Anyone who has been an active member of an MMORPG guild for several years knows how it feels when that community suddenly falls apart. Accordingly, the response from the WoW community is currently warm after a member reported the end of his virtual home.
What does the WoW player report? On Reddit, Tall_Marketing2475 laments that his guild from World of Warcraft has disbanded after an impressive 20 years. In his post, he writes:
My 20-year-old guild is gone. We lost members since Shadowlands, but today was the day. This sucks. It feels like a mix of a breakup and getting fired from a place you actually liked. This guild was my refuge in tough times and even helped me when I lost my job.
Has anyone else experienced something like this? How did you cope? I don’t know what to do next. I would love to hear from you if you have any tips or just want to share your own stories.
In an update, Tall_Marketing2475 adds that his guild was more than just a group of people. It had been part of his life for 20 years. Together they celebrated milestones, supported each other in tough times, and formed a second family. However, at the start of The War Within, only a few members were still online. Most have moved on to wherever.
Being in a guild isn’t always a walk in the park:
“Don’t let the past suffocate the future”
That many WoW players can empathize with this experience is shown by the community’s reaction – with hundreds of comments and more than 3,100 upvotes. Voidmire has a particularly sad story to share:
I still fondly remember the guild I played with from Vanilla until the end of Mists of Pandaria. People burned out or had real-life things that pulled them away. I continued playing until the end of BfA, but my main memory is this group.
I was 16, came home from a crappy retail job, and jumped right into our voice chat. If no one was there, I at least knew someone would be at some point. It was just the hangout spot. Every day, for years. Even years later, I played other games with them or tried new MMOs.
The sad ending is that, unfortunately, only two of them are still alive. One went to prison, three overdosed, one partied too hard, another had a car accident, and it’s unclear how one is doing. […] Our small 10-man guild has shrunk to three members. I still have a recording of our first Garrosh kill, the last first clear we would ever do. I miss you guys.
Voidmire via Reddit
Here are a few more reactions and memories from the community:
- Yrrving writes on Reddit: “I was once part of an RP guild on Argent Dawn called Ironforge Mountaineers. Since the closure of that guild, I haven’t found a new one. I’ve been playing solo ever since. That’s probably over ten years ago now. Stayed solo. Continued playing. But I miss it. The community.”
- The response from Worth_Bodybuilder_37 on Reddit brought the thread creator to tears: “Where one book closes, another opens. Ride the waves and try not to close yourself off. Don’t let the past suffocate the future. Keep the good memories and draw strength for many more that await you. I’m sorry to hear about your guild. It’s a lot of time invested in nurturing a community for so long. I’m sure you can find another ‘home’.”
- Amdrauder recalls on Reddit: “When my guild from Vanilla died just before BfA, I wandered around like a lost dog for months, wondering what the hell I should do now. All the regular content was daunting without someone to share the growing pains with. Anyway, I randomly met a guy in Mythic+. We bonded over Warhammer memes, and I joined them and have been with them since; it’s even more fun than the first time.”
What about MeinMMO editor Karsten Scholz? I can absolutely empathize with what Tall_Marketing2475 and many other WoW players report in the thread. A couple I knew, with whom I almost experienced the entire leveling phase in 2005, ended up with level 50+ in the wonderful guild Godmode from the equally wonderful server Dun Morogh.
Back then, I had no idea that I would experience the coolest, most intense, demanding, and emotional time of my gaming career
with this community for several years. With hard-won and even more loudly celebrated first kills, cheerful guild meetings, in-game weddings, fun contests, lively PvP matches, and countless hours spent together in voice chat.
I saw friendships form that still last today and relationships break apart. I know of at least one couple who met through Godmode and are now married with kids. And from all those who were part of the core for years, I keep hearing how incredibly fondly they remember that time … because it was just a special bunch.
Unfortunately, this journey ended with the fall of the heroic Lich King. The Cataclysm prompted many to turn their backs on WoW or switch to other servers. I was lucky enough to have another (somewhat) comparable experience at the start of WoW Classic. If you have never been part of an MMORPG guild so intensely, you have definitely missed out on something special.
What about you: Have you had a similar experience? Share it in the comments! You can read a personal anecdote from old Karsten of a very different kind here (don’t worry, it’s again about an MMORPG): “My wife won me in a Guild Wars 2 contest” – as a consolation prize, so to speak
