Here’s a new trend in World of Warcraft my guild has experienced: Cafeteria-style Guild Membership.
I’ll explain with a story.
Late last week, post-Burning Crusade launch as you know, I was in one of the 60-noob instances with a group of guildmates. I had a lot of real life hurdles last week so I’m very much bringing up the rear in guildmember leveling. Consequently, when I say one of the 60-noob instances, I mean me because the rest of them have done those instances 42,000 times.
Anyways, we were about to commence a’killin’ when one of guild priests sent me a tell complaining about her woes in leveling and grouping with guildmembers. You know me, I’m all about sucking off the priests because we’re going to need them later … so I (for once) actually read her tells and responded.
Examples:
She hates leveling. Me: Amen.
She’s having a hard time soloing. Me: You still holy? Respec to shadow. (fucking duh.)
WoW Tutorial for the non-WoW: The shadow talents are the big DPS abilities for priests. And when I say big, I mean a shadow priest is a frightening thing to behold.
But she enjoys being the group/guild healer and wants to stay holy specced. Me: Respec to shadow. (fucking duh.)
Ohhhh Foton, she’s just not a shadow priest. Me, thinks: Fine, be stubborn and suffer.
She’s not well liked in this guild like I am and has a hard time finding groups. Me: Not true. (And it’s not true, me = well-liked is also debatable.)
Anyhow, she’s going to go off on her own and solo through the levels and hopes there’s still a spot for her in the guild when we’re all level 70. Me, thinks: Not without shadow you’re not solo’ing. Me, said: Err, huh?
She doesn’t want me to tell anyone, not that anyone would even ask cuz she’s not liked. Me: WTF, I’m going to have to say something, everyone will see the /gquit message and ask.
Please Foton. Also, she wants to keep a lowbie Draenei shaman in the guild so she can still see our guildchat from time to time. Me, thinks: Sure thing, your highness. Me, said: Ok.
Me, thinks: Please let this conversation be over.
So that’s how it stood last week. Her priest, THE CHARACTER WE’RE INTERESTED IN, is unguilded and her noob shaman is guilded so she can see guild chat. A guild she suspects doesn’t like her. Made no sense at all.
The weekend arrived and finally, I’m done jumping over real life hurdles and can spend some serious time knocking down experience points. Goddamn guild teenagers are mid to upper 60s and I’m still dicking around in Honor Hold. The shame of it!
Within ten minutes, the priest jumped me with a tell, something like how am I, but I know better than to answer that because that just leads to a long explanation of how she is and she is never good or fine. Also, she needs help with an instance, could I help?
Now it’s time for me to put my money where my mouth is — I made a big speech about guildmembers helping the lesser DPS-endowed get to 70 — here was my chance to prove my point. Sigh.
I /who’d her to find out which instance we might be talking about, and get this: She’s guilded with another guild, not a raiding rival, but one of those friend-type guilds.
WTF, how did “I want to be on my own” turn into “Hi, I’m guilded with these other people”? And she thought I was going to jet out to an instance and help her new and improved guild work through an instance? I don’t think so. My speech DEFINITELY did not apply to that situation.
And I explained exactly that. Then she explained that she had cleared it with our Guild Leader, which I found very hard to believe as he’s Old Skool EQ and most Old Skool EQ people don’t put up with a lot of shit … like choosing where and when you want to be guilded with a raiding guild. I mean, you are either with us or you’re not. And you’re definitely not going to give us your shit shaman while the primo priest is in bed with another guild.
As it turned out, our Guild Leader HAD ok’d that … under the duress of a 90-minute conversation with her. Well … I would have folded too in that situation.
Hey, it’s a brave new world (of warcraft), we’ve got to adapt. But my line in the sand is this: Your new guild can help you. Once you drop our guild tag, my obligation to help is officially over.
Later on in the weekend, one of our alt warlocks sent a tell asking for help with his epic mount in Dire Maul. I really don’t think my speech applied to that situation either, PLUS, he wanted help from my alt priest for that. Annoying. I checked out the online roster to see who else we could force into helping.
Waitaminute, how come the alt warlock can’t ask in guildchat himself for help? Because he’s guilded in another guild right now too. It’s a goddamn epidemic.
His main (the kinda-primo warrior) is still guilded with us, but his alt (the kinda-shit warlock) is with another. His warrior, level 60; his warlock, level 62. Seems like the warrior is on the shelf and the warlock is the new and improved him.
I looked through the guild roster, checking the offline/online membership and found another jagscratcher with the primo character in another guild and the shit alts still in ours. First of all, when did these people sneak a /gquit and second, what in the hell can they be thinking?
I’ll tell you what they’re thinking. They’re thinking they can keep one foot in our door and do a triumphant return when it’s loot time. We’re the old girlfriend while they’re sexoring a new, future girlfriend. Also, could we please send down a guild team to help their new guild do shit? Fuck. That.
And that was indeed the officers’ conclusion: Fuck. That. And each partially-guilded account was booted unceremoniously from the guild one by one, except for the Needy Priest, because frankly, no one wanted to spend 90 minutes comforting her and exploring feelings and whatever else she might need.
And so our roster inches ever closer to an appropriate post-Burning Crusade raid force without getting our hands very dirty at all. Or bloody, as the case may be.
BONUS! We’re feeding more members to the recently formed Guild Full of Members Who Hate Our Guild, but that’s a story for another day.
Amazing how everyone thinks the whole world should line up to give them whatever they want, while they have no obligations to anyone but themselves.
Wish I could sympathize, but our guild is having the exact opposite problem. We recently took on not only pretty much a whole other guild, but a whole other server. We have been asking OM (original members) to gquit on alts they don’t play much because we are getting dangerously close to the 500 mark (which breaks the roster yay). Yes…you read that correctly, when most are streamlining in preparation for 25 mans, we have taken on enough yammerers, whiners, orphans, transfers, unguildables and downright strangers to fuck up 10 raids.
Just goes to show that peopl are no different in a stupid game then they are in real life. In fact – I think they’re worse in a game because they don’t have to face the people they’re screwing.
I was in one of those “Union of two guilds for the betterment of both” guilds and in the expansion we resplit our forces and have seen the return of many long gone but not forgotten friends. Its funny, they weren’t interested in us while the loot was good, they were more interested in playing with people who weren’t asshats. So when we banished the asshats (the other guild), lo and behold, they show. Quite a positive turn for us.
Also, we’ve had alot of the “I’m tired of raiding my *insert class here* and I’m switching to my alt”. Its worked out alright as people can gear themselves incredibly quickly to “better than main” status, but we’ve suddenly come up with quite a shortage of warriors. Go Go Bear Tank!
Don’t take this the wrong way, but maybe what this boils down to is that your guild is powerful but not fun. When content is new you want to experience it in a fun way. When you’re maxed out and the content is meh, then you need a big raiding guild…which is productive but not fun.
You’re right. There’s a lot about a raiding guild that is not fun.
See, my guild is requiring us to have the same spec leveling as we would have at end game. I’m a priest, which means, I’m holy/disp and … boy does leveling such. But, it’s really nice when you can quest with someone else. Last night we didn’t have any groups going, so I followed around one of our mages all night .. got a full level almost. So it’s possible ..
/boggle.
What possible purpose could that serve? I mean, whether I agree with it or not, I understand the reasons behind requiring someone to be a specific spec for raids, but what does it matter at all what spec you are when not raiding?
Even if you wanted to run to the talent guy and respec before and after every raid, how would that ever be any of their business?
Jen, I’m sorry, but that is just rediculous. How on earth could your guild justify that? And why would you comply with something so absurd. I am shadow spec and can still heal groups just fine (I do have great healing gear). The good thing about being a priest is that, even if you spec shadow you don’t lose your heals. A few are a bit slower, and yes, they are smaller, but it is still very much doable. I did my time leveling holy and I wouldn’t wish that on anyone. Spec shadow and save your sanity before it is too late. 😉 Having to rely on other people to level you isn’t fair to you.
I’m lucky to have found a raiding guild that’s a lot of fun. Granted we don’t progress as fast as other guilds I’ve been in, but people > gear.
My son is a day of effort away from level 70. I think it’s sick! I get that he loves raiding but in a couple of months it’s going to feel like the same ole crap. But that’s coming from somone who left the guild when they tried for force raiding down my throat too much.
I’m not into alts so the journey the first time is important to me. Is raiding really that much fun to others that they’re willing to race to it, knowing that there won’t be any significant increases in new content again until the next xpac? And that’s a year off if we’re lucky. I think the guild churning is a result of some people pushing to 70, while others want to cruise to it but are afraid of losing their uber raid slots, so they’re trying to keep one toe in the water.
Saylah,
I think it comes down to what part of the game you enjoy. For me, the best part is the raiding, and especially progression style raiding before all the strats are known. Being ahead of the pack so to speak. I realize this is not for everyone, but it is how I choose to spend my time in the game. Leveling is not the fun part for me. Exploring every little nook and cranny…not so much. For some reason being part of a “team” of people working to overcome an encounter does it for me. So finding a guild that meshes with your idea of fun in the game is key. I have that, and I hope you found one that suits your play style as well.
I just spent the entire weekend cooking, fishing and mining (levelling everything apart from my level… lol) so that I can ‘experience’ as much as possible of whatever comes after the penninsula (I don’t even know…) I don’t understand how everyone can race past all this new exciting content… I even know someone who’s bored before they got to 70? But then, I’ve never been a huge fan of competition, and I know plenty of people who would get the same satisfaction being ahead of their friends in every way possible…
Oooh and I left my guild again last night. Our ex-guild leader trained them well. To get as much personal gain from the guild as possible and screw everyone else.
Seriously. I can imagine the close-to-70’s don’t wanna waste valuable levelling time to help the ‘lazy nubs’, but when there ARE enough appropriate levelled players to go instance, they take them when they’re sposed to be making a group with us? What gives? Whilst whinging I also found mains being denied books in favour of the More Elite Alts… whatever.
/whinge over (sorry about that. I feel better now.)
LF Guild!