Surviving the Pre-TBC Guild Depression

Playered · 10/31/06, 5:29 PM

Im sure alot of guilds are having this, and am interested in how it is being managed by others.

As a raiding guild people are becoming less and less active... and its fairly mixed between very old/well geared and newer people without the top end gear.
So it becomes a 'recruit or die' situation which never seems to end... and it feels that the guild is dieing slowly each day as even raiding in itself becomes more difficult each week.

Progress really seems pointless atm due to new people coming and old people going... but even farm raids are sometimes struggling and I dont see it getting better anytime soon....

The worst part is now that TBC is out 1-2 months later than intended that you cant even blag it untill then because if we stop before then, we will most likely collapse.

Bibdy · 10/31/06, 5:33 PM

The hardest part of love is knowing when to let go.

I've fulfilled my 'profound' quota for the day.

Erongg · 10/31/06, 5:38 PM

We're going through the same thing, and we're just recruiting more. We have enough people that yearn to progress and to see the new encounters that we've kept it together. If you don't have a big enough core of people that really want to raid for the fun and challenge of it, then your guild probably cannot solve the problem via recruitment, and there probably is no solution at all.

• Hamlet · 10/31/06, 5:45 PM

Anticipate and fight it out. Good personnel are more valuable than anything else.
Find out what people's motivations are.
Make sure that the first guild to go down isn't yours.

Elendril · 10/31/06, 5:53 PM

we have daily group hugs.

Ignayshus · 10/31/06, 5:55 PM

If you can't recruit enough geared/skilled players to continue progressing, then stop trying. Why not take this time to reevaluate what the guild is about, what your core would like it to be about in TBC, and how you intend to achieve that.

Take this opportunity now to cull the ranks and start recruiting people rather than gear or classes, because the gear really doesn't matter when Bliz pushes the hard reset. This is your chance to correct once untouchable issues within the guild and emerge better then before.

/silver_lining

• Hamlet · 10/31/06, 6:18 PM

Originally Posted by Elendril

we have daily group hugs.

That reminds me, for activities to improve guild cohesion, I highly recommend:

http://www.isketch.net

with the WoW word list and a Vent channel.

Nurru · 10/31/06, 6:18 PM

Aren't there several threads about this sort of thing?

Psonica · 10/31/06, 8:29 PM

Originally Posted by Nurru

Aren't there several threads about this sort of thing?

It's happening all over I guess ... the guild I'm in are facing some of this as well. The core people are still with us but it's sad seeing people who has been with us for almost a year now just fade away.

Blackpatch · 10/31/06, 8:31 PM

It don't matter. I'll be all around in the Outlands - I'll be everywhere. Wherever you can look - wherever there's a roll, so pubbie people can loot, I'll be there. Wherever there's a mob beatin' up a tank, I'll be there. I'll be in the way priests Fear when they're mad. I'll be in the way orcs laugh when they're bored and they know the pull is ready, and when the people are lootin' the stuff they kill and PvPin' in the gear they loot - I'll be there, too.

RK · 10/31/06, 9:09 PM

Weirdly, we hit our low point a couple of months ago and suddenly people are flooding back (and not just to us, people who quit the game months ago who were never in our guild are suddenly back and applying). It's as if the certainty of the TBC release date has got people to focus on getting ready for it, and part of being ready is obviously being in a stable guild.

ka · 10/31/06, 9:18 PM

You always deal with losing players the same way. Recruitment.

Hardcore raiders are in it for the challenge. If you have everything on farm I can see how you might have a problem, but if not people should still be showing up for the fun of that next first boss kill. If the impending expansion is enough to make them lose interest in the current game then you are better off without them.

rhyd · 10/31/06, 9:40 PM

If you still have a solid core of people still showing up for raids because they want to experience new content, then you might want to look at trying to find another like-minded guild to merge with.

Whorpe · 10/31/06, 9:55 PM

The pre-tbc depression is damn apparent for sure.

Masq · 10/31/06, 10:09 PM

We had a little burnout at first while we just started 4HM, but we just opened vent up a lot (used to be very mechanical). People joke around and have a much better time now, and attendance hasnt been higher in months.