Is it rude to run with a guild but never join?

[MatthewOU2015]

I don't take loot from them unless they tell me I can. I dont want to join the guild, I love the group but its not for me. Ive ran with them since 2022 so over a year. One of the leaders whispers me and I join the raids.

[Biomega]

I'm not sure it matters. If they don't really care, and you're not abusing their goodwill, there's no problem that I can see. Guilds are just names. IIRC in places like Korea it was for a long time totally normal to distinguish between "guild" and "raid team" and they often weren't the same thing.

Guilds have no magic power. If you're raiding with people and enjoying your raids with them, that's all that matters. If you don't want to hang out with them outside of raids, I think that's entirely cool - as long as it's also cool with them (and it seems to be, from your description).

[durenas]

If they're OK with it, and everyone's cool, it's not rude at all.

[loras]

I don't take loot from them unless they tell me I can. I dont want to join the guild, I love the group but its not for me. Ive ran with them since 2022 so over a year. One of the leaders whispers me and I join the raids.

A bit weird maybe, but certainly not rude.
If anything you're showing the raiders that you like them specifically.

[Lochton]

I don't take loot from them unless they tell me I can. I dont want to join the guild, I love the group but its not for me. Ive ran with them since 2022 so over a year. One of the leaders whispers me and I join the raids.

No. It is not rude. If you have a good connection doing runs, then that is great? Of course, you will experience things that'll make you feel outside but it is not rude unless you complain about feeling outside while not being part of the Guild.

[arkanon]

That's entirely up to the guild to decide. My alt/friends and family guild has a small roster of "randoms" that would all get a message/invite. Sometimes they came, other times not - this was totally fine by me and the rest so.....who cares.

If they are happy with the arrangement, and you are happy with the arrangement......there is honestly nothing to discuss.

[God Save The King]

Not at all. My Classic and Retail guild both don't really maintain a 'bench', we just know a bunch of solid free agents and invite them along if we have an absence. Works better and reduces drama.

[kranur]

Doesn't matter at all. Weird that you love playing with them but don't want to hang out with them.

[Daedius]

There are countless social guilds of people just leveling or doing anything outside from partying/raiding.

[Kikazz]

I don't take loot from them unless they tell me I can. I dont want to join the guild, I love the group but its not for me. Ive ran with them since 2022 so over a year. One of the leaders whispers me and I join the raids.

only issue you could run into, is if they recruit someone and the spot is no longer available.

but seems like its a Meh component for you.

[KOUNTERPARTS]

No, it is not. Especially if the guild repeatedly brings you to their guild runs.

If the guild keeps asks you to join but not forcing you, that's one thing. If they begin to not take you anymore because they insist on having full guild runs, that is another thing.

If they are fine taking a non-guild member (you) to their guild runs (them) and you are not forced to join their guild for whatever reason, sounds like a win/win to me.

[Beuargh]

you don't take loots so you just fill a spot for them at no cost. I guess some players in this guild are pretty happy to get your help to kill bosses without you competing for the gear they are raiding for. they'll tell you that you can take loots so you're not too far behind when they'll need you at the next tier.

but if you're really wondering about it, just ask them! they know better than us how they feel about it. you're raiding with them for more than a year, I guess the answer should be pretty obvious from the way they treated/are treating you since you started joining their raids.

[Fistfighter]

IIRC in places like Korea it was for a long time totally normal to distinguish between "guild" and "raid team" and they often weren't the same thing.

Yeah, that's how some raid groups work. Had a few guilds where we ran raids with regular outsiders, who didn't want to join the guild for one reason or another. We did include them in loot rotation, tho, as I feel that's only fair when a person is dedicating their time to your raid group.

You don't have any loyalty to a guild, you have a loyalty to the raid leader and to the people who are capable of making a group and tackling a boss every week.

[czarek]

I don't take loot from them unless they tell me I can. I dont want to join the guild, I love the group but its not for me. Ive ran with them since 2022 so over a year. One of the leaders whispers me and I join the raids.

Why dont you want to join them? Ur a guilded or not? And ofc its not rude at all.

[Snowfunk]

Definitely not.

Many players are in "casual/social" guilds. I'm still in a guild that I joined back in MoP, there's been on and off raiding, but none for a couple of expansions now.
Got all my alts there, chat is mostly quiet, but people leave message when they see people get a mount or something like that.
Most of my raiding groups since BFA has been based in Blizzard communities and/or Discord servers. Generally it's a constellation of different friend groups, friends of friends etc.