Guildwatch: He makes everything better
Can you tell what's so awesome about this picture of Anarchy of Ravencrest's 10-man Yogg Saron down? Nope, it's not the fact that they killed one of the hardest bosses in the game, and it's not even that cool type effect on the title. It's the naked Gnome. Trust us, Horde or Alliance, every guild should have a naked Gnome standing front and center in their kill shot.
Lots of naked Gnome-less downed bosses in this week's Guildwatch (which, we promise, has lots more actual text than the early version you accidentally saw today). We've also got drama and recruiting news as well -- hit the link below to read this week's column.
DRAMA
Here's a piece of good guild news: for instance on Proudmoore recently had their GM turn... a certain age (we'll let him keep that information to himself), and his guildies apparently planned a surprise present for him: they gave him a coupon for a FigurePrints figure before a recent Ulduar raid, printed out complete like an actual ingame item (the figure apparently bestows +100 Spirit, and on display, increases happiness by 100). Very cool -- they all coordinated splitting the cost up together, and they're letting him choose the character and pose, and then buying him the figure. Great gift, great story.
Most of the drama we tend to get here comes from PvE, as that's what most guilds are up to. But every once in a while we see a great PvP story come through, like this one. Instability is a guild on Dath'remar that usually goes in for raiding -- they seem to be working through Ulduar, and have a fairly well-traveled vent server. But the one time they all decided to join up and go in for some PvP, they came up against the guys from Durotar Shoulder Patrol on Barthilas, who were just plain thrilled that they could conquer what they thought was a PvP premade. We have to admit, it's funny from both sides -- not only did Instability get trounced in that BG (and it is kind of funny seeing a whole side of people from one realm in a terrible PvP team, even if they are good raiders), but DSP takes it way too seriously, too.
Gunbusters really wants to join Death Wish, but unfortunately, with hockey taking up most of his time, they're just not interested in having him as a guildie. But he just doesn't seem to get it -- he keeps posting on their forums asking why they refused his app, and then when they've had enough of him there, he takes off to the realm forums to try and fight the good fight there. Still, making fun of a 15-year-old makes even us cold-hearted dramamongers at Guildwatch feel bad, so Gunbusters, if you're listening: you don't need to spend any time raiding. Listen to your mom, run a couple Heroics a week if you have the time, and stick to school and hockey. There are lots more important things to be doing at your age than fighting on the forums, and frankly, it's not helping your spelling much. Stick to school and sports.
Purpose on Argent Dawn has apparently shuttered -- we hear that the "summer boss" has taken them out, and it looks like it's permanent (though obviously the website is still there, so who knows).
Deeps is transferring off of Galakrond, apparently leaving the Horde side of the server in bad shape. On page one, a level 1 alt says all the crappy guilds on the server should combine into one good guild, and on page two, someone from Signify, which is apparently one of the crappy guilds, shows up to hold his own. But even though that little tussle is entertaining, it does seem like the server is in bad shape.
This one's good. Apparently in No Mercy on Undermine, the guild's leaders were selling flasks off from the guild bank to the Auction House, or to the guild's members for cheap, but pocketing the money, or something -- we have no idea what exactly was happening, because it's not made too clear, but apparently the guild's members thought the officers were up to no good, and they called them out over Ventrilo. So why are we telling you? Because they recorded it and posted it with animation (some of it NSFW, be careful) on YouTube. Here's part two. In the officers' defense, the guildie who's accusing them doesn't seem to know what's going on either, just says things don't match up somewhere (and it's very unclear even from the videos just where the flow of money is and why the officers would want to rip off the guild). We would say that if you don't like what the officers are doing, then leave the guild, and apparently that's what the guildies did -- they say on the YouTube page there was an "exodus" soon after.
Our tipster sent this to us under the heading of "How not to apply to a guild," so I looked at this guy's app, and truthfully, I didn't see what was wrong with him right away. Sure, his specs and gear are a little shaky, but those can be fixed. And sure, he didn't answer a few questions, but maybe he was busy -- you can't expect a guy filling out a guild application to do everything, right? (/sarcasm) But then of course, his very NSFW second post shined the light on exactly what was wrong here -- when you start throwing around the obscenity and racist statements in the very second post you put on the guild's forums, odds are you're probably not going to be invited along for a test run.
Finally, a query for you readers: we were sent the story of Legion of Blood on Blood Furnace -- they merged with a guild called Ætérna a while back, and then earlier this summer, their original officers took a few week break, while they went on vacation together. But when they got back into the game, they discovered that Ætérna's former officers had looted the guild bank almost completely, and left the guild to reform their own. They claimed that no one was around, and that they were merely taking back what they'd originally put in (although they did apparently swipe a few enchants after the argument took place). Apparently Legion of Blood is going to be fine -- they say it's a hit, but a short-term one. But here's my question: how long is long enough to consider a guild's leadership afk? If LoB really didn't say that they were coming back (we don't know if they did or not), and if Ætérna really did just mean to take back what they put in (again, we don't know for sure), then how long would they have to wait to think that the guild was done for? Two weeks? A month? Two months? Would you wait longer than that to assume that the guild was your own? Or after a few weeks, would you just figure that the leftover guild bank was yours to do with what you want?
No guild should get blown up without a nice messy drama thread for it, and Dreamcatcher on EU Turalyon-A fortunately fills that need nicely. Someone on the Blizzard forums apparently tried to nuke all of the drama threads we linked to last week, but hopefully they'll leave this one alone, because it's got everything: callouts for all of the guild members, wall-of-text accusations, guildleaders trying to prove that they really do care about the people they're leaving behind, guild bank contents in the hands of people who probably aren't supposed to have them, and tearful goodbyes to the guild: "RIP Dreamcatcher"! If I ever run a big guild someday, and it all blows up in a fireball of drama, this is the way I want it to go out.
DOWNED
Symphony of Pain is a casual Horde guild on Farstriders. They've got OS and VoA on farm, and have two teams clearing out Naxx on a regular basis. They've also got both Flame Leviathan and Razorscale down, with Ignis on notice, and 25-man Naxx is done as well. Congrats!
HOLLYWOOD on Cho'gall has finished off Yogg-Saron, along with hard mode XT, Iron Council ("I choose you Steelbreaker!" they say), FL (3 towers), and are working to take out the Keepers' hard mode as well.
Absoleet (winner of this week's Best Guild Name award) on Tanaris has downed all the tier bosses in Ulduar after raiding 25-man for only three weeks. Vezak was on notice, but he's probably dead by now, so we'll put Yogg on the board for them.
OneTry of Alterac Mountains-A just finished a full guild clear of Naxx 10. Woot! Now they're working on Kologarn and Iron Council and Ignis. They're now recruiting for 25-man Ulduar, and need DPS for the most part, and maybe a healer or tank. Note that the GM and officers all live in Brazil and speak Portuguese as their first language -- apparently they all learned English from playing World of Warcraft.
Shiny of Perenolde is a small guild of close family and friends with only 11 regular raiders, but their achievements aren't small at all: they're leading the server in 10-mans, clearing Naxx just two weeks after starting it, Malygos down, and Sarth 1D as well. They're also racking up achievements in Ulduar, now working on hard modes for XT, Council, and Thorim. Good luck!
Lion's Vigil on Ravenholdt has recently cleared out Naxx 10. They had to recruit a few folks to do it, but they say it went awesome throughout the entire process.
Lëgacy on Destromath is a relatively new guild that nevertheless has just downed Yogg-Saron 10, along with multiple hard modes in Ulduar. They're up to Mimiron in 25-man, and recruiting qualified raiders of all classes for core raiding slots.
Unleashed Chaos' progression 10-man group on Blackhand has downed all the Keepers of Ulduar and they are currently working on General Vezax. They're also recruiting: need geared and dependable raiders for 10/25 progression.
Soviet Murloc on Stormreaver-H had an eventful three days the other week: on Sunday General Vezzax and Yogg-Saron met their end for the first time in 10-man Ulduar, then on Monday they got Undying in Naxx 10. And with a fresh 10-man Ulduar on Tuesday, they downed a two-tower hard mode Flame Leviathan and finished off everybody but Vezax and Yoggy. Nice week's work!
The Knights of Ni (on Dawnbringer) downed General Vezax in two attempts and Yogg-Saron on their first night trying him. Algalon is on notice next, assuming they can get the hard modes they need.
Armageddon of Stormrage dropped Kologarn on 25-man (and they way it was "a wipe kill" as he finished them off as they all died), and then killed Assembly of Iron the very next night. Ignis is on notice, so watch your back, chump!
Soulfire Tribe on Hydraxis finished off General Vezax on 25-man and Yogg-Saron on 10-man. Hard modes are going down, too: three towers on FL, and Cheeze the Freeze is done for a server 3rd. Very nice!
Blood of Innocents on Azjol-Nerub showed up at the Obsidian Sanctum to run their first 25-man, but there was a problem: six people didn't show up. Strangely enough, that didn't stop them -- they still completed the instance, and nabbed the Heroic Less is More achievement on their very first try.
Poseidon, an Alliance guild on Cenarius finished off Yoggy in 25-man, and they say they're looking forward to working on the hard modes. Good luck!
Super Special Awesome on Tanaris dropped Emalon 10-man for the first time. They're a casual raiding guild, so they say this was a big deal: after a few wipes and class swaps, they took him out.
Dead Men Raiding of EU Aszune-A downed General Vezax after a full three weeks of wiping on him. Congrats! Now good luck with the Yoggster (he hates it when we call him that).
Mystic Daggers and Flare of EU Azjol-Nerub have teamed up to drop both Ignis and Kologarn, all after conquering the task of combining guilds and joining up together. Congrats to both guilds, and here's to many more victories.
Virtue, a friend and fun-focused raid guild from Cenarion Circle, is proud to report that they have progressed from Naxx 10, to Naxx 25, and just last week into Ulduar 10. Flame is down with one tower up, and Razorscale, XT, and Kologarn are all downed, too.
Storm Callers of Sen'jin saw their share of deaths at Kel'Thuzad's hands, but they paid him back: he's down. Now he's on farm, and 10-man Ulduar sits on the horizon.
Dirty Little Secret of Nazgrel downed 10-man Freya and Thorim this week. Mimiron is on notice for next time (if he's not already dead yet).
The Firm is a 4 year old casual raid guild over on EU Emerald Dream that finished off Yogg's hard mode to get the Glory of the Ulduar achievement, along with the drakes that come with it. That's four weeks after their first Yogg down, with a bunch of server and Horde firsts along the way. Grats!
Remains of Light, a small high end guild of Elun, killed Yogg-Saron on their third attempt of the evening a few weeks ago. Congrats! Hard modes and Algalon are up next.
RECRUITING
Jenova's Witnesses is a 10-man casual raiding guild that's been around since a bit before BC came out. and they are not a religious guild: they took their name from a VG Cats comic, with Scott Ransoomair's blessing. They're working on Mimiron in Ulduar, and are seeking a few more members, since two of their officers are set to have a baby soon. Check the website for more, and to apply.
Last Attempt on Icecrown-A is recruiting for a push into 25-man Ulduar. They only formed in February, but are already among the first 15 guilds on the server to finish off Yogg-Saron on 10-man. The quest line to Algalon is already opened in that difficulty, so 25-man is up next, and they need strong ranged DPS and healers of all types to continue making progress. They're adults-only guild with no DKP or attendance, though you will need to be around to raid at least four times a week.
Draconic Order, a ten man guild on Dragonblight, is recruiting for 10-man Ulduar and the Crusaders' Coliseum. They're mainly seeking hybrids, both tank/DPS and healer/DPS, but all classes are welcome to apply.
Death By Design on Nesingwary-H is looking for dedicated, team-oriented individuals to join their new raiding team. They're a casual and fun guild with a serious raiding mindset that just recently transferred to the server and are building a new raiding team. Most classes and specs are welcome, and all apps will be considered, so give them a look.
Exiled From Hell (Runetotem-H) is currently recruiting exceptional adult raiders for hard mode farming and progression. They are rated #1 on the server in progression and achievements and are one of the top daytime raiding guilds in the game. They're about 4/8 on hard modes, have gotten drakes for most of their players, and even picked up a legendary mace so far. If you're interested in joining, get more info and/or fill out an app on the website.
South Sea Buccaneers on Onyxia is a relaxed guild that started out as a group of RL friends but has grown to conquer 10-man endgame content. They are 10/14 in Ulduar 10, up through Hodir, Thorim, and Freya and are looking for two more reliable Ulduar-ready players to complete the 10-man core: a healer -- ideally a Disc Priest, Resto Shaman, or Holy Paladin -- and an OT.
Moonlight Shadow on Nathrezim-H is recruiting Holy Paladins, and Priests, Shamans, and Druids of all specs. They're a fun and casual guild "looking to bust through raids like the Kool-aid man busts down walls." PvP premades are also a possibility, and alt-o-holics and achievement hogs are welcomed as well.
Rancor of Kael'thas is an established 25-man raiding guild on Kael'thas that formed in May 2008. They are looking for a Shadow Priest and Elemental Shaman for permanent raid spots and are currently 7/14 in Ulduar. They are serious about raid progression, but also like to just have fun and realize that it's all just a game. We especially like this one: They say the drama belongs in Guildwatch, not in their guild. That's right!
Plays Well With Others on Runetotem-A is recruiting. They're a casual raiding guild that raids twice a week on weekends, and are currently 11/14 in Ulduar 10 and 5/14 in Ulduar 25. If you're interested in helping them round out the 25-man crew, look them up.
That's it for this week's GW. You can send us your tips about drama, downed, or recruiting news happening on your realm to guildwatch AT wow dawt com. 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!
