Guildwatch: It's our raid now

This is purely anecdotal, of course (everything is with this column), but it seems to us that there are fewer incidents of drama nowadays after Wrath (probably due to changes with the endgame and the loot), but the few incidents out there are much harsher. Take this pic as exhibit A -- it's an instance ninja, which happens occasionally, but it's a very unrepentant instance ninja. People aren't jerks to each other as much (because presumably they have less opportunity to do so), but people who are jerks... are really big jerks.
That's what we've seen anyway -- if you've seen otherwise, let us know: send your drama, downed and recruiting news to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. This week's guild updates after the break, including some awesome TLDR drama, and lots and lots of new guild downs.
That's what we've seen anyway -- if you've seen otherwise, let us know: send your drama, downed and recruiting news to wowguildwatch@gmail.com. This week's guild updates after the break, including some awesome TLDR drama, and lots and lots of new guild downs.
DRAMA
- Us Vs Them on Tichondrius was mentioned a few weeks ago due to a recent merger that was causing some issues, but the GM emailed us to say that it's much ado about nothing -- it's not their first merger and things will be fine eventually. That's usually how things work out. They completed Arachnid and the Vault this week, and they're recruiting for a few more 25-man raiders, especially healers and DPS.
- This isn't actually drama, but it is a little funny thread on what it's like being a GM. Love your GM, people. Sure, they just might ninja the guild bank, and odds are they're going to promote that Rogue you hate instead of you, but in the end, they're usually the ones holding the guild together. And if they do ninja the bank and break everything up, make sure and tell us about it, won't you?
- Horde on Ravenholdt apparently rocked it, taking down the Alliance leaders not once but twice in one day. Alliance on that server, what say you? On the other side of things, Shadow Council Alliance killed the Horde there. Nice to see war is healthy on the realms.
- Instance ninja: Vigilance of Infinitum on Perenolde apparently nabbed a Naxx run of PuG folks on the server -- he BoP'ed the tank twice, and after they caught and kicked him the second time, he somehow filled out a raid and took over the instance, as you can see in the tell above. The GM of Infinitum shows up in the thread and says he'll look into it, but also says he won't be kicking anyone. It's up to you, Perenolde, whether you want to blacklist the whole guild or not.
- You know any time a post starts with "I don't like drama, but...", it's going to be good. It's almost not even worth summarizing, but here you go: Kyouya had a guild called bg six cuties and decided to join up instead with a bigger guild called Expletus, both on Aegwynn. Binkz, the leader of Expletus, turns out to be on a power trip, frustrations boil to the brim and are pushed over by some weird looting, and Kyouya decides to /gquit and post it all in a long (long!) screed on the forum. The funniest thing is that, despite that first sentence, this is exactly what drama is: people taking something that's not serious way too seriously. We're talking saved screenshots, cross-referencing, he said she said, and lots and lots of words. If only these guys put this much effort into, you know, the actual game, they'd all have the loot they wanted and then some.
- Another name change: Robster Craws of Twisting Nether were forced to change their name by the GMs. Which makes us think the guild at the top of our downed section might want to watch their backs.
- Forever Frozen on Argent Dawn said "need/greed" was the rule of the day... until some loot they actually wanted dropped. And after they got called out on it, they didn't even bother trying to compensate the lost loot. What a bunch of jerks. Later in the thread they claim it wasn't a PuG run, just a guild run with some extra random folks. Which is, actually, a PuG run. If there was confusion about the loot rules, that's one thing, but there wasn't in this case: they said one thing and did another. Nice.
- Instability has reportedly lived up to their name and lost three officers. But the guild shows up fast and claims it's not true -- doth they protest too much?
- /gkicked for PuGing outside of Tribo on Nagrand. Is it fair? No. But if that's the rules of the guild, that's kind of what you have to do. If that's really what happened, you're probably better off without them.
- Brade Frurry of Thrall has successfully downed both Arachnid and Plague quarters of Heroic Naxx onback to back nights. Obsidian Sanctum and Vault of Archaron are next, so we'll put ObsSanct on notice for you all.
- Archetype's (server?) Group A recently downed KT in Naxx 10, and Group B is now 12/15 Naxx 10 having downed Gluth last night. The guild at large is 12/15 Naxx 25 with kills over Grobbulus and Gluth before the reset this week. 10-man Malygos has also dropped, and they're currently making progress on Sanctum 25-man with the adds up. Rock on.
- War Ensemble on Silver Hand-A has cleared out Spider wing in Naxx, downed Patchy, Grobby, and Noth. They're also recruiting for a strong 25-man team.
- PUG Life and Soul Assassins on Kargath-H downed the 10 man version of Sartharion. Grats!
- Ashes of Serenity of EU Ravenholdt-H downed C'Thun with the help of two lovely mercenaries from their fellow Horde members. The Twin Emperors caused the most headache really, but they were vanquished in the end. Plus most of the members received AQ beetle mounts which will never be used again, ever, since the guild says they'd rather die than go back into AQ. The guild is recruiting -- retro raids are done for fun, but the real endgame (with a little RPing) is what they're really around for.
- Devotion of Bronzebeard-A cleared Naxxramas on their second night in. Most bosses were one-shot, with a few two-shots. Kel'thuzad took six tries ("darn Frost Blast on the offtank when he had the beetles," they say, "and too many melee dps freezing others around Kel"), but was eventually dropped like a rock.
- POWER on Bonechewer-H has fully cleared Naxx 10-man before the reset last week, and by now they may have even tried the 25-man by now. They have 40 level 80s at the moment, but they're still seeking some level 80 healers.
- Shadow Storm on EU Argent Dawn had a little mixup the other night -- the trash in Naxx 10 was really, really hard, and they took almost two hours to get to the first boss. Looking over the tactics, they couldn't figure out why things weren't working -- until they'd realized that they'd been in the 25-man Naxx the whole time. Clearing Naxx in the normal version, they say, was much easier.
- Cake or Death on Runetotem-H says that if I post this I might finally get my Mr. Pinchy. I sure hope so: "On our first night in Naxx we took down the Arachnid quarter. Also, we are always looking for more and we are a casual guild so no strict rules about play time." C'mon Mr. Pinchy, you crabby bastard.
- LONGINOUS (server?), a guild made up of co-workers and close friends downed their first raid content together this past weekend (Sartharion-10 Man), so their Guild Leader sent along a "grats!" for all their hard work.
- and stupid friends on EU Eonar-H made up on their promise to down Sapphiron and Kelthuzad by doing exactly that. Sartharion even got one-shotted. Malygos is on notice next.
- Aspirant on Garona finished off Arachnid and Sapphiron 10 man, and killed 25 man Plague, Arachnid, and Military, as well as Archavon and the Sanctum. Very nice job.
- The Flying Cirkus of EU Kul Tiras took out Kel'thuzad the other night. They'd been tumbling with him for a while, but got him down first try that night. Malygos is on notice for next time.
- Death Row of Agamaggan is happy to report that this past week they were able to finish 10-man Naxx with a one-shot on Kel'thuzad, and also one-shot the entire 10-Man Obsidian Sanctum. Grats!
- Fear the Wrath on Rexxar-A has been rolling through the endgame -- their latest conquer is the Arachnid and Plague quarters and Patchwerk. Archavon also got dropped, and they're recruiting, too -- check the website for more info.
- Kaizen on Hydraxis downed 10-man Sartharion, and cleared out the Arachnid Quarter, the Plague Quarter, and Patchwerk.
- Mutiny on EU Khadgar-A has cleared all 10 man Naxx content and rolled through all 25 man Naxx content except: Thaddius, Saphiron and Kelthuzad (so we're putting them on notice for next time. They're also accepting applications, click the link to apply.
- Defiant on Nagrand took their first shot at the new endgame last week, and rolled it: 14/15 in Naxx, Sartharion, and Archavon all downed.
- The Hand of Lothar on Farstriders were moving right along prior to the WotLK drop: they went from being on Gruul and Hydross to Archimonde and Illidan. Then they leveled up, and when the 10th man dinged 80, they went into Naxx and downed Arachnid and Plague, and have now also finished off Raz and Patch, Obsidian Sanctum and Archavon. Just recently the 25th person dinged 80, so they're headed to 25 mans soon.
- Final Stage is a new Horde raiding guild on the Bloodscalp server. They're starting out small, but headed for 10 mans and need two or three good healers to help kickstart raiding. Bloodscalp is healer-free at the moment, so transfers are welcome -- check out their temporary site if you want to join up and do some endgame raiding.
- Alpha Wolves on Arathor is a casual guild with a couple of veterans, but mostly are casual players still working their way up the leveling ladder. They're almost to Outland, but eventually they want to do all of the dungeons, so if you're interested in moving at your own pace and seeing all of the old content, they might be just the guild for you.
- The Herd on Stormscale-H says their cousin Roman hasn't joined up yet but they're still "a pretty fun social/raiding guild none-the-less," and they're recruiting right now.
- zero chance on Silvermoon had a little falling out among the leadership lately, and dropped down in numbers a bit, but they're aiming to build back up. They need healers especially, and if you're 75+, they'll help you up to 80, as they want to start rolling the endgame ASAP.
- Forgotten Legends (server?) is a no-drama guild with a relaxed atmosphere, all about playing for the fun of it. They're always looking for like-minded people, they say.
- Battlestar on EU Thunderhorn is currently recruiting a Disc Priest, Enhancement Shaman, a Magee and 1 BM Hunter for 10 and 25 man raiding. Naxx10 has been cleared except for Sapphiron and Kel'thuzad, and Naxx25 is currently starting up with the Plague wing cleared in the first week. They are aiming at 3 nights a week raiding plus some offnights for 10mans.
- Syndiblitz (server?) is seeking class leaders of all kinds, to help with raiding and help get newer players up to speed. They are also seeking more players in general, casual players welcomed. 5-man content runs of the endgame instances will start in January, with 25-man content by February if all goes well.
- Legio Fidelis (who we featured in our drama section a few weeks ago for making fun of new players -- but only because the newbie wouldn't actually apply to the guild in English) is currently looking for all classes in their late 70s and 80s interested in raiding. They're an Alliance side guild on Scarlet Crusade whose members are competitive, self-reliant, mature players who are dedicated to defeating bosses quickly and conquering as much content as they possibly can within nine hours a week. Oh, and yes, they do want your app in English, with the spelling at least attempted correctly.
- I PULL AGGRO of Boulderfist-H is open for recruitment. The guild was formed by 10 real life friends who "have been playing Warcraft...for a while to say the least." With the release of Wrath, they're aiming to be a raiding guild. They're looking for players of all levels who want to keep it clean and casual while working together and having fun. Look them up in game if you're interested.
- Uncrushable on the Arygos realm is recruiting. They're looking for Shamans, Druids, and Rogues but other classes are accepted upon officer review.
- The Grimreapers on Blackwater Raiders is seeking to add to an already wonderful bunch. They're in Naxx and the other endgame raids, with Heroics every day, but they're looking to fill out another run. Primarily need Priests and Shaman, but healers especially, and good DPS and tanks are welcome as well.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Virtual selves, Humor, Raiding, Guildwatch






Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ctmackenn Dec 23rd 2008 7:08PM
Syndiblitz is on the new Grizzley Hills Server
Matt Dec 23rd 2008 8:27PM
Syndiblitz has the most terrible guild leader and group leader I have ever seen.
RetPallyJil Dec 23rd 2008 7:37PM
Ha! I've been telling people that Infinitum are fools for a while. Maybe everyone will believe me now.
dejoblue Dec 23rd 2008 8:32PM
Nephilim on Akama downed Thaddius and 2 shot Saph 25 last night. KT to 60%. KT and Maly on notice for devastation after Christmas.
Plastic Rat Dec 23rd 2008 8:41PM
With regard to the first topic, the instance ninja. Why is Blizzard not simply outright banning these fools?
They have 11.5 million subscribers. One person who's this much of a jerk is going to negatively impact the gameplay of everyone else he encounters. He's obviously going to go out of his way to be a dick.
So just BAN the guy for being a dick. 1) you send a message. Don't be a dick. 2) It gets one more dick out of the community, making it a nicer place 3) if he wants to come back and pay for a new account, maybe he'll learn not to be a dick next time?
How difficult is this concept?
Clbull Dec 23rd 2008 9:49PM
I agree with you, didn't Blizzard say that they were going to start taking action against those who steal raid IDs?
Plastic Rat Dec 23rd 2008 10:10PM
Didn't hear about that, but they will probably instead implement some horrific system that's buggy as hell and/or inconveniences everyone in order to stop it instead.
Blizzard seems to be so terrified of offending the kiddies and jerks that they'll rather just inconvenience everyone else.
Point is, Blizzard has the right to ban anybody as they see fit. In fact giving a reason for it is a courtesy. They own the game. You pay them to use it. At any point they want they can stop accepting your money to play the game. That's what a ban is.
Nobody has a 'right' to play the game.
I say start using that. Instead of implementing hundreds of systems to put digital padding around all the idiots, simply teach people to stop being dicks.
Were you being a dick to somebody? Ok, you don't get to play with the other kids anymore until you grow up.
A couple of bans will save them a lot more money than losing other players due to griefing as well as having to design and implement a whole bunch of new features to stop it.
my2cents Dec 23rd 2008 10:50PM
The last I heard anything about instance ninjas from Blizz was in the beginning of TBC and if I'm remembering correctly the response was something like, "That's the risk you take when you PuG raids." Perhaps I've just been eating too many paint chips, but I'm pretty sure that was the gist of it.
Jim Dec 24th 2008 11:41AM
They did have a laissez-faire approach to this for most of BC. But a few months ago they reversed course on raid ID theft and bank ninjas and asked that people report them. This was reported with much fanfare and rejoicing on WI.
Elexya Dec 23rd 2008 9:04PM
Archetype is on Archimonde server.
Balius Dec 23rd 2008 8:45PM
Is "Engrish" racism now? Seems kind of...tangentially directed and mild. Also true, since Japanese speakers of English do have trouble dealing with the fact that English has two sounds when they have one pulling double duty, that shows up in writing.
It makes me wonder if French people make fun of Americans because of the stupid phrases we memorize in the process of learning French.
RetPallyJil Dec 23rd 2008 8:55PM
Où est Didier?
À la piscine.
Mom: Michel, Anne ... travaillez-vous?
Kids: Uh, no - nous regardons la télévision, pourquoi?
Mom: Le Duponts arrivent dans une heure!
Joonces Dec 24th 2008 9:20AM
@RetPallyJill
S'il tu plait, maman. Encore cinq minutes!
(Please excuse the french spelling. It's been many years.)
Hanako Dec 24th 2008 12:42PM
Robster Craws on TN is also the pet of "Peench" - one of those Trade Channel Monkeys that just spits inane comments (like ASCII Art) and has his fanboys back him up. They don't have a problem being vulgar and abrasive, so I'm sure they referenced their guild title in someway to make it directly offensive and hence got reported.
Of course, now they just have one more thing to complain about in global channels. I just wish my ignore list was server-wide....
Jeff Dec 23rd 2008 8:54PM
"C'mon Mr. Pinchy, you crabby bastard." just made my night.
Matchu Dec 23rd 2008 9:06PM
For someone who did his first proper raid tonight (woop, went well), what is "instance ninjaing"?
AyaJulia Dec 24th 2008 12:41AM
Instance theft, essentially.
They kicked this guy, Vigilance, out of this 10-man raid. Vigilance got pissy and vengeful, gathered up 9 other folks, waited for the "proper" group to vacate the instance (i.e. waited for a wipe/release) and then went in with his people, completely blocking the original group from reentry since you can't have more than 10 people inside a copy.
This only works if the players are bodily outside the instance, so it doesn't work on most heroics and the like, since your corpse is still inside and it's your spirit making the corpse run. Naxx removes you fully since you have to fly back up. Tempest Keep instances did the same. Otherwise, to steal an instance you'd have to wait for people to come out to summon their new members or some such.
Meethan Dec 23rd 2008 9:26PM
Now that pic right there is just plain stupid. If it's all a PuG, i don't think many people would mind if this happened. Though apparently it was. Also he said "HEHEHEHEHEH4"
...
How in the %$^# do you put a FOUR (4) at the end of something like that. What a dumb^#@&
QDraw Dec 23rd 2008 10:22PM
I have a Laptop with a Numpad next to it.
The Return button is touching the '4'.
So most times, when im in a hurry and I hit Return, I end up hitting the 4 at the same time. ITs really annoying.
lightningjynx Dec 24th 2008 8:58AM
Actually, if you look at your keyboard, the "e" button is underneath and to the right of the four button, it is within reason to assume that he hit the 4 button instead of the "e"