I’m a WoW player, having started in 2009 during Wrath. Leveling sped by and even though I expansion capped, I made it into heroic raiding by the time Arthas was ready to be taken down. But over the years I enjoyed WoW less and less. PvP is just a crowd control duel. There are less and less veblen and positional goods, and those that remain (mostly raiding gear) retain value for far too short a time. The lore is completely ruined by the wacky leveling changes, and there is no interest in fixing leveling problems (including balance). General immaturity, rudeness, and carelessness rule the social atmosphere.
I tried several games back at the beginning of 2013 with a WoW friend when trying to find something better, and ended up loving GW2. The dynamic events, especially the way they encouraged ad-hoc grouping (without actually grouping), amazed me. The personal stories, voice acting and all, enthralled me. The professions weren’t exactly what I’d like, but they blew WoW out of the water. And the class that I expected to hate, turned out to be exactly what I always wanted: a primarily “support” class.
By by two months later I was max level (a very rushed process), decked out in yellows that I mostly made myself, and unsure what to do next. Without a global chat channel I had no idea how to meet people or form groups or find a guild, and the LFG tool that I’ve since heard about didn’t exist back then (that I know of). I ran across one or two guilds, but they didn’t seem very active and the leaders were not attentive or interactive. I left GW2 by spring/summer and haven’t been back since. I’ve been playing WoW, having missed healing, but I keep finding myself wishing it was more like GW2.
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So that’s what I am now. I’m looking to come back to GW2 and give it another shot, though my buddy missed healing too much and is sticking with WoW for now. I’d like to find a good guild, welcoming and supportive, who will help me get up to speed with what I’ve missed. I’d like a close group of friends, but not in a way that doesn’t welcome others to join in; I’m a relatively social person at heart but pretty quiet until I get to know people and I tend not to join in unless invited. I’m always happy to help out and teach others, and I treat everyone with respect; I expect the same in return.
I enjoyed WvW the few times I tried it, and would like a guild that has some PvP involvement. And I’ve always been interested in those group missions I kept seeing pop up but never got to do. I have a feeling that working up through fractals as a team may be my biggest source of enjoyment (though I don’t know for sure as I could never find a group to even try a dungeon), so I’d really like to make sure the guild I join does those. I LOVE fun little events just held to play as a group, and I’ve always been fond of groups working together for a common cause (grinding/farming mats for a guildie, working towards an achieve together, etc).
I’m still playing WoW and I’m not sure where I’ll end up or if I’ll keep playing both, and I’m pretty sure I’ll head back to at least try WoD. I also work two jobs right now and have a family. So my time will be pretty limited; I can’t promise to be online too often. However, if there is a set day and time when the guild does certain activities I can probably be pretty reliable. Weeknights at 6:30 pm EST or later work best for me. Weekends are possible, but more tricky.
I’d really like a guild with active leadership and membership. I ran a raiding guild in WoW and know how difficult the job is (and how thankless!). But I also know that leadership can make or break a guild. And oblivious members who aren’t dedicated to the group, or to making group activities work, leaves social interaction in a constant state of ambiguity.
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Thanks for taking the time to read. If you think your guild would be a good match, could you please tell me a little about it and tell me how you think I’d be a good fit for the group (or the group a good fit for me)?