Lead the Way, Part III
Guilds are another large part of the gaming experience and military players don't want to miss out due to their hectic schedules. The main questions that need to be asked when finding a guild are what style of gameplay is used and how active are they. These can be the decisive reasons why people leave guilds in the first place, so getting them right up front can mean a good experience or a short goodbye.
Styles of game play are like pie holes: everyone has one and they all need to be kept shut...err, expressed. Getting down to brass tacks though on the actual style that guild uses can be a bit tricky. Talk to members of the guild and get a broad feel for what they perceive the guild to be. Don't ask the leaders, their expectations of the style often differ greatly. When you get a feel for the guild's style, group with some members and find whether you work well with them. Express your interests, but emphasize that you want to get know some members before joining. The membership will know you better that way and respect your opinions later on due to your method of approach. Besides it's always better to have friends at the party than being the "new guy".
How active they are will tell you whether members will be on while you are online. Most guilds have a trial period for new members so take advantage of this. Take the time to learn about the members, monitor when certain members (like the leadership) are on, and if they have a website see what's on it. This will give you a chance to see if you want to contribute to the best guild on the server, or scuttle the ship. At this time I would not recommend contributing status or money into the guild but rather time getting to know them.
Most guilds I have found fall into these categories: raiding, role playing, and casual. Of these types the most prevalent is the casual guild. This is the guild that greets you when you get on, says good bye when you leave, and gives you kudos for when you complete a writ, level or any major achievements. Often referred to as a "greets and grats" guild, this is what a majority are. The role playing guilds are established to provide players a place to role play and explore their characters beyond the base stats and loot that they attain. They can range from the casual, role playing in the guild chat, to the hardcore, providing rich and full storylines that are expected to be fleshed out by the members.
Raiding guilds are another animal in and of themselves. They are the guilds that thrive on getting leveled quickly; level capped characters are expected, and they go for the uber-gear and money because they can. They are the big dogs on the block and they know it. If a branch of the service could be strapped to these fighting men and women it would be the Marines. Got an epic times four dragon that needs slaying or an epic times two giant that needs put in his place, call in the raid guild. They use things like Dragon Kill Points (DKP) to fight over loot, and expect their members to function as a well oiled machine. They go through heroic mobs like a knife through butter and chew up rookies for breakfast. These guilds are like a Drill Sergeant on crack!
If you have the time for one, go ahead, but I would not recommend a hardcore raid guild for the military player. They tend to require at least three days a week for raiding, you to know your class inside and out and, if you are joining for loot, don't, most of the time veterans have priority over the rooks and it is a grueling process to gain veteran status. For a serviceman pressed for time already it doesn't pay to play in the big leagues, yet. If you are on a stateside or overseas base that is not deployed often this is something that you can invest time in, but make sure your schedule works with it.
If you do get into a guild though be sure to follow the rules and maintain your military bearing. Deployments can be hard, but don't take it out on your guild mates. They aren't servicemen and they don't understand what you're going through. However, they do care, in a limited capacity and are more than willing to help you pass the time with a good group. If you are going to be away from the game for an extended period, let your guild leaders know ahead of time. They will be more sympathetic to your absence than being left high and dry without notice. You also don't want to explain your absence after finding that you had been kicked from a guild that you invested months of game play with only to find out it was because the guild thought you ditched them.
That's all for now, next issue we'll explore the swashbuckler and brigand classes in EverQuest II. We'll see how they act in a group, how they fair by themselves and what the big deal is regarding poisons. Until next time, DISMISSED!