Does your cape symbolize anything or have special meaning?

We do not think of ourselves as a bunch of guilds brought together in an alliance. We are one whole KISS guild. All guilds have the same cape, which symbolizes all KISS guilds within the alliance as one.

PvE Game Discussion

How does the guild approach PvE in Guild Wars?

In PvE we focus on farming for experienced members, and game completion for newer members.  Roughly 90 percent of our members are highly experienced players in PvE.

Are there any missions you enjoy replaying, and why?

A large majority of our members enjoy farming high-level areas like dungeons and the Deep.

Describe your guild’s most bitter defeat.

We don’t know the meaning of the word defeat!

PvP Game Discussion

What unique approach to PvP does your guild have?

To us, teamwork and communication is the key to victory. We also like to mix up the game a little and try new builds that people just don’t see coming.

Any tricks of the trade you would like to share?

Know your enemy.

Which type of PvP does the guild generally prefer to play, and why?

Alliance battles, because we have more fun and feel more relaxed while playing, though we do have groups within the alliance that also participate in GvG, RA, HA, and TA.

Member Information

Handle: Selket Shadowdancer
Location: UK/China
Position: Officer in the guild that leads the KISS Alliance
Guild Wars deity: Grenth, because I bring death to all those who oppose me.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Fighting my way with some friends to Granite Citadel from Lion’s Arch to get Elite Cabal Armor with a level 14 Curses Necromancer. We made it and I ended up level 18 by the time I got there with just one death from the whole run.
PvP or PvE: To be honest I like both equally. Being in the military, I’m a casual player for the most part. But sometimes I like to get down and be serious and creative with team builds in PvP with my guild mates.
Preferred character: I only have one character now. An Assassin named Selket Shadowdancer. She currently fights at long range laying down conditions on her foes with her Shadow Bow.
Why you joined: I joined KISS because they are very well organized and hold a lot of events for their members. I had heard of them previously before joining and decided to give them a try. I haven’t looked back since and have now become one of the most respected officers of the KISS Alliance.

Handle: I S U P E R F L Y I
Location: UK
Position: Leader
One interesting fact: I never like to fail. Exceed expectations is the way to go. For me, creating the KISS alliance is perfect proof of this. Ninety-nine percent of our members are happy, like the cape, and are satisfied with the provided help.
Favourite Guild Wars aspect: The layout. Not the gaming or the graphics but the general build of the game. For example, districts and local chat, and, where ever you go, you find a general team game with a great variety of events and paths.
PvP or PvE: PvP because it requires more teamwork than PvE.
Why your guild is the greatest: Ask our huge alliance. I’m sure they would have plenty to say!
Why you joined: I took over KISS about a year ago and my goal was to create an army of one, alongside some dedicated friends.

Handle: S L A U T A
Location: England
Position: Officer
Favourite Guild Wars aspect: It’s got great MMO aspects, nicely put together stories, and PvP.
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Destroyers for sure. They look the best and are named like my Assassin (DESTROYA)
Guild Wars deity: Abaddon, because of his ability to serve people. And his face reminds me of me in the morning.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: When I first played this game I asked what food can I grow when I “farmed UW.”
Gaming background: RPGs in PvE, also some PvP if available.

Handle: Evilness Kills
Location: UK
Position: Member
Guild Wars monster you’d be: It would have to be Mursaat. They are absolutely awesome, and their Spectral Agony skill would be awesome to have.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: Because it has no monthly payment, great graphics, good PvP and PvE, and a low maximum level so you don’t have to spend all your time leveling up.
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: On my Monk, I died on the edge of a platform, leaving his body slanted (I have a screen shot of it). Also, when playing with my friend, when he died his legs started glowing. It was...weird.
Funniest PUG experience: I went with a PUG group and as soon as the leader added the last person, an Assassin, he started the mission. The person kept saying “wait,” but it didn’t matter. We entered and the Assassin had only brought Shadow Refuge with him.
Preferred character: My favourite profession has to be Assassin, but my favourite character is Evilness Kills (who is a Dervish) because I have played him the longest and got the farthest on him.

Handle: Sciuto Navi
Location: Netherlands
Position: Member
One interesting fact: My Dervish, Nushi Navi, is named after my laptop, which is also called “Nushi.”
Real life experience from gaming: My girlfriend, her dad, her sister, and I all play Guild Wars. Before that we played WoW together on my private server. It’s weird. I once yelled “Resurrect the page!” instead of refresh. Another time, I saw a pile of nails lying on the counter, and I thought “steel ingots.”
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: I’ve played WoW and Ragnarok Online but I hate the high levels you have to achieve. In GW you can simply be level 20 in a jiffy and still be “good.” Players are more equal to each other here. It’s the first game I actually bought in a long time.
PvP or PvE: PvE actually, I like achieving goals, doing quests and all that. PvP is fun too. But still, prefer PvE more because of the adventure.
Gaming background: Mostly PvE, mostly RPG (usually on private servers or just single player RPG). I’ve played a lot of FPS, too, but lately they’re all just the same. Same story, different locations. Shoot, shoot, gah. And the high system requirements aren’t nice either; they continue to pump up the graphics instead of working on a great story.

Handle: Killashandra Grey
Location: London, UK
Position: Officer
PvP or PvE: I can’t choose! A bit of both is one of the great things about GW. I like to mix it up, help friends with a mission, try and guess where the storyline will go, farm a dungeon, get that elusive title, try a new build in PvP, or rule AB with my guildies.
Why you joined: I wanted to join an active and mature guild that mixed PvE, PvP, and FUN. Then I bumped into KISS and I haven’t looked back. Since joining I have been leader of one of the alliance guilds, helped with our wicked website forum and made some great gaming friends.
Guild Wars monster you’d be: When you think of monsters they gotta look scary, tough and put up a good fight…so it has to be DESTROYERS!
Preferred character: Necromancer FTW! From invincible Lich Minion Master to SS farmer to runner, you never get bored with a necro. My favourite, though, has to be in PvP with a blood build I developed around Spoil Victor…so many dead Assassins and Warriors.
One interesting fact: I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to mythology and fantasy fiction. That’s the source of all my character names. Now you just have to work out who comes from where.

Handle: Amaltheia Rhea
Location: England
Position: Officer
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Definitely a Mursaat because they are gold, shiny, and can levitate.
Gaming background: Well, it all started with Final Fantasy 7, which got me hooked on the virtual world. Then came RTSs like the various Ages Of games and, yes, Warcraft III. Then my friend introduced me to Guild Wars and I’ve not regretted buying all the games since.
Guild Wars deity: Dwayna. I like Monking and I love to use her on my Dervish.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: Hmm…what to choose. I think runes and armor are my biggest flaws. I took a Warrior into an alliance battle with a sword build but rank 11 in axe...that was embarrassing!
PvP or PvE: Hard to say which I prefer more. PvE is great for material rewards (Fellblades are coolest) but then I like PvP for the challenge (though sometimes not).

Handle: Miss Eternal Ele
Location: Norway
Position: Officer
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: No monthly payment, good graphics, awesome PvP, great history, and the lovely females.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: When I got my req. 9 Fellblade from the end chest in the Cathedral of Flames dungeon.
Funniest PUG experience: We were in Stygian Veil, and a guy pulled a classic Leeroy Jenkins.
Preferred character: At this moment, Monk. It can farm everything and is always welcome in groups.
Why you joined: I wanted a friendly little guild. I got the friendliest guild ever, though it wasn’t a little one.

Guild Nominations Accepted

Do you have a guild you would like to nominate for a Guild of the Week article? Perhaps a guild you’ve met on the field of battle that has impressed you with their sportsmanship and skill. Maybe you would like to learn more about a specific guild on the ladder. Or perhaps you would like us to feature your own guild because you feel you and your teammates can offer valuable insight into Guild Wars or interesting information about guilds or strategies in general. Please see this page for information on the Guild of the Week nomination process. And thanks for your help in providing excellent coverage of Guild Wars guilds!

Soldiers of Thunderstorm [SoT]

History

The Soldiers of Thunderstorm [SoT] is a well-established, Russian gaming community. Early on, the core members realized where the future of gaming was going, and their friendship jelled in May of 1998 with the birth of their game child, the Soldiers of Thunderstorm.

Prior to the new millennium, this relatively small band of avid gamers focused on the hottest thing at that time, Diablo. However, the pinnacle of [SoT]’s gaming achievements was the vested interest in Ultima Online from 1999 to 2005. The first Russian UO shard was Lostfort. At this time, the [SoT] leadership split clan projects by assigning in-game squads led by a Guild Master. Guild Masters were responsible for PvP activities and official interactions that the squads established in-game.

Today

The tightly-knit and well-organized membership of [SoT] once again moved forward with the evolution of gaming technology. The precise date of that shift from past to present was October 28, 2004 during the ArenaNet World Preview Event of their first game, Guild Wars.

Overall, [SoT]’s initial reaction to the feature-rich environment was, “Wow! Look! Tomb of the Primeval Kings and Guild-versus-Guild Battles! This is all we really need!” As you might expect with any new venture, there was trial and error. The guild’s force of five Fire Elementalists with Bonding Monks did not immediately dominate all opponents, but they were confident that one day they would reach the desired title of top GvG guild. In the many months prior to unveiling Observer Mode, Heroes’ Ascent was the best place for them to learn and test builds.

[SoT] needed an imposing PvP task-master at the helm of the guild, and an ex-guild leader (Light Friend) suited the position just fine. Under his demanding tutelage, [SoT]’s performance as a PvP force to be reckoned with steadily grew. Team members quickly developed protocols for maintaining synergy during those instances when pressuring a weakened enemy team or deciding whether to hold the center or fall back to base might swing the direction of battle.

PvP Quick Tips

• Press Tab often to check each member of the enemy team.


• Stay close to the party leader, but not so close that AoE is a threat.


• Never stay in AoE. If the enemy spikes you, retreat into the backline for healing. If the other side is using AoE hexes, spread the damage dealers out.


• The target countdown of the caller should be the main priority for all attackers. If you don’t spike with the caller, everything you did over the last few seconds is useless.


• Avoid knockdowns and interrupts. Don’t stay close to damage dealers who could interrupt your team’s spike or force your Monks to overheal and lose Energy. Many Mesmers use Blackout and Diversion against predetermined targets, so don’t camp at the frontline where they can easily get you.


• Inform your party leader about the enemy flag runner, threatening shutdown or AoE, resurrection skills, or detrimental hexes/conditions affecting you.


• It is useless to attack a target that has already been protected or infused.


• When the caller says to fall back or come to a certain location, just do it.


• If you’re the leader, remember which enemies have already died, and how many times, so you can spike the most vulnerable players.


• If you have a shutdown hex on you, estimate its recharge and anticipate the next use of that spell.


• Split, catch, kite, provoke, and interrupt your opponents.


• Experiment with your own builds using the different Guild Halls, shift them as needed, and stay current with Observer Mode to see how different builds work or don’t work on certain maps.

HA Build: Ranger Spike

R/N, Caller - Dual Shot, Savage Shot, [Crippling Shot], Read the Wind,
Favorable Winds, Rend Enchantments, Gaze of Contempt, Resurrection Signet.

Skills Template: OgQTcmLnZhxUtED2wuGxfFAA
Equipment Template: Pkpxb2yzjkqgnjIPyknjIDLvizITSfnzI9kjnzIDLA

R/P, Damage Booster - Dual Shot, [Punishing Shot], Sloth Hunter’s Shot, Read the Wind,
“Go for the Eyes!”, “Find Their Weakness!”, “Make Haste!”, Resurrection Signet.

Skills Template: OgkjcxZqJSMGZGVgwGWY1b3YCAA
Equipment Template: PkpxbGzzjkqonlIPysnlIBLvilIHTnnlI9krnlIDLA

R/Rt, Spiking Purifier - Dual Shot, [Punishing Shot], Sloth Hunter’s Shot, Read the Wind,
Gaze of Fury, Sundering Weapon, Pure Was Li Ming, Flesh of My Flesh.

Skills Template: OgglcxZKoEiiBxYkZUBCbYsRGiBexA
Equipment Template: PkpxbWyzjkqwniIPy0niIDLviiIHTvniI9kzniIDLA

R/P, Anti-Blocker - Dual Shot, Savage Shot, Sloth Hunter’s Shot, Read the Wind,
Song of Concentration, [Anthem of Guidance], “Fall Back!”, Resurrection Signet.

Skills Template: OgkjcxZrpRMGqGVgwGfYgY7YCAA
Equipment Template: PkpxbGzzjkqQhoIPyYjoIBLvioITSpgoI9k7hoIDLA

N/D, Orders Supporter - [Order of the Vampire], Pious Concentration, Well of Silence,
Awaken the Blood, Aura of Thorns, Mystic Regeneration, Signet of Mystic Speed, Resurrection Signet.

Skills Template: OAplQsG3BpmrIRJYgxn9GcdxehJKAA
Equipment Template: Pk5RR3+XCTaGqjWXqQmzL7wUmzLDLHijIdSPmjI9kTmjIDL

Mo/Me, SoD Protector - Guardian, [Shield of Deflection], Dismiss Condition, Spirit Bond,
Healing Seed, Aura of Stability, Holy Veil, Channeling.

Skills Template: OwUUMs29YYSCEDEbaaRSEPg1EmAA
Equipment Template: Pk5RR36XCTaCkFVLqAhlJNxIjlJDLdilJLRZglJ9kphlJHB

Mo/Me, Boon Healer - Orison of Healing, Words of Comfort, Spotless Soul, Spotless Mind,
[Healer’s Boon], Heal Party, Auspicious Incantation, Channeling.

Skills Template: OwUTMsGDXKjguKCECMu6jQ0xEA
Equipment Template: Pk5RRX6XCTaCkFVLqwmiJNx0miJBLbiiJHRvmiJ9kzmiJDL

Mo/Me, WoH Infuser - Orison of Healing, [Word of Healing], Dwayna’s Kiss, Infuse Health,
Healing Seed, Holy Veil, Draw Conditions, Channeling.

Skills Template: OwUUMwG/EoGZUjbkkSsm30EA
Equipment Template: Pk5RRf6nCTaCkFVLqwmjJNx0mjJBLbijJHRvmjJ9kzmjJDL

Member Information

Meet the stormbringing army.

Handle: Denis Mesmer (Denis)

Location: Moscow, Russia
Position: Guild Master, GvG Squad Leader
PvP or PvE: My passion leans toward GvG battles because I get the best adrenal rush while playing against other PvP guilds. Every now and then, I relax and play one of the PvE campaigns or run around with my friends in Eye of the North.
Favorite Profession: Mesmer. I just love running shut-down builds, though I have been yoked with the task of leading GvG. This position usually requires me to embrace the melee professions, since I can manage better in the frontline. Although I prefer Mesmers, running a strong melee build and going toe-to-toe with the enemy is also very exciting.
Why I Joined: Combining forces seemed like the best thing to do! I was managing the Russian PvP guild War Project [WaR] when we met the members of the [SoT] guild. It soon became apparent that joining forces would benefit everyone interested in achieving our mutual goal of becoming the best European GvG guild in the game. Over time, we have not only created a skilled unit of PvP patriots, but have also bonded into real-life friends and confidants.

Handle: Light Friend (Andrew)

Location: Magdeburg, Germany
Position: Ex-Guild Master, Advising Officer
Gaming Background: Warcraft III, CS, Diablo II, StarCraft,Q2/3, Gothic. I started my involvement in computer gaming as a club StarCraft and Quake 2 player, and then I turned to Counter-Strike, while also dabbling in every other PvP-based title that’s been interesting enough to deserve my attention. In the case of Guild Wars, I’ve been actively competitive since its release.
PvP or PvE: Guess what… GvG ;)
Favorite Profession: Warrior
Primary Character: Ranger/Mesmer
Why I Joined: SoT has been a steadfast PvP guild since its foundation. It’s been important for me, as anything that requires farming or extensive grind doesn’t keep my nod for more than a few weeks.

Handle: Cyber Smoke (Dmitri)

Location: Moscow, Russia
Position: GW squad founder, officer & community leader.
Gaming Background: Mortal Kombat 1-2-3-4, Warcraft II, Dark Legions, Duke Nukem, Command & Conquer, C&C: Red Alert, Diablo (the best item collector), Unreal Tournament, StarCraft (top 600 in 1998), Total Annihilation, C&C: Tiberian Sun (top 50 solo ladder), Dune 2000, Fallout 2, Counter-Strike, Diablo II, Warcraft III: TFT, Guild Wars since Alpha, and tons of other stuff that would steal a page.
Favorite aspect of Guild Wars: For PvE, it’s having fun by tanking Shiro on my Legendary Survivor character without quitting the game after Meditation of the Reaper. Try rolling the dice here—it’s worth every second. And, if you’ve pressed F12, know that you didn’t pass the test and stop taking the game too seriously. And for PvP, it’s running the spell casting builds that use the three different types of character attributes spent equally so that all specified types of magic work efficiently.
PvP or PvE: Both, if you don’t rush too much...I wonder if mad Assassins hear me.
Primary Character: Any Monk in charge of defending the base.
Why I Joined: I saw how the guild was born in 1998 and, in early 2004 I started planning for expansion into the world of Guild Wars. I think it’s a very cool game and it perfectly feeds my gaming needs.

Handle: A F K (Alex)

Location: Moscow, Russia
Gaming Background: Gothic, Total War, Heroes of M&M series.
PvP or PvE: I prefer PvP, but only GvG. Since the good old beta testing days, I’ve been an avid Tombs (HA) player, though I stopped after the removal of Rift Wardens and the replacement of a few of the original maps. Perhaps I’ll revisit it one day, who knows. At this time, the source of my delight, between GvGs, lies in farming the high-end items with my friends in PvE.
Favorite Profession: For melee classes, it’s the Warrior, and amongst the spell caster professions, the Mesmer.
Why I Joined: By the time of the Guild Wars World Preview Event, there hadn’t been a vast variety of Russian guilds to join. In fact, only two of them: SoT and RUS Corp. The first one seemed more ambitious and energetic to me, and that was the reason behind my choice. On top of that, I have to say that even with all the obstacles and difficulties we’ve met on our way, it’s still a great pleasure for me to stay here, because of the players.

Handle: Fea Fatale (Oxana)

Location: Saratov, Russia
Gaming Background: UO: Renaissance, Diablo II, Neverwinter Nights, Warcraft III, World of Warcraft.
PvP or PvE: Currently PvP only, just because I rarely have time or desire to get into PvE.
Favorite Profession: It depends. I started with a Mesmer and still admire that profession, though I usually play an Elementalist. Also the Necromancer for a while—both in PvP and PvE.
Why I Joined: Since I realized I had no time to keep my own guild and started to look for another one, I decided it should be Russian. I checked the forums of all Russian guilds, well-known and absolutely new ones, and this guild seemed different to me, kind of special. SoT was one of the first guilds I heard about when I started playing GW, yet I never thought I would get in. But after a year of playing I applied to join and soon got invited. Time shows that it was the right choice, and SoT turned out to be the guild I always wanted my own to look like.

Handle: Tordon DNK (Alexander)

Location: Moscow, Russia
Position: Member
PvP or PvE: After an extended investment of my time in the fabulous PvE environment of Guild Wars, I decided to broaden my gaming horizon and see what PvP offered. This experimental foray into PvP blossomed and quickly captivated my interest. The competitive tension and sense of belonging while playing with comrades in arms is something I look forward to each and every time I log in.
Favorite Profession: Monk…Feel the love! This is the profession I first embraced and still play on a daily basis. I believe that the more you enjoy running the various builds of a specific Guild Wars profession, the better the results will be. I have dabbled with the other great professions, but they only made me realize that I am simply a natural born healer.
Why I Joined: After I realized just how much I enjoyed PvP, my previous PvE guild failed to satisfy my PvP craving and I was fortunate enough to fall in with the members of the SoT Guild. The SoT Guild is where I get my daily fix. That’s me, a Guild Wars PvP addict!

Handle: Fon Rengler (Mike)

Location: Moscow, Russia
Position: Member, Heroes’ Ascent caller.
Favorite aspects of the game: In the beginning I focused on PvE, especially UW Ecto farming, which was the first serious thing to advance from. After earning a solid fortune, the next step was watching PvP on Observer Mode, particularly Heroes’ Ascent. I focused on obtaining enough knowledge to be a caller in Heroes’ Ascent battles and have recently succeeded with my guild when we captured the Hall of Heroes multiple times. I try many different things, including our famous Ranger spike, though I strongly believe that the balanced and hex-pressure builds are the most efficient setups to hold the Halls. When arranging teams, I first look at how each person understands the build, rather than how many fame points they have farmed.
Why I Joined: I came to SoT from War Project [WaR]. Besides cyber-gaming, I’ve got a passion for swimming, so I can proudly state that the HoH drops aren’t the only rewards I’ve had the pleasure to collect. I’ve taken a few breaks from GW, but I always come back, because of the friends surrounding me and the wish to keep the game real. Plus, you just can’t deny the fact that it rocks!

Handle: Far Sa (Alexander)

Location: Moscow, Russia
Gaming Background: Heroes of Might and Magic III, Guild Wars.
PvP or PvE: I’m usually PvPing in GvG, Heroes’ Ascent and 4v4 arenas. Nevertheless, I enjoy difficult Hard Mode missions such as Thunderhead Keep or Hell’s Precipice.
Favorite Profession: Monk, another Monk, and Monk again. Imagine them dancing around the fire. I’ve been the lead healer of the team during the GvGs we played in the beginning of the last year. Briefly, this means I’m always going with the attack group and am greatly responsible for the outcome of what the main part of the crew does.
Why I Joined: I simply like SoT’s outlook on online things and believe we’ve got a bright future, such as the celebration of 10 years of the clan in May of 2008 here in Moscow. If you’re interested in joining, chat with our officers, and who knows—you might be the next member of the team.

House of Moon [MOON]

Guild Information

Why would a player want to join your guild?  What sorts of players would your guild accept?

We go out of our way to make everyone feel welcome. We’ve accepted all kinds of players at all different levels of the game. We don’t boot the casual gamer who takes off for a few days at a time. Our guild is mostly made up of mature professionals, a few families and married couples. We’re always on the look-out for mature, cooperative players.

Guildies who join us comment on our kind assistance and generosity with weapons and items, especially to beginning players. They often say, “You guys rock!” Or, “Wish I’d found you when I first joined up!” This makes us proud. All players without exception enjoy the birthday parties and shared goodies, the get well wishes for sick children or those who’ve had a few off days themselves. We welcome back long-time absentees with encouragements to catch up in their game.

Our people also enjoy the videos that one of our creative officers puts together for us. The last one he did included as many of our guildies as possible. A collection of memories that was both poignant and happy, it said a video goodbye to the Guild Wars that we love so much.

The rules of the guild are simple. Treat others with respect. Keep chat channels friendly, and don’t use them to advertise items.

Why did your guild choose to play Guild Wars?

Some responses from our members:

• You get to play an endlessly entertaining, exciting, and interesting game filled with intrigue, stories, action, and strategies for gaming, with no fee.


• You have the opportunity to create multiple characters with a host of different attributes, armor selections, and weaponry. In addition, you have a vast list of skills and attributes that you can mix-and-match as needed, and you can create special PvP characters for Arenas and other highly specialized builds.


• The amount of choice in Guild Wars for any one player is totally incredible. We commend the technology behind the monsters and heroes. The vast landscapes are filled with graphics unequaled in any other game.


• For reality, social contacts, and comradeship, Guild Wars outdoes them all.


• It wasn’t so much that the guild decided to play Guild Wars, but that Guild Wars formed the House of Moon. Although it is true that many guild members know each other in real life, it was an enthusiastic majority that labeled Guild Wars as “the game.”

Does your cape symbolize anything or have special meaning?

The cape was designed with some specific ideas in mind. First, the guild started with three players, hence the three stars. The moon represents the name we chose for our guild, and it represents our leader, Moon Shadow Warrior. The translucence of the Moon symbol signifies a doorway to many realms of discovery, upon which we the players have embarked. The cross symbolizes adventures of old, when heroes took up their shields and swords to explore the worlds, as in the Crusades. The colors represent the night (dark blue) and the day (light silver).

Our motto is Nulli Secundus, meaning “Second to None” in Latin.

PvE Information

What heroic accomplishments can your guild boast about?

Rotscale’s scaly hide has become the target of more than one guild hunt. After taking Rotscale down multiple times (by rezoning), we celebrated at our guild hall, Hunter’s Isle, with a party where the Dwarven Ale flowed freely and the lucky few could show off their new bows.

Does your guild have a favorite region/part of the world? Why?

Guild Wars is truly a beautiful game. It has such diverse landscapes and offers lots of eye candy. It’s hard to pick just one particular area. However, if you were to hold a poisoned arrow to our heads, most of our guildies would say pre-Searing Tyria. The majority of the guild started their first characters in Tyria, and that area conveys a sense of peace. Many in the guild keep a character permanently there. Playing in the Charr lands in Eye of the North was like a homecoming for us.

Are there any missions you enjoy replaying, and why?

There’s nothing more entertaining than going to Hell’s Precipice and watching the cut-scene of Rurik’s death while the lead character is wielding a banana scythe and wearing a pumpkin head. It’s become almost a guild tradition. We also own Thunderhead Keep. For the first year and a half, we would divide into two teams, each holding a different gate. That made it an especially exciting mission, where the ending was in doubt. Now, we camp the king. Not as much fun, but at least you’re guaranteed the win and the bonus, even in Hard Mode.

Member Information

Handle: Moon

Broad location: Ontario
Position in the Guild: Leader
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Without a doubt, I’d have to be Rotscale. He has a moat, a cool bow, wings, and the view from his perch is spectacular!
Preferred character: For versatility and entertainment factor, I definitely enjoy playing the necromancer the most. From his laid-back wave to the mosh-pit, the necromancer is cool to the core, and it has the ability to tank, support or be the primary damage dealer.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: When I started playing the game, I didn’t always look closely at the names of the creatures that were attacking. I kept telling my group to kill the naked horseman! This was laughed at continuously. I was very frustrated that the group kept laughing at my suggestion, only to realize that the horseman wasn’t so much naked as he was necrid.

Handle: Amber

Broad location: Ontario
Position in the Guild: Officer
Humorous gaming incident: The funniest thing that happened occurred on a day when I was playing a Monk. I’d been a Monk from day one, so my skills were quite adequate, and I was capable of keeping my group healthy. We were fighting monsters in the land areas of Glint. She was waiting for us while we battled through all the portals on the way to her lair. All of a sudden, one of our team says, “Don’t heal me. Watch this.” And off he ran to display his newly acquired skill of Grenth. The monsters gathered around him, but he kept yelling, “Don’t heal me! Don’t heal me!” He didn’t look well at all, yet he kept yelling his mantra, “Don’t heal me!” The rest of us watched the small green dot amongst the voracious, red, grasping and devouring monsters, waiting for a miracle. His Health Bar diminished. Well, I didn’t heal him as he had asked, and he died an awful, agonizing death!  Not sure why he did that, but we all burst out laughing. It was just too fun!
One interesting gaming fact: I find it fascinating how quickly the brain assimilates new technological advances, how man has evolved his thinking patterns and love of curiosity, landing him in a realm of make-believe and fantasy. I enjoy Guild Wars mostly because of the continuing leaps into the unknown, and the constant enthusiasm of the staff that creates the amazing environments in which we play. It is like looking into the future of all possibilities, an extension of my own life.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: I wanted to take some old runes off my armor and replace them with new. I hesitated only a moment because I felt confident it could be done safely enough. Oh my, much to my horror, the rune and armor disappeared. The pants, that is. I found myself running--much like in those dreams where you are naked--through town to find an armorer. Yes, I actually felt embarrassed!

Handle: Kat

Broad location: New York
Position in the Guild: Officer
Humorous gaming incident: Some friends and I were helping a new player navigate the Undercity of Cantha. We had just finished fighting a group when we noticed the new player was running away fast. It took us a few confusing minutes on voice chat to figure out the new player thought he was following the group, but instead, he was following some random NPC character.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: Guild Wars is the most beautiful game I’ve ever played. In the original campaign, I was amazed at how different each area seemed from the last. I liked the jungles and deserts with their own unique sets of monsters to defeat. I love the fact you can go out exploring areas without being tied down to a storyline or a quest. Each profession requires a different playing style, which really makes exploring the same areas over again lots of fun. And finally, Halloween and Christmas events really blew me away. Seeing the transformation of Lion’s Arch into a winter wonderland was quite awesome, not to mention the fact that it was all freely given to us.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: My most embarrassing Guild Wars moment was when I excitedly told some friends that the circle around our characters on the compass map is our aggro bubble. I thought this was news that not everyone knew. Then I found out that everyone, but me, already knew this. Then, my friends told me that it suddenly made sense to them why I always aggro’d monsters we were trying to ignore. Doh!

Handle: Jezz

Broad location: Tennessee
Position in the Guild: Officer
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Kanaxai. Who wouldn’t like to carry around those sweet axes?
Skill Bar: Fire Attunement, Sunspear Rebirth Signet, Arcane Echo, Meteor Shower, Mark of Rodgort, Glyph of Lesser Energy, Searing Flames, Glowing Gaze.
Wowee, the damage! This combination is good for a general build.
PvP or PvE: I prefer PvE much more, for several reasons. I have an addiction to the armor!  My Elementalist has five elite sets, and I want to get two more. Another reason I like PvE is the scenery. You really can tell how much effort and attention to detail the designers put into this beautiful game. Even when I return to an area I’ve visited many times, I often find myself sitting back and saying, “Wow.”

Handle: Than

Broad location: Pennsylvania
Position in the Guild: Officer
One interesting fact: My main character (Ranger) has had his original pet, charmed from day one, early release, back in 2005.
Favorite Guild Wars aspect: Having no monthly fee keeps the game within budget.
Guild Wars deity: Dwayna. I like her style.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: It has an outstanding community that stays fresh and alive. Plus, it’s fun to be the little guy going up against the juggernauts.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: The first time our guild conquered the Deep after many failed attempts.
PvP or PvE: PvE. It’s more suited to a cooperative feel...the team, the guild against the world.
Funniest PUG experience: A PUG Ranger had a pet pig named Tony Danza. When the pig died, he put onto team chat “Tony is down! Repeat, Tony is down!”
Gaming background: I prefer PvE and cooperative games, always have. It’s the same for FPS and RTS games. A group of friends vs. overwhelming AI odds. Good times.

Handle: Caddie

Broad location: Pennsylvania
Position in the Guild: Officer
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: Recently, I was leading another guildie through a dungeon. I had my three Heroes and she had her three. I pinned them back and moved forward, scouting. On Team Speak, I said, “Be careful here. There’s a boulder that comes along. I think it’s this corridor, but I don’t recall exactly where.” Right as I finished speaking, two of my Heroes died. “We found the boulder, didn’t we?” I asked. “Yeah, we did,” she replied with a touch of irony.
Preferred character: My favorite professions are Elementalist, Ranger, and Assassin. It all depends on my mood. Some days, I feel like burning things from a distance. Some days, I feel the need to poison the life out of them. And then, there are the days when I feel the need to just hop on something and slay it in a frenzy of daggers. Guild Wars gives me the ability to scratch all of those itches.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: The first time my Ranger had to ascend and kill her doppelganger, I had a hard time of it. After several failed attempts, I came up with a clever idea. Under the theory that my double was an exact duplicate of my Ranger at the moment I went in, I figured I could remove all my armor, go in, put it all right back on, and then quickly perforate his unarmored butt. Sadly, this appears not to be the case. I ended up back in town a mere twenty seconds after leaving, dazed, humiliated, and totally naked. It seemed like such a good idea at the time.

Guild Nominations Accepted

Do you have a guild you would like to nominate for a Guild of the Week article? Perhaps a guild you’ve met on the field of battle that has impressed you with their sportsmanship and skill. Maybe you would like to learn more about a specific guild on the ladder. Or perhaps you would like us to feature your own guild because you feel you and your teammates can offer valuable insight into Guild Wars or interesting information about guilds or strategies in general. Please see this page for information on the Guild of the Week nomination process. And thanks for your help in providing excellent coverage of Guild Wars guilds!

X Legion Of Doom X [LOD]

There’s something exciting about a massive PvE guild that runs with 100 members and focuses on elite missions and areas. The X Legion Of Doom X [LOD] is such a guild, known for its daily PWNZILLA runs in the elite area du jour, ranging from classical Underworld and Fissure of Woe all the way to Slaver’s Exile. In the days when the original Guild Wars campaign was the only campaign, guild runs focused on Tomb of the Primeval Kings and Underworld/Fissure of Woe, followed shortly thereafter by Sorrow’s Furnace. Later, during the Factions era, the guild would finish Urgoz’s Warren with a full guild team on a daily basis. By Christmas 2006, the Domain of Anguish became the favored guild activity, with full guild teams running through multiple times every day. After the launch of Eye of the North, full Slaver’s runs (including all bosses in a single run) took place for while until people moved back to UW in Hard Mode.

LOD members are proud that their guild can blaze through any elite area/mission. They also pride themselves on being among the first to finish elite areas in consistently record times. However, LOD is never satisfied with these achievements alone, and tries new builds such as a Necro-heavy team echoing Mark of Pain and Feast of Corruption for a full clear of Urgoz HM in record time, or a Rit-heavy team used to clear UW/FoW/Slaver’s.

LOD Alliance

As the leader of a full ten guild PvE alliance (with total members numbering around 800), LOD is a shining beacon of active players, especially in the evenings. Alliance activities occur at least once a day and usually involve an elite area, vanquishing, HM missions, and some major title chasing.

Why LOD is Successful

LOD maintains its size, activity levels, and degree of interest in the game through:

- Constant recruitment of extremely active players, keeping the total membership around 100.
- Enforcing activity requirements (no afk for more than a week).
- Busy guild and alliance channels, even at odd hours.
- A friendly atmosphere with no strict rules.
- Multiple Vent and TS servers.
- An alliance leadership consisting of the LOD leader and officers as well as the leadership of the allied guilds.
- No faction requirements or mandatory activities.

Fun Activities

Although most of the players in LOD consider themselves hardcore PvE players, some fun activities do take place, even if just to hang out. For example:

- Guild dance parties in multiple costumes/masks and holiday presents.
- Guild hall pet parties where members can show off certain minipets.

- Naked dodgeball contest
- Guild policy that encourages interaction in outposts. If a member spots another and opens a trade with that member, the person spotted should pay the spotter a gold piece.

Meet LOD:

Handle: Oujo Tenshi (also: Kou Tenshi, Touji Goshou, Hannah Megami, Asha of Ephyra, Teel Boggs)

Location: Florida
Position: Guild/Alliance Leader
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Abaddon, I like the idea of being an evil god.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Maintaining such a huge and active guild and alliance for over two years. And of course, my child, PWNZILLA!
Funniest PUG experience: One night while pugging Foundry, the HB Monk had a Margonite gem drop in the first room. Margonite gems were going for about 5k each. The Monk picks up his gem and types “later suckers” and logs out.
My embarrassing Guild Wars moment: The first week I started playing, I tried to sell my armor, not knowing it was customized.

Handle: Weenis Ash

Location: Chicago, Illinois
Position: Officer
Why you joined: After being co-creator and part of the LOD Pwnzilla Run Team, I had a falling out with my old guild, but I knew I had a spot in LOD. This guild is the main reason I play Guild Wars anymore. The people are such great friends and players that I think I’m gonna cry.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: When Oujo and I created the PWNZILLA Run Team for Urgoz. After uncountable wins in Urgoz we moved on to DoA, Slaver’s, other dungeons and lots of UW clearance runs.
My embarrassing Guild Wars moment: When I sell high dollar weapons to the merchant by accident. I’ve accidentally merched a perfect fellblade, a perfect zodiac longbow (req. 8) and, the one that hurt the most, my perfect req. 8 zodiac fire staff.

Handle: Dante Feedmenow (Uncle Dante)

Location: San Jose, California
Position: Number one officer, Oujo Tenshi’s right hand man, and the inventor of Uncle Dante’s Kick(butt) Scrolls!
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Urgoz, we pwn (own/beat down) him so much I would like to put myself in his shoes and see what it’s like.
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: I always solo the guardian serpents in Urgoz (as a guild tradition), and I rarely die, but when I do happen to die, I am always poked fun at.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: The level cap is at 20, which makes Guild Wars all about skill, not beating down some guy twenty times weaker than you. Also, the graphics are astonishing, and the PvE is simply perfect.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: I am constantly caught without clothing in Guild Wars, and whenever I die like that I get corpse-danced. I don’t know how I am able to survive all of this abuse.

Handle: I Am Myth, Laura of Oxbay

Location: Fort McMurray, AB, Canada
Position: I am an Officer!
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Guild Wars monsters want to be me! But I’d totally be the Ghostly Hero.
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: Probably when Papa Weenis and I yell OH YEA!! in UW and aggro a whole room without telling the group.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Holding the Legendary Yellow Dye with my buddy Weenis. It’s an awesome UW Game.
Most Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: When Eve (an officer in one of the main allied guilds) yelled at me to shut up in Urgoz once. She doesn’t yell at anyone!!

Handle: Kyle of Sparta
Location: Fort McMurray, AB, Canada

Position: The bestest officer
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Probably one of those giant frost wurms.
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: When Alex nuked us both after a late yell of “Oxbay, oh yeah!”
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: Because the PvP isn’t gank for rank.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: That one GvG that I actually played in, I won.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: Monked for a rank 7 guild in GvG when I was only rank 2. It wasn’t so bad until, you know, we started getting pwned.

Handle: Anonymous Alchemist

Location: Florida
Position: Officer
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Rollerbeetle
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: Spectral Agony killed me when I forgot I was not infused.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: It’s easy to manage, fun to get rich, and you can normally find nice people on.
Funniest PUG experience: Getting to Slaver’s with a PUG Monk. We get in and Duncan door isn’t open. The Monk runs to an area and proceeds to thank us for the run.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: First time playing and asking how to save.

Handle: Bart Major

Location: Oshawa, Canada
Position: Part of the LOD Beer Drinking Team.
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Glint
Why you joined LOD: My previous guild fell apart and all the best players from that guild came to LOD. After almost giving up, I found that the game can still be full of fun and excitement if you’re with the right group of people.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: Drunkard title. I haven’t found another game with one of those.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: When I achieved Legendary Vanquisher.
Funniest PUG experience: Random FoW team which lasted only three minutes, it was funny and the leader got all pissed.

Handle: Unholey Warior

Location: Florida
Position: Member/max title king
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Kanaxai
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: Getting pwned by a level 2 wolf in pre-Searing on my first character.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: Fun game with lots of stuff to do and no monthly fee.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Getting Legendary Vanquisher...3 weeks before Bart Major.

Handle: Halla Dragonsblood

Location: Pennsylvania
Position member/officer: I’m a member but I participate in a lot of activities.
Main Character: I’m the person who keeps everyone else going when we clear UW or anything like that. If you haven’t already guessed I play Monk 100% of the time. I like to play Monk, not just because I’m good but I like being the person who helps out. And it’s always good to hear everyone say great job, Monks!
Why you joined LOD: At first it was just to farm and make money but now that I have been in the guild for a while, I have come to make friends and have a lot of fun with this guild. We do so many things together.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Clearing UW HM for the first time with the guild in record time.

Handle: Lenka Ebonheart, Pendragon, Wildfire, Swiftblade, Warmonger, Soulsiren, Grace of the Furies

Location: Brisbane, Australia
Position: Member
Most spectacular death: Having Death Nova cast on me by my faithful companion, Olias. It shows a definite lack of belief in my ability to survive.
Funniest PUG experience: In Urgoz’s Warren, one player went AFK soon after we started. After much discussion the Necro took his minions back to the AFK player and sacrificed himself, resulting in the minions killing the AFK player.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: Talking big with my PUG members about how we were going to kick Abaddon’s arse prior to starting the Abaddon’s Gate mission, only to have my enchantment-dependent Assassin build ripped apart by Abaddon’s Corrupt Power skill. I spent almost the whole mission as a corpse.

Handle: Nimer Bontif

Location: Illinois
Position: Member
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Shadow Warrior.
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: I was bonding a guild team in HA. We were running a new build and they all attacked me with their zergway build. I held them for five minutes before I died, promptly followed by everyone else in less than ten seconds.
Why you joined LOD: I joined for pwnzilla!
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: When I first started playing, I sold a perfect 15^50 req. 8 celestial hammer for 5k. At the time that was the most money I had ever had at one time. Oops.

Handle: Prefon Taine

Location: Indiana Hoosier
Position: Member
Guild Wars monster you’d be: I would love to be Glint.
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: When I followed a bunny into a cave by myself without knowing what would happen.
Why you joined LOD: To do PWNZILLA and have some fun doing elite missions.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Clearing UW in HM for first time.

Handle: Adam Lyons

Location: Alabama
Position: Member
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Without caffeine, Afflicted Warrior.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: It’s an excellent online game with no monthly fee.
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: After having a character on my account that had died nearly 700 times, having a character that didn’t die until lvl 11 (or the first mission in Factions) made me quite happy.
Funniest PUG experience: With complete ownage comes great comedy...that or groups with three minion masters. Hilarious.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: Usually involves accidentally clicking the close button when trying to go to windowed mode.

Handle: Marlin Backna

Location: North Carolina
Position: Member
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Tengu. For some reason, I like bird Warriors.
Why Guild Wars is the greatest: Oh, the builds! It is strategy to an extreme. In contrast to other games that let you bring counters to everything, limiting the number of skills to eight really makes the game interesting. I also enjoy the low level cap, so that (mostly) everyone is on an even keel.
Funniest PUG experience: I was doing one of the desert missions in the original campaign when a Ranger/Mesmer joined the party with skills like Conjure Phantasm and Healing Spring, and had wasted 50 attribute points in an attribute he didn’t have skills for. I think we still made it through, but I both cringed and laughed when he pinged his build.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: I’ve gone into RA multiple times without the right skills, attributes, armor, and so on. It’s embarrassing every time when I’m the first to die.

Guild Nominations Accepted

Do you have a guild you would like to nominate for a Guild of the Week article? Perhaps a guild you’ve met on the field of battle that has impressed you with their sportsmanship and skill. Maybe you would like to learn more about a specific guild on the ladder. Or perhaps you would like us to feature your own guild because you feel you and your teammates can offer valuable insight into Guild Wars or interesting information about guilds or strategies in general. Please see this page for information on the Guild of the Week nomination process. And thanks for your help in providing excellent coverage of Guild Wars guilds!

The Lore School [GWen]

Coins dropped to spell out the guild tag.

First, tell us about your guild history.

We started as a small group of friends in a guild first built by Zilken Zatin called the Carlton Way [TCW]. As we played more and more and delved deeper into the lore of the game, ZZ created Lore School [GWen] to be a Luxon guild for the release of Guild Wars Factions.

How large is the guild?

We’ve always hovered around the 30 player mark and the roster is maintained to ensure all players are active.

How do you see the guild evolving over time?

We have a dedicated core of players that have been playing a long time and will most likely move into GW2. Our goal in the meantime is to get as many rank five or higher title holders as possible by the release of GW2, then take our merry band into a new future.

Guild members pose in the Underworld.

Does your guild have a favorite region/part of the world? Why?

We love the Underworld, because it always keeps you on your toes. One small slip and it can fold in an instant. Communication and patience win out, and the deeper you go the better the rewards. We’ve played together for quite a while now, so we know each others’ play styles and much of the play is done without a word typed or spoken.

Can you share any tips or a build for beating a particular mission at Master level?

A popular build within the guild lately is the 600/Smite duo. With this setup we can Vanquish much faster and scythe through areas that give other builds a headache. And it’s fast. For working people with little time, it’s a great way to get the job done without losing the entire evening and pounds of sweat to stress.

Do you have any tips for defeating specific monsters?

Pain Inverter has become a must-have skill since it came onto the scene. In particular, the Great Destroyer suffers mightily at the hands of this single skill. Other bosses should beware any Hero packing it. You should try using Pain Inverter on a Jotun. It’s funny when they smash themselves to death with one blow!

Member information

Handle: Divine Foor

Location: Belgium
Position: Officer
Gaming background: My dad was a programmer when I was four or five, so I started gaming on a really old Macintosh. Pong was the first game I ever played. Then it only improved, going from RPGs to RTSs and FPSs. However, since my brother bought Guild Wars, I bought it too, and I’m still playing it. Since that day, I don’t play many other games, because Guild Wars is just way too much fun.
Skill Bar:

This is one of the best builds to farm with. Actually for doing everything! My brother and I make a strong team together, and we farmed a lot this way. As long as enemy groups are less than 50 enemies, we can handle it! Of course we also take guildies or alliance members with us for a powerful backup line.
Greatest Guild Wars triumph: FoW armor. After months of playing and farming together with my brother and fellow guildies, we got a guild team together to get my FoW armor. After some serious fighting (600 Monk or Ursanway didn’t exist back then), we finally got to the armor crafter. When I bought it and changed my old armor for this new and shiny armor, it felt like I had conquered Guild Wars!

Handle: Zilken Zatin

Location: Cambridge, UK
Position: Guild Leader
Preferred character: Necromancer. Armor-ignoring skills, self heal while damaging, and a mini army at my disposal, what part of being a Necro isn’t enjoyable?
Skill Bar:

This is one of the most survivable PvE builds I’ve found. You can cause some hefty damage and cover the backside of not only yourself but anyone else under pressure.
Greatest Guild Wars triumph: Lots! Completing UW for the first time, the Deep for the first time, storming Tombs when it was new; they’re all valid and felt like enormous accomplishments at the time. But attaining R6 KoaBD must stand out as the triumph above all others.
PvP or PvE: Without doubt, PvE, mainly because it’s more relaxed and more sociable. Yes it can get hectic, but you can always set your own pace. And with the wonderful environments, beautifully-made monsters, and overall cool story, PvE is a great way to have fun.

Handle: Unyielding Anguish

Location: Kansas
Position: Officer
Favorite Guild Wars aspect: Sharing information with other players and making their characters stronger. Knowledge is power, and I like to spread the wealth whenever I can.
Preferred character: My Dervish, Unyielding Anguish. He has completed all three campaigns (and Eye of the North), just recently attained the I’m Very Important title, and can be a great damage dealer (with or without Ursanway) while healing himself.
Guild Wars monster you’d be: I would have to say a Jotun. Who wouldn’t want to be a 15-foot-tall giant that only wears shorts?

Handle: Elf Forest Ranger

Location: The Netherlands
Position: Member
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Definitely a Destroyer. Their cool looks and resistance against my Searing Flame Heroes really made them one of my favorites.
Preferred character: So far, Ranger has always been my favorite, with Monk coming right after. My Ranger is my first character and he’s the one I use for PvE the most. I always prefer to be more defensive than offensive in a fight, and for that purpose I think Broad Head Arrow is the best Ranger skill around, especially against caster bosses.
Real life experience from gaming: About a year ago I had an all-nighter with some guildies. After we had completed the Deep four or five times, we all managed to get about an hour of sleep. When I went to college that morning the only thing I had in my notebook at the end of the class was a beautiful picture of the Word of Healing icon.

Handle: Rurik Reborn

Location: United Kingdom
Position: Officer
Humorous gaming incident: I turned up at work thirty minutes late. Knowing my boss was a fan of online gaming I gave him my excuse for being late: “I’ve been defending Kryta from invasion by an Undead army.” He looked less than impressed, but later found it funny.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: A while back my local store had a sale on Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. For days, every time I logged in it seemed like I was tucking into a nice fresh tub. I ended up with the nickname, “Tubby,” not that I am. Now even my own girlfriend has started to call me that in guild chat.
Greatest Guild Wars triumph: Being in the first team to complete a Tombs run in an hour with a balanced team. That was before the barragers found it, though. We had so much fun rushing that area, and the feeling when everyone in town wanted to get into our team was awesome.

Handle: Xuie (Ceaser)

Location: Victoria, Australia
Position: Disciple of Zilken (member)
Humorous gaming incident: One that stands out was trying to do Eternal Grove in Hard Mode with our guild leader, Dwaynas. We started and all was going smoothly; Dwaynas even commented about how easy it was this time through. I agreed and went on killing those poor Luxons until Dwaynas said “OMG Xuie!!!! You forgot to turn on HM!!!”
Guild Wars monster you’d be: One of the Charr. I love the new artwork for the Charr and something draws me to the race that destroyed Ascalon.
Real life experience from gaming: I used to be in an Aussie Luxon guild called SDg, which was a great guild and I hope they’ll read this. A new guy by the name of Sir Maximus Plus joined the guild and we started playing and doing missions together. That was about two years ago now. He left and so did I. Three months ago I went to my friend’s house and met his little cousin who also plays Guild Wars. He showed me his character, Sir Maximus Plus.

Handle: Dwaynas “DB” Beloved

Location: Belgium
Position: Member
Favorite Guild Wars aspect: Titles! We at GWen are quite competitive when it comes to achieving titles to add to our Kind of a Big Deal list. We’re always ready to help each other reach the next goal, and have fun doing so. Of course, displaying your new or biggest achievement on your character often leads to many “Ooohs” and “Wows” from the people you encounter, which is always funny to witness. And how many players can say they have a God (r6 of the KoaBD) as their leader?
PvE or PvP: You’ll occasionally find me in RA or AB, but I’m mainly a PvE player. With the introduction of Hard Mode I think PvE also has many competitive missions/areas that require a team effort. To me, Vanquishing an area or clearing places like FoW or UW while having a good laugh over TS can be just as rewarding as fighting others in PvP.
Preferred Character: My Monk. When I first started playing Guild Wars I had a Ranger as my first character, and I was one of those people always in a group looking for a Monk. So I decided to try it out myself, and it turned out to be my favorite class to play. It also yields the highest amount of titles. I’m nearing 27 maxed titles and thus good for rank five and a very smelly mahogany hall.

Handle: Yoghurt Drink

Location: Netherlands
Position: Member (Fruitcake)
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: When I got kicked out of a PvP guild for taking the wrong weapon. I was playing a healing Necromancer but forgot to change my Blood Magic staff to a Healing Prayers one.
Guild Wars monster you’d be: A spined aloe, lurking underground to hit you for 1 damage when you come near. The fun thing about these creatures is that they deal so little damage that many players leave them alone, even while under attack by them. That´s what makes them the ultimate Assassin...if there is enough time.
Greatest Guild Wars triumph: Attaining My Guildhall Smells of Rich Mahogany title on my Necromancer, Angelic Girl.

Guild Nominations Accepted

Do you have a guild you would like to nominate for a Guild of the Week article? Perhaps a guild you’ve met on the field of battle that has impressed you with their sportsmanship and skill. Maybe you would like to learn more about a specific guild on the ladder. Or perhaps you would like us to feature your own guild because you feel you and your teammates can offer valuable insight into Guild Wars or interesting information about guilds or strategies in general. Please see this page for information on the Guild of the Week nomination process. And thanks for your help in providing excellent coverage of Guild Wars guilds!

Pirates of the Searing [YoHo]

What is your guild philosophy?

To never discriminate or put down. Everyone was once a ‘newbie’ to the game and not everyone focuses on the same aspect of Guild Wars or has the same commitment level. In YoHo we require dedication and a shared responsibility to help and teach one another where possible.

What in-game activities does your guild organize?

We have strange yet fun events, like the tradition of clearing the Fissure of Woe each Saturday, but with different variations. One week we would all be candy corns, the next all Paragons. These events are planned and documented by our E-team (E stands for Events) to reward members with points they can turn into prizes.

]] One of our many event twists, clearing Fissure of Woe as a bunch of candy corns!

“Guess the location” is an ongoing forum competition where we post a screen shot of a location from Guild Wars. Members earn points by guessing where the screenshot was taken and taking a screenshot of themselves at that location.

Our recent Paragon event saw two teams of Paragons rush through the beginning of Nightfall, all starting at level 1.

YoHo paragon training camp in preparation for the Paragon Nightfall event.

We recently had a “Who has the worst armor combination” competition in our guild hall to see who could look the most horrific. The unfortunate individual won 1k and was the target of laughter from fellow guildies.

Can you share any tips for vanquishing foes in Hard Mode?

When doing anything in Hard Mode, make sure you have a source of Daze. During many dungeons this was the key to defeating the end boss and speeding up the mission.

Use a main damage tank to lure mobs. Remember not to bite off more than you can chew. The best bet is to use a Warrior or Dervish to round up one or two groups. Wherever possible, pull the groups along a wall. Next get the rest of your party quickly to the location. Keep the tank alive while he/she body blocks the foes against the wall. A Ranger with Broad Head Arrow should hit a target followed by Epidemic to spread Daze. Immediately have Elementalists use high damage AoE attacks to bring the mob to a quick halt.

Any other mid-line characters should concentrate on finishing off foes that have scattered. Monks should be kept behind the group with the possibility of one Monk bonding the damage tank. It sometimes helps to use Vow of Silence or Spell Breaker on the tank while that person rounds up the foes. Elementalists are favored damage dealers due to their large damage output and AoE skills; Ritualists are also a good source with skills such as Spirit Rift.

Does the guild have a favorite area?

We jointly agree that the Charr Homelands from Eye of the North is a spectacular place. Here we feel Guild Wars’ graphical capabilities are used to the max, and with the uncanny pre-Searing atmosphere,, this area is the place to be. Not to mention all the Charr that we love pounding, just like our pirating back in the day during the Searing. In addition, the burning forest in Sacnoth Valley has an eeriness about it; the place feels enchanted and completely contrasts the surrounding area. The storyline from GW:EN here is extremely thrilling; for the first time we get to see the place where the foul creatures who ruined Ascalon live. Gwen herself is particularly amusing in this area when teamed up with Pyre—a true twist on the story!

What missions do you replay?

We enjoy various missions, either to help each other out or in the pursuit of titles, but a favorite of ours is the Dajkah Inlet. This is our chance to strike against our rival pirates and show ‘em who’s boss by demolishing their ranks and chasing them all out of their bases. It also gives our Heroes flashy new armor.

What unique approach to PvP does your guild have?

Hero Battles are a favorite amongst YoHo, because they are an easy way to jump straight into PvP. Builds are commonly shared among the guild, helping others break into the scene. Because it’s just you and Heroes, you must rely totally on your own initiative and skill to be successful. If you mess up, you have no one to blame. Obviously, frustration is a common factor associated with HB. One member, who shall remain nameless, is famous for screaming down Ventrilo and almost eating his headset after losing!

The YoHo Crew

Handle:

Guardian
Location: Newcastle, England
Position: Guild Leader
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Recently I shared a build of mine with the Guild Wars community through various websites. After receiving loads of PMs regarding the build, I made a forum signature out of the comments I received. It was a triumph to give something back and feel equally rewarded.
Gaming background: I really wanted to get into online gaming. After trying the original Halo, I realized FPSs weren’t for me. Later I discovered Guild Wars and have never strayed far. I have given some other games a try recently, but being used to the standard that Guild Wars delivers, it’s hard to play much else.
Build that gives you trouble: As a Warrior, you rely upon your melee attacks to deal damage. Fighting Rangers that use Stances and throw dirt in your face is a real pain; similarly Mesmers that strip your precious Energy and restrict your movement are tough to play against.

Handle:

Mrs Kickas
Location: England!
Position: The almighty Officer!
Guild Wars monster you’d be: A corsair because I could be a true pirate, although I wouldn’t be in the Searing. I wonder if the Asura can build me a time machine?
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: Well out of the 4,936 (and counting), it’s hard to say which one was the best. Maybe the time when Tainted tested his new Assassin build on me? I didn’t die, of course, but it would have been a great death.
Preferred Character: Elementalist. What’s better than sitting back and watching enemies burn while they run around screaming, and then planting several meteors on top of their heads? The best and most fun build for PvE would have to be a renewal nuker, combining meteors with Burning.

Handle:

Tainted Son
Location: Newcastle, England
Position: Senior Officer
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: My obsidian armor money-raising marathon. Back in those days I was inexperienced at farming, so to raise gold I farmed minotaurs solidly for two weeks. The amazing thing is I didn’t resort to eating my own head in frustration.
Embarrassing Guild Wars moment: In my early days I was in the Shiverpeaks with Guardian when we encountered tundra giants. We killed them and one dropped giant’s boots. I demanded Guardian give them to me so I could wear them. After a quick explanation, I hung my head in shame; now whenever giant’s boots drop, everyone says, “hey, Tainted you can use these on your Warrior.”
Gaming background: I’ve done pretty much everything; I really started to get into online gaming when I was introduced to Runescape. After much persistence and convincing, Guardian got me to try Guild Wars, and I’ve been playing ever since. Aside from Guild Wars I’m an avid PS3 fan!

Handle:

Brutal Dracon
Location: Great Britain
Position: Member
One interesting fact: I once walked through the streets of Chester (a local city full of shops) dressed in a hazmat suit and gas mask for a friend’s art project. It was a lot of fun, pretty scary, and brought the security guards out of the shops to make sure I didn’t go in. One person said, “Do you know something we don’t?”
Guild Wars monster you’d be: Tengu. The first time through the game these foes were difficult, and seeing a huge battlefield full of them outside of Lion’s Arch was like staring death in the eye. To be the monster that caused me so much trouble when I first started playing would be brilliant! They also hold their swords in a cool fashion.
Funniest PUG experience: Two higher-level players offered to take my Monk through an early Factions mission. Upon reaching the end of the tedious mission I was very excited that I was finally finishing it. Just then the Necromancer sacrificed himself to death, leaving his minions to turn on me and kill me in some elaborate ploy of annoyance.

Handle:

Blind Bill
Location: Croydon, England
Position: Officer
Preferred character: I’ve always loved Rangers; they are fun and versatile. Recently I’ve been playing R/P using a ‘Heal as One’ spear build; it’s good in AB and not a bad tank in simple PvE situations. When playing the Ranger I prefer to stand back and provide Poison and/or Daze support.
Gaming background: I’ve played a fair few games, starting with FPSs such as Halo, CSS, BF2, ET and then moving on to RPGs, namely Rose Online, Anarchy Online, Runescape, and then better RPGs like Guild Wars, and WoW. I finally settled on Guild Wars. It’s just a more interesting game with better graphics and a far superior story line to most.
Why you joined: I was wandering around Lion’s Arch when I spotted Kickas and Guardian advertising. It wasn’t a great pitch but, seeing as I liked the pirate theme and their sense of humor, I joined. When I got to know everyone, I was shown that there was more to GW than I had already seen, so I stayed for the knowledge and fun they had to offer.

Handle:

Althea Quindiniar
Location: England
Position: Member
Favorite Guild Wars aspect: The fact that it’s online! Seriously! With a bunch of fun guildies thinking up events, I never get bored.
Guild Wars deity: Melandru. Nothing is more peaceful than sitting in a beautiful glen and enjoying the nature around me (GW is great fun but you can’t always say it’s peaceful).
Biggest Guild Wars triumph: Getting Legendary Survivor. Definitely the hardest title I have gotten to date, but thanks to double XP on elite skill weekend I got to work on two titles at once!
PvP or PvE: PvE. I love following the story to see where it will lead. That and title hunting.
Why you joined: I was looking for an active but low pressure guild that was fun to play with. YoHo hasn’t let me down. There is always someone on to chat with and they have great (and creative) weekly events.

Handle:

Nicole Hamqin
Location: Sweden
Position: Officer
PvP or PvE: I go through different gaming periods. I love to PvP one month, but next month it’s PvE. I like doing this so I get a break from each aspect and my interest is reenergized.
Build you have trouble with: The way I look at it, there are no professions or builds that are superior—the hard part is finding a counter for them.
Gaming background: RPG is my type of game; it’s awesome to see a creator’s imagination simulated in a game.
Why you joined: I came across some of the guys recruiting, joined, and never looked back.

Handle:

I Am E T
Location: Turkey
Position: Member
Most spectacular Guild Wars death: We were doing GvG (for fun) when this evil and mad friend of ours fired the catapult on us. Seven people down in a split second.
Favorite Guild Wars aspect: PvP, I have no doubt about this. Playing against other players is no doubt the best thing I’ve ever seen. Creating a strategy, using it, seeing it get beaten, and then trying to build a better one...it’s great fun.
Guild Wars deity: Abaddon! Why? ‘Cause he’s a god...and he dances awesome. Yup, he’s a great dancer…
Real life experience from gaming: In our school there were five people who played GW. I was already good friends with them, but as we talked about the game, we found out other similarities between us and became closer friends.

Guild Nominations Accepted

Do you have a guild you would like to nominate for a Guild of the Week article? Perhaps a guild you’ve met on the field of battle that has impressed you with their sportsmanship and skill. Maybe you would like to learn more about a specific guild on the ladder. Or perhaps you would like us to feature your own guild because you feel you and your teammates can offer valuable insight into Guild Wars or interesting information about guilds or strategies in general. Please see this page for information on the Guild of the Week nomination process. And thanks for your help in providing excellent coverage of Guild Wars guilds!

The Centre Path [TCP]

The Centre Path [TCP] began as a smallish group of Guild Wars friends seeking a comfortable atmosphere, and is now an active guild leading a large alliance. It has a full roster of members supported by 11 officers and the leader. Though its ranks are full, the guild refers applicants to the entire 550-member alliance and usually finds room for prospective recruits.

TCP functions smoothly without strict membership requirements. Associates are treated with respect and shown the benefits of faction farming—a useful skill they soon perform on their own. Longtime participants encourage newcomers to engage in a variety of activities together such as elite missions, Hard Mode dungeons, fast faction farming (FFF), AB, fun activities, and much more. The strong push for faction accumulation has resulted in TCP owning several different towns, giving members another reason to remain in the guild. The first town they controlled was Durheim. At the time of this writing, they owned Saint Anjeka’s Shrine.

TCP officers and members gather to celebrate taking a town

Activities

Members use the guild website to organize and sign up for weekly in-game activities. Some examples include: GW Trivia, Find Me for a Mini, and Dance-off. GW Trivia is just as it sounds: several trivia questions about Guild Wars are asked and three winners receive Guild Wars in-game items including ectos, cash, and miniatures. Find Me for a Mini consists of a few officers going to outposts throughout all the campaigns in International districts and dish out hints. After an intrepid member finds them, he or she receives the miniature as reward. Dance-off is a contest in which members come to show off their moves. Points are received for things like innovative armor (including special event headgear) and emote spams and vocals, after which the officers vote for the top three. They also hold parties in several towns. The latest was held in Shing Jea Monastery, with liberal use of Transmogrifier Tonics.

Shing Jea Monastery party

Defeat

With victory, there is also defeat, which the Centre Path has experienced. “Our recent most bitter defeat would have to be an Urgoz run. After crossing the fire bridge, someone had aggroed the wrong group, which forced us over the bridge. Those that survived the attack died on the bridge until a complete party wipe. Another defeat was in Fissure of Woe. Having nearly completed clearing FoW, we took a break for a minute. While afk, someone accepted a quest and several foes spa