One of the most important aspects of Final Fantasy XV:A New Empire is belonging to a guild.
Early on in the game, many of us join a guild merely because the game pops up a list, and we treat it like the rest of the tutorial. But you will quickly learn that the other players you surround yourself with are one of the most crucial aspects to your success and your enjoyment of the game.
Those who are truly dedicated, or who just have an affinity for being in charge soon wonder: “Can I run my own guild? How do I start, what do I need to consider, how can I be successful?”
This article is the beginning of a Guild Management series, designed to help you answer these questions. We will teach you how to create a guild, recruit members for your guild, select and support the leaders of your guild, and to provide day to day leadership for your guildies. We will also teach you valuable strategies for navigating realm politics, skills like working with other guild leaders during events such as Realm vs Realm, and negotiating for hero releases and cease fires.
Guild Benefits
Initially you may see Final Fantasy XV:A New Empire as just another solitary war game. The truth is that many aspects of the game reward teamwork, and some of the most important (and fun) actions are literally impossible without a guild.
Let’s take a look at the benefits of being in a guild:
WAR
- Rallies – Stronger attacks and sense of purpose
- Reinforcements – Stronger defense and bonding
- Scouting – Requires guild membership
- Retaliation – Attackers may think twice if your guild is known for avenging attacks
- Attack Warnings – Vigilant guildmates may see an attacker port in before they even march
ECONOMICS
- Daily Loyalty Bar – Limited ability to earn loyalty without a guild
- Guild Helps – Speed up your builds, research, and healing
- Loyalty Spamming – Quickly fill your daily loyalty bar or complete an event
- Guild Store – Some items (e.g. shields and teleports) can only be purchased with loyalty
- Guild Gifts – Pack purchases reward the entire guild
- Resource Trading – Vital to growth and creates a sense of community
MONSTERS
- Monster Hunting – Essential for gear and loyalty, regures guild membership
- Coordinate Monster Attacks – Save MP or excel in events
- Retaliate for Monster Sniping
SOCIAL
- Friendly Chat and Interaction
- Support System – Recover from attacks, both your resources and your spirit
- Knowledge Sharing
Do not be fooled by the small description for Social, many established players will confirm that they would no longer play were it not for the frienship and support of their guild. No matter if you are an introvert, a misfit, or an extrovert, the right guild becomes a family and keeps you enjoying the game.
Guild Creation 101
So now you realize you need a strong guild, but perhaps you joined a guild that is not very active or you had a leader who stopped playing. Maybe you simply suspect you will make a great guild leader. How do you start?
1. Complete the Prerequisites
First, you must have a level 5 Citadel. If you are currently in a guild, you must leave that guild to start off on your own. Here is a graphic tutorial to walk you through it.
Once you are guildless, it is time to form a guild of your own. But first, you have some important decisions to make.
2. Create and Name Your Guild
To create your guild, you will need three vital pieces of information: a Guild Name, a Guild Tag, and an Emblem. Keep in mind that changing your name and tag costs 1 million loyalty in the Guild Store, so the name and tag you choose is likely to be with you for a long time.
You want a name that is unique and that sets the tone of the guild. Choosing a theme from Final Fantasy will draw others who are familiar with the franchise. Or, you may want to bring in another game or interest that you love. War themes are always popular. Remember that most people will end up seeing your guild tag even more than your name, so make sure you love it enough to be known by it. Your name and tag should reflect how you want your guild perceived by both friend and foe.
Once you have decided on your Guild Name, Guild Tag, and Emblem, follow these few steps and you will be the Leader of your own Guild.
3. Write Guild Description
Beyond your Guild Name and Guild Tag, one of the most important ways you will advertise who you are to the realm is through your Guild Profile. You can post and edit your description by:
This is very important for setting the tone of your guild, as new applicants will likely read this to find out about you. It can be changed for free at any time, so do not worry too much about perfection here, but do make your description distinctive.
Let this description reflect who you are and the style of players you are seeking. You may want to read some from other guilds to get you started — but remember, you want your Guild Profile to stand out. You want a casual player who sees you on the map or in realm chat and clicks on your guild to say, “That is a group I want to be a part of.” So make it personal and honest, and make sure that it is something that would draw you to join the guild.
4. Recruit Guild Members
Now that you have your guild set up, you need members. Early on, you will likely want to have “Open Guild Recruitment”. In the Guild tab under Manage Guild, you will find a toggle for having either Open or Closed Guild Recruitment.
With open guild recruitment, people can automatically join without the need to apply or be invited. You may be listed on the pop up for new members to encourage people to join your guild. They will likely be new and testing out the game for the first time. Later on, you may want to close this off to control membership, but for now, you are encouraging fresh faces and an active guild roster.
Letting people find you and relying on the in game ads is a good start, but not enough to form a strong and lasting guild. Make sure you reach out to neighbors. Message them and invite them to join, and even if they say no,make a new friend. Many times, people have just chosen a guild at random, especially early in the game. Yet, they still may feel a sense of loyalty to that guild for taking them in. So be persistent. If they like you, they may decide to switch to yours.
Hang out in realm chat and look for people who need a guild or who seem like people you want as members and invite them. This is not a time to be shy. For your guild to survive and grow you need a group of active, committed members.
5. Promote Guild Leadership
As your guild grows, or if you are lucky enough to bring in people you already know or have met in a previous guild, you need to start thinking about the structure of your guild.
One of the most important powers you have as a guild leader is being able to promote members. As guild leader, you will often be referred to as R5. This stands for Rank 5, and refers to the five levels that can be assigned to rank guild members.
Your next task as guild leader is to decide who you would like to promote to Rank 4 (R4). These are the members who will essentially serve as your management team.
R4s have certain privileges in the Guild including:
- Only the R5 can promote/demote R4s
- Change the Guild Description
- Send Guild invites
- Accept new members to a Closed Guild
- Kick members
- Manage the Block List
Thus, they are very important to you and need to be players you can trust, who will be respected by the rest of the guild.
Some guilds are run with the R5 as the sole leader who makes decisions and is in charge, while the R4s are there to provide support during times the leader cannot be online. Other guilds set up more of a council structure, where the R4 team and R5 treat each other like equals and vote on guild decisions. Some may use a bit of both, with the R5 having final authority. Some guilds designate R4s for specific roles, such as recruitment, war, diplomacy, and general housekeeping and give the R4 complete autonomy in that area.
Whichever style of leadership suits you and your guild, be fair, upfront, and consistent. Remember that the more your members feel that they are valued and that the guild is theirs, the more committed they will be to your guild’s growth and success.
6. Establish a Governing Philosophy and Rules
Now that you’ve created your guild, recruited your first members, and put together a leadership team, it is time to determine your governing philosophy.
It is important to know what type of players you want and how you want your guild perceived — not just from your guild description, but also from your actions.
Some guilds are active in realm chat, making friends, getting to know what is happening, and hanging out. Others have a strict no realm chat policy — not to discourage friendship, but to discourage trash talk. Some thrive on trash talk, seeing it as a fun part of the game. As your guild grows, you need to know how you want your guild to behave, as well as what you will be comfortable allowing guild members to do on their own without your knowledge or approval.
For example, will you have certain limits to attacks, perhaps not allowing members to repeatedly hit newer, low level players, or not allowing unprovoked attacks? Is it only stronger guilds that your members must avoid hitting for fear of retaliation? Do guild members need to notify you or a War General before attacking or are they free to attack at will?
Keep in mind that your governing philosophy may change over time as your guild and your realm grow. But be sure to think over these issues and make it clear to your guildies what rules, if any, that you expect them to follow. Know that as R5, you are likely going to be the one getting the most messages if your guild is seen as bullies.
Some people relish this role and are happy to be seen this way. Others get tired of the messages and comments and cannot play this style. And of course, know that if your guild is seen as boasters or bullies, then other guilds are sure to notice and challenge you.
Make sure you can handle that.
So to review, these are the first steps you will take on your journey to guild leadership
- Complete the Prerequisites
- Create and Name Your Guild
- Write Guild Description
- Recruit Guild Members
- Promote Guild Leadership
- Establish a Governing Philosophy and Rules
In the next article in the series, we will begin looking into the day to day operation of running your guild. This will include guild communication, guild goals, growth tracking, and dealing with internal conflict. Until then, hope to see you on the leaderboards!
