We've come upon the time we most dreaded here at GW: when guilds are done with the old endgame, and not quite yet into the new endgame. The drought will be over in a week or two (and actually, we've still got lots of news after the break anyway), but in the meantime, if you're one of the few guilds breaking into the new endgame (or especially know about some good post-BC drama), please do drop us an email at wowguildwatch@gmail.com. We have a feeling that thanks to the expansion and the holidays, it's going to get slow, so the more news you've got for us, the better.

Meanwhile, find this week's downed, drama, and recruiting (lots of recruiting news this week) news from around the realms all over the break. And have a great Turkey day from all of us at GW!

• EU Darkspear's 25 man raid progress thread only takes a page or two to turn bad. Random Violence isn't too pleased about Gistii's (of Valiance) attitude, and it all goes on from there. By page 3, they're looking up Gistii's Armory.
• Bane of Staghelm has split up (or at least that's what our tipster says -- apparently 90% of the guild /gquit all in one night. After months of bickering and grief from the GM that was, we hear, never there nor on time for raids, most of Bane has finally split off into Ruinous, a guild run by a team of officers instead. Either Bane's GM will take this as a message and get his raiding guild back into gear, or he'll give up (we would) and the rest of the Bane folks will have to find a new home.
• Templars of Azeroth on Arygos have apparently died. They were up to 300 members... until they "imploded" last year. Apparently the GM is MIA, and the guild is apparently disbanding -- members who put stuff in guild banks are getting it back in preparation for a door closing, we hear.
• We got a lot of "server first" notices here at GW this week (most of which aren't really worth posting). But here's one that's interesting: the GM of Knights Who Say Ni on Gnomeregan-A was the first player on the server to get into Dalaran, and then used the Arena queue to get the rest of the guildies into the city. The next player to step foot in live Dalaran on that server wasn't until four hours later. Way to... set your hearthstone first?
• Tre Lowen on EU Hellfire-A just wanted to show off their shiny new website. Cool?
• Envin from Shattered Hand (who a tipster accused of being a ninja last week) fessed up to our inbox this week -- he did it. At least, he did take some things from the guild bank that didn't belong to him. But he says it wasn't his fault -- due to circumstances out of his control (he had to work), he couldn't raid after the GM moved the raid times behind his back. So he took the entire guild bank, 65% of which, he says, was his. You can decide whether that was called for or not. But here's the interesting part: Blizzard actually passed out a three day ban, and on top of that, they took his 300 riding skill away. That's news to me -- I didn't know Blizzard was banning for guild bank ninjas, and I have never heard of them taking away skills or items for breaking "social" rules like ninjaing. Very interesting.
• OMG PIE on Mal'Ganis apparently got "blacklisted" by someone, so they're blacklisting the whole Scilla server. Take that, Scilla. Make sure to read page 3, especially the three conclusions Calamitous Intent comes to.

• Gallium Lore on EU Boulderfist finished up the Burning Crusade with a bang: after a bit of trying, they downed him to nab a guild and server first. Nice job -- see you at 80.
• Eonar's "Stoners" (winner of this week's Best Guild Name award) have downed bosses all the way up to RoS in BT. They're also recruiting mature players interested in having some fun social competitions as well -- they're having a 100g screenshot competition this month.
• Pinnacle of Nagrand finally achieved their last two BC goals this week: dropping Vashj and one-shotting both Naj'entus and Supremus just before the expansion forced an end to BT runs for good. Grats!
• Defenders of Valhalla on Durotan-A downed the Mother and The illidari Council on their last week of raiding (for BC or forever?). Good finish to a good endgame.
• Bone Brigade on Lightninghoof-H has beaten the game before the launch of Wrath! Illidari Council and Illidan went down just a week before the expansion release, not long after Mother Sharaz.
• Scions of Proteus (EU Nagrand) finally got Kael'thas down in a long and undergeared fight. They also headed to MH before Northrend, and picked up 2/5. They're recruiting as well: if you want to get serious in the Wrath endgame and be social, look them up.
• Mutiny on EU Khadgar-A downed Illidan (who apparently wasn't ready post-lolpatch). They're recruiting on the website right now.
• Endless Shadow of Azjol Nerub took down three bosses in BT and two in SSC before Wrath hit the shelves. Grats.
• Risen of Proudmoore cleared Naxx 25 for a realm first, at the very least! Grats!
• Vindication on Korielstraz has downed the 25 man Naxx Spider wing plus Instructor Razuvious on their first night of raiding as a 25 man group.

• Saviors of Northrend on Shadowmoon is a Horde casual raiding guild looking for players for new 10 and 25 man content. They're looking to build a solid 10 man team then move to 25 man as numbers will allow.
• Orion, on Eonar, is a family oriented guild that runs 5 mans most nights. They are recruiting all levels, and have a dedicated group of 70s who will help you reach level 70, and 80 soon. If you're looking for a casual guild, and believe in having fun and staying active in the game, look them up.
• The Pillage People on EU Trollbane-H are recruiting. They are a group of players who rerolled with the intention of raiding in WotLK. They are looking for people who want to progress in 25 man raiding at 80. Go to the website to apply, or to get more information.
• The Horde Initiative on Hellscream is recruiting 5 DPS for 25mans in Wrath of the Lich King. They just had their first year anniversary and are seeking more players like them: experienced 18+ raiders.
• Silent Lucidity on Baelgun-A has opened up recruiting. They're a casual guild that enjoys instances nightly, invites alts, and has a nice steady progression in raiding. Don't need to raid to join, but should be a mature player.
• Og of Burning Legion is currently recruiting Sunwell-geared players to fill some minor gaps in their 25 man raiding roster. They need a few more to push forward towards level 80 raids, including a Resto Shaman and Resto Druid, a Holy Priest and Pally, and an Enhancement Shaman. Please have Sunwell experience, be min/maxed as much as possible, and be ready to raid three times a week.
• The Witches of the Highlands on Sentinels is looking for serious RPers. Their circle is a tightly knit splinter faction from The Church of the Dark Mind. They occasionally organize RP events, including dungeons, raids, and intermingling with other guilds. "So if you're willing to deal with a raging Banshee of a guildmaster, a gutsy Hunter, and one VERY insane Death Knight, then we will gladly accept you." We have no idea what that means -- crazy RPers.
• Reported on Kil'jaeden-H is recruiting for raids in WotLK. They moved over from Carine a little while ago, and are looking to expand. Player skill, reliability, and organization are prioritized over class/spec/gear. They raid four nights a week, and are particularly interested in healers.
• Leviathan of Terenas is in the process of building a strong guild with good core values, fairness, and enjoyment for all members. At this time all classes and specs are open for new members.
• War Ensemble on Silver Hand is recruiting a Paladin Tank and a Feral Druid, as well as a few good healers or DPS if they're worth it.
• Conquest on Ner'zhul-A wondered why Guildwatch was gone, but it's been here every week -- we're not going anywhere, baby. Oh, and they're also looking for some good ranged DPS 9or other classes, if you're good and ready, for 25 man raiding.
• Extend on EU Stormrage-H is looking for a Restoration Druid, two Mages and one Holy Priest to help venture into the 25man content. They have already cleared 10man Naxxramas and Obsidian Sanctum and are aiming for Malygos next. They're seeking players that are preferrably above 18, level 80, dedicated, mature, knowledgable about their class and focused.
• Currahee on Quel'dorei is a casual guild that's looking to retain some high level characters -- while they really enjoy doing late game 5 mans, they're losing a lot of folks to raiding groups and guilds. No drama, they're just wondering how to keep a solid instancing group without losing people to raiding. Maybe have both groups going at the same time? Any advice, commenters?

Tags: burning-crusade, burningcrusade, downed, drama, guild, guilds, guildwatch, naxxramas, news, raiding, realms, recruiting

Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Guilds, Odds and ends, Blizzard, Humor, Raiding, Wrath of the Lich King