There's all kinds of raiding guilds and some are more Business-oriented than others. I hear horror stories of the raid leaders in the more serious raiding guilds, and I don't doubt for a second that they would actively poach from the lower ranking guilds in the server. Whether it's ethical or not is a non-factor for them, as those guilds tend to be populated by only hardened raiders and such considerations are "for the weak." People with less play time and more concerns about such topics are weeded out and replaced with the mercenaries. The goal is to get as many people with the greatest budget of raiding time as possible, and they'll generally do whatever to accomplish it.

On the other hand, there are a number of very decent guilds run by good people, although they generally don't progress as fast as the jerks. But I can guarantee you that their members are nicer to each-other, more considerate in every respect and better acquainted. They're more likely to have fun and do fun things rather than strictly profitable activities and respect the beliefs of others such as respectful language, making sacrifices on drops and sharing materials, for instance.

One thing I noticed is that occasionally when I was pugging, I'd be invited to a run and hop on vent with a bunch of players from some top-end raiding guild. The whole time they were cursing (way too much) and bitching about childish petty disagreements and talking trash about other players. Sometimes they're even talking about other guilds and how to get into them. I just know that I wouldn't want those types in a guild I ran. Guild-hoppers aren't good for anybody but themselves and they'll see the endgame... but only amongst the throngs of cold and calculating hardcore who won't blink to permanently replace your anonymous raid slot should your play time slacken or real life concerns pull you out of the game.

Your mileage may vary, and for every example I've given there's some guild out there with a screaming raid leader who raid 30+ hours a week and are farming Archimonde, then they get together afterwards and bake cookies and give each other their void crystals and buy each other epic flying mounts entirely of their own independent volition.

In my opinion, and as is my experience, recruiting "upstream" should be about making friends and eventually earning your role and paying your dues. That's the best way to earn the respect of your peers and to be accepted as a valued player begrudging as few as possible in the process. Application-based recruiting initiated by the applicant maintains a level playing field and a sensible DKP system works to reward effort, tenure and contribution. Grandfathering invites breeds resentment and loot councils discourage new members, uncouth language and borderline sociopathic raid dictatorship virtually destroys the atmosphere of comaradere necessary to building bonds that hold guilds together through tough times. Success may suffer, but your members will forgive you for it and won't quit at the drop of a hat.

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