In the run-up to the release of World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery, many fledgling guilds have begun their recruitment drives. Unfortunately, many feel they are being too demanding of potential members.
Guilds are historically a hugely important part of WoW. Though their prominence has been curtailed by modern group-finding systems in the retail version of the game, in Classic WoW, they remain a much more accessible way of tackling the game’s most challenging content.
It’s also important to note that guilds come in different shapes and sizes. Many are designed with social experiences in mind, while others pursue the best gear and most difficult bosses as a team. This, in turn, means that the barrier to entry into a guild can vary wildly.
Now, some community members are upset at the average requirements to join many new guilds in Season of Discovery.
Season of Discovery players blast guild recruiter tactics
In a post on Reddit, one WoW player shared their concern over very demanding entry requirements for even “semi-hardcore” guilds.
Many were quick to agree, with one saying: “‘semi-hardcore’ is such a nothing description, and 95% of guilds identify as this. It covers everything from dads who think they’re better than they are to pretty good players who simply don’t care for three months of split-runs to chase world-first progress on the next phase.”
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Others expressed sympathy for the difficulty in finding the balance between group size and endgame viability as a GM. Another added: “My guild in Classic was ‘semi-hardcore,’ but it had everything except requiring flasks and engineering, which a lot of people ended up using either way.
“I think the officers were constantly dancing the line between having a steady roster and having competent people. Go too hardcore, and the more casual players drop off but go too casual, and the biggest pumpers drop off.”
There is some hope, though. More communities catering to specific players’ needs have started to appear.
One user shared their wholesome experience of finding a guild suited to their family-focused life, saying: “I saw a guild recruiting in trade chat looking for Gamer Dads and old people who are okay with RPers and can raid Friday nights and do PvP on the weekends. Signed up immediately.”
With Season of Discovery set to release on November 30, players won’t have long to wait before they can join up with new potential guildmates. The unique experience could be more group-dependent than ever, so having a steady guild could be a huge advantage.