Whether you are just starting out at level 80, have been on a break from raiding or simply want to find a new home foryourself, getting yourself into a comfortable place in a PvE guild can be difficult to swing.
I’ve been in a lot of guilds over the years. Some, because I was having a fresh start on a new server and a new character. Others because I needed a change of pace or perhaps a guild with focus other content.
So how do you do it? How do you find that perfect guild?
Setting down your priorities
Before searching for a new guild, you need to know what you are looking for. What kind of guild are you in the market for? A small social guild that does 10 man runs, or a hardcore, top of the line progression guild? How often do you want to raid, a single night each week or do you want to do five raids per reset? There is a lot of things you need to consider.
If you don’t, you may end up in a guild that doesn’t quite fit your needs. It might work out for a while, but you’ll eventually end up looking for something else, something that fits your style better. It’s important to be aware of this before you start searching for a guild, or else you’ll have to redo the whole process again later.
This is also a good time for some soul searching. If you want a good relationship with any guild you join, you need to be able to stand up to the requirements. Don’t go applying for a 5-nights-a-week guild that requires an 80% attendance, if you know that you realisticly can’t meet these requirements.
If time simply does not permit you to raid five nights a week, do not despair. There might be other guilds out there that can achieve what you want in much shorter time.
Finding the guild
Now that you know what to look for, its time to go looking. Depending on your funds and personal ties on the server, you may be able to expand your search to any server in your region. Sometimes there is simply not the guild for you on the server you are currently playing on. I know that switching servers can be difficult, especially when you have been on a server long enough to make a lot of friends. But don’t let it deter you. New friends can be made, and with Real ID, its very easy to keep in touch with old friends.
Start by looking on your realm forums. Any serious guild usually has a thread with their recruitment. Failing that, most realm forums has a pretty updated list of guilds and links to their websites, and it is on the websites that you can find out if they are recruiting your class.
You can also take a look at the official “Looking for alliance/horde players”. This can be a messy and confusing place, because you’ll have guilds searching for a full roster, others only looking for one particular class. Use the search term for “balance druid” and/or “moonkin”, and start sifting through the search results. Once you have a few that are open to moonkins, see if they fit your schedule, your needs and your wishes.
A few of the times when I’ve been looking for a guild, however, I have done everything backwards. I and a friend of mine once wanted to move to the more dedicated guilds, and we made an open post on the official forums. It was not an actual application, but rather a notice of who we are, what we are looking for, and a request for anyone that might be interested in us to drop us a link to their website for us to take a look at. We actually found a rather awesome guild through that. I can’t find the original post on the WoW forums, because it’s long forgotten now, but I found it’s twin on MMO-champion’s forums. Read it here.
Applying to a guild
You’ve found a guild that you are interested in. Great. The guild might even be looking for a moonkin druid. Awesome. Ask yourself if you can see yourself under their raiding hours and the loot distribution system they are using. Find out if they are active, and double check their progress on Wow-progress.com. If everything checks out, you are ready to make an application.
I’m in a rather progressed guild, and we get all manner of applications. Some are from really awesome players, and others are from people who… well, might be better off searching for something near their experience and gear level. If your character is wearing full 232 tier 9, you might have a hard time convincing an 11/12 ICC heroic guild to take you on. It’s not undoable, but you should probably be very realistic about your experience and what you can produce with your gear. Sure, gear is not everything, but applications are all about selling yourself, not unlike a job application, and if a guild has a choice between a 232 balance druid and a 277 moonkin of awesome, it’s not hard to guess who they are going to go for.
If the guild you are applying to have an application template, it is absolutely crucial that you follow this. Nothing will get your application scrapped faster than writing “olol, I’m just gonna skip this question”. They have this question in their template because it is important to them. There is no cutting corners when it comes to guild applications.
Always be thorough. You don’t have to write half a book on each question, but you should rather write complete answers rather than short ones. Guilds like to know what kind of player they are dealing with, and the more you tell them, the better they will be able to evaluate your application.
If you have any shortcomings, be it in gear or experience, be sure to point out just why this “doesn’t matter”, how “you have read up on all the tactics despite not having been able to put them to the test” and let them know how “you are quick to pick up on new things”. Obviously, don’t tell people this if your usual habit is to be 20 minutes late, wipe on Marrowgar and then go AFK while tactics are being explained.
Once your application is posted, check back at it as often as you can. If it is an open application, people will usually ask questions, and if you show some initiative and answer them quickly, you will show your dedication to the application.
If you need some inspiration, take a look at the application I sent to The Hungering Cold when I applied to them. They asked a bunch of questions, and I followed up with answers, and eventually I was invited to join the guild. You can find the application here!
Getting settled
Alright, you got into the new guild – awesome! Do yourself a favour and “embed” yourself in the guild as soon as you can. There will be a lot of new, interesting people to get to know, and the sooner you put yourself out there, the better. Be sure to say hi when you are invited to the guild, and if you have a microphone – and the guild has an active ventrilo server – log on and say hi to them as well. There is nothing more fun than joining a new guild and get to know your new comrades.
In the first few weeks, be sure to be diligent. Be on time, be prepared, and do as you should. Obviously, this should carry on forever, but the first few weeks are absolutely important. Don’t slack, and you’ll be off to a good start in your new guild!
You’re all set. I hope you find a good place to do your raidings. If you are in the market for a new guild, you might even want to check out The Hungering Cold‘s recruitment. We are probably full on moonkins though, unless you are as outstanding as myself 
One thing to note is that it’s helpful to pick a server whose time zone matches when you want to play.
For example, if you want to play with adults, then you need to count on them not raiding until at least 8pm… possibly 9 or even 10. Split the difference and go with 9 pm.
Now, if you want to raid at 7pm, then you’ll want to look at a server in a time zone two hours ahead of you. You *have* to be willing to switch servers to find the right guild, because you want (at least) three things out of a guild:
1. They raid at the same time you want to raid.
2. They’re fun people to play with.
3. They’re good players.
If you’re not willing to change servers, you’ll have a hard enough time finding a guild that meets two out of three of those criteria.
Personally, I’m trying to set roots on a server with as many real life friends and friends of friends as possible now — at least, the ones that are accustomed to hard mode content. It’s taking some time, but I’m hoping that before Cataclysm launches I’lll be with a group of people that all have a LK HM kill (10 or 25 man), who are also people I could theoretically meet up for beers with.