It could be said that running a successful guild has never been harder than it is in the Warlords of Dreanor expansion pack. Sure, running a guild has always been hard work. However, with Looking for Raid and other methods of earning easy loot available and solo play more common than ever, players are finding fewer and fewer reasons to dedicate themselves to a guild. So how can you manage to run a successful guild in the current expansion pack? Nothing can ensure 100% success, however, by using the tips and tricks below, you can have the best shot possible at your guild defying the odds.

Define Goals

Before you purchase your guild charter, get signatures, and invite your founding members, you need to decide what it is you want out of your guild. Do you want to PvP? Raid? Hardcore? Casual? Roleplay? Do you want adults only?

No one is going to join a guild that stands for nothing or has no idea what it wants out of the game. Players join guilds that share common interests as their own, so you need to be able to decide what your guild is all about before you do anything else. A well formed idea of what you want out of your guild will allow you to lay a solid foundation for the formation of a strong guild with a clear direction.

Create and Communicate Guild Rules

After you have defined the goals for your guild you will need to sit down and decide what kind of expectations and requirements you want from anyone who joins your guild and what the consequences will be for anyone who breaks them. While it may seem silly to have “rules” for adults, they are vital to ensuring the overall happiness of your guild. Examples of common things guilds have rules for include:

  • Raid Attendance
  • Loot Distribution
  • Appropriate Language
  • Drama
  • Guild Representation by Members
  • Guild Bank
  • Material Donations
  • Age Requirements
  • Gear Requirements

Having rules in place will help ensure that any future conflicts can be taken care of easily and efficiently. Be sure any rules your guild has are posted where members can easily access them and direct new players to them as soon as they join. This way all members are aware of what is expected from them as members of your guild. Just be sure once a rule is in place, you stick to the rule and following consequence for every single person.

Start Small

As a new guild leader it will be easy to want to immediately bring on as many members as you can. However, I would suggest starting small. This way you can hone your skills as a guild leader. With this initial group you can find out how good of a guild leader you actually are, where you can improve, which policies work and don't work, and make changes without affecting a large number of members. After you feel comfortable, you can work on expanding your guild to whatever size you wish.

Recruit, Recruit, Recruit

Recruiting is one of the most important processes you will need to take part in for your guild. This is how you will obtain the lifeblood of your guild; new members. While many guild leaders fill their roster than stop recruiting, this is the absolutely wrong way to go about things.

While this method might have worked in the past, it does not work in the current game model. Players come and go from guilds at a more rapid pace than ever before. Keeping recruitment as an ongoing process is essential. This way if one or more players leave the guild, you are ready and able to fill their places. Leaving your guild sit stagnate while waiting for new players will cause mass dissatisfaction and will likely spell the death of your guild. Your recruitment process should slow down, but it should never totally stop.

Encourage Socialization

Much of the social aspect of the game seems to have been lost in Warlords of Draenor. Players spend a lot of their time inside their Garrisons interacting only with NPCs. They don't want the same feeling when they are a part of a guild. Instead, try to make your guild the one place players are getting the socialization they crave.

It is your job as a guild master to lead the charge. Socialize with your guild members and encourage them to socialize with others. Engage your members in conversation, say hello to players logging in, tell jokes, answer players who engage you, and try to make the guild feel like an overall welcoming place. No one likes to log in only to find a silent guild chat where no one responds or speaks outside of raids. Make your guild feel like an oasis in a social desert.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears

For a guild to be successful in Warlords, you as a guild leader are going to need to put in a lot of effort into your guild. You are the person who will be solving all the problems, dishing out advice, and making sure your members feel welcomed and at home. You are also the person everyone will blame if things go to hell.

Guild leaders should expect to put in more time and work than any other member. Be online. Be available. Be engaged. Be ready to receive little to no thanks for all the hard work you put in. Running a guild is a lot like raising a child; the more time you put in the more successful it will be.

Be Prepared to Change

It is extremely important to set forth guidelines for your guild when it is first created. Who will be allowed in, what times you will raid, what you expect of your members. Sticking to these guidelines is even more important as it creates a sense of stability for your guild. With that being said, nothing is set and stone and sometimes you will need to make some major changes.

Whether it be the mass exodus of members, personal life developments, or revisions to the game; there may come a time when you may have to consider making some big changes to your guild. For example, when you started your guild you wanted to raid at a specific time. However, there are not enough players on the server who are also available at this time. Change in this situation is essential.

At these times it is important you are ready and willing to meet these changes head on. Weigh solutions and possible consequences then follow through quickly and efficiently. It won't be easy, change never is, however if you follow through with as little fuss as possible; your guild will be confident in your leadership skills and in turn confident in the future of your guild.


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Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

About The Author

Amunet, also fondly known as Memtron, is an organic life form best known for its ongoing obsession with Blizzard Entertainment's numerous properties. To that end, Amu has authored hundreds (thousands?) of the most popular World of Warcraft guides, editorials, and Top 10 lists on the planet. When not gaming and writing, Amu is busy chasing after her three children in a perpetual loop of ongoing disaster.

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