During our expeditions across the frosty continent of Northrend, from the depths of Scholozar Basin to the heights of Storm Peaks, Retired still managed to retain its direction in reason, raiding and reforging of legendary weapons. Most importantly however, we kept together as much as friends, than just avid gamers.
Throughout the expansion, we managed to sustain our 25 man raids up until the very end; even throughout the onslaught that was ToC (admirable mechanics, same bloody room) and ICC (the shine begins to wear off after an entire year spent inside...). The leadership morphed slightly as people took their various breaks, but by in large the camaraderie that formed in TBC endured WOTLK too.
That's not to say we didn't acquire any new faces over the course of the last few years. As always the recruitment for Retired is quite unique; people who know what they are doing, but also have some form of a personality. While other people fell trap to the gear-score phenomena, we stacked (the now defunct) defence rating and remained immune to its critting effects.
Starring the Officers of Retired in order from left to right: Rurik the Warrior of Cleaveshire, Ryoko the Silent Ninja Asassin auch aye the noo, Clangeddin of the name thats a mouthful, Aurica the Battle Resurrected, Phaeton the Gunslinger of Dwarfdom and Illiam the...umm crow-bear.
Where it all began...
Many of the members of Retired were once proud members of Lightning Strikes Twice, an Arathor guild. Following the unfortunate demise of LST which occurred early 2007, Seyler and Apacs decided to start up a new guild with the intention of giving the lost and disheartened ex LST members a new place to call home. This place was Retired, and it became a warm and welcoming place where players could continue to live peacefully amongst others they had grown to call their friends.
The initial intentions of Retired were somewhat simple, a place to call home where members could group up with familiar faces and be protected from those who take pride and pleasure in spoiling other peoples evenings. This initial vision of the guild is still very true to this day. By July 2007 Retired was clearing Karazhan every reset with very few problems if any at all, and so it began its journey back into the larger raid scene.
By the end of TBC, Retired had vanquished Vashj, caused Kael-thalas’ a set-back, put an end to Archimond's tyranny, and were steadily progressing through the Black Temple before being rudely interrupted by the mega-nerf that preceded the oncoming Wrath of the Lich King.
Illidan was promptly mooshed shortly after, with the raiding force pushing ever forwards to Northrend and into the relocated Naxxramus. For some this was a nostalgia trip, others it was their first time ever experiencing the instance. Kel’Thuzad was laid to rest...again again, and Malygos was put out of his misery. Over the course of the next couple of years, we achieved shutting Yogg-Sarons many mouths by stuffing several shards with orange text down his throat, endured the mental torture of ToC and most noticeably, put an end to Arthas’ reign of the Frozen Throne...with time to spare for a party at the Twiglet Dragon’s bachelor pad.
Only one challenge remained to our stalwart heroes, The Gauntlet of the WTFQQSLOWGHOSTGRYPHON. Unfortunately, many perished but none will be forgotten.
Surviving the Cataclysm...
And so now, the Shattering has torn the world as we knew it asunder. And as we face the prospect of overcoming Deathwing and the most likely exposure of another Old God (most likely formed of either a nose or many ears this time), we prepare ourselves... food buff, flask up, and ready check!
Does Retired sound like the place for you?
Retired has been and will continue to be committed to being particularly careful when it comes to recruitment, ensuring that any new members, social or raider, feel comfortable within their new surroundings, whilst also reinforcing the original values of the guild. This methodology has kept us alive and stable since early TBC and is what has allowed us to survive the Wrath of the Lich King, when so many other guilds fell to their knees.
If you're a mature and friendly person who's been playing Warcraft for a while, then you may be a player Retired are looking for. Take a look around the Recruitment forum for more information, you'll find the Application Template there. Should you decide to leave an application, be sure to fill it out as plentiful as possible. The more information we are given the easier is it for us and the better it is for you!
Thanks for taking the time to check out our website and showing an active interest in Retired.
