What's the best way to build a guild from nothing?

foxsyd

Wondering if anyone has some good guild building tips, already guild with such large numbers. I understand they were already established from other MMOs etc.

But what are best way to build a guild from nothing? I want my guild to grow, but others seem really good at this!

jmido8

Best way to start a guild is with friends and then to expand. If you're the solo player, then start grouping up with some people and add them to your friends list. Then try to get them to start using vent/skype/teamspeak and get to a point where you play regularly together. Once you have your core group of friends, start up your guild and start recruiting. You don't have numbers going for you so to keep people from leaving for larger guilds, you need to make sure you interact and bring all new people into your guild community. That's all people really want, is a good community to play with.

DFDelta

First and foremost you need a "core".
Those are the players that are with you from the start, and who share your vision of a guild, or are at least willing to have a active role in it.
Those can be guys from your ingame friends list, guys you know from other games, friends from RL playing the game with you. Anything works, as long as they are there.
They are needed to fill a guild with some basic life. They don't need to be many, but it should not be you and a single other guy either.
The first days/week(s) are the slowest growing ones, and without one to keep the guild alive in your absence you'll risk ending up with a empty guild if you're out of commission for a few days. (less of a risk here due to 5 guilds, compared to games with single guilds per character, but it is still there)
Naturally some of them will also be your first officers.
Trying to build a guild without a core if very, very likely to fail.

Second you need a... well... purpose.
That will most likely be strongly influenced by your core of players.
You'll most likely not even have to think about it too much.
If you and your guys are all dungeoneers you'll naturally flock to the dungeon delving options the game offers, if you all like PvP above everything else you'll likely end up as a PvP guild sooner or later, if you all just like to arse around doing generally fun stuff you'd end up as a more relaxed community being knit together more by "fun" then any regular goal.
All in all it will come find you eventually, but it might be a good idea to know beforehand what you want to do with it, or at least a vague general direction.

For recruiting there are really only 3 ways.
Word of mouth, that is people ask you for an invite without having prior direct connections to the guild, which usually doesn't work that well such big servers as TESO has, except if you're already a very large/well known guild.
More target oriented recruiting is my own favorite way, but it is also very slow. Basically whenever you meet someone by chance that makes you think "warrants a place on my friends list" also ask him about joining up with your guild. Maybe add him to your FL, play some more with him and then ask.
And lastly recruiting messages. Try to look somewhat professional, but not uptight. We're not running a business here.
Post some things you're doing, but don't get carried away. The other day someone on the EU servers advertised his guild as (paraphrased) "a PvE guild, but we also do RP events. We want to play PvP and own a fort. We're also a trading guild." That just looks sloppy, all over the place and unfocused (also sloppy).


Just remember that founding a guild, and doing it successfully, is actual work. It doesn't "just happen". Especially the first few days, when the member count is low and people are more strangers then comrades the leadership will be busy trying to get new people in and keeping numbers from stagnating.
Once numbers have grown enough that the guild feels positively "alive" it gets much easier to keep people from leaving, also by that time the first new recruits will have forged somewhat of a starting bond to the other players, and its always harder to leave people you know (even in passing) then a bunch of strangers.

foxsyd

Thanks DFDelta, lots of good advice! Makes me wonder too if my description is "sloppy", I certainly hope not! I'll have to re-review my descriptions, I think they need more work.

I think we are at the core group stage. Now to grow it from there!