Guild leveling will remain in Cataclysm, but guild talents and currency have been scrapped. Happily, that doesn't mean that rewards and achievements have gone with them. Overall, it seems they simplified the new guild system without removing the promised benefits. Here is a breakdown of what the new guild system will entail:

Guild leveling

Guilds will gain experience when their members participate in the following:

• rated battleground wins
• dungeon or raid boss kills
• completing quests
• unlocking guild achievements

Max level will be 25 and each time a guild levels, it will automatically get perks. Previously these perks would be chosen with talents.

Guild rewards

Rewards will be unlocked when guilds earn achievements. Once unlocked, guild members can purchase them with gold as long as they have the appropriate Guild Reputation. The original plan was that guild currency would be used to purchase rewards. The rewards will include:

• mounts with flags that display the guild tabard emblem
• heirlooms
• tabards

Guild reputation

You will gain reputation with your guild the same way you help the guild level. The reputation is per character and not account-wide. Gkicks and gquits do not wipe your reputation right away, just in case it was a joke. But it's not clear if there is a finite window where afterward the rep will be cleared.

Guild achievements

Guild achievements are by guild, not by member. So if all members that earned a guild achievement leave the guild, the guild will still retain the achievement. However, the members who earned it will be memorialized in the achievement when viewing it. Raid achievements don't have to be earned by groups made up of only guildies. But you have to have at least 7 guildies in 10-man achievements and 20 guildies in 25-man achievements. There will be realm firsts for guild achievements just like there are for individuals.

Guild UI

The Guild window is being completely overhauled. It will include upcoming events, the guild experience bar, your rep with the guild, latest guild news (generated by Blizzard) and stickies of major accomplishments (also generated by Blizzard). The roster will include professions next to member names. Clicking on them will show what recipes the member has and can be viewed whether the member is on or offline. Personally, I am hoping that the roster will no longer bug out when the guild is larger than 500 members, but there is no specific indication that this is the case.

Overall, it seems that the loss of the talents and currency doesn't affect the new guild system much at all. Guilds will still level, receive rewards and perks and gain achievements. The new system will still be great for raiding guilds as well as PvP-heavy guilds and the more casual ones.

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World of Warcraft: Cataclysm will destroy Azeroth as we know it. Nothing will be the same. In WoW.com's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion. From goblins and worgens to mastery and guild changes, it's all there for your cataclysmic enjoyment.

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Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, News items, Cataclysm