How do you choose a guild?
 

I am not in a guild. So as a level 33 guildless pirate, I get asked a lot. What I wondered is how do I get information about a guild I'm thinking about joining? I asked a couple questions but since we were in the middle of a battle. The answers were not very long and detailed. What kind of questions should I be asking? Are there any red flags to watch out for? The guild in question is not one on this site so I can't just go read about it . Any advice would be helpful.

IMO....the guild should offer exactly what you feel comfortable with. If the guild has a rule you disagree with then it's not the guild for you. Some like to have weekly meetings and have mandatory play time requirements. I personally have enough meetings at work and don't like planning many online....lol.

Things that are common in guilds:

-Request before transporting to someone
-Respect
-Follow the game rules (no cheating)
-Manners (thank you, you're welcome - ty/yw)
-No foul language - AKA Trash Talk
-No getting into arguments with guild members or other Pirates
-Help other guild members
-Have fun

Some have more....some have less.....

Perhaps no guild is best
 

You make the rules. No one can put their made up rules on your game play. As you can see from other posts, many guilds impose rules with are unique to their guild, unevenly enforced and may hamper your fun. You do pay for this game and you should be able to play it any way you see fit.

You pick your own friends. Since you add members to your guild you are not stuck with players who you do not see eye to eye with. The larger the guild the more chance you will encounter players you just don't like. In your own guild that seldom happens and is easily remedied.

You make your guild to suit you. Since you are the first member of your guild you can choose how it runs, the number of players in the guild and what they do as a group. Remember, you pay for this game so make it as fun for you as you want. If your guildmates enjoy what you are doing they will stay.

Unlike the way you were treated by the other guild, when players ask you what your guild is and does you should take your time and tell them and perhaps they will have similar interests and join you! I do believe that there is one rule that everyone should follow regardless of guild affiliation or none, do nothing to interfere with the game play/enjoyment of other players. That might be a great motto to build a guild from.
Good luck in whatever you choose!

When I am putting a pirate in someone elses guild:
- Rules: do I agree with them?
- Players: are they mature?
- Power structure: Is the GM overbearing, or are the officers involved in decisions? (note that all final decisions reside with the GM)
- Do they allow random teleporting (biggie for me, I do not like for people to tp to me without asking and I have removed people from my friend's list for doing it after I asked them not to )

When I am recruiting for my guild:
- Maturity: even a kid can be mature, and adults aren't always mature.
- If one of the first questions is about being an officer, I generally will not guild that player unless it was in the context of the conversation about guild structure.
- Level: I don't really care what level the player is if they are a good fit for the guild
- do they understand the guild rules and will they abide by them?

The best way to choose a guild, imo, is to friend some of the members and crew up with them. Try to crew with as many different members as possible so you get a good over view of the types of members and officers in the guild.

First off: If you made it all the way to level 33 without the help of a guild, my hat's off to you!

Secondly, If you prefer to do everything (or almost everything) alone, then make your own guild. But be warned, the majority of guilds fold or are limited to a very small number of players.

Thirdly, as mentioned in other posts here, find a guild that suits you. Not every guild is right for every player. If in doubt, find a guild that seems to be right, and join it. You can always leave after a trial period.

There are over 100,000 guilds listed on DxD. By and far, the majority of them are defunct. There are guilds with over 400 members, and guilds of one.

The guilds listed here on POF, not just the ones with their own sub-forums, but those listed generically under "POTCO guilds and Clans" are usually established to some degree. (Except when they actually say that they are new.) Find the guild that best suits your wants and needs.


Good- Luck with your search! Hope you find the guild that is right for you.

Wow that is a lot to think about. I do tend to go my own way and do things myself. Problem with that is I still have not competed the boss battle. I can't do that one by myself. I've tried it and my cannooneer skills are not as good as my sailing skills. I would ask for help but I get so busy with other quests I'm doing and I forget. I would llike to finally be done with the Black Pearl boss battle. lol

Np
 

There are some pretty good ideas here to look for when searching for a guild.

A couple more things you may want to know. How many members/ members active in general. If this will fit to your type of play style or not.

If you are seriously looking at one, check if they have a web site you can check out and what they are all about. Many do, and gives a good idea how they are set up. Usually best to get that info here, than bans with ingame info of web sites, etc.

Being a more solo type myself, and have built a few characters out side guilds. You may not want to get involved in mandatory type involvement guilds.

Once you get in one try it out. Ask questions and see if it is going to be a good fit after giving it a bit of time. The other day a new member in one of the guilds thought it was mandatory or something, that we crew up with players online at the time. Was affraid to ask and spent a few days worried they couldn't go crew with outside friends. So don't fear to ask away.

I just popped a couple characters with the BB, and getting staff myself. If you list here on the forum you need help with the bb and a time, there is usually plenty of people willing to help.

The thread seems to have veered from choosing a guild to helping crew a Boss Battle. It's your thread, so that's perfectly fine with me. But I would ask the following questions as they pertain to a guild:

1. Should I join an established guild or create my own? Answer this question based on your research of what is necessary to create a decent guild. There are posts on POF about what is necessary to create a good guild. If you don't have the time, resources, or energy to devote to a guild you create, then I would recommend joining an established guild. Remember, most guilds do not last, therefore I would recommend looking at the guilds that have longevity and many active players.

2. If I join a guild, how do I know which guild to choose? Personally, I would only look in three areas: POF Guilds, Guild Websites, and DXD. Check here on POF and read what you can about each guild. Find the guild that seems like the best fit for you and then try them out. Regardless of what a guild states on this site or their own website , you need to have first-hand experience in order to make a determination. Once you've looked at the guild posts/subforums on POF, check out their website. If the website is up-to-date and useful, you probably have found a good guild. If a guild doesn't keep up their website or it's filled with useless info, you could have problems in that guild. As for DXD, look at the guild and see how many members they have, and check out the Leaderboards to see what the standing is compared to other guilds. Lots of enemies defeated and ships sunk probably equals a very active guild (however, it could also mean a guild that uses macros and auto-ranks).

Take a look around and see which guilds seem to fit you best. You should be able to live your pirate life the way you want when playing, regardless of guild or not.

Good luck in your search and I hope this helps.

My thoughts - if you like playing alone, don't worry about a guild. That's how I was on my first pirate, and I don't see anything wrong with it. I did make my own guild to end the "join my guild" demands, though.

Oh, and yes, the BB was a little tricky, but I got through it with a random crew. It wasn't the best experience, but I was happy to have it done.


Anyway, if you want to join a guild, and you think you've found one that you like, go for it. Once you're in, though, I would still consider the first month or so a trial period (on both sides), and I would do a lot of observing. It's not always easy to tell the dynamic of a group until you're in it; you may find that it's better than you expected, or not... If the latter, like others have said, you can always move on. :)