Guild Wars 2

As a DR server leader and as a guild leader, I am seeing a major issue with the ability to grow as a server and as a guild. It was made even more clear recently when a guild was trying to decide whether to join DR or Mag (strange, but true). They ultimately chose Mag because they knew they could grow there. Their guildies knew they would be with the same majority of people for the foreseeable future there. How can we effectively recruit people to a server that has no clue where they will be in 2 months and to a server that has no real investment in winning/losing (we just play for kittens and giggles) because their glicko is frozen? In the same sentiment, how does a guild effectively recruit new players when they are in WvW maps with people that are 70% not on our server and that same 70% that may or may not be linked with us in 2 months?

The nature of this game is for people to take breaks and/or leave the game entirely for one reason or another. Our guild has always had that, but never been worried about dying because we always had more people in than out. That’s not the case right now and it’s rough!

I’m seriously offering this as something for Anet to consider (we need something permanent!) and also welcoming suggestions on how to make the best of the hand we are being dealt.

we had this vote to continue linking or not. some saw this as a form of immediate gratification, but with no real long term benefits. we lost that vote (and I am on a host btw)….

Liston.9708:

we had this vote to continue linking or not. some saw this as a form of immediate gratification, but with no real long term benefits. we lost that vote (and I am on a host btw)….

Yes, I saw the vote. I think the “yes or no” was a bit too black and white for a very gray situation. I’d rather see a full on permanent merge. DR and Mag had some rough times starting out and some still get bent in one direction or the other, but most people that I know would just like some consistency so they can grow somewhere. Get to know the community for real. Not be foster kids wondering when they will be shuffled to the next house and whether the next house will be ok or not.

Fair point, but there is also something tempting about being on a “floating” server. I think roamers (and smaller kick*** guilds like t-rex o/) for instance would be more attracted to a floating server than to a host server. Not only that…but if the worlds weren’t linked…would the outcome have been any different? I doubt it. Also, if a guild is on a floating server…there is potential for more growth through linking, as you will have access to multiple host servers and their pugs (theoretically). Be open and friendly on said host servers, recruit for your guild, and pay for transfers if needed.

Ravere.8415:

Fair point, but there is also something tempting about being on a “floating” server. I think roamers (and smaller kick*** guilds like t-rex o/) for instance would be more attracted to a floating server than to a host server. Not only that…but if the worlds weren’t linked…would the outcome have been any different? I doubt it. Also, if a guild is on a floating server…there is potential for more growth through linking, as you will have access to multiple host servers and their pugs (theoretically). Be open and friendly on said host servers, recruit for your guild, and pay for transfers if needed.

I don’t think Mag wants DR pulling people from their ranks Especially groups like tRex! They do work on even much larger groups! I will work on a recruitment message and see what kinda “sales pitch” stuff I can throw out there for people I have people in GIT that would love to build a zerg busting group and we have a good tag for it. Just have to find people to join without bringing on too much drama of recruiting people potentially off of our host. Thanks for the feedback!

I’m on MAG…I don’t speak for everyone but…poach away, if someone wants to join your guild/server, I don’t see how that would be anyone else’s business? Play with mag pugs, recruit em, and have em x-fer over to DR when you get un-linked. Rinse and repeat on your next host server. Job done. FYI – When/if I ever throw up a recruit message, I have not and won’t add the line “must be on mag”. Hope that helps.

Ravere.8415:

I’m on MAG…I don’t speak for everyone but…poach away, if someone wants to join your guild/server, I don’t see how that would be anyone else’s business? Play with mag pugs, recruit em, and have em x-fer over to DR when you get un-linked. Rinse and repeat on your next host server. Job done. FYI – When/if I ever throw up a recruit message, I have not and won’t add the line “must be on mag”. Hope that helps.

Yeah, I know you are on Mag. I know it’s tough for Mag guilds to know which guilds are DR, but DR was small enough that we recognize a lot of your guild tags I will put it out there that we are a DR guild, but yeah…I’ll make sure everyone knows that “all are welcome”. I don’t think Mag has much to worry about if DR ends up with a few of its pugs (I’m pretty sure some Mag guilds have picked up some DR folks), but I won’t go trying to poach all of KRTA or anything

It is quite simple, if you have a wvw guild that strive to be huge and run almost everyday to the point of almost 24/7, your server will have hope. Why is that so? Because that huge wvw guild will be the starting point to maintain a consistent presence in wvw at all times, this give people good impressions of your server as a wvw environment. Otherwise, you will need several wvw guilds to maintain a consistent presence to give people good impressions. Then, coupled by a one or two large PvX guilds that connected to pve players across all the servers, your server will start to grow.

As for your argument about guest server, HOD (a guest server) is growing slowly, I believe is matter of guilds in the server rather than the host or guest server thingy.

Im from Whiteside Ridge [EU] we will always be a guest server. I agree, Sus.

There is a Thread:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/wuv/World-linking-and-names-Merged/first

Peppel.9736:

Im from Whiteside Ridge [EU] we will always be a guest server. I agree, Sus.

There is a Thread:
https://forum-en.gw2archive.eu/forum/game/wuv/World-linking-and-names-Merged/first

Seeing how Crystal Desert and Sorrow’s Furnace, who were guests became hosts, it is possible that a guest server that gets larger than a host server swap places (Or it the top servers become too large that they won’t need linking, such as Blackgate and Tarnished Coast). Of course, this is a longshot considering that Darkhaven, a host server, is smaller than their guest server Ehmry Bay.

Jeknar.6184:

Seeing how Crystal Desert and Sorrow’s Furnace, who were guests became hosts, it is possible that a guest server that gets larger than a host server swap places (Or it the top servers become too large that they won’t need linking, such as Blackgate and Tarnished Coast). Of course, this is a longshot considering that Darkhaven, a host server, is smaller than their guest server Ehmry Bay.

So far all servers listed were at least a tier above us, but I appreciate the thought I know DR has gained guilds that wanted to fight with Mag initially (and could have moved there now that their transfers opened up), but if they are still here, I can only wonder if they’d stay if we got moved (heaven forbid we be a host dependant on them in our population lol

Guest or host, I’d just prefer to have something stable. Even if it’s not “Devona’s Rest”, it’d be nice to have somewhere consistent to build.

It’s relative to how much work you want to put in to getting those recruits. We were guests to SBI. We were able to recruit a handful of people from SBI over. Part of it will be preparation, can you help them with transfer costs? Can you provide an environment they want to play in? Although I like fighting Mag, not everyone is all about the Magswag.
You’ll have to build your own guild identity more so with server linkings. We see the server linking as an opportunity to recruit across servers without having to transfer. Similar to what alot of the bandwagon guilds do, but we’re too cheap to transfer.
Focus on guild identity first, and server identity second. This is guild wars afterall.

shiri.4257:

It’s relative to how much work you want to put in to getting those recruits. We were guests to SBI. We were able to recruit a handful of people from SBI over. Part of it will be preparation, can you help them with transfer costs? Can you provide an environment they want to play in? Although I like fighting Mag, not everyone is all about the Magswag.
You’ll have to build your own guild identity more so with server linkings. We see the server linking as an opportunity to recruit across servers without having to transfer. Similar to what alot of the bandwagon guilds do, but we’re too cheap to transfer.
Focus on guild identity first, and server identity second. This is guild wars afterall.

We have a guild identity, no question there. As long as our core is here, that won’t change. Admittedly, server identity is a bit harder to maintain when part of the server rage quit within the first 24 hours of linking (queues) and others within the first week (that Magswag lol). The ones that stuck around are solid, but so easily unseen. That’s what I’m hoping to build on tho.

Time will tell how well this goes. I’d still prefer stability, but I’m not holding my breath on that one.

It seems like the smaller worlds might just get absorbed into the host worlds over the longer term just through transfers. For instance, I know a pretty major BP guild recently transferred back to FA, and some individuals have done this as well.

OP, what will you do if DR isn’t linked to Mag at the end of the next cycle? If your answer is “transfer guild to Mag” (or another host server), then your recruitment problem may just be short term.

Mushin.3928:

It seems like the smaller worlds might just get absorbed into the host worlds over the longer term just through transfers. For instance, I know a pretty major BP guild recently transferred back to FA, and some individuals have done this as well.

OP, what will you do if DR isn’t linked to Mag at the end of the next cycle? If your answer is “transfer guild to Mag” (or another host server), then your recruitment problem may just be short term.

I am not so sure this isn’t what Anet wanted all along. Let’s put guest servers in limbo without any real visibility until so many move to hosts, that the remaining WANT the server merge step that may have been too controversial when this all started.

Since we just finished Shark Week, an analogy came to mind that we can use for Guest Servers, being that of a remora that clings to the side of a shark, where the shark takes on the big prey and the remora feeds off its droppings and smaller parasites that attack the shark, while the shark offers protection from larger predators. There’s no verbal or written communication or agreement between the two, just an implicit understanding of the mutual benefit each receives by having the one tag alongside the other, and also knowing that the partnership is temporary and the remora will eventually move on to another host.

Liston.9708:

Mushin.3928:

It seems like the smaller worlds might just get absorbed into the host worlds over the longer term just through transfers. For instance, I know a pretty major BP guild recently transferred back to FA, and some individuals have done this as well.

OP, what will you do if DR isn’t linked to Mag at the end of the next cycle? If your answer is “transfer guild to Mag” (or another host server), then your recruitment problem may just be short term.

I am not so sure this isn’t what Anet wanted all along. Let’s put guest servers in limbo without any real visibility until so many move to hosts, that the remaining WANT the server merge step that may have been too controversial when this all started.

Whether it’s guilds from the guest server transferring to the host server (convenient ANet opened transfers after that first relink in when people from guests were thrown into a new match) or host members transferring to guest servers to be with a new guild, it is definitely some major $$$$$ for ANet no matter what.

I don’t want to transfer. Not even a little. So my problem (unfortunately) isn’t short term. Not to mention, we keep a lot more gold in our pocket if we help a few Mag (or other host server) roamers move to DR than it would be to get our DR folks all over to Mag (cuz fewer people to move and it’s way cheaper to transfer to DR).

Sylvyn.4750:

Since we just finished Shark Week, an analogy came to mind that we can use for Guest Servers, being that of a remora that clings to the side of a shark, where the shark takes on the big prey and the remora feeds off its droppings and smaller parasites that attack the shark, while the shark offers protection from larger predators. There’s no verbal or written communication or agreement between the two, just an implicit understanding of the mutual benefit each receives by having the one tag alongside the other, and also knowing that the partnership is temporary and the remora will eventually move on to another host.

I call us foster kids, you call us a type of leach lol tomatoes tomahtoe

Sus.3610:

Liston.9708:

Mushin.3928:

It seems like the smaller worlds might just get absorbed into the host worlds over the longer term just through transfers. For instance, I know a pretty major BP guild recently transferred back to FA, and some individuals have done this as well.

OP, what will you do if DR isn’t linked to Mag at the end of the next cycle? If your answer is “transfer guild to Mag” (or another host server), then your recruitment problem may just be short term.

I am not so sure this isn’t what Anet wanted all along. Let’s put guest servers in limbo without any real visibility until so many move to hosts, that the remaining WANT the server merge step that may have been too controversial when this all started.

Whether it’s guilds from the guest server transferring to the host server (convenient ANet opened transfers after that first relink in when people from guests were thrown into a new match) or host members transferring to guest servers to be with a new guild, it is definitely some major $$$$$ for ANet no matter what.

I don’t want to transfer. Not even a little. So my problem (unfortunately) isn’t short term. Not to mention, we keep a lot more gold in our pocket if we help a few Mag (or other host server) roamers move to DR than it would be to get our DR folks all over to Mag (cuz fewer people to move and it’s way cheaper to transfer to DR).

But that’s the issue – how many want to be the vagabonds? If you are on a host, you have decent guess on where you land in the tiers when re-links happen. As a guest, you could be who knows where. Will t1 remain unlinked? Will t4 continue to have 3 and 4 linked servers? Will anyone care anymore if they are in a bad match for 2 months?

DR was lucky enough to remain with Mag. I can honestly say, the first few months with them, I basically roamed solo or with other DR folks. When we got them again, I started running more with Mag. Figured I should make the best of it and maybe learn a thing or two. At the very least, I’d do some large group fighting that I haven’t had on DR in almost 2 years.

It will be odd if we end up with anyone, but Mag, but I’m sure we could make it work. I’d like another poll tho. One with more options about what will happen with servers. I really like the idea of having a PvE server and then separate WvW servers. That, or just poo or get off the sock. Merge us!

Sus.3610:

I call us foster kids, you call us a type of leach lol tomatoes tomahtoe

Hey, I leach off the K-trains as much as possible!