Guild Wars 2

I pre-ordered GW2 with no prior Guild Wars experience. Since then GW1 vets have been demanding guild halls. From what I’ve heard, i don’t think they really have a place in GW2. What am i missing?

If you have the time to read it you will get a quite comprehensive answer with multiple viewpoints by perusing this thread:

https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/cdi/CDI-Guilds-Guild-Halls/first

In GW1 guilds could buy guild hall upgrades with gold. This included merchant, bank, etc, so think of it as a hub you can travel to for free, any time and use the services there. It’s also a nice place to chill and form a party before going to somewhere.

People come to MMO’s with different motivations. For example, one venerable (in the MMO world anyway) theory called Bartle’s Player Types asserts that people to one extent or another are:

• Achievers
• Explorers
• Socializers
  and/or
• Killers

Other projects have expanded on that (the magnificent work by Nick Yee for example.) But ultimately the general premise is the same: it’s remarkable how invested people get with MMO’s, yet they do it for different reasons.

To some folks the motivations fall strongly into categories that lend themselves to big, visible, social achievement. (That covers two out of the big four above, as well as a substantial chunk of possible motivations from Yee.)

Guild halls represent the ultimate in that category in many ways. They’re a huge place, highly visible to the people you know, where you can gather and be aware of your achievement. They’re something to work towards and/or enjoy socially. They also cover a component of immersion in the game world, which isn’t in the four above, but is something Yee’s research noted as important to many players as well.

TL;DR:
They are a pretty broad type of content that can be really satisfying to people motivated in certain ways common in MMO’s. They’re both a big symbol of achievement and an immersive place to socialize.

I like to think of myself an achieving, killer explorer who likes to socialise.

Joking aside though, there is an age old tradition in MMO’s where groups or guilds congregate in certain areas of a game to meet, chat etc. GW2 never really developed those sort of places and megaservers make it a bit harder to group up. Guild Halls would remedy that entirely.

People also want them because they are perceived as a traditional cornerstone of MMO gaming. I don’t entirely agree with that line of thinking, but I also don’t really question it much either – a lot of people want Halls and Anet have clearly found a way of bringing them in that fits their world. After all, they don’t bring anything negative to the game as far as I can see.

So it’s a social/RP thing. The amenities people talk about don’t seem as applicable to GW2 as they apparently were to GW1.

One place with all craft stations, bank, vendors and black lion traders with my friends? Why not?

Think about player housing, but for guilds. Some people like the idea that in an MMORPG, players get to spend most of their time in an instance instead, making once highly populated cities completely deserted.

Guild parties! There’d be a planned time and everyone in the guild would come to the hall, and dance and socialize and have contests! This is especially good for big guilds, and in GW1 was good for Alliances (several guilds were under an alliance), because the guilds could all get together and make new friends

Omnia Wind.2108:

Guild parties! There’d be a planned time and everyone in the guild would come to the hall, and dance and socialize and have contests! This is especially good for big guilds, and in GW1 was good for Alliances (several guilds were under an alliance), because the guilds could all get together and make new friends

To each his own, I guess.

Don’t get information twisted. Yeah they were used a sort of “meet up” spot, and can still be used that way, but in no way did people use them as an in general just “chill” out spot most of the time to replace Lion’s Arch or Ascalon City, or Kaineng. All of those were far more populated all of the time.

They are an amenity, but they are a big part of the guild experience in the Guild Wars franchise. It gives them a home so that should they need to, and should their needs in terms of guild focus require it, they have a place to cater to those needs and be there for other purposes.

I am so glad to learn that I am not the only one that has been secretly “scratching my head” about guild halls. I am not opposed to them in any way…I just never understood the purpose. I don’t “hang out” in the game and can chat from anywhere.

But, with some explanation of the potential utility, I can see the point. If they have access to banks, merchants, crafting stations, perhaps portals to capital cities…this all seems very useful. As for the other, more social purposes, I am sure others like it and view it as important but that aspect has no appeal for me.

Elothar.4382:

…
If they have access to banks, merchants, crafting stations, perhaps portals to capital cities…this all seems very useful.
…

WvW has offered most of those since release, unless there’s a queue (which is probably very rare these days).

In EQ2 I remember the “Meh, Guild Halls so what” response. But believe me. Once you have them in an active guild you will wonder at what you did before them. Crafting hubs all in one place for all guild members. Portals to dungeons, easier gathering together to run guild events. The only downside is that the present hubs used will become more or less deserted.

Dalwhat.2867:

In EQ2 I remember the “Meh, Guild Halls so what” response. But believe me. Once you have them in an active guild you will wonder at what you did before them. Crafting hubs all in one place for all guild members. Portals to dungeons, easier gathering together to run guild events. The only downside is that the present hubs used will become more or less deserted.

Gw1 didn’t become deserted. I think we’ll be fine.

In gw1 they were mostly used to stay afk and not be bothered by stranger.
Also gvg.

I will say they need to expand on the housing concept to create more of a sense of unity in the guild communities. The guilds I’ve belonged to were friendly, but only in a detached manner. Getting help for a mission or fight was almost impossible, as everyone was “busy”… even if that “business” was standing around joking in group chat and doing nothing else. In comparison, most guilds would have “mandatory” guild actions you were expected to drop everything to attend, and would react harshly if you weren’t there when they happened.

If the people in various guilds gather together and have a place to do all their various individual work, then they’re going to feel more connected and (possibly) be more social with each other, helping to make those guilds feel like actual groups of people who care about each other’s actions.

What I would like to see as a part of the guild bases is personal homes within the guild bases. A base with towers and outbuilding people can live in would allow players to invest more person interest in keeping those bases intact, and maybe rest bonuses or something could be added for getting to and maintaining the base to the size where players could have personal housing inside of them.

Lastly… maybe this is the set up to them returning this game to what it’s named for.

Guild Wars.

Player customizability. Pretty simple.

They will also most likely be the starting point for Guild missions for those Guilds that run them.

Also having the guild halls can open possibilities for the future.
For example :

- guild siege events (a guild defends its castle in a dungeon defender way, while the other tries to reach, let’s say the treasure room)

- the housing system mentioned above

- monster invasions events (to defend let’s say, farms… if we get any in the future for houses)

and other things involving guild halls.

lujate.5432:

I pre-ordered GW2 with no prior Guild Wars experience. Since then GW1 vets have been demanding guild halls. From what I’ve heard, i don’t think they really have a place in GW2. What am i missing?

It’s a Guild Hall thing, you wouldn’t understand.

BilboBaggins.5620:

lujate.5432:

I pre-ordered GW2 with no prior Guild Wars experience. Since then GW1 vets have been demanding guild halls. From what I’ve heard, i don’t think they really have a place in GW2. What am i missing?

It’s a Guild Hall thing, you wouldn’t understand.

“you wouldn’t understand” pretty much sums up all of GW1, but this isn’t GW1.

So are you saying “player housing” does not ring a bell for you either? This is essentially the same thing, only for guilds instead of individual players. Although of course you could plausibly run a guild all by yourself and possibly build a guild hall for yourself, too.

Guild Halls is a place for your guild to meet and communicate. You can build stuff, arrange events, roleplay and store items in your guild bank. Maybe more. You can use it as a place to meet before going into WvW,GvG, raids or a dungeon.

Not really interested in Guild Halls personally. We already have many places that we can go for all sorts of vendors and all crafting stations, some for free (Heart of the Mists) and others for a few silver.
I also don’t see the point of meeting in the same place and communicating in a same place. You can communicate via chat from anywhere, no need to be next to someone.

But I see many don’t share my point of view that Guild Halls are pointless. Possibly cause I don’t have a serious guild that I am into. I jump between several depending on my needs, one PvP guild, one for dungeons with people who know their stuff, my personal guild and a 4th one for the lulz, a place I can use to troll randoms cause they invite anyone

Guild halls allow a place for guilds to gather for whatever they need to do.
Guild meetings where not everyone has the ability to be on a voip system.
Gathering place for events – guild events, map runs, dungeons, whatever.
If you don’t need/want a guild hall, then you don’t need to use/‘buy’ one.

the main point of guild halls is to give guilds something else to do. unless your in an active guild with a specific focus my guess is other than chat the only thing your guild bands together for is missions once a week. this will give guilds something to work on for progression.

there are the organizational benefits too. however, i got a royal terrace pass so im good on the hub with amenities.

honestly, i think that unless there is some kind of active play element to guild halls then your enjoyment of them may entirely depend on you and your interaction with your guild. thus it might not be for everyone.

guild halls will draw people from LA and main cities i guess

but after old LA was changed you dont meet all the people on one spot anymore anyway…

so i have no problem with that
and rather meet all the people i know more often

THe points is : It was and would have been one of the best features of the game. As it was in Gw1. It was promised, and they did not give it to us. In my opinion its better late then never, trough i think its actually….to late…most ppl that cared, dont care for the game itself anymore, since they promised to much and gave nothing.

Nekroseth.5186:

THe points is : It was and would have been one of the best features of the game
…

Please elaborate. So far all we’ve established that guild halls bring to GW2 is a place for RP’ing and socializing. If those are your thing, great, but you have to be aware that not everyone feels that way.

lujate.5432:

Nekroseth.5186:

THe points is : It was and would have been one of the best features of the game
…

Please elaborate. So far all we’ve established that guild halls bring to GW2 is a place for RP’ing and socializing. If those are your thing, great, but you have to be aware that not everyone feels that way.

True enough, but you also have to be aware that they aren’t just making Guild Halls for that reason. They will likely have “quality of life” additions that will be of use to players who focus upon other aspects of the game rather than just RP and socializing. Guild Halls did the same thing in GW1 and also provided a place for people to trade after confirming purchases of items off of GWGuru (GW1 version of the Trading Post).

They are there for a social aspect, but also I imagine they are going to be used for a more gameplay oriented aspect. However we do have very little information on it as of right now so what I’m spewing is just speculation based on observations and other information.

The short of it is; don’t discount it simply because “you don’t get it” because from where I’m sitting…it kind of seems like you’re a bit more of a solo MMORPG player than a social one.

Nekroseth.5186:

i think its actually….to late…most ppl that cared, dont care for the game itself anymore, since they promised to much and gave nothing.

Did someone elect this person to speak for “most ppl that cared?”

Funny I didn’t receive a ballot.

I love it when people make claims of which they have absolutely no proof.

Well, I don’t think they will be exact same thing as GW1. I didn’t play GW1 but did they have a similar thing to the Air Ship? I highly doubt Anet is going to give you full amenities and nullify the airship passes for “less revenue”. If they allow vendors you can almost expect there not to be crafting stations or a mystic forge. Rest of the vendors won’t be a problem for Anet. Just allow me to build a giant statue of myself in there and I will be happy.

KryTiKaL.3125:

…
The short of it is; don’t discount it simply because “you don’t get it” because from where I’m sitting…it kind of seems like you’re a bit more of a solo MMORPG player than a social one.

True enough. Given the choice, I would have opted for a non-MMO version of GW2. That being said, I know that a lot of people highly value the social aspect of gaming. If someone says, “guild halls are for socializing”, I’m OK with that. On the other hand, if someone says “guild halls are great”, I’m left wondering what’s so great about them.

So far, here are the reasons I’m hearing:
1. GW1 nostalgia
2. Amenities, most of what are already in-game
3. Social/RP

lujate.5432:

So far, here are the reasons I’m hearing:
1. GW1 nostalgia
2. Amenities, most of what are already in-game
3. Social/RP

And don’t forget “sense of achievement”.

It’s something else to have that you didn’t have, and had to work for.

Guild halls are great for building a tighter camaraderie within a guild.
My guild dropped drastically because the members were always off doing their own thing. Guilds maintain their member rolls through either a strong leader or a strong sense of community. Not all leaders are strong but a community can be easily strengthened with a symbol that says “This belongs to you all. Your members built it and maintain it”. Symbols like these are powerful reminders of belonging.

I made a funny reply earlier (ok, I thought it was funny) and I hope no one took it seriously. But all I can honestly say is that I played GW1 from the beginning, bought Factions and Nightfall when they came out and bought EOTN (the only true expansion) when it was released.

I can’t really find meaningful words to express how important our guild hall was to me other than to say when I logged in to the game my character was in our guild hall. When I needed to access my storage or sell to a merchant I went to my guild hall. When I was done for the day I returned to my guild hall.

I have group screenshots of our guild, individual screenshots of close friends from our guild, and “couples” shots with friends and family from our guild. All of those were taken in my guild hall. I really miss the closeness and the feeling of belonging to a family that exclusive guilds and guild halls brought to me in GW1.

They were such a good place to socialize and access basic amenities, and being guested to other people’s guilds and hanging out in their halls with them was a total blast. And it meant real work to earn the amenities for the hall, it was a real real boon if you worked hard enough to get them all in the one place.

OP; this is very much a way to help bring Guild Wars 2 closer to Guild Wars 1’s ideals, much in the way that these specializations are coming into play to echo the secondary profession systems of old.

If Guild Halls aren’t your thing that’s great, but I’m getting this really pointed tone when you address the first game and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it. People in this thread have already laid out why they were such a boon in Guild Wars 1.

kylwilson.9137:

…
If Guild Halls aren’t your thing that’s great, but I’m getting this really pointed tone when you address the first game and I don’t understand the reasoning behind it. People in this thread have already laid out why they were such a boon in Guild Wars 1.

I wasn’t trying to be down on GW1 or start a GW1 vs GW2 war. Just pointing out that in GW2 many of the practical benefits of GW1 guild halls aren’t really applicable.

I have a Royal Terrace Pass, and it is true that it works much like my old Guild Hall did.

But…

But…there is not the same feeling of ownership and pride at having earned all the amenities, nor choosing the theme, nor the ability to choose who may share the space with me, nor gazing around and knowing that I own everything as far as the eye can see.

I suppose, like some have said, you had to be there… /shrug

lujate.5432:

I pre-ordered GW2 with no prior Guild Wars experience. Since then GW1 vets have been demanding guild halls. From what I’ve heard, i don’t think they really have a place in GW2. What am i missing?

There seems to be an important function missing in all the posts here, since most GvGers from GW1 have moved to other games. And that function is GvG. The Guildhall was also used to battle against another guild. The guild with the lowest rank was host for the GvG so they had the advantage of ‘home’ play on their map choice.

And yeah, since there’s no GvG with ladders etc in GW2 it’s pointless in GW2.

lujate.5432:

KryTiKaL.3125:

…
The short of it is; don’t discount it simply because “you don’t get it” because from where I’m sitting…it kind of seems like you’re a bit more of a solo MMORPG player than a social one.

True enough. Given the choice, I would have opted for a non-MMO version of GW2. That being said, I know that a lot of people highly value the social aspect of gaming. If someone says, “guild halls are for socializing”, I’m OK with that. On the other hand, if someone says “guild halls are great”, I’m left wondering what’s so great about them.

So far, here are the reasons I’m hearing:
1. GW1 nostalgia
2. Amenities, most of what are already in-game
3. Social/RP

I think you can add to that list a sense of belonging. At the moment, the guild is just a roster. There are guild missions, true enough, and you can get buffs from guilds, but it seems so impersonal. With guild halls, the guild has a place of its own where the members can gather privately, like a personal town. It has a cosy feeling about it.

Urosh Uchiha.9732:

Not really interested in Guild Halls personally. We already have many places that we can go for all sorts of vendors and all crafting stations, some for free (Heart of the Mists) and others for a few silver.
I also don’t see the point of meeting in the same place and communicating in a same place. You can communicate via chat from anywhere, no need to be next to someone.

But I see many don’t share my point of view that Guild Halls are pointless. Possibly cause I don’t have a serious guild that I am into. I jump between several depending on my needs, one PvP guild, one for dungeons with people who know their stuff, my personal guild and a 4th one for the lulz, a place I can use to troll randoms cause they invite anyone

So you’re practically a loner and think anything that doesn’t offer anything to loners is pointless? Ok.