Guildwatch: We're over applications, too

The image above is a little tough to read, but you can probably get the gist: someone posts on the forums that secretly, he's been taking things from the guild bank and selling them off on the AH to make money for himself. He posts on his alt, supposedly, but whoops: he leaves his forum signature up. And the very next post is someone from the guild saying he's been caught red-handed, with a gkick imminent. Moral? Steal if you want, we guess, but never, ever tell. Or at least don't use your forum sig when posting on your alt.

Much more drama, downed, and recruiting news in this week's Guildwatch, which starts right after the break. We are super low in the buffer for tips, so please be sure to let us know about your guild's action in Icecrown, any recruiting you're doing, or any drama you see on the forums by sending us a quick email at guildwatch@wow.com. Thanks! Enjoy this week's column.

DRAMA

• Usually, simple ninjas don't even rate in this column any more -- they happen too often to count. But this one's brazen enough (and on Onyxia, too) to be mentioned here. Over on Dath'remar, Tuffauzy of Heavy Artillery put together a pickup group for the big black dragon, and once the dragon was down, he proceeded to go AFK, with no reason at all given. After about 15 minutes, most of the raiders had split and left the group, but four people hung around, waiting for loot to be distributed. We're told Tuffauzy then re-appeared, grabbed all the loot for himself, hearthed to Dalaran, and logged off. Pretty wild. So not only did you take all of the loot, but you made people sit around for 15 minutes before you did it -- why? Because you thought they would leave and you wouldn't lose your reputation? Interesting procedure there.

• Subterfuge on The Venture Co. is recruiting, but apparently their first recruitment thread was so bad they had to write a second one. Good thing, too -- the second one is much better.

• Gangstacraft, formerly of Tichondrius, headed over to Maiev during some free transfers a while back (and namechanged to KGB), and we hear the reception wasn't so great. The forums exploded, and nobody was interested in having them around. But eventually, they found their place on Alliance side, and even grabbed a few server firsts without too many people getting worried, because it seemed like they would stay. Of course, it was all too good to be true -- they're now planning to leave the server by the end of the year. Apparently even some of the guildies in KGB think it's a little uncalled-for to transfer off of the server after they worked so long to build the trust, but that's the way the cookie crumbles. Cynics say the Alliance side of Maiev will be dead now -- at least until another transfer guild wants to come in and steal some titles.

• This guy is OVER applications, and he's got no time to waste -- no calling raids when he's around. But the worst part is that instead of doing a little research and finding the few guilds who match what he wants on the realm, he thinks just posting on the forums and expecting them to come running to him is a better way to do things. And that's even before the rest of the thread, where people just trash him, his skills, and his rep.

• Spectacular Death on Llane-A just held a party yesterday to celebrate their second anniversary -- they got together in Mulgore and partied down. They're friends of ours who call themselves "the best casual raiding guild in WoW." Congrats, guys!

• Someone in UFC on Khoz'goroth apparently snuck on to the vent server of Khazuals and caused some trouble there, and in reaction, Khazuals decided to take over Wintergrasp for the Horde, and keep it. They're apparently the number one guild on the server for PvE progress, and when someone claimed they couldn't PvP they decided to show that they could -- Alliance can't take back WG while they're online. They say an apology would end the lockdown, but until they get one, they're not moving. We're not so sure about the whole vent harassment thing (apparently both guilds have people who've invaded the other guild's vent and caused problems), but everything else sounds like PvP in a PvP zone. If Allies don't like the lockdown, try and take it back, right?

• Vexed on Daggerspine used to be in the top five guilds on the server... until the former GM passed off guild leadership to Phurix. Phruix then proceeds to kick everyone from the guild, and steal about 10,000 gold from the remaining guild bank (stories differ on this -- some say the guild disbanded on its own, some say he and a buddy shut the guild down). So what to do with an empty guild with five tabs on the bank? Sell it, of course -- apparently The Returners picked it up, though we haven't heard for what price. What would you pay for a five-tab guild, empty but with a big previous reputation?

• Finally, we're told this story from a third party, so we won't mention the guild's name, but I wouldn't be surprised if this was pretty common. Apparently our tipster has a coworker who geared up in epic endgame gear super fast, and our tipster was wondering how he'd done it. He told our tipster that he goes into PuGs and has all of the guildies in the group do double rolls on everything. I'm not sure exactly how that works (don't you see it in the chat channel?), but apparently it does: not only does this guy say he does it in his current guild, but he's done it in every guild he's been in (six in total, he claims). Sounds awfully lame to us -- as our tipster says, just because lots of people might do it doesn't mean it becomes the right thing to do.

DOWNED

• Disposable Heroes, a guild on Archimonde-H, achieved three guild-first achievements in Call of the Grand Crusade, A Tribute to Skill, and Observed. Tribute to Mad Skill is on notice next, and they were headed to Icecrown this past week, too.

• The Farstriders Raiding Syndicate (a cross-guild group on, of course, Farstriders) finally downed Anub'arak in the 10-man Trial of the Grand Crusader earlier this month. Nightstar Legacy was the guild leading the charge, but there were lots of different guilds represented. They picked up A Tribute to Skill, and they're putting the Mad Skill achievement on notice.

• Nidavellir Warclan on Scarlet Crusade has downed Yogg-Saron 10, ToC 10, and finally ToC 25. Working on ToGC 10 and Ulduar 10 hard modes. They're also always accepting applications from people who enjoy fun and can appreciate dirty jokes.

• Fluxuating Fumpers on Garithos downed ToC 10 and are recruting -- seek them out in-game for more info.

• Bloodforged on Thorium Brotherhood picked up their Rusted Proto-drakes and the Glory of the Ulduar Raider, downing Yogg+1 on the second attempt of the evening. Congrats!

• Splintered Hand and Kernow Pirates have grouped up on EU Turalyon, and despite being casual, they've cleared out Naxx, Malygos, OS, and even Yoggy. ToC was being rocked last we heard, and Icecrown was up next.

• Nightstalkers, over on Icecrown just downed Anub on Heroic ToGC 10. They'd been working on it for about three weeks.

• Blood and Ashes of EU Auchindoun has recently downed ToTc 10 normal for the first time as a full guild run. Only the faction champions gave them an uphill struggle, but they prevailed in the end.

• After a month and a half of theory-wanking and several failed attempts (one getting as close as 7,377 HP remaining) Entropy on Shadowsong-H pulled together to eliminate Sartharion 3D in The Obsidian Sanctum. Ten spiffy new titles and one illustrious Black Drake later, the guild looks forward to many more flawless executions of the The Onyx Guardian in order to outfit the rest of the members with new mounts.

• Malicious and Afternoon Delight (server?) exchanged their guild merge vows the other week to form a better, stronger guild called After Six that runs two normal 25 teams and one Heroic 25. Server progression has been slow, with six or seven Alliance guilds hitting brick walls and struggling to get raiders online, but these two apparently went out and downed Heroic Beasts and Lord Jaraxxus, with Heroic Faction Champs soon after. Grats!

• The Bloodborn of Lethon had their 10-man group pick up both Observed and Glory of the Ulduar Raider the other week, walking away with both new titles and mounts. They didn't even have Bloodlust in the raid (they say that they're just that "pro... or insane."). Probably insane.

• Northrend Travel Agency is a casual 10-man raiding guild on Doomhammer-A and they're making quick work
  of Icecrown Citadel, having already downed Lord Marrowgar, Lady Deathwhisper and the Gunship Battle on 10-man.
  Saurfang is on notice, as well as the rest of Icecrown. They're recruiting, too -- they need healers for the 10-man, and more members for the 25-mans. Apply on the website.

• In The Wake on Zul'jin took out Lord Marrowgar, and they supposedly had video, but it didn't make it through on the tip for some reason.

• Antagonists on Shadowmoon raid only twice a week, but last week they stepped into Icecrown for the first time, and cleared out all of the fights available, right up to the Deathbringer. Not too shabby, they say, not too shabby indeed.

• Zodiac Braves has successfully downed Anub'arak in ToGC 10, accomplishing the Tribute of Skill achievement. They've also finished Storming the Citadel, and so they're just waiting for whatever's next.

• Serene of Firetree has downed both the 10- and 25-man versions of Icecrown so far. Next!

• Refugee of the Gnomeregan server was the eighth guild on the server to down Icecrown, and they were 1406th on the region. Congrats! They're also recruiting -- seeking ranged DPS, tanks, and healers looking to raid starting in Naxx all the way up to Icecrown.

• El Diablo en Camones on Ragnaros has downed the first wing of Icecrown, including an unexpected I've Gone and Made a Mess achivement on the Deathbringer fight. Nice job, or maybe since it's a Latin server, I should say buen trabajo, caballeros.

RECRUITING

• Voracity on Blade's Edge-A is recruiting awesome people! They're a casual 10-man raiding guild looking for people who are not afraid of their own awesomeness (we're not sure what that means, but if you're a prospective member of the guild, maybe you do!). They raid to have fun together, and value friendship over loot and life over raiding, though they do aim to make the best of the time they raid. Hit up the website to see if your goals mesh with their mindset.

• TANSTAAFL (which apparently stands for There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch) on Misha-H is a guild for casual and new players looking for a comfortable, low drama, and social guild for levelers and newly 80s to have fun and do some grouping and raiding. They'd like to start scheduling heroics and 10-mans, but need a few more, so join up if interested.

• Distinct Advantage of Exodar is opening up recruitment for some core raiders who want to join their 25-man raiding team. They raid three times a week in 25s, and do 10-mans as well. Everything but Yogg in Ulduar is downed, and up through ToC 25 Beasts is finished off as well. They're seeking healers and DPS with raid experience -- they're lighthearted and friendly, but you better know not to stand in the fire.

• Dark Corruption of Cenarius is recruiting active, dedicated, mature raiders for 10/25-man content including heroic and hard modes. They're a casual guild, but they raid four nights a week from Sunday to Wednesday. You can apply on their website.

• Loyalty on EU Emerald Dream-A is now recruiting all classes to help them progress though ICC 25 and ToGC 25. They're looking for players with 25-man raid experience and excellent knowledge of their class and boss tactics (including hard modes), and ideally be geared up for the encounters. They especially need a couple new healers, and a well-geared resto druid would be very welcomed.

• Sword of Azeroth on Undermine was established in January 2007 with the idea that the game should be an enjoyable, drama free escape from real life. They are a society of friends that enjoy banter in good fun, with zero tolerance for drama. They're currently recruiting various classes and specs -- you can learn more on the website. If you want to have fun and progress through endgame content, seek them out.

• Knight at the Roxbury on Trollbane is recruiting. They're a raiding guild with 5/5 ToC 10, 5/5 ToC 25, and 1/5 ToGC 10 down so far. They're seeking a shaman, a warrior tank, and a holy disc priest with a minimum gearscore of 4500 to join them on raids. Contact them in-game or see the website if you're coming from another realm.

• Ever Vigilant (Kel'Thuzad-A) is a late-night 25-man raiding guild recruiting a tank ready for Icecrown and Heroic Anub. They're also seeking a mage, shaman, warlock, and death knight. They run both main and alt raids during the week, and invite all skilled and dedicated players to fill out an app on the site.

• Empiricism, a raiding guild on Wyrmrest Accord, is currently recruiting heavily! They're looking to accept everyone, but are especially hopeful for caster DPS, as well one tank and perhaps a few healers. They do short raids (one boss or just a couple) on weekdays and longer raids (Icecrown and Ulduar) on the weekends. If you're interested in seeing the Arthas fight with them, seek them out in-game. Though they support the RP community, they aren't an RP guild.

• The Project of Vashj EU is a new guild built up of 25 raiders that orginate from hardcore realm first and world first rated guilds. They aim to be in the world's top 20 rankings by Cataclysm, so they're only seeking the best, and you'll need to show up for all raids. They launched earlier this month, and are working on rivalling some of the best guilds in the game, so they need dedicated and exceptional players to join up right now. Sounds like quite an opportunity, though it'll be tough to pull off.

That's it for this week's GW. Until next week, happy raiding!

That not enough guild news for you? There's lots more Guildwatch in the archives, including an honest-to-goodness /gkick contract, and lots of red-handed bank looting. Wherever people /gquit or are /gkicked, that's where you'll find GW!