Best way to poach raiders

[FallenArk]

I'm part of a 25man guild that's looking to do some recruiting. We've got threads in the right places (here, realm forums, official guild recruitment forums) but i'm looking to do some poaching from other guilds on our realm. while we aren't the #1 guild on our realm, we're doing better than most and looking to lure away one or more players from other guilds to flush out our roster and have a good stable of quality players.

what's the best way to go about whispering people in other guilds on my same faction without causing drama? be straightforward, with a message from my main saying "we want you?" in-game mail from an alt suggesting they apply?

Mod note: be decent.

[Gunz]

very funny

[Kombustion]

sounds sketchy

[Raleik]

You'll get a bad rep anyway you go about it if you're trying to actively poach players. Not to mention you could very well be the downfall of some small guilds by poaching there best player or two. I'd just stick with the recruitment if I was you and let them come to you. If there are people unhappy with their current situation and your guild is a good respectable guild, then they'll come to you. But, trying to poach players will just get you a bad rep and make it even harder to recruit when half the guilds on the server hate you. Just my $.02

[Sharrel]

personaly i ignore people who whisper me and ask me to join their guild when i am already in a guild, because it is Extreamly rude.

[Silmariella]

Here's the thing: if they left their former guild for you, they'll better deal you just as well. At least that's how I see it, but that's coming from a guy who was in 3 guilds since early vanilla till icc (quit then).

[mookspal]

I would just be straight forward with them. Whisper them in-game and just talk it out. There are no rules about talking to other guilds members. If they are willing to leave, then I am guessing the situation was not great for them to begin with.

[Myrlae]

tbh i'd never do something like that, if a member of a different guild wants to join it's fine with me but whispering them to join your guild is just not right.
If the guilds find out your guild will be the most hated one on the server i guess (and then finding members will be impossible)

[Temsen]

Don't whisper random people in a raiding guild, asking them to join yours, thats rude, inefficient and usually leads to a bad reputation.
If you personally know them you could carefully try asking etc.
Other than that, try the /2, if they are interested they'll come to you. And the easiest solution, get better, the higher up on wowprogress you are the better the chances of people wanting to join your guild.

[Deleted]

By looking at few guilds I know were poaching I can only say it makes recruting even harer in the longer run.

Best way to poach is to not do it.

...

Though, there may be a way in hosting pugs as a guild, you got high chances you get alts from other good guilds and chances they chose to switch guilds are much higher.

[Grogo]

To be honest, it is considered douchebaggery to do it. Persist at your own peril.

[Linry]

hmmmm someone tried to poach some of our raiders last night, we tried to tell him to fuck off in the nicest way possible. first off id start off by not insulting half of the raid by saying there are only a few who are good and the other half of the raid is shit and belongs in the alt group. I'd look for people who newly left a guild and are not currently in a guild, because no matter what you do you'll look like an ass.

[Stede]

My guild recently had some PvPers 'poached' via the promise of 2200 arena rating. The guil he went to will never get him to 2200. They aren't 2200 players. It was shady, deceitful, and uncalled for.

If you want somebody in another guild, though, just be honest with where you're at and what role they would play and how they could fit in. If you're honest, I see no issue. If you lie, you're a d-bag.

[Deatheryn]

Poaching in game is on par w/ hitting on another man's girlfriend/wife! It is just bad from all angles!, and besides, how likely will it be that a poached player will be loyal and devoted to your guild if a better offer comes along? Not very! Poach and you seal your fate! Guilds that poach from other guilds just leave a long lasting ill will toward them in everyone's mind!

[Henline]

Going straight after people you don't know is never a good idea and is how you give your guild a bad rep (as several others have mentioned). Your best bet to lure players from other guilds is to host pugs and try to befriend people you have an interest in. Never bring up a guild transition right away, but after 3-4 weeks you can usually feel safe to jokingly bring up them applying to your guild. If things don't work out don't just drop them because you never know how things work out, their guild may break up a few weeks later (or their guild isn't progressing at the rate they want to) and if you're still in touch guess who wants to apply. You may get lucky and snag someone newer to a guild if they like your group better, but most players who have raided with a group for a while are friends with the rest of them and far less likely to bail in my experience (loners who don't make friends with raid members are more likely to guild hop so those type of players are risky to pick up imo).

[Sivick]

you can't poach players and stay decent at the same time. it's not a decent thing to do. if you are going to do it then just go for it and live with the consequences, both good and bad.

[anveena]

Poaching raiders that never ends well. If you convince them to leave for you they're just going to leave you once you get stuck somewhere or whenever the next poacher comes around.

[Rapti]

Recruitment spam in trade is never bad tbh. Managed to poach some players from better guilds (made me lol), they whisper you (it makes everything way easier).

[fangless]

Best way? Get 8/8H.

[Huehuecoyotl]

trying to poach people is a crappy move. the only good thing in this instance is that the sort of people you will get if your crappy tactics work will be the sort of people that CAN be poached. which means you will be left with a guild full of people that can be taken away from you just as quickly as you get them.

feel free to go ahead and do this. i hope you end up with the guild you deserve.