Guild Wars 2

So, this is probably a redundant question, and if it has been answered somewhere in the past, by all means, please link me. My question is the standing of what is a guild in Guild Wars 2. Specifically in relation to the nations. IN GW1 we are given to understand that Adelbern, King of Ascalon, led his guild in the last Guild War against Kryta. Unless I’m totally missing something (admittedly possible) would this not mean he led his military against Kryta? Would this then support that the current military branches are guilds as well? ( Shining Blade, Adamant Guard, Wardens, etc). Also, by extension, would non combatant entities like business, noble houses and so on also potentially function as guilds?

Guilds are a bit iffy in lore, as we don’t really know what the difference between a guild and any other association of people is. Basically most major organizations in GW1 were guilds. Some of them were so powerful that they pretty much took over the human kingdoms, Adelbern’s guild would be an example, though here most Ascalonians welcomed him taking over instead of Duke Barradin, the rightful heir to the throne getting the crown (some didn’t, but this opposition died down with the searing, as far as I’m aware).
Other major players of the first games lore were also guilds, this includes the Stone Summit, the White Mantle, the Shining Blade, the Xunlai (which would be an example of a non-combatant guild), the gangs of Cantha, Shiro’s forces (well atleast Togo mentions Shiro’s guild emblem, this hand-like symbol), the Sunspears and the Order of Whispers.
Some of them also appear in GW2, but are they still guilds? Hard to say, we don’t really know what defines a guild in lore. Destiny’s Edge is a guild, the only confirmed guild though. If the parameters of GW1 are still in play than the 3 orders are guilds, as is the Shining Blade and probably even the Black Lion Trading company.

That was kinda my thought as well. But since something like the Shining Blade would be a guild, wouldn’t the other two branches (Ministry Guard and Seraph) also be guilds? Along with the other races, like Adamant Guard, Wolfborn, and so on? It just seems to make sense. In reality, there’s guilds all the time (Quilting guilds, trades guilds and you might argue that unions are a sort of guild). so by that logic, could you argue that major in game organizations, lore based and player driven, would all be considered guilds?

Short answer: yes, probably.

Long answer: Let’s look at the definition of the word guild.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/guild?s=t

noun
1.
an organization of persons with related interests, goals, etc., especially one formed for mutual aid or protection.
2.
any of various medieval associations, as of merchants or artisans, organized to maintain standards and to protect the interests of its members, and that sometimes constituted a local governing body.
3.
Botany. a group of plants, as parasites, having a similar habit of growth and nutrition.

The first definition applies here, but honestly it’s rather vague. So I guess that means that all those organizations you mentioned can in fact be guilds. We have no confirmation though. All we can do is judge by the first games standart, in which such organizations were usually guilds, so this could be true ~250 years later.

BuddhaKeks.4857:

Short answer: yes, probably.

Long answer: Let’s look at the definition of the word guild.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/guild?s=t

noun
1.
an organization of persons with related interests, goals, etc., especially one formed for mutual aid or protection.
2.
any of various medieval associations, as of merchants or artisans, organized to maintain standards and to protect the interests of its members, and that sometimes constituted a local governing body.
3.
Botany. a group of plants, as parasites, having a similar habit of growth and nutrition.

The first definition applies here, but honestly it’s rather vague. So I guess that means that all those organizations you mentioned can in fact be guilds. We have no confirmation though. All we can do is judge by the first games standart, in which such organizations were usually guilds, so this could be true ~250 years later.

Doesn’t the second definition also fit, at least in GW1’s time?

One of the rare places where guilds are explicitly discussed in relation to Guild Wars 2 is the Movement of the World. For reference, here is the quote:

The guilds of Tyria have grown and expanded, despite the destruction of the Battle Isles. Balthazar helped raise a new temple in Lion’s Arch, stepping on the hearthstone of the construction and opening a gate there to the Mists, so that heroes of each world could compete in contest. But these guilds are not racially aligned as they were in the past—no longer restricted merely to humans, they accept heroes of all societies into their halls.

The Asura easily fit into the guild system, using guilds as they would any other krewe designed for a task. To the Charr, the guilds are like warbands. They do not replace the loyalty the Charr hold to their legion but instead allow them unique opportunities to display the strength of their race and increase their own personal reputations as ferocious combatants. Norn are always eager for a fight, and their loyalty to friends makes them a blessing to any combat force. Sylvari bring unique and unpredictable strengths to a guild, and are eager to enter into any danger simply for the experience of it.

Guilds are a prominent force in Tyria, taking on challenges that individual adventurers fear to face, and braving even the most dangerous opponents. It is said that if there is any hope for the races of Tyria to find peace, it will come from the guilds and their atmosphere of cooperation and unity.

To me it seems like guilds in the context of Guild Wars 2 refer specifically to bands of adventurers like Destiny’s Edge and no longer to other types of groups.

Sorry I was a bit unclear there, I ment the first definition is the best fit, not that the second is completely unusable like the third one.

Regarding the movement of the world, I don’t think it makes clear that large guilds don’t exist anymore. Even in GW1 most guilds were supposed to be bands of adventurers. And that’s still the case, they are just more racially diverse now. That doesn’t imply those large guilds of the old days aren’t used anymore. The orders are the best example. While never outright called a guild they all fit the pattern we know from GW1. So I would argue, until explicitly told otherwise we can assume the orders are guilds.

We do have a lore, if not definition, at least criterion: Ghosts of Ascalon, pg. 128. “Guilds are permanent organizations. They are created and maintained by their own membership, and are usually set up with long-term goals.” That middle part would disqualify most armies- the Seraph, for instance, was created by Queen Salma and is maintained by taxation. The Orders would technically qualify, although I suspect they’re far enough outside the norm to make labeling them as such largely worthless.

On Adelbern- Ascalon’s Chosen wasn’t the Ascalon army. Just by the name of the guild, they were probably created to serve the nation, but it would have been on their own terms, not the King’s. The reason the Guild Wars got their name is that many (most?) of the forces answered to guilds, not kings, and at the time the guild armies were stronger than the national armies.

^
Basically what Aaron said.

It should be noted that originally GW1 was conceived to have player guilds vying for control of PvE areas. Think GvG in a PvE zone. And the winning guild would supposedly gain various game bonuses for controlling said zone. Factions half-heartedly realized this concept with Lux/Kurz controlled lands, but it obviously wasn’t the same thing.

Most likely, the GW1 writer(s) was hired to incorporate meaningful guild elements into the storyline to mirror the proposed gameplay. And then later, when they changed their minds on the how PvE was going to pan out, they just left the “guild” theme intact in the story. After all, the conceptual game mechanics of GW1 were envisioned long before the story was.