Can someone answer some questions & explain the basics of joining a guild to me?

BillK

So I'm a solo player that has some interest in joining a guild for the occasional group dungeon and being able to sell and learn more about ESO but not being required to do so all the time. I'm married with two kids under 12 and a business to run so my playtime is limited to about 8:30-midnight most nights. Playing Xbox one on the NA server and EST based. Currently level 37 Magicka Templar, DC.

My questions are:

1) what's up with dues requirements and why? Guessing there's a cost to maintain a guild trader? Raffles?
2) what about guilds without a guild trader? Can you still trade within the guild somehow if there's no official trader located somewhere?
3) is it rude to join a guild with no intent to use voice chat? In deal with the public all day long and just want silence by the time my wife and kids are in bed.
4) is it reasonable to assume using a keyboard to chat in game is acceptable for a guild? I have a wireless keyboard for Xbox one if so.
5) so you can join up to 5 different guilds? Why would one want to do that? I'm feeling overwhelmed by idea of being in one guild much less five.
6) I've experienced "end game" raiding guilds in both Everquest and World of Warcraft so I'm not unfamiliar with guilds, but how does an ESO guild relate to those experiences (assuming there are others who have done the same)? I remember how hardcore it was back in the day with officers chastising people for greeting newly logged in people because it interfered with guild chat during raids etc. I don't really want to relive those sort of experiences and just want to chill. Back then I was all about being on the cutting edge of new content but those days are long since passed for me.
7) is it a reasonable expectation to expect to be able to log in and play without having to join a group etc without feeling guilty about going solo mostly?
8) what are the "pluses" of being a part of an ESO guild? How about the "minuses"?

I guess those are most of my questions off the top of my head. I'd appreciate any responses - good or bad. Heck even a "don't join a guild, you wouldn't be a good member" is fine too.

Thanks!

Articulemort

By the time I lost this someone will probably answer these but...

1.) Most guilds, especially Trading guilds require a weekly due(usually 5k) to pay for the guild trader. Traders are bidded on each week and the highest bid wins, high traffic areas go for millions a week, the due is to help cover the cost. The rest of the cost is made by from sales, you sale something on the trader the guild receives a small percentage (7% or something like that)

2.) As long as a guild has 50 members they have a guild store, traders allow the public to purchase from said store. Without a trader, member of the guild can still buy and sell things on the store, but only to other members of the guild.

3.) A purely social guild might be offended but I can tell you I'm on 5 guilds and on the off chance I join their voice chat, there isn't anyone else in it. So no, the guild won't care.

4.) a keyboard should be fine, a trading guild I'm part of does daily events, all communication is done through text chat. Again, really depends on the type of guild you join.

5.) I don't know, why not? Join 5 top trading guilds, fill your slots on the store and watch the gold flow in. That's what I did for a loooong time, spent all my time in game buying and selling thru 5 trading guilds, made millions of gold.) it's sadly all gone since I stop selling and wasted all my gold, sad day)

6.) Doubtful but I don't know, I would imagine raiding guilds probably use Xbox group chat to communicate and not text chat.

7.) Guild members will ask you to group up occasionally to run a dungeon or help them with something, but you can always make it so you show up as busy on the guild roster if you don't want to be bothered. Also, depends on the type of guild you join, a trading guild typically everyone leaves each other alone.

8.) people to group up with... I don't know. I can't think of any minuses.

Sorry if I didn't answer these very well, my experience in ESO with guilds is all base on trading guilds, Ive never join a social or pvp or PvE guild before.

BillK

Thank you!

So maybe a trading guild may be the best starting point for me. I'd like to have the option to eventually group with guildies for content but it sounds like a trading guild might be a good way to get my feet wet with the whole guild thing.

I only have about 30k right now so I guess I'll have to figure out what the various trade guilds charge each week or I may end up broke!

Marginis

Just to throw in my two cents, having been a guild leader for multiple guilds (even at the same time, yes it's possible), a guild officer in several guilds at different times, the leader of one of the oldest guilds in the game (created in the beta on PC), and and experienced guild-goer in several other games.

1) what's up with dues requirements and why? Guessing there's a cost to maintain a guild trader? Raffles?

-Certain guilds have a cost associated with them. Some require gold, some require a certain amount of activity, some require that you recruit a certain number of people to the guild. This might be per day, per week, per month - you get the picture. This is almost always to benefit the guild in some way - it's not just pocketed by those in charge. Requiring activity makes sure the guild stays active, requiring recruiting keeps the guild full, and requiring dues is usually for a guild trader or supplies for the guild - or recently, guild housing. There are other ways to keep a guild trader funded, like raffles or betting, but each guild decides how they do things themselves. Many guilds do not require anything at all, so as usual, to each their own.

2) what about guilds without a guild trader? Can you still trade within the guild somehow if there's no official trader located somewhere?

-One can always trade to other members within their own guild using a guild store as long as they have the requisite number of members. All a guild trader does is allow people outside the guild to trade using that guild store. One can always trade player to player regardless of guild status, so if need be one could always ask someone in a guild to buy something from their guild store and then trade them for it. To answer the first part, a guild is a lot of things without a guild trader. It is a community easy to group with, an easy way to fast travel without using wayshrines, and access to a guild bank, just to name a few things.

3) is it rude to join a guild with no intent to use voice chat? In deal with the public all day long and just want silence by the time my wife and kids are in bed.

-Some guilds might use voice chat, some might use text chat, some use both, some use xbox party chat, and some don't chat. It all depends on the guild. My general advice is to find a guild that fits you, or at the very least, speak with guild admins. In my experience most will understand not wanting to use a mic when you have a lot of things going on in the background.

4) is it reasonable to assume using a keyboard to chat in game is acceptable for a guild? I have a wireless keyboard for Xbox one if so.

-It is, in fact, a thing that is in the game, so it is, by definition, allowable. That said, as before, every guild is different. Some prefer voice chat and won't pay attention to text chat.

5) so you can join up to 5 different guilds? Why would one want to do that? I'm feeling overwhelmed by idea of being in one guild much less five.

-Yes, you can join up to five different guilds at any one time, per account. The key phrase is "up to". You needn't join ANY if you don't want to. Some who do might have several different reasons. You might want to load up on trading guilds, like Articulemort, so you can be a master trader, make a lot of money. You might want to have one main social guild, and the rest can be for trading. You might want to have three different guilds for PVP, one for each alliance as you switch characters in different alliances. There are plenty of reasons to join 5 guilds, but I would recommend sticking to just a couple active ones at a time.

6) I've experienced "end game" raiding guilds in both Everquest and World of Warcraft so I'm not unfamiliar with guilds, but how does an ESO guild relate to those experiences (assuming there are others who have done the same)? I remember how hardcore it was back in the day with officers chastising people for greeting newly logged in people because it interfered with guild chat during raids etc. I don't really want to relive those sort of experiences and just want to chill. Back then I was all about being on the cutting edge of new content but those days are long since passed for me.

-This is a fairly common thing, if you're looking for endgame guilds. Like before though, every guild is different, so you'll have to look at their setup on an individual basis. And remember, you can have more than one guild too, so if you choose to join a guild like you described, it doesn't have to be the only one you're in.

7) is it a reasonable expectation to expect to be able to log in and play without having to join a group etc without feeling guilty about going solo mostly?

-A guild is there for you, when you need it. You should not go into guild shopping thinking that it's something you HAVE to do. So you should never feel guilty if you want to play your own way. Now, that said, like before, some guilds have certain requirements saying that to stay in the guild or keep a certain rank you have to help with groups or be active at least so much. If you don't want that, you may want to stay away from those types of guilds.

8) what are the "pluses" of being a part of an ESO guild? How about the "minuses"?

-The only real downside of being in a guild is that it takes up a guild slot another guild could be in, and maybe that you'll have some text chat in the corner of your screen you don't want, if you care about that sort of thing. The benefits of being in a guild - well I'll name off a few and see where I stop: In active guilds you can use "travel to player" to get a free teleport to a wayshrine, you have a guild bank that expands your inventory space and gives you free stuff, depending on how the guild uses it, you have a guild store which has many trading benefits I won't bother listing here, your guild might have a master crafter that can craft armor, weapons, and/or consumables for you, you have a community to be social with, you have access to many people's houses, you have a powerful grouping tool in a guild, and you get a sweet tabard. That's just everything I can think of right now at least.

I should mention my guild, Magicka, of course. You can read all about it Here. I also replied to a thread similar to this a while back. Some of the questions and answer are the same as here, but you might find some useful information nonetheless. Link Here. And of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask me directly.

Nestor

I am an officer in 3 guilds, so here is my perspective

1, 2 Trading Guilds do not need to charge a fee, you only need to be in the ultra prime markets if your goal is to play the economy. Just want to shed excess inventory, any kiosk will do. Or the internal guild store can do this just as well. I made lots of money before ever joining a trade guild
3. Some guilds, all the ones I am in, don't care if you use voice chat or text chat or even ever interact with other guildies. we do expect people to help out if they can if someone asks though. Now, for Group Dungeons, PvP and Trials, chat is expected
4. Text chat is so much better than voice chat for general, well, chit chat
5. I am in one trading guild and 4 social guilds. You only need to be in as many as you want.
6. There are guilds that specialize in Trials, but most social guilds have a Trials event once a week. see the part about voice chat
7. Every guild I am in is designed for solo play with occasional grouping for helping someone out. Look for the Lone Wolf Help chapter for your platform and server.
8. Rules are this for the guilds I am in, ask for help if you need it, give help if you can, be nice and have fun. If the guild had any more rules than that, I would leave it.

AtraisMachina

I farted