Guildwatch: The waiting game
More and more guilds are becoming just like Zen, above -- they're downing Anub in Trial of the Crusader, and then wondering just what's next? The answer, of course, is Icecrown, but even our best estimates have that release a month away still. Not that anyone's blaming Blizzard yet -- quite a few guilds are still working on hard modes, and more people are worried just what'll happen after Icecrown (though I wouldn't be surprised if Blizzard still has a few cards up their sleeve for that one). But still, at this point, guilds are reaching their limits, and we're starting to see the calm before the storm of raiding in patch 3.3.
That doesn't mean Guildwatch isn't busy -- we've got the usual downed, drama, and recruiting notices from around the realms. And if your guild is still active, be sure to tell us about it: send a tip to guildwatch@wow.com, and you'll see it here in the future. Read on for more.
DRAMA
Laularo on Stormreaver was in Who Pulled Aggro with his friend, when his friend was suddenly kicked from a guild raid. Why? Because apparently he was 200 points short of the raid's gearscore minimum. Laularo raised a fuss, and the guildleader returned to the raid and said no, they didn't have a gearscore minimum, but that because Laularo was raising trouble, he was /gkicked too. Interesting. Later in the thread, Laularo's friend actually shows up -- apparently he's back in the guild, and all of a sudden he supports the kicking of his former guildie. Laularo must have really really raised a fuss by pulling all of that aggro, but as our tipster says, maybe he should have paid attention to the name of the guild.
PCG on EU Steamwheedle Cartel-H, which also happens to be the official guild of PC Gamer magazine, had a first birthday party recently, and they went into one of my favorite old instances: Dire Maul. They picked up over 60 Ogre Suits, and then raided the Stormwind Bank for some good party times. Sounds like fun -- they even sent along some pictures or it didn't happen.
Here's a botched merger on Drenden-H: Bonzo's Brass Buttoneers apparently stepped up and downed Algalon a little while back, and when Is Malicious started falling apart, Bonzo's decided to absorb most of their members. But apparently it didn't go so well. We don't know why, but our tipster says over a period of about two days, about 80% of BBB's raiding team left the guild and formed their own Drama Society. We don't know if it had anything to do with the merger or not, but not going for a merge when you're moving to the top of the raiding pile is probably not too shabby advice.
Tip: anything labeled as "a serious anaylisis of the Daggerspine server" [sic] is basically like lighting up a pile of oil-soaked rags and standing back to watch the fire. To be fair, Tomax does say that his guild, Imperium, has been a disappointment, but then the blame starts right up, and obviously the other guilds aren't happy to be given his "pep talk." It's weird, right? You'd think that calling other guilds on the server a "cancer" would cheer them up and help them down bosses.
This recruitment thread for Vincerimo on Scarlet Crusade derails on the second post. That is super fast -- apparently the guild's leader has a bad reputation (though it might not actually be earned), and once Divinorum smells blood in the water and the Vincerimo GL answers them, it's all over from there.
Numen, like many guilds, decided to split from their old server (EU Silvermoon) to try and get some realm first titles of their own. Most of Silvermoon gave them a wave and wished them good riddance, but apparently their reputation followed them along anyway -- they didn't exactly get a cheerful reception on their new server. Turns out that wasn't the only thing that followed them, either, as they say the lag they suffered on Silvermoon that kept them from downing bosses freakishly appeared on Chamber of Aspects as well. Weird how that works. They're now saying that they are leaving CoA, and we're not sure where they are headed, but like our tipster, we sure hope they can get those "elusive server firsts."
An update on Numen from later in the week says that they eventually did get their Celestial Defender on Chamber of Aspects. So grats to them? Apparently lots of folks on CoA weren't too happy with their realm-first victory, but then again, such is the dramatic situation of transferring guilds.
Finally, anti-drama shout out to Black Omen on Shadow Council: they picked up a item from ToC that someone on the server mistakenly listed for just 7g, and then returned it to the original owner. Just goes to show you that it's just as possible to earn a good reputation on the servers as it is to earn a bad one.
DOWNED
The Blueberry Brigade (Uther-A) brought down Yogg-Saron 10 and Iron Council hard mode, which means they've completed Ulduar and moved into the top 10-man spot on Uther. Congrats!
Fallen NIghtmare on Baelgun has downed "Mally" (I think they mean Malygos, but I love that nickname) and Ony 10 recently. They're building up ranks for 25-man raiding, but until then they'll continue to rock the 10-mans.
League of Intrepid Adventurers on Silver Hand went into ToC 10-man normal for their first week, and dropped all five bosses. They even went over and downed Onyxia for good measure on their very first run in there! Grats!
Guardians of Fate, an Alliance guild on the Zangarmarsh server, cleared ToC 10 for the first time last week. They say they're very excited -- they're definitely a casual guild, so this is a big deal for them. They've also finished off eight bosses in Ulduar so far, and ToGC is up next. Good luck!
Chaotic Precision on Frostmane-H cleared ToC10 last week and just yesterday defeated Yogg-Saron. Not bad, they say, for a guild that only focuses on 10-man content, raids just six hours a week, and doesn't read strats.
Saints over on EU Nagrand have been around for over four years as a strictly social/casual outfit, but with a recent restructuring, they're throwing their hat in the raiding ring: they've taken down Naxx 10 with a Sapphiron one-shot, and Malygos is on notice, with Ulduar on the horizon.
Desdinova was recently started up by two people on EU Arathor after a realm transfer, and after weeks of recruiting, on just their second week of raiding, they're 10/14 in Ulduar and should by done with Anub in ToC by now. Grats!
Knights of Ancient War on Arathor-A, the epitome of casual fun folks, tried out Sarth for the first time the other day, and took the dragon on his own down in one try. Sure, it was your first kill as a guild ever, but next time, guys, let's go for the gold!
Bloodlines of Sargeras-H has recently merged and teamed up with Reverence in order to fill up their core raids. It worked, too -- they finished Northrend Beasts in ToC, and have Jaraxxus on notice. They also did ToGC's Mad Skill tribue. Grats!
Zen, a Horde guild on Ravencrest, went into 10-man ToC for the second time ever, and cleared the entire instance. Yogg is on notice, and Icecrown better watch its collective back.
Silence on Blackwater Raiders has been going to farm Sarth 3D on 10-man for a while now, and they just tried it the other week on 25-man and completed it right away. They even posted it on the forums, and while they did get an unsuccessful troll, they got plenty of grats, too.
Friends With Benefits on Anvilmar cleared Trial of the Crusader on 10-man the other week, on their first attempt as a guild. They say 25-man content is next.
No Good Deed of Bloodscalp-H Had a very good week after deciding to focus their attention on Trial of the Grand Crusader until Icecrown comes out. They completed it on 10-man the other week, picking up the Tribute to Insanity achievement. Next up, they're continuing to work towards patch 3.3.
The Herd of Stormscale finished off the Northrend Beasts and are 3/4 Keepers hard modes in Ulduar 10. Mimiron is next, and then Algalon. They're also recruiting -- competent and gear players in all classes to round out the roster.
Rise of Mayhem from Elune finally downed the big scarab himself, Anub'arak, in 25-man last week. And, they say, there was much rejoicing.
Nocturne is a Horde guild from Moon Guard that finally dropped Yogg-saron 10 the other night, on their third try with only a hunter and shadow priest standing. Not the cleanest kill, they say, but that doesn't matter -- our motto here at GW is "worth every wipe."
Ordo Veritas, Zul'jin-H, says they've claimed the top spot on GuildOx in strict 10-man progression. Though, they say, that's kind of easy when you don't have any competition. Does that mean the server's empty or is that a dig at other guilds?
Dark and Stormy Knights on Shandris downed Yogg late last week. They say it was a huge accomplishment, and next they're heading up to ToC and cleaning up Ulduar hard modes, with an eye to Icecrown soon.
Colossus on the realm The Venture Co.-H has finally downed Anub'arak in ToC 25. They've got a nice big downed picture on their front page, too. Grats!
RECRUITING
Corporal Punishment, a very social Vent-using couple friendly guild on the Grizzly Hills server, is recruiting all classes interested in just having fun, from leveling to raiding. If you are looking for a mature guild without pressure or hang ups, they'll be happy to be your new home.
Comic Relief on Cairne-H is seeking tanks, healers, and some ranged DPS for 5-man heroics and some 10-man raiding. They're a casual, fun-loving guild that's all about having fun -- they want to progress, but it's not the highest priority. Hit up their website if you're interested and want to learn more.
Destiny's Bane is a competitive Horde guild on Skullcrusher that's been around for over four years. Many of their members know each other in RL, and they are actively PvP-ing as well as raiding through Ulduar and ToC. They're currently seeking a boomkin, a DPS death knight, a mage, two rogues, a feral tank, and a holy pally, all players who can make the raid times and have some 25-man raiding experience already.
Circle of Wolves on Spinebreaker-H is recruiting a few more casual raiders for their 10-man raiding team. Adult players that can fit in with the relaxed guild welcome to help them move up from Ulduar off into ToC. They're mainly recruiting ranged DPS, but all classes and roles will be considered. Sign up on the website, and they'll come find you in game.
Burn after Raiding on Cairne-A (winner of this week's Best Guild Name award) is recruiting -- they're focused on 10-man instances, and just starting work on ToC. Shaman and/or druid healers are especially needed. Drama, they say, is an instant /gkick.
Bella Muerte on Dragonmaw-H is recruiting inexperienced players of any level who want to get some experience and nice gear and achievements like all the cool kids. They say they don't care if your DPS is 200 or over 9000, if you're an alt or if you have just started playing. They just want to have fun and learn! You can of course join if you're experienced, but they're not turning away anyone who has a good attitude and wants to have fun as they level up and learn together.
Fallout of Baelgun-A is recruiting to make their push back into ToGC 25. They are a late night raiding guild, and are looking for warlocks, priests and rogues that are mature and dedicated.
Thwack is a relatively new guild on EU Frostmane that's looking for a few more raiders to fill up their 10-man group (or go 25-man if they have the interest). They're mostly an adult guild that logs into enjoy themselves (with both raiding and PvP) after work, and looking for others interested in the same thing. They'll take anyone who fits, but specifically for raiding, a warrior or bear tank would be welcome.
Mutiny on EU Khadgar-A was formed early last year, and they've now cleared out ToC 10 and 25-man, as well as 25-man Yoggy. They're recruiting multiple classes to strengthen up the team for Ulduar and hard modes, and eventually Icecrown 25. They raid three times a week -- if you want to join them, look them up at their site.
Ryuu of Nagrand is a 25man Australian based raiding guild. They raid four nights a week, and are currently working on TotGC and Ulduar hard modes. They are looking for rogues, holy pallies, hunters, and a warrior, druid, or pally tank. If that sounds like you, put an app in on their website.
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!
