Guild Alignment in Star Wars: The Old Republic

BioWare’s Pre-Launch Guild Program for Star Wars: The Old Republic shifted into second gear today with the introduction of Phase 2: Alignment.

Registered guilds are now able to select up to three other guilds as Allies or Adversaries, determined by their faction. By associating your guild with others of similar intent, the likelihood that your coalition will be placed on the same server rises. In this way, friendships formed on the SWTOR forums can seamlessly transfer into the game, although aligned guilds will need to have selected similar server types. A further feature of Phase 2 is the ability for guild leaders and officers to invite prospective members via email.

The Pre-Launch Guild Program is designed to remove much of the initial hassle players experience when attempting to create a guild and co-ordinate guildmates during the critical first week of an MMO’s life cycle. Instead of selecting a server when the options are announced and hoping you can evade the queue to secure your guild name before somebody else nabs it, SWTOR’s system will allow you to form, name and recruit for your guild long before launch. Similarly, players can easily search for a guild which suits their needs.

In the final phase, all guilds that meet certain criteria will be assigned to specific servers in the game and guild rosters will be prepared so that players can join when they log in. Undoubtedly there will be hiccups and complaints as the sheer volume of guilds results in some odd placements, but the system still seems much more elegant than the guild creation options I’ve witnessed and read about in the past.

For more information on the program, you can head to the Guild Headquarters page.