Here are my suggestions on how to find a guild using in-game tools and online resources
So, you are looking to join a guild in World of Warcraft. Whether you are looking to leave your current guild or find one for the first time, this article should help. As a veteran player who has played WoW since about 2005, I’ve been a member and leader in a lot of guilds! In this article, I want to break down all the major ways to find a guild and provide some pros and cons for each.
1. In-game guild finder tool
If you open the Guilds and Communities tab in-game (shortcut key ‘J’), you will see the guild finder tool. This tool allows you to filter guilds based on their “focus” activity, including social & leveling, dungeons, raids, PvP, or role playing. To find an even better fit, you can search by guild size, primary language, and the roles needed in the guild.
If you are looking to apply to a specific guild, you can also type the guild’s name in the search box.
Once you click “Search,” you will see a list of guilds, 3 at a time, that fit your criteria. You can use the arrows to navigate to more pages. If you find a guild you want to join, you can click “Request to Join” and wait for a reply.
Pros: This is an easy-to-use tool that allows you to filter by focus, language, and size.
Cons: Many guilds will not show up in the tool or accept blind join requests. It can be painful to scroll through potential guilds 3 at a time.
I think there are even better ways to find a guild that we’ll talk about below, but here is a great short video that shows how to use the guild finder tool if you are interested:
2. Guilds advertising in trade chat
Sometimes, you will see a guild inviting you to join through a chat channel. Their message will usually mention the guild’s focus.
They will usually invite you to PST, which stands for “please send tell” (whisper them). If you want to join based on the message, you can right-click on their name to whisper and ask for an invite. I would also suggest asking any questions about the guild in your whisper.
Pros: Guaranteed invite, very easy to join, doesn’t need a lot of research.
Cons: Guilds in trade chat tend to have high turnover. They are focused on maintaining large numbers instead of existing members, and they may not have the social environment or focus you are looking for in a guild.
3. Advertise in trade chat yourself
You can also use large chat channels like trade chat to look for a guild. A short message explaining what you are looking for in a guild in chat can be successful. But, be careful not to abuse this approach, or players may find you to be annoying. It could also hurt your prospects for joining a guild.
Pros: Easy, likely to hear back from a few guilds
Cons: May end up in a guild that only cares about growing their numbers. They may not have the social environment or focus you are looking for.
4. Accept the random invite that pops up
If you have played World of Warcraft for any amount of time, you have likely received a random guild invite.
These invites are usually accompanied by a whisper. The message usually highlights the same points covered in trade chat advertisements. Some guild recruiters will message you can ask if you want an invite first. This approach is a lot like the guilds who recruit in trade chat. Many of the guilds who recruit in trade chat use this directed approach as well.
Pros: Guaranteed invite, very easy to join, doesn’t need a lot of research.
Cons: Guilds with automatic invites tend to have a high turnover. They are focused on maintaining large numbers instead of existing members. They may not have the social environment or focus you are looking for in a guild.
5. Ask players on your server about their guild
Another option is to talk to other players on your server about their guild. I once used this approach when I was running a mythic+ dungeon.
I noticed that the rogue in my group was extremely helpful and active in running other dungeons. After the run was over, I whispered the player and asked for more information about their guild. They were happy to answer my questions and it seemed like a perfect fit, so I asked if I could join.
You could apply this if you are joining pugs with people from your server or even while out questing. If someone is helpful, feel free to ask more about their guild!
Pros: Easy to do; you know you like playing with at least one person in the guild.
Cons: Blind to things like guild activity and culture, could join a guild with few active members.
6. Find a guild in Blizzard forums
While you can use the in-game approaches mentioned above, you may want to look for a guild outside the game. One helpful resource to do this is the Blizzard forums for recruitment.
These forums have many posts of guilds looking for players. They also have posts of players who want to find a guild.
You can read through posts to find a guild that you may want to join. You could also post information about yourself, including what you are looking for in a guild, when you are available to play, and what class/roles you play.
Many guild ads will show the faction and realm in brackets in the post title (ex. [A][Stormrage]<Guild Name> 11/12M LFM).
Pros: Better chance of finding the type of guild you want, easy to use.
Cons: May have to wade through a lot of posts to find a guild that fits. Cross-realm guilds aren’t in place yet, so you might have to transfer your character to join a guild (or wait until The War Within releases).
7. Use the wowguilds subreddit
If you are a big Reddit user, another great way to find a guild is through the wowguilds subreddit.
Like the Blizzard forums, this is a great place for guilds and players looking for a guild to post. Posts are straightforward and provide the information you need to join. You could also create a post letting guilds know that you are looking for a guild to join.
Pros: Better chance of finding the type of guild you want, easy to use.
Cons: It can take a lot of time to read through all the advertisements. If you put yourself out there, you might get invites for guilds you don’t want to join. Cross-realm guilds aren’t in place yet, so you might have to transfer your character to join a guild (or wait until The War Within releases).
8. Find a guild through wowprogress.com
If you are interested in raiding or mythic+, another great way to find a guild is through Wowprogress. The purpose of wowprogress is to track the progress of guilds in raids and dungeons. It is also a great way to find a guild because it allows guilds to post recruiting information.
To find this recruiting information, select your realm from the drop-down menu. For example, let’s say you play on the US—Hyjal server.
After selecting US-Hyjal from the “Realms” drop-down, you will see a list of the server’s major guilds. Horde guilds show up in red and Alliance guilds in blue. The number next to the guild name represents their rank on the server and the “World” column shows their rank in the world. Their progress in the current raid is also shown in the following format: Bosses Killed / Bosses in Raid (Highest Difficulty).
To find the guild information, you can click on the guild name. If the leader has provided recruitment details, they can be found in the “Guild Profile” section under the progress table. These recruitment details will include the requirements to join, a guild website/discord, and other helpful information.
Pros: Great resource for players who want to find an active raid team.
Cons: Not all guilds post or update guild information. Not as helpful for non-raiders. Cross-realm guilds aren’t in place yet, so you might have to transfer your character to join a guild (or wait until The War Within releases).
9. Guilds of WoW
The next option is to use the Guilds of WoW website. This is a cool website built entirely for the purpose of recruiting for or joining a guild.
The website has a lot of functionality built-in. Guilds can create custom application forms, events, and pages. This is great for someone looking for a guild because guild pages allow you to look at rosters, upcoming events, photos, raid logs, and posts. This is a great way to get a feel for the guild’s vibe and how active they are.
Like some of the other options, you can also sign up as a “recruit” on the website and let guilds know you are looking! The site also integrates with Battle.net, so when you create a recruit profile, you will have your own landing page that shows your mythic+ score, raid progress, item level, and PvP rating. Great stuff!
Pros: Powerful tool for finding the perfect guild.
Cons: Takes some work up front to create a profile or scan through guilds you might want to join.
10. Start your own guild
If you decide against using the approaches above or can’t find a guild you want to join, create one! To create a guild, you can buy a guild charter (10 silver) from the guild master in a large city. You will then need to get 4 people to sign it (retail WoW).
Some of my most enjoyable guilds and moments in WoW came when I was the GM of guilds I had created and built. Now that I have a family and kids, it is harder, but would highly recommend you run your own guild if you are willing to put in the work!
In other words, starting a guild involves more work in maintaining and recruiting. But, it may also help you get the exact environment and focus you are looking for. If you want to start your own guild, check out this helpful guide from LevelSkip.
Pros: It gives you control over what type of guild you want and allows you to control guild culture.
Cons: It takes a lot of work; you spend a good amount of your playtime managing guild relationships.
Final Thoughts
In this article, we highlighted the main ways you can find a guild in World of Warcraft.
If you are already in a guild, you will need to leave your current guild first. If you aren’t sure how to do that, check out my guide on How to Leave Your WoW Guild.
As a recap, the main ways you can find a guild are:
- Use the in-game guild finder tool
- Join a guilds advertising in trade chat
- Advertise in trade chat yourself
- Accept the random invite that pops up
- Ask players on your server about their guild
- Find a guild in Blizzard forums
- Use the wowguilds subreddit
- Find a guild through wowprogress.com
- Use the Guilds of WoW website
- Start your own guild
Have you used any of these approaches? Do you have another way that helped you find a guild? Let me know in the comments below.
Thanks for reading!
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