WAR

This week we delve into the exciting guild feature: Standards! Guild Standards allow Guild members to proudly display their Guild heraldry in battle, giving bonuses to nearby allies. As a Guild progresses by increasing its level, the Standards provide additional customizable bonuses through the use of Guild Tactics. There are over 600 Emblem choices, over 45 color choices, and over 750 Pattern/Shape combinations, for an astounding selection of over 46 million combinations to choose from! And don’t forget that you can also choose from 4 poles to hold your banner up!

Edit - 10/10/2008: This article was edited to indicate that Guild Leaders are not standard bearers by default. Guild leaders must set their own permissions to become standard bearers.

Guild Standards are Guild advancement rewards that provide a game play bonus to nearby allies. The Standards become available as a Guild moves up ranks, with up to three Standards ultimately being unlocked. Once a Guild reaches the appropriate rank to unlock a Standard, the Standard becomes available for purchase at the Guild store located in your Realm’s capital city and from Renown merchants located within RvR keeps. The Standards display your Guild’s heraldry, and can be carried (or planted in the ground!) to provide an area of effect bonus, or planted inside a keep which allows the guild to claim the keep. Any Standards used by a party in RvR (Realm vs. Realm^TM), whether carried or planted in the world, can be captured by enemy players.

As they advance, guilds gain the ability to carry Standards with unique Heraldry into battle.
It allows players to quickly overview what’s happening with the guild and alliance to facilitate a more cohesive and active membership.
Heraldry is fully customizable with Emblem, Shape and Pattern designs and colors to reflect the heart of the Guild.
It allows people to sign up for activities they want to participate in.
On the battlefield, Standards visually broadcast who you are to your enemies and allies alike.
They also grant customizable bonuses to nearby allies on the battlefield.
They can be used to claim keeps in the name of your guild in RvR, after which your Heraldry will be displayed over the keep walls and your guild gains bonus experience.

Guild Standards are equip-able items which take the place of your other weaponry and can only be equipped by members marked as "Standard Bearers" (of which the guild leader is always one) within the guild. Standard Bearers can be assigned via the right click context-sensitive menu inside the Guild Roster. Guild leaders must assign themselves as Standard Bearer if they wish to carry the guild's standard. With up to three Standards and seven "Standard Bearer" guild titles ultimately being unlocked, guilds now have the power to spread their fame (or infamy) across the Realms.

Standards can be carried into battle and planted in the ground for an area-wide bonus, or planted in the Standard attachment of a keep to claim that keep in the name of your guild. Claiming a keep allows players within a much larger radius to benefit from the Tactical effects on the Standard, as well as gives a steady stream of guild experience to the guild that claims it. And don't forget the prestige of flying your guild's banners over the walls of a conquered keep!

Standards may be captured in RvR by opposing Realms by capturing the planted Standard or by killing the Standard Bearer while the standard is being carried. The capturing party receives a morale and renown bonus for a successful standard capture. When a party’s Guild Standard is captured, the Standard Bearer must purchase a new standard.

History
Phoenix Legion was formed in the closed beta of Dark Ages of Camelot over 7 years ago by a group of players with similar goals and playing styles of friendliness and fun above all else.

We quickly established ourselves as a well organised guild, with leaders capable and respected enough to lead huge numbers into battle for our realms glory, those who played DaoC on the Prydwen server could not have missed Lairds Relic raids or unity Alliances organised forays. Our battle cry "MON THEN!!" was heard with fear, ok, sometimes with derision as we threw ourselves into battle.

As time passed the guild branched out into other games running concurrently with Dark Ages, all sanctioned and running under the Phoenix Legion banner and following the same guild rules up to present day where the guild has a presence in 5 separate MMO’s and is involved with beta testing another 4. With a current roster approaching 500 players there is inevitably drama and friends leave. However, it is extremely rare to lose a guildie totally and not unusual to see them turn up some years after they departed for real life, marriage, and children.

Ethos
The guild has never professed or claimed to be "Uber" or "Leet" in fact the inner council led by Defoe ( original guild creator ) who oversee the whole of the guild would likely step in and remove a section of the guild who attempted to turn the guild into something it was never envisioned to be.

We are all primarily friends, some newer than others from all over the world, but once the guild is joined and an initiate is made a full member they instantly become part of the family. This sense of family is reinforced with regular guild meets, where guildies from all over the world meet up to imbibe, and catch up with guildies from games they have never played. It is not lost on us the effort some guildies make to attend these meets. With one guildie travelling from Italy for a mere night of friendly banter and exuberance.

In all the games we play, we hold to our principles. Racism, cheating, loot whores and egotists will be stamped on, chewed up, spat out, locked away in a very small room, the door bricked up and the brickie beheaded. Joining us is not easy, Initiates may see a smooth transition to full member, but in the background there is much discussion on guildies suitability, Uber gear and a high level character does not mean you will be accepted if you can’t work as a team for the whole guild.
The above may lead you to think we think a lot of ourselves, in truth we do. The guild has an enviable reputation in the gaming community and amongst game developers, something we guard and protect jealously.

Personal thoughts
We aren’t all serious and studious; Warhammer may yet see the reintroduction of Phoenix Legions famous Ninja Monks, an elite party of level 1 characters who try to take keeps, taunt the enemy at their home base or anything else that falls into the realms of "silly".

Phoenix legion has become to some of us, more than a name or association where we play a game, when you spend so much time together, and meet in real life, knowing the person behind the pixels has strengthened our bonds. I always liken the guild to an ant colony, individually we are weak, and together we move mountains (I know ants don’t move mountains but you get the drift).

Warhammer will undoubtedly have a strong Phoenix Legion presence, the server type and factions are as yet undecided we look forward to renewing old friendships and sharpening our blades for old enemies! Drop by our website, www.Phoenixlegion.co.uk and give us a wave or say hi from some other game you have met us in.

-Drac