Blizzard has released the World of Warcraft Guild Services which allows Guild Masters to move their guilds to other factions and/or realms along with changing the guild’s name. These new features make modifying or moving your guild a snap, but only for a small fee. There is a lot to this new feature that will go mostly unnoticed except for the armchair theorists who will use this to bandy words amongst one another for a while.
The new service breaks down like so:
- The Guild Master Faction Change: $40 to move the guild to the opposite faction along with the Guild Master.
- The Guild Master Realm Transfer: $35 to move the guild to another realm along with its Guild Master.
- The Guild Name Change: $20 USD to change the guild’s name.
- The Super Deluxe All-In-One Package (Guild Master Faction & Realm Change): $65.
The Name Change
The new World of Warcraft Guild Services will allow the Guild Master to change the name of the guild. Useful for when your guild has outgrown “Super Knight Dragon Slaying Over 9000” stage and wants to move more into “Mystery” or “Obtuse” for a guild name. The cost is just a measly $20, which is like a single month of gameplay.
Why would someone want to change the name of their guild for a fee when they could just do it for free? Well, the name change keeps the guild as-is, with its level, reputation, guild bank, and much more all in place. If you remake the guild you have to start over, a huge pain in the rear.
Yet, I ponder, why would a guild take such action? Surely, if your guild is named the generic Dragon Knight Slayers Tauren Moo Cow then yeah, I could see the virtue in this action. However, “guild identity” is important and it can perturb a guild to all of a sudden go from one moniker to another, even if everything else is the same. That’s why this change can’t be taken lightly.
While the Guild Master has over ruling authority on the guild name, it should be taken to a vote. My suggestion is to use whatever means necessary from in-game mail messages to your guild forums to vote on if the name should be changed and what it should be changed to. That way when someone logs on and the guild is something completely different, they don’t get upset. Even worse, get upset and make a new guild with the old name and splinter your guild in half.
The Server Transfer
The World of Warcraft Guild Services doesn’t stop with simple name changes. It can move the guild, its guild vault, reputation, level, and Guild Master to a new server, the opposite faction, or both. Doing so sends out a neat message to the members of the remaining guild that they can jump ship and have their same guild reputation by paying for a personal character faction change / transfer / or both. I’m sure a lot of you are raising your pitchforks at this “money grab” that is scheming to ruin your game and the horrible people who are going to exploit that. Before we move on though, I’d like to point out something.
That is that this is, in no way, relevant to 99% of you out there. Sure, that elite 1% that is making the news, hoarding all of the epics, and is scheming a way to troll you in trade but they’re the only ones who should care about such a service. Your average guild rarely has the need to move servers, unless the transfer is free and their server is cramped (at which point this obviously becomes a great deal to save everyone the trouble).
For those raiding guilds that move servers to either be #1 on that server instead of #3 on their original server or just for a change of scenery, this feature has a fair price. It’s $10 more to bring your guild along with you. So, you’re not paying much more money than you already would (remember, the Guild Master gets a free ride with all World of Warcraft Guild Services).
As for everyone needing to pay the transfer fee, well, even without this they would still need to anyway. So that’s a big non-factor when it comes to this new feature.
Before anyone starts complaining about Guild Masters transferring the guild and making off with the guild bank, remember: Guild Masters can loot the guild bank at any time no matter what.
So this is a non-factor to 99% of you out there and the 1% who has a guild thinking of server transferring then this is a great deal for you.
If you have any questions about the service, continue on to page two to see the official WoW Guild Services FAQ. Be sure to leave your thoughts about this new tool in the comments section below.
Below is the official FAQ from Blizzard on the new Guild Service:
Blizzard World of Warcraft Guild Services
World of Warcraft Guild Services FAQ
Q. What are the guild services for World of Warcraft?
A. Three guild services are available: Guild Master Realm Transfer, Guild Master Faction Change, and Guild Name Change. These services can only be initiated by a character who is a Guild Master.
Q. How much do these services cost?
A. When purchased individually, the Guild Master Faction Change costs $40 US, the Guild Master Realm Transfer costs $35 US, and the Guild Name Change costs $20 US. You will receive a $10 discount when purchasing Guild Transfer and Faction Change in the same transaction, for a new total of $65 US. In addition, one Guild Name Change is free with the purchase of either a Guild Master Faction Change or Guild Master Realm Transfer. All sales of guild services are final -- no refunds will be given once a purchase is made.
Q. Do taxes apply to these services?
A. Players in select states in the U.S. may be subject to taxation when using a guild service. This includes but is not limited to:
-New Mexico
-Texas
Q. Aside from being a Guild Master, are there any other requirements for the character that initiates a guild service?
A. The Guild Master must meet the same requirements governing the equivalent character-level service (such as Character Transfer), including being at least level 10 (except for Guild Name Change) on an account in good standing. View the Character Transfer FAQ or Faction Change FAQ for more details.
In addition, the Guild Master's Battle.net account must be protected by a Battle.net Authenticator or a Battle.net Authenticator that has been active for at least three days (starting at the time of the first Authenticator-protected login to the game) before a guild service can be initiated. If additional security-related requirements apply to your character, they will be brought to your attention when you initiate a guild service.
Q. Are there any requirements for the guild to be able to undergo a guild service?
A. A guild must be at least level 2 to undergo a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Faction Change. There is no level requirement for a Guild Name Change.
Q. How do the two "Guild Master" services work?
A. When performing a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Guild Master Faction Change, only the Guild Master character transfers realms or switches factions. The Guild Master takes the framework of the guild as well, including the guild vault, level, perks, and achievements.
Q. What happens to my guild members?
A. Your guild members remain in the original guild. The original guild will be reset to level 1 and will not retain its guild bank or any of its achievements, reputation, or progression. You will also select a new Guild Master from the guild roster to replace you after your character leaves. Your guild members will be eligible to follow you to the guild's new location by performing their own character service (such as a Character Transfer). If they do so, they will automatically rejoin the guild and retain their guild reputation.
Guild members who plan to transfer to the guild's new location should not quit the original guild otherwise, they will not regain their guild reputation after transferring to guild's new location.
Q. What happens to my guild bank, level, and so on?
A. The guild bank, level, perks, and achievements transfer with the Guild Master character to the new realm and/or faction.
Q. Will individual members' guild reputation be retained when they rejoin the guild?
A. The Guild Master character will retain his or her reputation after transferring, and guild members who decide to transfer will regain their guild reputation when they rejoin the guild at its new location. However, there are two notable exceptions where this does not occur: if the guild member transfers realms before the Guild Master, or if the guild member quits the guild on the original realm before transferring realms.
Q. Is there anything that doesn't transfer with the Guild Master?
A. Besides your guild members, the only thing that doesn't transfer is your guild rank structure. You will have to reassign ranks at the new location.
Q. How will my guild members know when this happens and how to follow me?
A. After a Guild Master service is complete, your guild members will receive an in-game mail with instructions on how to follow you. They will be directed to Battle.net account management to initiate their own character service(s), which will need to be purchased separately. This process will be streamlined, so options such as the destination realm and/or faction will be preconfigured.
Q. Will there be an out-of-game notification of a guild realm transfer or faction change?
A. No, the only notification will be the in-game mail delivered to your guild members.
Q. How long will a player be eligible to follow a Guild Master after a realm transfer or faction change?
A. There is no time limit on following a Guild Master to a new location, as long as the guild member does not leave the current guild before Guild Master Realm Transfer or Faction Change is complete. If a guild member leaves a guild that has moved to a new location, or joins a new guild, the member's reputation with that guild will be wiped after 30 days.
Q. Are there any requirements for a guild member who wants to follow a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Faction Change?/
A. The guild member must meet the requirements of the character service they are undergoing (Character Transfer or Faction Change), including being at least level 10 and on an account in good standing. For the complete list of requirements, refer to the Character Transfer FAQor the Faction Change FAQ.
Q. How long does a guild service take?
A. Under normal conditions, a guild service takes one to two hours to complete, but please allow up to several days.
Q. Is there a cooldown period for guild Realm Transfers, Faction Changes, or Name Changes?
A. The cooldown periods for guild services are the same as their related character-level services. For more information on these services, please refer to the Character Transfer FAQ or the Faction Change FAQ.
Q. What happens if I transfer my guild to a realm where my guild name is taken?
A. If your guild name is taken on the destination realm, you'll be prompted to pick a new name for your guild during the realm transfer process on the Battle.net website.
Q. Can I customize my character and name when doing a faction change?
A. Yes, the same character customization options offered in the Appearance Change service are included in a Guild Master Faction Change.
Q. I'm ready to move my guild! How do I initiate a Guild Master Realm Transfer or Guild Master Faction Change?
A. Before initializing a guild service, make sure you've created a Billing Profile. (Learn how to create one.) Step-by-step instructions on performing a guild service can be found here:
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