Guilds and Alliances
Guilds not only are social places, in which you'll find help and friends, but they also offer their members guild boons, which will balance your stats and give you access to different bonuses. They also give you access to an entire zone, the Stronghold, in which you'll find daily quests and get currency to buy many different things (food, items, overload enchantments, explorer charts for masterwork materials...) when you donate stuff to their coffers.
Guilds cannot give you access to all of the guild boons, so choose your guild wisely. The most important thing for a new player is to get item level. In that regard, the highest level a guild is, the more item level you'll get from their boons, up to 3000, which is a very nice boost to damage and HP early on (300 Damage, 30k HP, +10/20% depending on your role).
Guilds are generally part of Alliances, which have a chat in common. Members of the same alliance can move to any Stronghold of the alliance. So, if you're not happy with the boons your guild offers, even though you like the people, you can always move to another guild of the same alliance, to keep the contact with your current guild mates (don't forget about the guild rules of course).
Alliances
Alliances are formed between 2 to 13 Guilds, that are player-formed organizations composed of players, that gain certain in-game features such as a special Alliance chat channels. They form for a variety of reasons. Usually to enhance the social nature of the game and to offer help to smaller guilds. By grouping together guilds in an alliance will be able to do things that they would have had trouble doing on their own. Alliances are composed of up to 13 Guilds arranged in an hierarchical system. The founding Guild will be called the "Helm Guild", which can invite (and kick) up to 3 "Sword Guilds", which, in turn, can each invite (and kick) up to 3 "Gauntlet Guilds".
Guild leaders will be able to turn off certain features, like incoming and outgoing donations of specific resources, or map visits (if the guild's Stronghold map is in danger of becoming full, for example). There will be benefits for all sizes of guilds. Small guilds especially will appreciate the chance to shop at a larger ally's store. Large guilds should have an easier time getting guild marks, if they have some smaller allies who can still use certain resources that the larger guild has maxed out. And everyone will get a bit extra from the alliance bonuses.
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