WoW Rookie: Joining your first guild
by Lisa Poisso 
Mar 18th 2009 at 7:00PM
New around here? WoW Rookie points WoW's newest players to the resources they need to get acclimated. Send us a note to suggest a WoW Rookie topic.World of Warcraft is categorized as a MASSIVELY Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) – so it only makes sense that you should aim to connect with (relatively) massive numbers of other players when you're playing. While it's true that you can successfully fumble about in the relatively unpopulated leveling zones on your own, you'll enjoy a richer, more complete game experience if you play with other players, as intended. At some point, even social butterflies who meet other players at the drop of an emote should consider teaming up with other players in a more structured way by joining a guild.
Guilds are teams of players who share similar goals or play styles. A guild that fits your needs will sweep your enjoyment to a whole new level. It's like gaining a pool of automatic friends. Your guildmates are the folks who can group with you, craft items for you, lend directions and advice to you, loan you a few gold when things are tight, and keep you company in guild chat or Vent as you quest your way through the levels.
But not just any guild will do. Guilds are formed, evolve, break up and reform for all sorts of different reasons. It's up to you to find a group that matches your play style, personality and needs. Being part of the coolest, most uber raiding guild on the server is utterly worthless if you're the only, lonely level 32 casual among its ranks. Joining a level 80 progression raiding guild or a competitive PvP team can be a tricky endeavor, and it's most assuredly not what we're covering here today. For ways to target a guild that fits you as a new, leveling WoW player, read on.
Be wary of newbie guilds. It's not the end of the world to join the guild of the guy who spammed you with a random guild invite in Stormwind or the group of rag-tag beginners that somehow fell together in The Barrens. You may meet folks who'll remain fast friends for years to come. In general, though, you'll get a more lasting (and organized) experience if you look for a more established group.
Decide what type of guild fits the way you play (or want to play) right now. Look for a guild that plays with the same emphasis you do: PvE, Arenas, Battlegrounds, world PvP, roleplaying, PvP twinking, leveling, alts (similar to leveling, but members are experienced players), social (very chat- and event-focused). Look for people who play the way you enjoy the game. We do not recommend "the best" endgame raiding guilds for new players (and this guide is not designed to help you vet progression raiding guilds).
Look for players like you. For some players, variety is the spice of life – but for most players, you'll be more comfortable if you share something in common with other guild members. Look for a group with other people like you, whether that's teens, working professionals, married couples, or even more specialized groups such as military/civic employees or GLBT players.
Get social. The single most effective way to find a good guild fit on your own server is to meet people. Interact with other players. Group up for quests, ply your trade and make purchases from other tradesfolk of similar levels, run level-appropriate instances or help someone who's struggling with adds as you pass by.
Watch LFG announcements in the Trade and Guild Recruitment channels. Contact guilds advertising their recruitment for more information. You can post Looking for Guild messages in these channels, too, but it's a fairly needle-in-a-haystack strategy, and you may get a fair bit of razzing from other players. Read the official Blizzard realm forum for your server. Look for guild recruitment threads. Just as important, keep an eye out for drama threads that shed an interesting light on a guild's attitudes and behavior. Get a feel for the guild's general reputation, and observe how guild members conduct themselves on the forums.
Look up guilds of interest on the Armory. Look at their members' gear to see get a feel for how often leveling members run instances (look for lots of blue gear). See how many characters they have and what the general level range is.
See who's online during your normal play times. Do a /who on guilds you're interested in on a couple of different nights at your usual play time. (If you're new to the realm, you can create a level 1 character to do this.)
Talk to current guild members. Ask about their ultimate guild goals, how long they've been together, average player age, typical play times, regularly scheduled events. Find out if there are any geographic or other commonalities that might exclude you ("We're all from Yuma, Arizona" or "We all go to UofM").
Visit the guild web site or forum. What's going on during a typical guild week? Do members seem serious, immature, friendly, rude, humorous, crass ...?
Try it out. If you're still not sure, see if you can't come along as a guest on a guild event or two. Anyone who's gotten stuck in the wrong group will understand and respect your caution.
Finally, don't be afraid to leave a guild that's just not the right fit. It's not always the fault of anyone or anything in particular if things simply don't click. Be polite; the best way to pull out is to speak with the GM (Guild Master, or Guild Leader) or an officer first. Be brief but honest ("I've decided to move to another guild where I'll be playing with a good friend. Take care and thanks for having me!"). You can send an in-game note or private message on the guild forums if you're uncomfortable saying something in person.
WoW Rookie feeds you the basics to get you off to a good start in the World of Warcraft. Find more tools you can use in the WoW Insider Directory and WoW Insider Leveling GuidesFiled under: Guilds, Features, WoW Rookie
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Brouck Mar 18th 2009 7:09PM
The best thing to do is as stated, find a guild of people similar to you. I have joined a guild of fellow parents who are extremely tolerant of AFK's or BRB's due to kid issues. Previously I was in a large raiding guild and I felt too guilty to raid knowing there were chances of going AFK for extended periods of time. Simply put just find people like you and your game playing style.
riker700 Mar 18th 2009 7:11PM
interesting,I Think this is a gd guide but tbh noobs r gunna join any nooby guild anyway
Nintendwarf Mar 18th 2009 7:17PM
Dragonfire, I used to been in that guild before I switched severs.
SaintStryfe Mar 18th 2009 7:18PM
If a guild says they are hard core.... they fail. The high end guilds don't need to advertise.
The best thing you can do as a guild member is be forthright on anything related to the guild. If you will be absent, give advance notice. If you don't know a fight, tell them upfront. Learn your class very well, so you can know your abilities and how best to use them. The gods bless the ENH Shaman who knows how and when to Purge when fighting in the DK Wing of Naxx, or the Feral Druid who can be smart enough to drop kitty form to decurse on Noth.
Be pleasant, all the time. This is supposed to be your game. I have a rule - when I pick up my Blizz Authentication Key, real life drops. I don't let real life slide into my game, because that just makes the game suck a bit more.
Be generous. If you have to share, share. Do that, and when you are in needed, people will be generous to you.
Generally, be excellent to teach other. Your game experience will be better, and your guild will appreciate you all the more.
Manath Mar 18th 2009 7:39PM
My #1 advice to new players joining a guild: Be self-reliant.
You do not want to be one of those new people who are always asking for gold, runs, help, favors, and advice. Many gameplay related questions can be easily researched at sites like Wowhead, WowWiki, and the Elitist Jerks forums.
I guarantee you will stick out like a sore thumb and rub everyone the wrong way if you come across as needy. I see many new players do this.
Remember that there's a difference between inviting someone on a run ("Does anybody need/want to do the Stockades on an alt? :)") and asking someone FOR a run. ("cna some1 plz run me thru stockades.")
On that note, making your sentences not painful to read is great for first (and lasting!) impressions.
darthginger Mar 18th 2009 7:56PM
I second that. When im leveling an Alt or a character on another server (Mains an Ally so i have a few horde spread around to play around on) i don't activly look for guilds. although i have joined a few "leveling" guilds if for nothing but to put some green text on my screen to read while im questing.
too often with these type of guilds. the first thing players do is ask / expect boosts. stop. please. ppl boost friends. so become a friend of ppl first before asking/expecting favours. if your helpful to others in guild either through chat or grouping. then people will respond like wise.
jusyt please dont...
randomplayer1 has joined the guild.
Randomplayer1: hey guys
Everyone : hey welcome
Randomplayer1: can anyone boost me SM?????
its not just not a good first impression at all.
brucimus Mar 19th 2009 7:15AM
last week a guy joined my guild and within 30 seconds of the join message i swear he asked for a loan, free materials and a heroic run
who are these people in RL?
TheStoppableForce Mar 19th 2009 10:25AM
We have a policy in our guild, that when a member joins and immediately asks for free money/boosts/mats, that a "red flag" is raised with the officers to keep an eye on them. If the asking persists or the person tends to be a general nuisance, they are kicked.
We don't mind helping our members, but people who just want to take without giving back just get removed.
That said, it keeps the guild morale very high and creates a nice environment, keeping these people out.
Aaron A. Mar 19th 2009 2:16PM
Agreed. In every guild my characters have joined, there's always a handful of people who expect other people to carry them through the game. Rather than look for a group to tackle Scarlet Monastery (I've never had to wait too long to find a group for SM, especially if I'm tanking or healing), they ask their high-level guildmates to run them through. Repeatedly. Every day, sometimes multiple times a day, until the 80's formally cut them off or just start ignoring them. Don't be that guy.
If you're working on your first character, you'll enjoy the game more if you find a group and put some effort into your instance runs. By blowing past all the level 1-60 content, you're just short-changing yourself. Also, bear in mind that even a high-population realm has about the same population as a small real-life city (my realm is about the size of Missoula, Montana or Decatur, Alabama), so you can expect news to spread just as quickly. There's always a chance that if you irritate the members of Guild A, that news is going to find its way to Guilds B, C, and D.
Sarabande Mar 20th 2009 11:17PM
I completely agree. Too many people view guilds as a "service" to be used. I am in a small, friendly casual guild and welcome people of all levels but I too encourage self-sufficiency. I give some some basic information, places to find information on the internet, point out other people in the guild who may be able to give advice on class or professions and tell them the best way to learn and level is to do quests and play with people their own level. I even say that for first toons, it's not a good idea to be run through by higher levels because that often leads to laziness, not knowing how to play and besides, WHAT IS THE POINT of playing a game for someone to practically play it FOR you? I also encourage people to take up professions as it also helps with self-sufficiency (whether to make gold or to be able to create your own gear. Also, having a useful skill will help you help other people, who could, in turn, help with other things that you can't get using your own professions).
I also am wary of people looking for "Helpful" guilds. That just raises all kinds of red flags. Those are the very people often looking for a guild to DO things for them, rather then looking for a group of people to join for fun and common goals. In fact, I've whispered a few people asking them just what "helpful" means to them and yep - they want to be run through instances by high level people.
Also please remember that when you wear a guild tag, like it or not, you do represent them. So spamming trade with 20 kubes of "FAILFAILFAIL", ninja-looting in a PuG, begging in Stormwind for gold for your mount "because I really really want it" or YELLING demanding a port can make your guild look bad. Please don't do that. And it's possible that your server is not as big as you think. Someone may see you doing those things and contact an officer or the GL of your guild.
Sarabande Mar 20th 2009 11:21PM
OOPS . .. I meant "20 lines." not "20 kubes" Sorry for the typo above. :P
Supernaut Mar 20th 2009 5:59PM
Funny this topic has come up now; I'm looking for a guild on Stormrage EU, but my "requirements" are limiting; I'm looking for a casual raiding guild, one that doesn't require Vent or TS, or that you religiously stick to a schedule and such, but with enough wits to pull off raids a little more organised than your average PUG.
I ended up joining a brand new guild currently with seven people in it, we did some heroics are we play quite well together, so I'm hopeful that we can start doing 10-mans with a few more members soon.
Slymonstra Mar 18th 2009 8:24PM
Top factors of Guild Choice
1. Cool Tabard
2. Offensive Name
3. Guild bank worth ninjaing
4. Population comprised of 100% Death Knights
Ruta Mar 18th 2009 9:07PM
You forgot the subsection of #2:
Names like or
Intentional Mispellings like or
Ruta Mar 18th 2009 9:09PM
Bah :(
Let me retry that:
Names like "THIS", "this" or "EvEn ThIs"
Intentional Mispellings like "Nights of the Round" or "Dalran Mastrs"
stevens.ce Mar 19th 2009 12:41AM
I'd just add to not be afraid to look for a guild that is just what you want in a different location, especially if you're a solo toon with no serious alts - $25 can be a small price to pay to move to the right guild on the right server - something I've done not once but twice on various toons. If you find the "perfect" guild on another realm, make a starting toon and see if you can hang out with them for a while (or, make a DK if you have a 55 toon so you can experience running instances with them). Sometimes I've found that early server choices have dictated joining bad guilds - it's not necessary.
I think the previous advice about being nice and not being a mooch is terribly important too.
Kaven Mar 19th 2009 2:56AM
One piece of advice I can give is to talk to your Real Life friends. There's enough people playing this game that you are just about guaranteed to know womeone else who plays. Feel them out about Guilds they see that match your playstyle. I know of very casual Guilds, Hardcore raiding Guilds, PvP Guilds, Twink Guilds... You get the picture. Just ask a buddy.
One other thing... Don't automatically expect to get into whatever guild your friend is in. You may have a lot in common in Real Life but that does not mean you enjoy the same things IN game.
brucimus Mar 19th 2009 7:19AM
I would hate to be a new 80 Death tard looking for a job in a established raiding guild.
Alot of guilds recruiting messages specifically say "No DK's"
it reminds me of the old days in the US with stores hanging Help Wanted signs with the blurb "No Irish"
Aaron A. Mar 19th 2009 3:13PM
Other classes have to deal with similar limitations. Having multiple Shaman in a raid means you can have more totems up at once. Multiple Paladins give a variety of Blessings and Seals. Bringing two Holy Priests, however, doesn't give you any additional buffs, just a second healer.
Death Knights, in addition to our reputation as "Deathknoobs," share the Priest's problem in that we don't provide any significant buffs beyond Blood/Frost/Unholy Aura, which is spec-dependent, and Horn of Winter, which is basically the same for all DK's. If you already have an Unholy DK DPS in the group, a second Unholy can't offer anything unique.
High-end raiding guilds are beyond the scope of this article, but I'd say that standard application rules apply for DK's, except more so. Show the prospective guild that you're not just trying to ride their coattails by buying/earning the best gear you can find, then gemming and enchanting it as well as you can possibly afford to. Before logging off, change into the gear that you want the prospective guild to see in your Armory profile. Be prepared to have your talents and your Achievements scrutinized; they want to make sure you know what you're doing.
Allyanna Mar 19th 2009 8:23AM
I suggest doing some research. There are a lot of really great guilds out there. Not sure if all realms have a site like this but Skywall has a great one about some of the different guilds on the Horde side: www.skywall-horde.com. There is a ton of information there, from which guilds have age restrictions, raiding restrictions, or even require that you use or have access to Vent/Teamspeak. Granted not all of the guilds are there but it can be used as a general guide to see what type of guild you would fit in.
Check to see if the guild your looking at has a website. If they do there is usually a ton of information on their site that can help to influence your decision. If a guild has an application you need to fill out in order to join remember that they are doing so to weed out people that wouldn't mesh well with the core group they have. You may have to do an interview with the officers of the guild after filling out the application.
Don't be afraid to leave a guild if it's just not working for you but at least have the courtesy of letting the guild leader or an officer know that you are leaving. It's just good manners. :)