Officers' Quarters: PvP guild on a PvE realm
Every Monday, Scott Andrews contributes Officers' Quarters, a column about the ins and outs of guild leadership. He is the author of The Guild Leader's Handbook, available from No Starch Press.
Can a strictly PvP guild work on a PvE server? According to the email below, the trolls in trade chat say that it's doomed to fail. Are they right?
Dear Scott,
I have a problem and would like some advice.
Ive been RBG leader for the past month or so for my guild. We are a pvp-only guild that plays on Elune, and thats kind of my problem. We kind of have a constant recruiting, though we have at least 10 players on all the times Im on, and about 30 at prime times. I post on tradechat a guild advertisement or two, just cause we do need decent pvpers still. Some of the people on tradechat said that our guild is bad, and that we stink at pvp. I tried to show a couple people making these remarks some ratings, but in vein. They stated that since we were on a pve server, why would we be good? I know personally that we have some VERY good players in our guild, but I dont know how to make them believe that.
The thing is, now because of tradechat, people may be turned away from our guild. Im not real sure what to do to make a name for ourselves so we can keep recruiting. A good pvper that doesnt do pve and goes to a pve/pvp guild is our loss. So do you ignore players who say your guild sucks? It seems like if you let them say things like that, people will believe them. I cant really think of anything to do, other than possibly making it harder to get into the guild with applications etc; however, that would only hinder recruitment.
So what do I do to make a good name for a pvp guild on a pve server? Let me know if you need any other details.
Thank you for your time,
Brett
PS: We are going to change the guild name soon if you think that helps, but not for this reason.
Hi, Brett. In PvP, there's really one way to prove that you're good at it, and that's to be good at it. Strong arena and rated battleground ratings tell (most of) the story. Anyone who argues with you after you've quoted a solid rating is just looking to start an argument, and it's best to ignore them.
All in all, I wouldn't worry too much about the trolls. If you respond with civility and composure, then people will respect your guild.
An unusual niche?
I wonder, however, just how many players on a PvE realm are interested in joining a strictly PvP guild. I imagine that is probably hurting your recruitment more than any other factor. Most players on a PvE realm, if they have any motivation to PvP at all, want to do both. I've been on the same PvE realm since November 2004, and I've met very, very few players on that server who only PvP.
Changing realms will probably help your recruiting a lot more than changing names. Is there a niche for your guild on Elune? To find out, I think your guild needs to get out of cities and into the world.
Beyond the queues
The way to generate interest on your realm is to PvP in the realm. Don't simply live in the arena and battleground queues. If you're going to be the lone PvP-only guild on Elune, then own it.
Increase your street cred and visibility by flagging yourselves wherever you go. Do a BG night every week where you invite people from the server to join you. Organize achievement raids to take out the Horde/Alliance faction leaders once or twice a month. Stir things up by randomly attacking towns. Start brawls at raid entrances. Lay siege to Stormwind for an entire weekend.
Invite everyone in trade chat to join you on these romps. A lot of players are bored right now waiting for Mists. This is a great time to give people some excitement. I'm not much of a PvPer, but I would love it if a dedicated PvP guild tried to do these things on my server.
That way, the next time a trade chat troll gives you grief, you can not only quote your ratings, but you can point to your guild's "service record" as well. The trolls will actually be doing you a favor -- they'll be giving you an excuse to talk about all the awesome things your guild has done and will do in the future.
The bottom line is this: Get out there and make a name for yourself. Be the antagonists for the other faction. Make them respect you, or even hate you. By doing so, you just might become the heroes for your own faction -- or, at the very least, the lovable rascals who make Elune more fun.
/salute
Officers' Quarters keeps your guild leadership on track to cope with sticky situations such as members turned poachers or the return of an ex-guild leader and looking forward to what guilds need in Mists of Pandaria. Send your own guild-related questions and suggestions to scott@wowinsider.com.
