Highlighted Guild
- Ad Infinitum – Sith Empire Guild
On Guild Checkpoint, I try to highlight various types of guilds from very casual to hardcore in play styles. This week we meet a guild focused mainly on the PVE aspect, (which might be changing soon…read more to find out). Now some are saying, hardcore and PVE, that doesn’t go together. Well, I offer you the guild Ad Infinitum. After getting to know them and their zeal for “killing bosses” they are definitely hardcore.
We learn from the guild officers on what it takes to be hardcore after the Jump…
- Guild Q&A
How did Ad Infinitum get its start as a guild and where the guild name came from? Are there any other games that the guild is currently playing?
Heavensent: Ad Infinitum started with 3 members who were in a 16 man raiding guild together on our current server. Unfortunately the guild disbanded and we decided to create our own guild with a hardcore attitude to raiding. By day 2 we were 6 from our original guild with 2 skilled players we had met on our server. The guild name actually caused a lot of debate! We sat on vent for several hours putting our suggestions forward till we had a list of around 15. We then narrowed that down by a slow process of elimination. In the end we had 4 names which would greatly suit a guild with the intent of progression PVE and 2 of us had a soft spot for Latin phrases….
Ivaz: This resulted in Ad Infinitum which translates: To Infinity without Limits. This summed up the guilds aims very well and the mentality of the core within the guild – one can achieve anything if one wishes. We have some members who play League of Legends together, a few that are testing out DOTA2 at the moment and I’m quite sure, new MMOs which are incoming will have a few of us testing those out too!
Since the guild was started after launch, how easy or difficult was the process in SWTOR to form a guild? Do you see areas where Bioware could improve in helping the guild creation process?
Heavensent: We formed the guild on the 27th January which was quite late into launch. Many servers have suffered from lower populations however we could not say we suffered greatly from this as the majority came from the guild we were prior to Ad Infinitum’s existence. The official forums are a great way to post your recruitment additions but I can say that as time has progressed, we find the guild features lacking. There are very few perks of being in a guild at the moment as opposed to achieving shared aims – most other MMOs have this in place.
Through our correspondence, you let me know that your guild is possibly merging with another guild. How is the merger coming about and how do you see this benefiting both guilds?
Heavensent: The merge is now OFFICIAL and we are so excited about it! Lightbane was a very well known PVP guild on Chuundar with an impeccable reputation for player etiquette (IE not QQ’ing in Warzones etc). A dedicated leadership with a broad knowledge of pvp from various MMO’s combined with a strong versatile core dedicated to our aims – to strive to be the best at what you do – to infinity, without limits.
Ivaz: The guild has obviously grown in size overnight so the online activity is buzzing with much more social interaction. Having players from two end game areas combined under one roof is a success in itself. We are integrating as one and retaining the Ad Infinitum name – we will simply be embedded in more than just PVE now with the correct people leading each area.
Arvenack: Success in any kind of MMORPG mostly comes with focusing. Guilds that try to get to the end game contend with both side of game (PvP and PvE) could not achieve success. It requires determination and of course time. With this merge, two guilds which focused and succeeded on their separate lines becomes united and gets one step closer to more challenging achievements.
What server is Ad Infinitum playing on and what type of server? What faction is the guild? How did you all come to choose the faction and server type?
Crixus: Chuundar PVP — the guild was mainly PvE focussed but recently it merged with a PvP guild to also attend (and hopefully dominate) the PVP aspects of this game.Personally I both like PvE and PvP, although my main focus is PvE. PvP still is an important part of MMO’s for me, hence the definite choice for a PvP server.
Heavensent: We are currently based on Chuundar EU and opted for the baddies… Imperial! Personally, I re-rolled to Chuundar as my original Server was subject to long queues at peak times when I came home from work. It was me watching dreaded soap operas waiting to get in game and that wasn’t my ideal gaming experience! I am republic through and through every day in my real life – I come home and log onto my alter ego… so yes, it was no question for me when I chose my faction, it simply had to be Imperial… but a pretty one!
Ivaz: Chuundar looked to be a very active and decently populated server so I felt I would be sure to find players with similar aims of the game as myself and thankfully I did, meeting this great bunch.
Your guild takes PVE very serious, in the guild recruitment policies; it states “We kill Bosses.” Can you explain how your guild approaches this mentality and how competitive is your guild with killing bosses?
Crixus: We are very competitive in PvE so we expect simply the best play at all times from our members. We expect that all our members come prepared, this means obtaining the correct consumables and knowing the tactics. When there is new content we extend our raidtimes and raid 5/6 days a week to achieve our goals.
Heavensent: We all stem from competitive MMO backgrounds whether it be a PVE or PVP focal point so in our own personal nature, we are competitive and are thus accustomed for fighting out ranks / titles / achievements. This alone made us the perfect fit for each other and quite simply we apply the focus and experience we have gained from our previous MMO’s to our raid times – the rest of the time it’s all fun and games with us! Each and every one of us agreed that this guild was never to be considered a place for personal progress and as such it was to be “for the guild” so when we see an encounter for the first time, we look at the mechanics of the fight, establish the best set up and strategy then get down to business. We don’t find that time boring and we prefer bosses we constantly wipe on to keep our minds alive and the challenge at its best, it makes that kill all the more worth it when the boss finally falls to the floor and opens its wears for us to use!
Ivaz: We signed up together as a guild as we wanted to be experiencing the end game content when it was fresh, complex and a challenge as under-geared raiders and with our competitive history, we also want to be amongst the first to see the bosses fall to the floor -so I guess you can say we are very competitive. That being said we value real life plans, commitments and responsibilities and for that we will never start a raid at an inappropriate time just to get a rank – we have our set times and that’s what we stick to – it allows everyone to have a life outside the game.
What has been the guild’s greatest achievement to date? What all bosses and modes has Ad Infinitum eliminated thus far?
Heavensent: I think everything we have achieved has been colossal for Ad Infinitum. We hit the nightmare modes hard when we formed, clearing all 10/10 in only 4 raiding days (2 of which were half due to personal commitments). All but 2 of these (Eternity Vault: Ancient Pylons & Infernal Council) were Server Firsts.
Ivaz: The two we did not manage were claimed by a guild that was raiding Nightmare before we had formed. If I had to choose which boss gave us the most joy in killing and felt like the biggest achievement – I would definitely say Soa. The Infernal One was a great end raid boss which required a lot of communication and teamwork especially when we had 3 very squishy Sorcerers who were still in some blue items!
How serious does the guild take to raiding or Operations in SWTOR? What are some things you expect out of guild members that are part of these Operations and even potential recruits?
Heavensent: The Guilds approach to Operations is very serious during progress, we all want to be amongst those top ranked guilds worldwide however on farm – the atmosphere mellows and we simply do it for the fun, tending to jest somewhat on Mumble as we do so. Hardcore raiding is not for all, we totally appreciate that so we have two types of raids – the progress raid (hardcore raiders) and the casual raiders (people perfectly apt for killing the bosses on nightmare but simply at a slower pace with less stress).
Ivaz: For progress raiders, we look for some solid experience of end game content in previous MMO’s to ensure they can handle the focus and dedication it takes to raid at this level. Players are required to uphold 100% attendance during progress (obviously there are exceptions to the rule with IRL) and 80% during farm. To ensure you are playing your class at its fullest potential we require an in-depth knowledge of your main character and it’s always beneficial if you have knowledge of other classes too!
Even though you all are very serious about how you play the game you still try and keep it a family atmosphere. How are some ways the guild does this? Are there special events to “blow off steam” and just have fun or other things the guild does in-game?
Crixus: All the members have their own way to ‘blow off steam’. Some players like to PvP a lot, others lvl an alt or play other games.
Heavensent: Initially we were just a small guild but it is growing very fast especially with the merge so there will certainly be much more SWTOR related group activities within the guild very soon! As it currently stands we do have people who play other games with each other to kick back and relax. Within SWTOR many of us have alts which we often level together and raid in the casual runs with them. Groups of us do a spot of PVP together to keep ourselves amused or just generally hang out together in the voice comms chatting to each other about anything and everything. The team work we display in operations is obviously built from the foundations of our social interaction and how we all have a great degree of respect for each other as individuals making us very much like a family.
Ivaz: We recently developed an ice breaker for the guild which we hope to turn into a regular occurrence, an Arena style tournament in the free for all area of Tatooine. Heavensent will act as referee whilst the remaining members will sign up in groups of three, fighting till the death until the last team is declared winner and claiming the prize pool which will be produced from team entry fees. We also plan to involve some 16 man operations including members from both focuses of the guild as a means to integrate the guild with a great community spirit.
Ad Infinitum has several videos on their Youtube channel and even a streaming channel. How does this help the guild? Do you all use it to review Operations and figure out ways improve for the next time?
Heavensent: In order to progress it’s really important to us to be able to look at our performances and find areas to improve. We Fraps every raid to do so and these fraps are converted into YouTube videos when we kill a boss. There are not many sites out there at the moment for boss strategies so it’s really great to show the players of SWTOR how we tackle bosses. They can try and adopt our methods and hopefully secure the kills like we did. It also allows our members to watch themselves in action as the fraps folder on my hard-drive gets overloaded when in progress so sending these videos to players or uploading them would take an eternity since I live in the back of beyond!
Ivaz: Our stream is very much in its infancy with only one POV being shown but since the merge we hope to add PVP points of view in warzones as well as more points of view within the raids. It allows players to see our guild and our way of working. Some of the members can be very entertaining … =P I’m confident this will be a success and we hope to see viewers tuning in to see more about how the guild works and the great players we house at Ad Infinitum.
Does the guild have a regular schedule for Flashpoints/Operations? How important is this to the guild and are there attendance policies?
Heavensent: Yes we do have a regular schedule to our Operations – our farm runs are currently 2 nights per week – Tuesdays and Wednesdays and progression raids consist of 5 nights raiding in 4 hour slots. We feel it’s very important to have a schedule so that people can still have a real life outside the game. Flashpoints in themselves have no set schedule and are just done for fun when people are online and wish to participate which is normally daily! Given that we are all dedicated to the guilds success, our attendance policy is very strict and requires 80% attendance on farm and 100% on progress. This seems extreme but we are still human and can easily allow for the real life situations which members incur preventing them from meeting this target.
What is your current main character class and advance class? Do you play any alt characters?
Heavensent: I currently play a Sith Sorcerer as my main, operating in which ever spec is best suited to the raid (normally a hybrid between madness and lightning) however I also heal when required. I have a long list of alts, but only 1 is currently raiding, a Sith Marauder specc’d into Annihilation. Other alts include a Sith Assassin, Mercenary and Sniper.
Ivaz: My main character is an Operative Healer (for PVE and I change to DPS when in PVP). I also have a level 50 Assassin tank for casual raids. Unfortunately I’m not a great fan of levelling so although I would like to see more alts… I’m not sure it will happen in the near future.
Is Ad Infinitum currently recruiting? If so what classes and advance classes does the guild need?
Ivaz: We most certainly are! We currently have a range of spots open in our 16 man progression raid which we aim to complete before or shortly have Patch 1.2 hits live. We also have a few spots left on our casual team too. At the top of our priorities at the moment are a Powertech Tank, Mercenary Healer, Sith Sorcerer DPS (pref with heal offspec), Mercenary DPS and we could probably squeeze in another Sniper!
How does the guild distribute loot? Is there a specific system that is used?
Ivaz: Our loot system is done by loot council however most are best in slot geared now so we simply need or greed. Our intention is to further detail the Loot Council when we proceed to the new patch having members post their “Wishlist” in the forums. This would be what they would have as their best in slot pieces. When loot is linked in raid, the members would whisper the Master Looter stating, Wishlist, Upgrade or Offspec. Obviously Wishlist > Upgrade > Offspec.
As an aggressive PVE guild, how would you all rate the Flashpoints and Operations in SWTOR? Are they too difficult or complicate? Are they too long or too short? Does the guild like the multiple modes for the Flashpoints and Operation?
Crixus: The current content is too easy in my opinion. All bosses are faceroll except for perhaps Soa. We managed to kill all bosses on NM within the first week of raiding together. Also the operations could be a little longer maybe, but the game is still relatively young so I guess we could give Bioware some slack. Perhaps adding some more trash mobs between a few of the bosses wouldn’t hurt. I also like the multiple modes idea. This gives the casual players the opportunity to see all content and gives the hardcore players a challenge.
Heavensent: I would agree with Crixus – at the moment I do feel that the difficulty of current Operation bosses is not as high as it could be. There is currently several bugs in the instance which in turn make the encounters appear harder than they actually are, however I think a lot of guilds will find, when they get a successful bug free try – they will most definitely find the bosses very much easier.
Ivaz: The multi modes for Operations is a great idea although I would like to see some extra loot or achievements for the Nightmare mode since it basically gives the same rewards as Hardmode. It certainly allows all players to gear up in preparation for future content and at their own pace.
What changes would you like to see Bioware make to Flashpoints and Operations? Do they need more content, as new Flashpoints and Operations or just fixes to current ones right now?
Crixus: A bit of both I guess… definitely want to see the current bugs fixed, since these get enormously frustrating atm… But also can’t wait for some new raiding content.
Ivaz: The fixes are most certainly a pertinent issue in the PVE respect. Currently there are title runs which grant an achievement and a Title for your character however when one encounters a bug, the instance in many cases requires a reset thus causing the achievement to go out the window. Obtaining these titles consequently becomes a case of RNG – will the instance be bugged today or not? I and I’m sure the guild as a whole would love more content and at a higher difficulty level as is displayed at the moment however we do feel it’s very much at the forefront – these instances are bug free, tested to the extreme and the current bugs are also worked through.
Heavensent: I would add that Bioware certainly seem to be aware of the issue and the game itself is still very young. We appreciate that they have many fixes to wait and as long as they know it’s out there and are working on it, we can live with the bugs for a little while longer. I would however say that the fixes should be addressed quicker in order to keep the players interested.
How has the merger gone and what are the aims of the PVP area of the guild?
Arevenack: Processes like merge between guilds are a delicate situation. It must be handled with patience and respect. Since both of the guild officers acted the way they should, merge has been completed without a problem. There have been rumors about an incoming “rated warzones” which you would be able to create a full premade team to compete with others. From the moment we heard, our ultimate goal as the PvP area of the guild was to attain a good place among the bests. We have been practicing, organizing proper and balanced premade teams, testing new players and constantly looking for new proper recruits. We have already made some unique tactics and skill trees of our own that we think suits best for our play. I think we would be far more than ready when the rated Warzones starts.
Ivaz: The merger has been a great success and all in the guild seems to have adapted very well. They are already involving each other daily and I could not thank our members and leaders enough for making all this possible.
Will the PVP side also have the same competitive nature of the PVE?
Arvenack: Even before the merge, we have been competing with pretty serious determination at PvP, which results as a competitive nature. We put quality over quantity and this brings a level of friendship, familiarity between players which results as accomplishment and high amount of fun :).
Ivaz: The competitive nature of Lightbane was portrayed to us by Arvenack and his team which was the main contributing factor resulting in a positive merge. Having two equally important sides of the game covered by the guild and each area holding the same mentality should hopefully lead to a great success story for all Ad Infinitum
If there are people interested in joining, how can they get in touch with you or other guild leaders? What steps do they need to take to join the ranks of Ad Infinitum?
Heavensent: They can whisper anyone online for more information who will in turn direct them to the correct person, should they be online or they can head directly to the guild website. You can check more information on what is involved in recruitment in our forums under Recruitment and then Recruitment Policy.
That’s it for this week’s Guild Checkpoint. I would like to thank all the members of Ad Infinitum for letting us learn more about their guild. I want to give a huge shout out to Heavensent for the correspondence to get this article all together and also thanks to the participants listed below, for helping to answer the questions in the Guild Q&A.
Crixus – Juggernaut Our main tank – rank is member
Heavensent – Sorc DPS / Healer – rank is Officer
Ivaz – Operative Healer – rank is Guild Master
Arvenack – Sorc DPS from PVP merge – rank is PVP Commander (sort of the GM of PVP)
Does your guild take Operations serious or perhaps your guild enjoys another aspect of the SWTOR? Why not share it with the rest of the game community? All you need to do is submit your guild’s website and some basic information in an email to me at, jason@corellianrun.com. Your guild could be who we highlight next here at Corellian Run Radio. Thanks and see you next week!
We don’t bite – if this sounds like something for you, go check out the web page for more info! 🙂
Thanks to all who assisted with this and to Jason for taking the time to listen to our story.
Behind the people who contributed to the guild insight, there is a great team producing a a stable core. As Edwin said, if this seems like the type of guild for you, then please do head over to the site.
@Edwin No you all don’t bite at all. Just don’t be a Boss or show at the opposing faction lol. 🙂
@Heavensent You are very welcome. It is my pleasure to highlight guilds in SWTOR, like yours.
As they both have said, if this type of guild is for you head over to their website and check them out!
To Infinity without Limits!!