APPLYING: What you need to do

1. Read the Sword of Fate Code of Conduct, guild Charter and Culture. These will give you some information as to what the Sword of Fate is all about and what we stand for, as well as what we expect of our members. If what you read here seems like something you want to be a part of, then continue to the following steps.
   
   


2. Get one or two Sword of Fate members to sponsor you. SPONSORSHIP SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN LIGHTLY; it essentially means that the sponsoring members stand firmly behind the applicant and are convinced that said applicant will be a beneficial addition to the guild. If the sponsor doesn't know you beforehand, expect this process to take some time. They will need to get to know you reasonably well so that they can comfortably vouch for your character, knowing that your actions will reflect upon them as your sponsor. Also note that any Sword of Fate member may only sponsor one applicant at a time, and that new members may not sponsor applicants until they have been guilded for 30 days. Note that you can begin the application process without a sponsor, but you are expected to find at least one sponsor during your applicant period.
   
   


3. Go to our message board and post in the Gatekeeper forum to request Applicant access. Your sponsor(s) will need to set up an entry for you in the Voting Booth, indicating that they are indeed sponsoring you. When this confirmation is done, and when there is room for you in the 9-applicant pool, you will be granted access to the Applicants forum, where you can post your official application.
   


4. If you have a RL spouse or Significant Other who you would like to join you if you are guilded, you may wish to consider a joint application otherwise you will each have to complete the application process individually. There is no longer an "SO clause" to allow automatic entry of significant others.
   
   


5. Apply!
   
   1. Applicant will make a post in the Applicants forum indicating their desire to apply with Sword of Fate. Title of the post should include your character name, class and current level. Applicants must include the following information:
   
   Character Name
   Character Class
   Character Level
   Number of AAs
   Sponsor's Name (if they have one)
   Current Keys (e.g. MMM group, Crystallos group, SoD progression, etc.)
   Current in Game Goals
   Previous guilds and why they left them
   
   A couple may make a joint application by providing the information above for both characters, but BOTH applicants need to be online regularly during the voting process.
   
   The character you are applying with must be unguilded at the time of the application.
   
   2. All new applicants to the guild will require a sponsor. This sponsor can be anyone who is a FULL MEMBER of Sword of Fate. This person will act as link between the you and the rest of the guild. Without a sponsor, you cannot be invited into the guild. If you do not have anyone to act as a sponsor, then take the time to group with and get to know some Sword of Fate members. You can get in contact with most members via the chatchannel "/join sof:sof". Use the channel to find groups and get to know our members.
   
   3. Once the sponsor has posted their intent in the application thread, the applicant will seek out an officer and get guild tagged for a 30 day probationary period. Members will get an opportunity to discuss the applicants progress on the forums.
   
   4. During the 30 day period the applicant should make every effort to actually take part in guild activities. Whether that is xp grouping with members or coming on our raids. This means we all get to know each other better.
   
   5. During the probationary period, a voting booth will be established for you. You must obtain a certain amount of yes votes from the active full membership of Sword of Fate. We will make every effort to discuss with you any specific problems during this time so you may try to address them.
   
   6. At the end of 30 days, if the vote was successful, then you will become a full member of Sword of Fate. If for any reason you do not receive the necessary number of yes votes you will be /guildremoved. If for any reason you would like to reapply with Sword of Fate you may do so after 90 days. Applicants that withdraw their application due to real life issues may reapply after 30 days.
   
   


6. Mingle! Make an active effort to raid, group, talk, or otherwise interact with as many Sword of Fate members as you can. If you have already secured sponsors, you've already begun this process to some extent. Keep at it! Applicants must secure a minimum number of votes from SoF members before an invitation may be made, and SoF members are strongly encouraged to spend some quality time with an applicant before voting. (Please see the important information regarding voting below.) The actual number of votes required is a percentage of SoF's current active membership (this number is calculated periodically to account for new guildings, departures and retirements), and may vary slightly from applicant to applicant. Having a second sponsor will give you an advantage in terms of votes required.
   
   
   The voting process will likely take some time, and will certainly require some effort on your part, but it is extremely important for two reasons. First, the more SoFers you get to know (and who get to know you), the better feel you will have as to whether or not SoF is right for you. Second, this quality time will provide you with a circle of friends within SoF that you already feel comfortable and at home with when you become a member. We in SoF pride ourselves on our family feeling, and we never want our newest members to feel lost in the crowd. Our intensive applicant screening process is designed to prevent that lost feeling.