Recruiting and keeping enough guild members is one of the most common struggles for guild masters in RF Online Next. This guide covers practical ways to grow your guild's roster, along with the key points to think through before merging two guilds into one.
Key Takeaways
- Recruit through in-game chat, server boards, and social media, and be upfront about requirements and guild atmosphere.
- Solo players and people who recently left other guilds are often the easiest to convince to join.
- A trial membership period can lower the barrier for hesitant recruits.
- Guild mergers need clear agreement on member limits, naming, leadership, and rules before they're announced.
How to Recruit Guild Members in RF Online Next
Recruit Through In-Game Chat and Social Media
Posting recruitment messages in server chat, on community forums, and on social media is still the most common way to bring in new members. When you post, clearly state your requirements and describe the guild's general atmosphere so applicants know what to expect. Asking current members to help spread the word also works, but doing this too often can backfire — it may give the impression that the guild is short on people or that something is wrong internally, which can actually scare off potential recruits.
Reach Out to Solo Players
Direct outreach tends to convert better than open recruitment posts. Look for players who currently have no guild and message them directly. Solo players often have a specific reason for staying unaffiliated, such as not wanting to be a burden on others — if their reasoning sounds genuine rather than dismissive, it's worth continuing the conversation.
Tip: The level ranking board is a quick way to check whether a player is currently in a guild.
Players who recently left another guild are also worth contacting. Leaving a guild doesn't always mean someone wants to quit the game — common reasons include being tired of constant socializing or not having enough time for GvG content. If you take the time to hear them out and reassure them there's no pressure, there's a good chance they'll consider joining.
Offer a Trial Membership
If a prospective recruit still has doubts, lowering the barrier to entry with a trial membership can help. Since some players step away temporarily due to being busy in real life, it can also help to agree on a limited commitment up front, such as a six-month trial period, rather than asking for an indefinite commitment right away.
Interact With Players on Other Servers
Every server develops its own character. Some players feel their server has too many strong players and not enough content left to do, while others are simply looking for a server with stronger guilds. Joining a shared Discord server or connecting on social media is a low-pressure way to build relationships with players on other servers.
Tip: It's hard to see what's happening on other servers from the outside, which makes transferring feel risky for most players. Regular interaction can make that decision easier and encourage server migration over time.
Merge With Another Guild
On servers where there isn't much movement of players between guilds, it can be difficult to grow membership no matter how much effort goes into recruiting, and total numbers tend to shrink gradually over time. In that situation, merging two or more guilds into one is often the more realistic option.
If the combined membership would exceed 50 people, the merger needs careful discussion first. Some guilds set up a "training" system where members move up into the merged guild once they reach a certain strength, but this commonly slows down progression — reduced diamond distribution and similar limits tend to generate frequent complaints among the members still waiting to move up.
Points to Keep in Mind When Recruiting Guild Members
Be Mindful of Relationships With Other Guilds
Many guilds consider it a breach of etiquette to poach members who are already in another active guild, and it's an easy way to start unnecessary conflict on the server. Always check a potential recruit's current guild affiliation before reaching out.
Avoid Exaggerated Claims
Only talking up the positives of the guild sets recruits up for disappointment once they see the downsides for themselves. If you tell someone that "just logging in daily is enough" but the existing members aren't actually welcoming, the new recruit is likely to feel misled compared to what was promised.
Don't Be Too Persistent
Players tend to remember which guilds pressured them to join. Being too pushy can make a guild's reputation worse, and in some cases it can even push a player toward transferring servers or quitting the game entirely — closing the door on any future chance of recruiting them.
Points to Note When Merging Guilds
Confirm Member Intentions First
Because large guilds can have up to 50 members, it's common for the guild master and sub-masters to decide on a merger direction among themselves first. However, if the resulting plan isn't favorable to regular members, it can push some of them to leave once the merger goes through.
Tip: In-game guild chat logs tend to disappear quickly, so coordinating merger discussions on Discord or a similar platform is recommended.
Check Play Style Compatibility
There aren't many guilds with a large number of highly skilled players, so combining two strong guilds can still expose differences in approach. Mismatches like these are common sources of friction after a merger:
- We value our personal lives and spend within our means while still aiming to win.
- My goal is to win in every aspect of the game, and I put all my available time into it.
- We try to weigh personality compatibility as much as performance.
A guild's atmosphere is shaped by the people in it, so merging with another guild can change that atmosphere significantly and leave some members uncomfortable. Holding an informal get-together before finalizing the merger is a reasonable way to ease into the transition.
Keep Merger Talks Quiet Until the Details Are Settled
Once rumors of a merger start spreading, they're hard to walk back. They can also signal that the guild is short on members, which puts you at a disadvantage in GvG and other competitive content while the merger is still being finalized.
Discuss Among Leadership Before Involving Members
It's best for the guild master and sub-masters to agree on a general direction first. Only after that should opinions be gathered from regular members, so the plan can be adjusted based on their feedback rather than presented as a finished decision.
Decide on the New Guild Name and Leadership
Some members will inevitably be unsettled if the guild's name or guild master changes as part of the merger, so it helps to share details about the new management structure early so everyone understands what to expect. In practice, the surviving guild name and guild master are often chosen to match whichever guild has the stronger GvG record or higher guild level, while decisions about sub-masters usually factor in their personal availability and time commitment.
Consider the Guild Master's Workload
The timing of a merger often comes down to the current guild master's situation — it's common to hear something like "I've gotten busier lately and managing the guild has become a burden." Depending on the circumstances, this can also be the point where the guild master role changes hands.
Be Ready to Change the Guild Name
When fairness between the two merging guilds is the priority, picking an entirely new guild name is a common solution. Keep in mind that changing a guild's name in RF Online Next costs 3,000 diamonds.
Finalize the New Guild Rules
Guilds can have very different rules around auctions and diamond distribution, and unresolved rule differences are one of the most common sources of complaints after a merger. Make sure the post-merger rules are fully discussed and clearly communicated to everyone before the merger is finalized.
