Due to the evolving meta of the game, guilds and player organizations became informally classified into four distinct ranks based on their size, assets, and influence.
At the lowest level were the [unranked] guilds. These were small groups, often consisting of just 15 to 20 members, who banded together mainly for protection.
Without any significant assets to their name, these adventurer groups were formed primarily to avoid being harassed by stronger guilds while hunting in the wild.
However, their lack of resources and influence kept them on the fringes of the game's competitive landscape.
Next were the [tier 3] guilds. These organizations typically had around 1,000 members and possessed at least one asset, such as a dungeon or a controlled hunting zone in the wilderness under management.
While tier 3 guilds had the capability to raise their members' levels to match the global average, they often struggled to push beyond that threshold.
These guilds operated within a defined scope, providing their members with moderate resources, but lacked the power to dominate larger events or territories.
Above them were the [tier 2] guilds, which held significantly more power and influence.
These guilds often controlled key assets, such as a village or even a Barony, giving them control over entire regions and more lucrative quest lines.
With membership ranging from 1,000 to 10,000, tier 2 guilds boasted guild masters or vice guild masters who were rankers or individuals who had achieved elite status within the game.
These guilds had the infrastructure and resources to help their members surpass the global average in terms of power and often played central roles in high-stakes events like guild wars and territory wars.
Their ability to provide continuous growth opportunities made them formidable forces within the game with many wanting to join their ranks.
Finally, at the pinnacle were the [tier 1] guilds, a prestigious group of only five organizations in the entire game.
Two of the most well-known were the DarkSky Guild and The Uprising, both of which exemplified the elite status required to be classified as tier 1.
To achieve this rank, a guild needed to have over 50,000 members and the proven ability to produce multiple rankers.
These organizations were powerhouses, offering their members unrivaled support and opportunities to reach the top ranks.
Joining a tier 1 guild was a dream for most players, as these guilds had the resources, expertise, and influence to dominate the game.
Much of the success of the tier 1 guilds could be attributed to their visionary leaders as figures like Cervantez and ChaosBringer stood out as pivotal architects of their guilds' rise to power.
Their leadership was instrumental in building these formidable groups during a time when solo play dominated the game as it was only through strategic foresight that they transformed their guilds into global powerhouses that they were today, having invested in them since the early phases of the game.
The influence of the tier1 groups extended far beyond the game, shaping the entire player meta.
Members of the uprising banded together even outside the game and were one of the most dominant forces running the show in sector E and D.
They were like the mafia and joining them came with many benefits both inside and outside the game.
Although the guild meta was one of the big changes that the second rankers event brought with it, it was not the only one.
Another big change that it brought was in how players understood the core principles of their own class as after watching rankers from each class in action during the second rankers event, the common players understood a lot of areas where their gameplay lacked.
Skills that the popular rankers used shot up in value post the event and many players began adjusting their playstyle to become more balanced and well rounded.
This shift in understanding led to a wave of experimentation and innovation among players of all levels.
Previously, many players had adhered rigidly to the "meta" of their class, focusing on specific skill sets and combat strategies that were considered optimal.
However, after witnessing the creativity and adaptability of the rankers during the second rankers event, players began to question the limitations of their playstyles.
Mages, who once relied solely on long-range spells, started incorporating mid-range and even close-combat techniques into their arsenal, inspired by rankers like PurpleRock, who had seamlessly blended magic with physical combat.
Rogues, traditionally seen as stealthy assassins, began to experiment with more illusion and crowd control tactics, borrowing ideas from Leo, who had used a unique skill set not typical to rogues.
Even knight's and tanks, long thought to be slow and defensively oriented, learned from rankers like Luke, who demonstrated the power of aggressive, offensive tanking in shifting the tide of battle.
This newfound openness to experimentation not only elevated individual playstyles but also reshaped the dynamics of guilds themselves.
Guilds began to invest in training programs, encouraging their members to diversify their skills and learn from the rankers as the approach changed from quantity to quality.
The interest in players wanting to reach the 'Master' level spiked significantly and many began publishing research on pathways leading to becoming a master.
Although for most people mastering their skills beyond the basic mastery was something impossible, as not everyone had the fast comprehension of Leo, the fact that more people began trying to improve the mastery level of their skills was already a big change.
It was almost like Earthlings as a whole were on the best possible path forward with the rising hardships resulting in players becoming more self aware and tougher than before.
And the ones who loved this change the most were undoubtedly the aliens, for whom this was the ideal scenario.
For them this was the optimal state, which was why they prayed that one single individual hopefully did not ruin it all in the coming days.
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/// A/N - Dumpy character art is under way. I have already sent the commission. ///