will pick up an applicant who can’t even take the
time to type in legible English.



On the topic of legible English, if English is not your first language
and you are still struggling with proper sentence structure and grammar
then please be sure to note this as soon as possible on the
application. Guilds will tend to be forgiving in these cases and make
allowances for those not native to the English tongue. Leet (1337)
speak is also to be avoided on applications. While you might think
it’s cute, no one will take a second glance at an application
if it’s wri773|\| 1ik3 7|-|i5.



Don’t lie on your application, even little white lies. Trust
me in saying that whatever lie you may seek to tell will come back to
haunt you. Especially about attendance, or your raid experience. If you
claim to be able to make 99% of all raids, be prepared to follow
through on that claim. Or when you finally get into raid with the new
guild it will become painfully obvious that you have no idea what you
are doing and you will find yourself most likely starting the guild
hunt all over again.



Finally be sure to check out your gems and enchantments on your gear
(check out the Ten Ton Hammer class guides to help get them in order).
Guilds will be looking at these, so if you are a warrior with spell
power on your bracers you application will probably end up
insta-deleted. On that note, since guilds will be checking out your
gear, be sure to log out in the gear that is relevant to the spot you
are applying for. Nothing is more annoying than seeing, “well
I might be in my PvP gear….” on an application, or
going to the armory to check out a potential applicant only to find
they are wearing their fishing outfit. Don’t be lazy, take
two seconds and ensure that the guild you are applying to will be able
to see what they need to see. They may not take the time to have a
second look.

Waiting, Interviews, and
Questions. Oh My!

Once you have filled out your application it becomes a simple waiting
game. Depending on how big the guild is and how many applications they
receive per week will determine how long it takes for them to get back
to you. While you may be tempted to log on every other day and bug one
of the officers about the status of your application this is an
inherently bad idea.  You will only succeed in being a pest
and eventually hurt your chances of being accepted into the guild. If
you must ask about your application log on after about a week or even
two and politely ask an officer how long a response usually takes, and
if they know if there will be an update on your application soon. Thank
the officer for their time and then go back to the waiting game.

After long days of waiting (and possibly some rejections) you may
receive a message via your e-mail or a guild website informing you of
your potential acceptance. After you have finished clapping your hands
like a small school girl, get serious and get prepared. Prepared for
what you might ask? Most guilds will ask that the potential member be
interviewed (usually on Ventrillo or something similar) by one or more
of the officers.



Be prepared to explain why you play the class you do, how you are
useful in a raid, and what spell rotations and macros you choose to
use. Some Officers prefer to keep it simple, while others will choose
to grill you on every subject imaginable. Buffing up on knowledge of
your class before hand will ensure that you are ready for whatever
question is thrown out there.



Don’t be afraid to ask your own questions about the guild and
server. Take time before the interview and write out a list of
questions that you would like answered. Such as, “What is the
server economy like?”, “What are more specifics of
your DKP system?”, and so on. While the Officers will be
using the opportunity to gage your knowledge of your class they will
also be looking to get to know you and your personality. Feel free to
make conversation when appropriate.



Remember that you want to make a good impression during the interview.
Avoid saying things like “this guild was totally my second
choice”, or “LOL I afk during all trash
pulls” (if this happens to be true, don‘t bother
applying to any guilds as you won‘t last long in any of
them). Saying things like this will put you in an unfavorable light and
probably will nullify your chances of joining the guild you want. This
could even have long reaching affects. The World of Warcraft universe
is smaller than you think and guilds do talk amongst each other, so
your poor performance could be broadcast farther than you could ever
imagine.

The Home Stretch

If you make it through the application and interview process you may be
offered an invite into the guild of your choosing (as a trial member of
course). Before you accept be sure to consider for a moment if this is
where you really want to be. Ask the guild if you can sit in on one of
their raids so you can gage how they interact together and see if it is
an environment you are comfortable in.



The answer to these questions will most likely be yes, but it never
hurts to think it over one more time. Being overly hasty 
could end up costing you a lot of time and money. Taking overly long to
let the guild know you will be joining is a bad thing as well. If you
take too long they may decide you have changed your mind and find a
replacement for you.



Once you have made the decision, empty your mail box, type in your
credit card number if you are transferring servers and wait. Once you
are on the new server log in and request an invite from an available
Officer. If it’s a raid night be prepared to raid, or if
it’s an off night it would be a good idea to attempt to join
in on some 5 mans or guild PvP to get yourself better acquainted with
your fellow guild members.



Do not think that you are out of the woods once you have been accepted
into a guild; you are a trial member for a reason. The first
few weeks are all about impressing the guild. Be sure to have excellent
attendance, 100% if possible. A new member who only makes 1 raid night
a week will not be a member very long.



Don’t be a poor sport if you end up sitting a few of the
first raids out, as it is bound to happen. When you do make the raids
be sure to be the best player you can be. Over the course of the first
few weeks the guild will be evaluating your performance. If you
don’t put out your best you won’t be kept around.



The final thing your guild will be watching for will be how well you
mesh with the rest of the guild. If you cause drama and are overly
annoying, you will get the boot. However if you are pleasant to your
guild mates, not causing trouble, and an asset at raids you will
eventually find yourself being promoted to a full time member.
Congratulations!



Please feel free to join us on our forums and discuss how you picked
your guild, laugh about the terrible applications you have seen, or add
anything I missed.