How not to apply to a guild
by Mike Schramm 
Jun 14th 2009 at 2:00PM
The Wordy Warrior covers a well-traveled subject in an interesting way in her latest post. We've already talked in-depth about how to get into a good raiding guild (and we've even covered some amazing guild applications), but straight from the trenches of guild leadership, Ariedan sends an open letter to anyone applying to her guild with, some might say, the wrong attitude.Here's the thing: especially if you're applying to a progression guild, odds are that they don't need you. They're progressing just fine, and bringing you in just opens the door for more drama. It's a risk, and it's your job to convince them to take that risk, hopefully for the benefit of both. So if you show up to an application and don't take it seriously, and flip out when they question your background, and expect them to take you on without any proof you'd be valuable to them, don't be surprised when they laugh you right out of their forums.
We're probably preaching to the choir here -- if you're reading this site, you probably already have at least one clue, and are either in a guild you like that is not a raiding guild, or are in a progression guild that you got into because you were able to justify that risk. But if you're still having trouble figuring out how to get where you want to be, take WW's advice to heart: it's on you to justify your entry to the guild, it's not on them to put up with you.
Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Guilds, Odds and ends, Raiding, Bosses
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
cb Jun 14th 2009 2:25PM
"Here's the thing: especially if you're applying to a progression guild, odds are that they don't need you."
Nah, they;'re always recruiting. Esp now (Summer).
epsilon343 Jun 14th 2009 2:31PM
Not true. If it's a "true" progression guild it's likely that they've got a core group of people that are used for raiding. Most recruits are being brought in as back-up in case someone can't show up. In that sense they can be much more discriminating towards the people they want to include in that group and makes it much easier to lance a boil, so to say, if that person is becoming an issue.
Rekkla Jun 14th 2009 2:27PM
Hey, I know this isn't exactly related to this post, but can someone provide me with their opinion on how this piece would work on wow?
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4559646&CatId=114
I'm very close to buying it.
Wolftech Jun 14th 2009 2:44PM
Its fine for WoW. WoW is not very graphic hungry. I would drop the vista for either XP (if you have it or can find it) or Windows 7. I have heard of as much as 10-12 FPS difference by going with Win7.
Of course, if you have any tech skills, you are better off building your own with parts from Newegg.com.
But that is just be. I never trust a system I didn't build myself.
epsilon343 Jun 14th 2009 2:29PM
Sorta happened to the guild I'm in last week. We brought in a new Ele Shaman during our Heroic Ulduar run and it was a nightmare for the four days he was with us. He hadn't read up on a single one of the fights so we had to sit there and explain each and every one of them to him. It's also a pretty big mistake to go into Mimiron proclaiming that you won't die at all in the fight. Ended up he kicked the bucket twice and had to be battle rezed both times. Why didn't he use his ankh? You might ask. Well, he used it after dying to bomb-frogger a few minutes earlier.
In the end he get all pissed off and defensive at people who were pointing out his mistakes and decided that because we wiped on one of the Keepers after clearing Yogg the week before we were trash and we shouldn't be criticizing him for his mistakes. A few days later he was in a Maly run and said that gear should only be kept in the guild and gave the raid leader a bunch of shit for giving some pieces out to non-guildies which earned him a /gkick.
It's really beyond me that some people would come into a progression guild with a chip on their shoulder like that. I've always looked at guilds as sports teams and in the 10+ years that I played in sports you learn to give crap and take crap and that it's all part of the process of building up bonds between yourselves. It's also pretty astounding that a new guild member would just walk into a raid and expect to be getting T8.5 tokens when some people have been waiting weeks for their pieces. Some people...
Clbull Jun 14th 2009 3:13PM
I agree with you. If he was not taking constructive criticism about how he plays his class at all, blaming the guild itself for their mistakes, and even causing loot drama because the GM had offered items to non-guildies then he likely did deserve the kick.
Deadly. Off. Topic. Jun 15th 2009 10:01AM
There’s just one thing that erks me about the tone of this comment. Understandably the guy was a moron and a waste of time to have, however I feel that a raid leader SHOULD be explaining the strat during each boss. Doesn’t have to be long, but at least it should be said.
epsilon343 Jun 15th 2009 10:45AM
We give quick refreshers like "Avoid mines, shock blast, red rocket, groups here and here..." stuff like that. But what I'm saying is that this guy walked into Ulduar without having read a single strategy on any of these guys and was expecting us to just explain all of it for him.
sprout_daddy Jun 14th 2009 2:58PM
FYI, best guild application ever is not accessible - the WoW Insider post is, but all the links go to a suspended account.
Aureliusz Jun 15th 2009 5:38AM
Yeah. Anyone got a mirror, maybe? Anyone download it while it was up?
I really want to see it, it looks funny.
Superthrust Jun 14th 2009 2:59PM
....wtf is the point of this article? This article just danced around "oh, you might be in a guild, but if not, you might be looking for a guild"....wtf?
Magresda Jun 14th 2009 3:18PM
The point was to plug a good and interesting read from the Wordy Warrior blog. You certainly seem to have a chip on your shoulder, Mr. Let's Hack WoWInsider.
Namy Jun 15th 2009 7:48AM
Why do you even visit this website Superthrust? All you ever do is complain that the editors are uninformed and the articles are crap. If you don't like it then go read something else!
Avan Jun 14th 2009 3:12PM
I got into the guild I'm in now by telling one of the members, "invite me to your guild." I remember initial reactions were along the lines of, "who is this clown?" They found out that it was worth keeping me, and they didn't even need any more healers! (I primarily play a healer.)
Can't really get away with doing things like that anymore, though. With the advent of achievements, everyone seems to say, "must have xxx achievement to join." Stupid achievements.
TEJ Jun 14th 2009 3:22PM
The sarcasm needed a lot more swearing and nerdrage. Seriously.
Makes it funnier that way.
schm0 Jun 14th 2009 3:25PM
While the Wordy Warrior does know what she's talking about, there's enough sarcasm in the game itself for me to have to deal with it's overabundance in all the articles you have posted from her blog.
Cut the snark and try to be helpful. Reading through rants is bad enough on the forums.
ariedan Jun 14th 2009 4:53PM
What? Seriously? Have you even READ any of my other articles? Excluding two sarcastic posts meant to be humorous, every other guild-related article is so positive and constructive, it makes me puke.
This post wasn't intended be helpful or anything like that. I wrote for no other audience than myself and other officers/recruiters who may share my sense of humor on that particular subject. Please take a look at some of my other posts before assuming I'm some horribly negative woman in dire need of Midol. ;)
--
Thanks again for the plug, guys! You always link the articles I least expect. :P
Lemons Jun 15th 2009 5:40AM
Well it's really a shame that the post that you didn't intend for anyone but a small sliver of the WoW population was linked on WoW Insider...
Honestly...you should stick to writing stuff that is "so constructive it makes you puke", because what you wrote there was pretty much just a rant with a thin veneer of "humor".
And honestly...I usually approve of the articles posted on WoW Insider, even those others might consider fluff, but this one was simply ridiculous...maybe I should just unleash some of my own nerd rage and see if it gets featured...
ariedan Jun 15th 2009 3:07PM
I don't know if I can respond to you without coming across as rude, so I'll try it from another angle.
When I first started writing, I wrote what only people wanted to see. It bothered me that I was becoming some happy little ray of sunshine for others when this blog was originally supposed to be something for me. I was censoring my personality from all my articles, and was even deliberately avoiding writing about certain subjects because I knew there would be some naysayers. I took a month long break, and vowed when I came back that I would write whatever I felt like writing.
I'm not vying for world popularity here. I understand not everyone will agree with me, but in the end, if I'm happy with what I write, that's the thing that matters the most to me. Ultimately, it would be nice to make everyone happy, but that's an unrealistic goal.
I'm sorry you don't like it. If the tone is too dry for you, I recommend you stay away from the humorous posts and stick to the rest of the site.
Lemons Jun 15th 2009 8:07PM
Yea, becuase if I don't think what you write is funny I must not have a sense of humor, right? No I think I'll continue to read the other humor posts on this site...the ones that are actually funny...