I am also disappointed and concerned about the new approach to guilds. This approach discourages small guilds and will probably result in just a few really huge guilds.
I would be happy with any change that gave small guilds the same chance at boosts and content. When dungeons party size is limited to 5, it makes sense to make guild missions and rewards (like boosts) available and easy to earn for small guilds. I could understand this new emphasis better if dungeon parties needed to be 25.
Our guild is small, PvE only and made up of RL friends and family members (4 generations of players!) All of us were GW1 players for 6+ years. Our schedules rarely coincide and frequently we play solo or only 2 people at a time.
Up until now, we have chugged along slowly earning influence. Many of us are avid gamers who like our boosts and bennies. Our slow rate of influence accumulation was frustrating, but okay because (up until this last update) the rewards were minor and we didn’t lose out on much.
Now there is content and boosts we want, but doing the math — they are beyond our capabilities. Already our most avid gamers are choosing to spend their time in other guilds further decreasing our ability to earn influence. I am afraid that this update spells the end for a guild that has kept us in touch with each other even as our lives scattered us across the continent.
I have liked a lot of things about this game. I like the artwork, I like the puzzles, I like the achievments, I like the living story and having new content with plotlines added. But I also prefer the intimacy of a small guild. I like knowing who I am playing with and I don’t like the pressure and politics that comes with a large guild. Large guild play is just not for me and if that is the direction the game is going, then I probably won’t like future changes any better.
I will try to keep our guild alive in the hopes that there will be changes in the future that will help small guilds. But if our guild disbands, I will probably drift back to GW1 or on to another game. I know the chance I might find one of my friends on line has encouraged me to play. Without that, the game isn’t as much fun.