I will be traversing into the ESO world as a solo artist. I've played lots of other MMORPG's, but literally none of my gaming friends are going to come over with me.

I am SO excited about Elder Scrolls Online, I've been haunting the forums as the release date draws near. I know that initially, I will be very much preoccupied with countless aspects of the game playing solo. But, I also know myself, and I am really looking forward to finding a great group to share the experience with, chat with, laugh with, and to group up with for the multi-player aspects of the game.

I see these huge guilds posting adverts already. Should I be filling out applications? I'm nervous about finding a good community to grow with and hang out with. How does the guild situation work in ESO? Do you get spammed with invites like other MMORPG's? Do you go on the web like the sites that I'm seeing posted here on the forums? Will I find the best guilds already pre-formed and filled by beta participants? I feel like I'm arriving a little late to the party and I don't want to end up a wall flower.

Nope. Only time you need a guild is to do PVE at max level.

You will be fine! i'd reccommend playing the game a little, and looking around for a community that way come launch. Thats how i usually do it, due to i really like to play with a certain guild and the likes, or a group before i stick with them.

You will find a good bunch to play the game with, no worries. There will be tons playing!

Honestly , you will run into all sorts of people while playing MMOs. I stay away from joining guilds pre-launch in any game because its hard to tell what the people in the guild are like . I personally play the game for a bit and if I run into a group of like minded people who I have enjoyed grouping with , then i apply to their guild. Worked for my wife and I for numerous MMOs that we have played together.

While I'm guessing some of the guilds out there have either slowed down or stopped recruitment entirely in anticipation of the game's early start, I don't think it's too late to be guild hunting. There are plenty of guilds out there: big or small, hardcoe or casual, there's bound to be one that will suit your needs.

http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1445621-eso-information-sources-a-note-on-guild-recruitment/

Scroll down to the second post and have a look at all the links provided. Take your time and pick whichever feels right for you. Good luck!

yea let the guilds gain a rep first, that's my opinion.

I am going it solo too, my boyfriend has zero interest in playing another MMO or anything TES related.

You really dont need sny group while leveling. If you do just ask in chat. Dont worry about a guild right now. Get in the game and see if you csn find any guilds that are basically just there for trading and selling that way you can have access to a guild store to sell and make a little gold. Sooner than later youll do a group dungeon or something and make friends and you may be asked into a guild.

Thanks for the encouragement and the advice. By nature, when I'm excited, intrigued, or happy about something, I want to share it with a friend. It's like going to my favorite band's concert by myself. Sure, I'll love it, but when I feel like giving someone a high five, I don't wanna be left hangin'!

I am in pretty much the same spot you are. I barely grouped at all in the beta, and rarely seem to in any MMO, but when I do find some good people, I tend to really enjoy the game a lot more. So, I decided to take the plunge, and join a guild. http://www.gamesas.com/topic/1493615-guild-covenant-of-the-phoenix/ They seem really nice so far, but I will know for sure once I get in the game and start hanging with some of them. If it doesn't work out, I can always say my goodbyes and move on. That's the important thing to remember. It's not a lifetime commitment. You absolutely can leave if it's not working out. The same goes even more so for random groups.

About being a wallflower: that really only happens if you let it happen. It doesn't really have that much to do with who been around for how long, it more to do with do you participate, or just hang around in the background? Those who make an effort to talk to people generally don't end up as wallflowers.

Group content is mostly recommended for like end-game dungeons and such, where fighting by yourself is a pain.

Ive joined a few guilds and see how they go. I'm not really a talker when I play, so will just try a few options and see if I mesh. That's all anyone can do.

Why don't you come over and read some post here: http://blackmarketwares.enjin.com/home, we are a trading guild but I'm 100% sure you may find friends here. Feel free to register and ask questions, post comments, it's all good to us. I personally invite you to chat with us a little, no pressure on you of course and this is not a recruitment post, I'm just offering a way to meet us and make new friends.

Most guilds are trash guilds that go nowhere. Just wait till 50 to join a guild.

considering theres no world pvp and no real danger in anything in eso then you really dont need a guild.

Agree ^^ You will end up making a friend or two early on in leveling.. which will lead to more, you'll end up joining a couple of their guilds.. you will get attached to the people in the guilds, but they will be mostly worthless.. later on you will find a guild which meets your needs,.. . that's the beauty of having multiple guilds... you don't have to stick with a single crap guild just cause you love the people.

And it costs you nothing to find out. You might even *gasp* make a friend or two. Even if you wait until 50, you won't know anything about the people in the guild until you're in it, and interacting with them every day.

I also disagree about most being trash guilds. While there definitely are some, they are much closer to the exception, rather than the rule. I get the feeling you are talking about guilds that don't have significant accomplishments in end game PvE and PvP, when you say, "go nowhere". Believe or not, most of us don't really care about that. As long as I have fun doing thing with guild mates, it's a good guild.

This.

Some of the best guilds I have ever been in were ones where I just met random people and got to know them. After I knew them for awhile they would invite me to their guild. You might be able to soloall the way to 50 but that would seem a bit boring to me. I would rather team up with someone here and there be it quests/farming/dungeons.

In fact this time around I will try and do random /shouts every now and then for anyone that might want to team up a bit, never know might find a good friend in the process.

Depends

If a guild is made up of real life friends and you're not one of them you can end up just making the number up.

If the game rewards a guild for having a large guild, then you can end up just making the numbers up.

If like WoW you can sell a guild, then you can be used to increase the guild level and then abandoned or sold with the guild.

Hmm, I'm not painting a bed of roses here am I.

What can I say, it's a mine field so watch your step.

But probably best to get to know a few people in game first.

That's awesome! I actually was looking at your website, but when I read that recruitment was limited, I just assumed you were full and not really looking to add more numbers to your guild. I will register and check it out! Thanks.

I appreciate this post, Tallenn. It's nice to know that someone else can relate. I appreciate the advice.

I know I'm not posting guild applications right now (partially because I think applications are silly). I figure once I am in the live version of the game I'll start looking for guilds.

Pretty much the same for me, none of my old guildmates from other mmos will play the games so, solo all the way until I find some people to stick with for dungeons or other group events. I will focus on searching the shards doing quest here and there and raising crafting for the first two weeks.