Guild Spotlight: The Acolytes

Name: The Acolytes
Play Orientation: PVP/PVE/RP
Role Playing: Encouraged, but not mandatory by any means.
Guild Size: Very Large (>200 members) and growing
Time Zone: US Servers(Although we have members from the US, EU, Norway, and Australia)
Communication: Our Forums, Ventrilo and TeamSpeak
Guild Hall Thread: http://forums.ageofconan.com/showthread.php?t=4322
Web Site: http://www.the-acolytes.com/

I am speaking to Redruum, leader of the Acolytes.
here we go:

Who are the Acolytes?
The Acolytes is a guild forming for the greatest upcoming mmo to date, Age of Conan! We know that the release of AoC is quite a ways off, but we a great core started so we will be prepared to take on the world of Hyboria and whatever it may throw at us.

We will be a mature and very active guild that will make a name for ourselves within Hyboria! We also plan on participating in guild/solo pvp as much as we can and take down our enemies without looking back! We are also going to participate in PVE and the continuation of the AoC storyline which will involve some RP’ing which is not mandatory. Basically we are going to do everything AoC has to offer. I feel that if you limit your guild only to pvp then you are going to miss sooo much of the content for AoC.

Since the Acolytes are letting all races and classes into the guild we will lean more towards the neutral side of things and set certain objectives for our guild to become as successful as we can be within Hyboria. We will definitely not PK people for no good reason. We go after other players only if they have done wrong to one of our members or they are in the way of us accomplishing one of our objectives.

We expect Acolyte members will treat each other in a courteous and respectful manner at all times. People join this guild to help one another and form lasting friendships; therefore, it can only be assumed that a friendly attitude is desired towards fellow guildmates and allies.

What is unique about the Acolytes?
The Acolytes require that all members be of the age 17+ by the release of the game. We want to provide a mature atmosphere for our members to enjoy the game how they see fit. We also require that you choose a name for your character that will sound like it would fit into the time that takes place within Hyboria. Once you hang around our forums for a bit you will realize what a great group of people we have within this guild already which plans to accomplish whatever we wish within AoC! I also think that we will be unique since we as a guild want to experience everything AoC has to offer instead of being just a pvp guild or just a pve guild. Everyone wants to enjoy the game and with our numbers we can make that easier for our members to enjoy the game how they wish. If people are enjoying their time while playing AoC they will want to play as much as possible and it will not feel like a job to log in everyday.

What servers are you gunning for?
We will be on a PVP-RP server assuming one will exist at launch. We are going to be a strong PVP guild, but at the same time partake in everything else Age of Conan has to offer with PVE and try to continue on the AoC storyline the best we can.

How do you look on interaction with other guilds?
We of course will not form any alliances of any sort until we get in game. Once we are in game we will play it by ear to determine who our enemies and allies shall be. We plan on being a very self sufficient guild in Hyboria, but if the need arises to take up arms with another guild we shall evaluate the situation and choose our choice wisely.

How is the Acolytes structured socially (ranks, groups…)?
We have 6 ranks for the battle side of the guild. That may not sound like allot, but the rank of Enlightened will branch out to various responsibilities within the guild as you will read below. Of course all of this can be found at http://www.the-acolytes.com/ as well.

Ethereal
The Ethereal should be a person that is making sure the overall well being of the guild is at it’s full potential and to make sure the guild continues to progress to whatever greatness that it can achieve with the resources available.

Erudite
The Erudite’s are the foundation of the Acolytes. The rest of the guild can depend on the Erudite’s to be there for them. Once the game launches each Erudite will have some sort of specialty, be it recruitment, battle plans, resource management, etc. The rest of the guild can come to the Erudite’s with any suggestion or complaints that they have. All big decisions regarding the guild will be discussed between the Erudite’s and the Ethereal and of course we will always take into consideration what the entire guild feels. Because the Acolytes are nothing without it’s members!

Enlightened
This rank will take full advantage of the great natural leaders we have within this guild. Sub ranks among the Enlightened will help to improve and expand the overall leadership of the guild. For example, people within this rank may be primarily dedicated to the bookkeeping duties of a treasurer, assisting newer members with any questions they may have, or having the responsibility of planning and/or leading major raids or sieges. If they are very well versed within their particular game class they may be considered as class officers.

As you can see this rank will be quite crucial to the Acolytes! Of course the Erudites and Ethereal will be doing things like this for the guild as well, but we do not want any of our members to feel like there is nothing to do within the game. We have already established a decent sized membership, and we can only predict more growth along these lines. We are counting on the people within this rank to help us with the everyday workings and guidance of the guild.

Disciple
The Disciple is a veteran member of the Acolyte’s that has proven that he/she has gone out of their way to make sure the Acolytes are the best that they can be! Depending on the mechanics of the game we shall also have certain Disciple’s keep an eye on whatever land masses we obtain through battle.

Adept
The Adept is recognized as a full member of the Acolytes after the two weeks of recruitment time has passed and have made a good effort to be part of the Acolytes. Also, obtaining Adept status allows access to the guild resources within the guild bank.

Apprentice
The Apprentice is a person that just joins the Acolytes and must endure the two week recruitment period to display his/her loyalty to the rest of the Acolytes. The Apprentice will not have access to the guild resources at this time for precautionary measures.

We also realize that crafting is going to play a huge role in guilds for Age of Conan. Below is the structure for our crafting side of the guild. We will have an Elder Crafter which will be the head of the five masters of Weaponsmithing, Armorsmithing, Gemcutting, Alchemy, and Architecture.

The Eldar Crafter must take up the Crafter prestige class. Any other members that take up the crafter prestige class will work with the Elder Crafter of the Acolytes. If you take up any of the other prestige classes and decide to work with crafting as well then you will work with the master of your craft.

At this time we realize that when the game begins everyone will be on the same playing field when it comes to knowledge, but we’re trying to set some ground work for the future that we can work with and we think would be helpful for someone new to the guild and wants to learn how to take up weaponsmithing for example.

Elder Crafter of The Acolytes

• Master of Weaponsmithing
• Master of Armorsmithing
• Master of Gemcutting
• Master of Alchemy
• Master of Architecture

What is your take on player cities?
That will be one of our first main objectives is to raise our player city as quickly and efficiently as we can. We can only assume there are going to be great guild bonuses for having a large player city so we intend to build that as quickly as we can so the members of our guild can benefit from it. We will of course try to maintain a Battle Keep in the Border Kingdom’s as well.

What is your take on in-game taxes and loot distribution?
We will wait and see how that plays out within the game. We are not sure if there will be a need for in-game taxes, but if there is a need I can promise it will not be a substantial amount that would effect anyone’s character.

We are definitely a need before greed type of guild so we are going to make sure that the people that need the loot will get it. We also plan on stockpiling items, resources, etc. in our guild bank for new and current members to use as they grow in levels. We will try and hand down items the best we can. The only thing we ask is that if an item was handed down to you, when you are finished with it return it back to the bank so someone else may use it when you no longer can. Of course if the item was not handed down to you, you are free to do whatever you wish with it!

What excites you most about Age of Conan?
The overall feel and look of the game is what excites me personally. This will be a new mmo that is not like every other mmo with dwarves and elves in it. The combat system should definitely be something new and unique which everyone should enjoy. Also, they are handling crafting levels a bit differently then other mmo’s where you have to grind out items to gain levels. You will actually have to do quests to rise up the crafting tree which has the potential to be great!

How are you planning on communicating in-game (raids, sieges etc…)?
We strongly suggest, but do not require voice chat for members. We do on the other hand require that anyone leading a part of a major battle have it (IE, a squad commander in a defending siege.) Since AoC is going to be very formation based where the leader of the formation pretty much controls the direction of everyone within that formation, we felt it was crucial for the formation leaders to be on voicechat. We currently have a Teamspeak server running, but may end up moving to Ventrilo before all is said and done.

What are you looking for in a potential member?
We are looking for mature players who are willing to join the Acolytes. We want people who love to play mmo’s and want to have fun while playing! The Acolytes also require that you have somewhat of a unique name when you enter into the world of Hyboria. Names with numbers and phrases will not be allowed, other then that let your imagination run wild! We encourage our members to be on as much as they can to help progress their character and the guild. We will have alot of members that are on alot, but we realize there are more important things in life then Age of Conan. We want our members to enjoy themselves while they are immersing themselves in AoC. If our guild can accomplish that, people will want to be around as much as possible.

What do you expect from members (in-game or forum activity)?
We just ask that all members will respect their fellow guildmates and/or alliances the Acolytes form in the future. A respectable tone will be required in the forums and in the game, no personal assaults will be tolerated, i.e. flaming and harassment. We have spent a great deal of time gaining respect and building a creditable image amongst the AoC community. Remember that when you wear our name and colors, your actions reflect upon the rest of your guildmates. We will call members to account for any overt actions they commit, both in game and out, good and bad. If in doubt, ask an officer. Other then that we just want all of our members to enjoy the game.

And finally, How to apply?
The easiest way is to visit www.the-acolytes.com/ and follow the links to our forums to post a membership application. We will review the application fairly quickly with an answer. We do not feel the need to make people wait for weeks to find out if they are in or not, we just feel that is unnecessary.

Final words from Redruum:
We would like to thank AoC Warcry for spotlighting our guild. All of our members are excited to get in game and start enjoying the content with all of the other guilds as well! It should be a next generation MMO which I believe allot of people are looking for. I can promise you that you will run into some Acolytes drunk in the bar, so pull up a chair because the next drink is on us!

If you want to bug me with suggestions, questions or you want your Guild to be featured.. Tough tootsy! 😀
Just kidding! I’m always happy to hear from you. I’m at: [email protected]