WoW Europe forums on the ethics of guild-hopping

Aires, GM of the Flames of the Phoenix Guild, posed a thought-provoking question on Blizzard's World of Warcraft European forums drawn from his own guild's experience: is it right for the bigger, more powerful WoW guilds to buy out members of smaller guilds?

Responses proved to be as varied as the Blizzard forum members themselves. Some didn't think that poaching members and guild hopping were right but recognized it as a fact of WoW life that needed to be accepted. Others even offered suggestions as to how to prevent this from happening.

Still others commiserated with Aires and recommended that the Flames of the Phoenix Guild join forces with another World of Warcraft guild facing the same predicament. Blizzard blue poster Vaneras reflected on the topic's various shades of gray with the following statement:

What is important to remember is that no-one is forced to do anything that they don't want to do… it is peoples own choice whether or not to leave a small guild in order to join a larger one.

For some people, the camaraderie and accomplishments of a guild is of less importance than the prospect of improving their gear, and those people will not hesitate to join another guild if they know they will get a good opportunity for getting those shiny epics.

For other people, the camaraderie and accomplishments of a guild is the most important aspect of the game, and to them it means more than anything to play together with friends and to achieve their goals together and to share the rewards.