The Classifieds: News briefs on guilds and players
by Lisa Poisso 
Jan 13th 2010 at 3:00PM
Welcome to our first installment of The Classifieds, an evolution of our former Guildwatch feature. As more and more players move into endgame raiding, we thought it fitting that our guild news should evolve, too. The Classifieds gives you more of the news you can use: who's progressing, who's marking milestones, who's recruiting. But it's not only about guilds. Because we're all down there in the trenches of Dungeon Finder groups at every opportunity, The Classifieds lets you send a shout-out to that player who made your last PUG a thing of real beauty (whether through pure technical finesse or a winning attitude). And if you're curious about how WoW intersects with the world at large, we'll be passing along links to academic research studies seeking participants, as well.
Editor's Note: One thing you might notice missing in Guildwatch's new incarnation is the "Drama" section. In the interest of fostering community growth and positive interaction, we're checking the drama and negativity at the door.
Let's open the Classifieds!
RECRUITING
- <After Dark> on US Ghostlands-A is peering through the night to find more raiders during the wee hours. The group is aiming for enough to run ICC-25 between 2-6 a.m. server time. Let the coffee flow!
- In more late-night news, <Graveshift> of US Icecrown-H is looking for ICC-10 and -25 raiders for raids starting at 11:45 p.m. server time (10:45 p.m. PST). The group's path to Arthas is already well under way, and officers anticipate full (or imminent) ICC clears by press time.
- Wyrmfoe of US Icecrown-A, a casual progression 25-man raid team led by WoW.com hunter columnist Brian "Frostheim" Wood is looking for healers and DPS. Warlocks are especially needed; hunter slots are full. Wyrmfoe raids Friday and Saturday evenings, focusing on normal mode content (with hard modes and achievements as time permits).
- The relatively new casual guild <Elite Prophecy> of US Grizzly Hills-A is forming a second 10-man raiding team, with a goal of eventually joining the two teams to tackle 25-man content. Members should be 18 years or older; no prot pallies, please.
- Core raiders from <Next Level> and <Government Muscle> of US Norgannon-H have banded together to form <Presence of Mind>, a hardcore raiding guild aiming for nothing short of becoming the number one 25-man raiding guild on Norgannon. Raiders interested in hardcore raiding including Heroic and hard modes should send a tell to Joewalsh, Killakitty, XSlayers, Héctor (alt+130 for é), Thraknar or Tun for more details.
DOWNINGS
- Who you gonna call? If you need TOC-10 cleared, you can now call on <Ghostbusters> of US Nazjatar-A. The casual guild is now moving on to ICC-10. Hey guys, don't forget your Wooly Mittens!
- <Zodiac Braves> of US Khadgar-H has checked off 10-man Firefighter and is now tackling Algalon. Good luck, guys!
- <Shadows of Torment>, a new casual guild on the US Altar of Storms-H, has cleared ICC-10. The guild formed about a month ago, after a year-long partnership between <Torment> and <Order of Shadows> evolved into a full guild merger. Congratulations on a great partnership!
MILESTONES
- Happy anniversary to <Cataclysm> of US Earthen Ring-H, celebrating five years under a single GM. Congratulations to Jurdendorf and the some 400 members of Cataclysm on their long-standing teamwork.
GUILD RANKINGS
This week's top 5 Guildox.com ratings show three U.S., one Chinese and one European guild in the top five positions for 25-man progression raiding. The Euros definitely have the edge for 25-man achievements, taking four of the top five spots. (Follow the links for more extensive rankings.)
25-man Progress
- <Paragon> EU Lightning's Blade
- <V A N Q U I S H> US Blood Furnace
- <Rush> US Dark Iron
- <vodka> US Alterac Mountains
- <第七天堂> TW Silverwing Hold
- <神樣> TW Wrathbringer
- <UndisputeD> EU Azshara
- <Энрейдж> EU Гром
- <Nero> EU Antonidas
- <EF BIE EI> EU Dalvengyr
- <Casually Addicted> US Gilneas
- <Uprising> US Aerie Peak
- <Unholy Trinity> US Burning Blade
- <Adept> US Dreadmaul
- <Harmonium> US Bloodscalp
- <神樣> TW Wrathbringer
- <EF BIE EI> EU Dalvengyr
- <Progenies Infernalis> EU Aegwynn
- <Энрейдж> EU Гром
- <High Council> EU Boulderfist
- <Elysium> EU Hellscream
- <Requiem of the Ebon Rose> US Silver Hand
- <From Chaos> US Suramar
- <Vox Immortalis> US Hyjal
- <Mors Deorum> US Stonemaul
- <Vox Immortalis> US Hyjal
- <From Chaos> US Suramar
- <Saoirse> EU Kilrogg
- <Three> EU Executus
- <Elysium> EU Hellscream
WoW.com does not authenticate, recommend or verify specific research listings.
- Researchers from Saint Louis University are looking at how gamers approach fantasy races in online role-playing game. Visit the web survey online.
- Dr. Jon-Paul Cacioli at Deakin University in Melbourne, Australia, is conducting a study on body image in virtual worlds. He seeks males age 18 and up to complete a survey on real-world and virtual body images and psychological states. Visit the survey at Deakin University.
Anybody can slap an /ignore on those Dungeon Finder duds we'd rather forget ... What we want to know are the names on your most wanted list! Jot down their names and send them along, plus their server (or your battlegroup) and 50 words or less on why they rocked your PUG world. (Your character name is optional.)
- Cheyenne, Whirlwind battlegroup "I grouped with an awesome druid/warlock pair in Azjol-Nerub. The druid was something like ... Cheyenne? We had a pretty awful tank, and the druid (as the healer) took it in stride, and the three of us managed to make it work. It was good times." (Arnesca, US Cenarion Circle-A)
- Kielik, US Argent Dawn-A "He told us right up front that he was a new 80 with weak gear and a new spec, but he totally worked with the rest of the group, flipped roles when we needed it and ended up being the glue that made the group work." (Anonymous)
Have guild news or a Random Act of Uberness to share? E-mail The Classifieds and let us know what's going on in your corner of the World of Warcraft.
The Classifieds brings you weekly updates on guild recruiting, rankings, splits and merges, progression and more. Have guild news or a Random Act of Uberness to share? E-mail The Classifieds.Filed under: Fan stuff, Virtual selves, Guilds, Features, Raiding, Bosses, Achievements
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 10)
Freckle Jan 13th 2010 3:03PM
Wut?! No drama?!?
/skips to next article
Mordockk Jan 13th 2010 3:27PM
^This
WTB links to forum trolls, loot ninja's, and incriminating screenshots.
......next thing you know we'll be watching the news and they won't be covering something horriphic, catacylsmic, or economically devastating.
Richard Jan 13th 2010 3:33PM
Something tells me there's way more than that crap excuse to them pulling the drama portion of the column.
Anyway, it sucks - now it'll just be another column I skip. :(
Clevins Jan 13th 2010 3:35PM
yeah. Ohh let's be PC and hug!1! Please... one of the reasons a lot of us read GW was to chuckle and how silly a few people could be over a game. The above column is basically a list. Heck you could make this a self-serve form for guilds and skip having a writer...
GW was amusing. This is a dry list. WTB Old GW.
Tebla Jan 13th 2010 3:39PM
I actually like the new format. Raiding is about (or should be about) raiding, not dumb shit.
jimbob Jan 13th 2010 3:44PM
NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plox bring back the drama!
relmatos Jan 13th 2010 3:58PM
bring back the drama.
that's the only part I like reading. I'm not looking for a guild and dont care about other people's kills :(
Leviathon Jan 13th 2010 3:57PM
Drama part was the only interesting thing of the article.
Dreuel Jan 13th 2010 9:56PM
Honestly, the Guildwatch Drama section was why I read the site. I hope you reconsider.
Mognet T Jan 13th 2010 4:28PM
The people have spoken.
DW Jan 13th 2010 4:57PM
Seriously - the drama was the only reason I read this article. A humor break. This article is a waste of space without the drama.
Disappointed here.
Banndit Jan 13th 2010 5:05PM
Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!
Utakata Jan 13th 2010 5:11PM
Apparently Tebla, players like dumb shit...least the ones that post here. Yes it's scary...we may have to play with them everytime we use Dungeon Finder. And Blizz wonders why there's so many incidents of Vote Kicking and PuG horror stories.
Speaking of which, WoW.com should drop the dumb *voting* mechanics from there commentary...since it's getting abused and used beyond it's intended purpose by gaming pinheads with something to prove.
jam Jan 13th 2010 5:12PM
"Editor's Note: One thing you might notice missing in Guildwatch's new incarnation is the "Drama" section. In the interest of fostering community growth and positive interaction, we're checking the drama and negativity at the door."
Booooooooring!
It was the only remotely interesting part of the column.
No one cares to hear about some no-name guild downing Mimiron or clearing Naxx months and months after the content became outdated. And I'm not being an elitist.. hey it's great for those guys, but no one but those people gives a damn (and I'm puzzled as to why they think it would be a good idea to send these "news" to Wowinsider).
Utakata Jan 13th 2010 5:14PM
*their...
PS: I like the new format too. :)
Faulken S Wulf Jan 13th 2010 6:01PM
Guild Watch and Classifieds could be merged to make one really informative column. Everyone loves the "Good, Bad, and Ugly" feel of the old Guildwatch.
I'd try 1 part recruiting: People are always looking for guilds, guilds are always looking for people.
1 part downed: Even if Naxx was old-hat ages ago, it shows new 80's that there are guilds out there that aren't miles and miles ahead of them and gives them a place to look.
1 part drama: Its informative, and its funny. It helps people know who to avoid, sometimes even after they server-hop. It protects guilds and lets people know that "we won't stand for this!". (And again, its funny. Most of us come for the drama, and pick at the rest of the parts as they apply to us.)
1 part UBER: I really liked this. It compliments the drama nicely to remind everyone that, hey, we're not all asshats out there. And especially with the LFD tool, it is really cool to give a shout out to that special player that made your night but vanished too soon to thank in-game. Plus it ends on a positive note.
Without the drama though, it reads like a sugar-coated spreadsheet. (This... would be a negative thing, I would think.)
Jonathan Jan 13th 2010 6:02PM
As much as I respect the idea of wanting to keep an upbeat tone, I have to agree with the majority assessment of this thread. I have to imagine there was a reason drama was listed at the top in the old format: it's what the people want. If I'm looking for a guild that's recruiting, I'll hit up the official forums.
The real enjoyable part of this column was the amusement of the drama. I do like the new Uberness feature, but this feature is overall pretty bland without the drama.
jam Jan 13th 2010 6:07PM
Will we get more of this fail column, or will you swallow your pride and go back to the old format?
So far Lisa's only been ignoring posters.
Kylenne Jan 13th 2010 6:26PM
For real, the Drama section was what made Guildwatch worth reading. It was funny as hell!
I could give a crap less who downed what, and no one comes on here looking for guilds to join, that's what the realm forums are for.
Lamesauce move, this. Like, Super Lamesauce Turbo: Failure Edition.
Faulken S Wulf Jan 13th 2010 6:30PM
Jacking a comment from around page 10:
"If you really want to do a Recruiting Section in Guild Watch / Classifieds, then you should highlight one or two realms each week. (Maybe one US and one EU.) Cover THEIR top five guilds, THEIR recruiting, and THEIR downed. Do it alphabetically, by population, or pull it from a hat for all I care. It'd give people a reason to CARE about the Top/Recruiting/Downed. People seem to like the research section. I'm indifferent but as long as it doesn't degenerate into spamness, go for it. I also think the populace likes Random Acts Of Uberness. (though I think the title is a bit clunky, why not just "Epic Win" or something?) Its not that they dislike GOOD stories. They just like BAD stories TOO. And lets face it, it was a service to the community. Know who to avoid, or the type of player at the least. Honestly, it fostered just AS MUCH community as any warm and fuzzy bit. Sure Proudmore has their epic GBLT Guild / Alliance, and we all thought "hey cool, they carved out a safe haven in the game world". But honestly, I get the same feeling when I find a ninja that server-hopped 3 times, name and faction changed, and some article informed me it was the same person, and to not /ginvite them, I get that same sense of community. Community is as much banding together to fight off the (figurative) monsters as it is coming together to celebrate a common ideal. (Ask any Community Watch.... speaking of, you could name the drama section just that. Even gives it a positive note.)"
TL;DR ... Its what everyone is saying, just well thought out. Read it? Please?