Guild Information

[StryfeBob]

Hello and welcome to European Devils.

Let me begin by thanking you for taking the time to find out more about our guild and hope you're motivated to do so because you have an interest in, or have had a positive experience with, this guild and its members.

The purpose of the following wall of text is to give you some insight into this guild which we happily get to call home while we're digitally wandering the plains of Azeroth; a bit of history (we try to be cultured here dontchaknow); and what the core values of the guild are and the direction in which we're headed.

Before we get going you'll inevitably see several references in the text ahead to "ED" - don't worry, you haven't accidentally stumbled across a medical report outlining the problems of Erectile Dysfunction but rather a reference to the acronym we frequently use for the guild.

Some History

The journey began back in 2005 shortly after the release of WoW and the original idea was to give a home to two groups of people who would have trouble making raid times scheduled around the US timezones. Firstly we had American servicemen and women who were stationed overseas but still had time to be WoW addicts; and secondly we tried to create a meeting point for those of us who actually lived outside the continental US but, through some twist of fate, had managed to get our sweaty mitts on the US retail copy of the game.

Like all guilds we started out small and as is common with most up-and-coming guilds we had to co-operate with others in order to tackle the then endgame content that was Molten Core. Over the weeks while we were ploughing ahead with MC our ranks were slowly growing but when Blizzard opened up the ability to transfer characters from one realm to another we really saw an explosion in our membership.

Fairly soon we had enough people to field a guild only MC run and that was the beginning of our raiding days. Gone was the premise of being a collection of players and we suddenly were a unit, a team with a common goal we could aim for.

Over the months as Blizzard released more and more content for us to explore, tackle and inevitably wipe on we dipped our toes further and further into the raiding waters. Those of us who have been here the longest still regard this as the most fun we had in the game with weekly runs on MC, learning the intricacies of ZG as well as having a stab at AQ20.

Through all this the guild never changed its feel; we were, are, and always will be a guild that places more emphasis on the importance of friendship than on anything else. Yes we all love to raid and theres a genuine feeling of accomplishment when we kill a new boss for the first time, or when a member who's blown hundreds of gold on reagents / potions / repair bills get their hands on an item they've been after for what seems like an eternity. Above all that though its the comeraderie and friendship between our members that keeps people playing and even logging on when the game seems to have lost some of its lustre.

What's this big green gate? a.k.a. The Burning Crusade

The release of Blizzards first expansion saw us pushing deeper and further into the raiding content than we thought possible. From a guild that struggled with Ragnaros in MC, never seeing BWL or AQ40, we managed to experience everything that BC had to offer with the exception of Sunwell.

Over the course of the 2 years where BC content was the pinnacle of the game we saw several changes. Our illustrious leader Blackox left the game for personal reasons and handed the mantle of leadership over to Bodasartan. We lost a few other members along the way too, each leaving for their own reasons, but inevitably found other members for our family along the road.

Someone find me something warm, we're off to Northrend

And so we find ourselves where we are today, trudging through the icy cold of Northrend and battling the challenges it affords us. Within 3 months of release of Blizzards second expansion we've already conquered all the 10-man and 25-man content thats available and are currently working on Sartharion 2D (thats Sartharion along with two of his drakes for the uninitiated) while keeping an eye on the horizon for the iminent arrival of Ulduar.

Pay attention at the back

So thats how we got to where we are today. If you read our history you'll see how we've evolved and improved as a guild over the years but one thing has to be highlighted here; we got to where we are because of the effort that the members of this guild put in.

That effort is made because those of us who strive, motivate and push others to be better than they initially believed; those of us who plan raids, read strats and watch boss videos - all this is done because they want to see the guild, and more importantly its members, to succeed and to experience as much of the game as we can.

The thing that makes this guild great is that all of this is done amidst a casual envirnoment. We dont enforce raid attendance, we dont force you to spec a certain way (unless you were specificially recruited to fill a certain role) and we all have fun when we raid.

Make absolutely no mistake though, we take our raiding seriously. We expect everyone to carry their weight, to come prepared, to know the fights as much as possible before they even step foot in the instance, to strive to be the best they can be. We dont offer any free rides or free epics - everyone in this guild works for the rewards that raiding brings.

Still here?

Good, that means you're ready for the important stuff.

Above all, above absolutely everything else, I want to maintain the family feel of this guild. You'll often see guilds proclaim they have a family atmosphere, well in the case of ED its not a proclomation, its a hard fact. Most of us know each other on first name terms, we have families and couples playing with us and some of us have even met up away from the game.

As anyone with a family will know its not always a bed of roses and not everyone is always going to see eye-to-eye. The key here is that we are all adults and we try and act accordingly, disputes and differences in opinion are inevitable but we mediate, discuss, talk about whatever issue sparked the disagreement and usually come to an understanding.

ED is not a haven for hardcore elitist jerks, we detest that kind of behaviour and is going to provide you with a fast ride to /gkick central if thats the attitude you want to bring to the guild. This guild flourishes because people try to get along and the respect that we have for one another makes it a pleasure to be here.

Applying to ED

Start with the obvious, read our guild rules then fill out an application. Bear in mind that this is the first impression we will have of you so you better make it count. Poorly written or half-arsed apps tend to be unanymously rejected so take some time to provide us not just with the bare minimum information to answer the questions in the app but go beyond that. Writing more isnt necessarily a good thing either, the key is to tell us something meaningful that gives us an insight not just into you as a player but also into you as a person.

Once your app is posted we put it up for consideration. If you’re applying please do not apply to ten guilds at the same time. I know you want to start raiding and playing with people but if you don’t get a response in a day and you get tagged elsewhere, I promise you this wasn’t the home for you anways.

I would like to take your word when you put down in your app that you want to join us, so please don’t bad mouth your previous guild. Every guild goes through its ups and downs and if you wished to move that was your decision but don’t be a perpetual guild hopper. We can find out and we will.

Those of you who are considering applying from other servers I invite you to send in your application, and then create a level 1 alt on Elune before contacting me, Stryfe (chances are I will refer you to an officer who handles this) or Damzac(Recruitment Officer) via a PM in game. This will be your chance to ask any further questions you may have about the guild or its members and for us to do the same to you. I wish every server X-fer to fully understand the mission, direction, and our current status as a guild before they take a 'leap of faith'. This can be a lonely, uneasy experience for you until you warm up to the guild and the guild you. It is imperative you understand this.

The guy in charge

That would be me, Stryfe. I took over leadership of the guild at the end of 2008 and am EDs 4th GM to date.

I don’t dictate much but I do like to voice my opinions when needed. I trust my officer crew and the veterans alike. The officers are there to maintain class balance, run raids, suggest ideas on what we need etc.
The veterans, which houses our senior members, are there for you to voice your concerns about the direction we head in. We’re all on the same journey and I don’t want any Bart Simpson in the back going ARE WE THERE YET ten times.

If you have an idea or something you would like to see happen, let me know I'll consider it. If at any point you wish to discuss something I have an open door policy and I’m there to listen. If you don’t approach me or the officers or veterans with a concern don’t expect it to ever get resolved. Plain and simple.

Our guild is mainly about friendships, meeting new people and most importantly enjoying the game. I don’t want this to be a chore or a second job for people. You play to have fun not getting yelled at or being told what to do. This may happen in a raid environment but please work with us. We’re not perfect nor are the raid leaders. We all work jobs and have tough days so sometimes we may sound grouchy but we’re really not that bad.

About Turalyon

You're bound to want to know more about the server if you're thinking about transferring here, so here's a few quick facts :

Turalyon is a PvE server.
We're part of the Stormstrike battlegroup.
We have a good Alliance:Horde ratios in game, estimated to be around 1 : .75.
The economy is fairly stable and prices arent ludicrously high.

Thank you for reading, I hope to be hearing from you soon. If you decided that ED is not the home for you then I wish you well on your travels and hope you soon find a guild to your liking.


Stryfe
Guild Leader
European Devils