Elder Scrolls Online - Spinnin' the scrolls

Shinding [SUL] -

The Elder Scrolls Online is my second foray into Vanguard with TAW, my first being Neverwinter Online. I really enjoy the process of spinning up a Division. I enjoy the aspect of identifying and training the leadership staff. Luckily with the ESO Division, I have been blessed with some amazing people. Some of them had previous leadership experience, others just needed a little nurturing to bring out that confidence that I always knew was there.

The great thing about this community of ours is that it not only brings people together, but it challenges them to become better. Under my command I have seen 16 year old members, afraid of their own shadows, mature into solid, confident, and intelligent leaders. These are skills that are transferrable into the real world. Skills that they developed because of TAW that can actually give them an edge in their everyday life. This is one of the many gifts that TAW offers.

In the ESO Division we make it our goal to not only bring people into the Division, but into the community. Far too often people cannot see outside of their game, they do not see the big picture. That is the picture that we try to paint. To let them know that they gain more than just a guild, that they gain a society of people with similar ideals, and interests; a family of sorts.

From every aspect of training that we offer, we strive to give people the knowledge and skills about the community that they can transfer to any Division without feeling lost or confused. We want to make it as simple as just walking into the next room. We do this through a process of solid leadership and a welcoming environment.

Which leads me to the leadership; the battalion level leadership is probably one of the strongest, most cohesive units that I have ever had the honor to witness. They are the glue that holds this Division together, and through them, they set an example of what all TAW members should strive for. I could not be prouder of our members, and the community as a whole.

I was told that I had a chance to talk about the game itself, but I feel that everyone has been beaten over the head enough with news related to The Elder Scrolls Online. Instead, I felt it better to discuss the people and the Division, and what a Division it is.

Sagesmith [1XO] -

When it comes to gaming there are few things more satisfying than overcoming a challenge that was kicking your butt the week before.  With my class there are few things meant for small groups that I can't solo.  So, sometime last week, I came across a creature twice my size and thought,

"Aww, how cute.   No big deal, I can deal with a 4 armed ½ snake ½ ...something... with glowing trails of smoke circling its body.  It just looks Intimidating.  Nice try ESO!"

I saunter up to this... thing, and maneuver for a nice crit bonus.

..HP bar barely budges and my saunter misses a step.  Next thing I know I'm hovering where I once stood and my HP bar does a lot more than just budge.

..Near death and limping for mana/health regen I'm taken down in 2 shots.  (At the time I was at the games level cap and into my veteran ranks.  Being taken down in 2 shots was unthinkable.)

Two hours later every piece of armor I have is broken from wear and tear.  I'm irritated, and have not made any progress towards kicking this things butt.  So I take a break.

One of the great things about TAW is that there are usually people online that have been where you are in game.  There are usually groups of people online that can jump in and help you team up against challenges or at least give advice on how to overcome an obstacle.  

I head back to town defeated...  Repairs were not pretty.   While I'm licking my wounds, I jump up a channel in Teamspeak to talk to a few guild members about what had happened.  Questions were asked about the fight and the surrounding area.  Within 5 min, with the help of TAW ESO guild members, I had a plan and was ready for war (again).

With some crafty maneuvering and quick ranged attacks I was able to annihilate the enemy in under a min, confidence once again restored!

TAW ESO has a pretty good mix of guild members.  Some members like the roleplaying aspect of the game, others enjoy the PVP and massive Alliance war competitions, while others fall somewhere in between.  Regardless of your playing style, age, or sex they offer something for everyone.  As with every game TAW supports, ESO Division has a fair and honest community with members dedicated to the group's success and enjoyment.

Acidchicken [1SO] -

This is my first time being in Vanguard spin up team, and also being the SO. Talk about a challenge, how do you recruit and keep members into a game that has not started? How do you make sure that when you recruit them, and go through the whole boot camp process that they will stay? Tell you the secret, your DI's. Without a dedicated group of DI's it can't happen, and we have that, and the best thing is, it is growing.

The people that became our DI's are not just DI's any more they have shown a willingness to go further in helping grow our community and inspire others inside TAW to recruit, and to become DI's themselves. To me the DI's are the backbone of TAW, they are the best way to find new leaders, they are are ambassadors, without them we would not be able to make sure that new recruits are helped and are guided until he or she is moved up to PFC.

Some of the challenges we have had in ESO is that we have a 3 day beta weekend at the end of every month during these 3 days it becomes a race to see how many we can recruit and get into the guild. But recruiting is not enough, we go out of our way to make sure that the new recruits know that we are there for them, by taking a few hours helping them get through a dungeon or just sitting in team speak with them and answering their questions. The boot camp is not the last time we talk to are recruits it is just the start of a long journey in the community of TAW.

Preparation is helpful but as one of our DI's said when they were faced with not many people in their alliance. " Well I better start recruiting so that I can have more people in my alliance." That right there is something you can't make preparations for. You have to have people who are willing to go out and recruit because they want to grow their community. That is what we have in ESO, and I am proud to lead a group like we have in ESO.

Pliskin [1CO] -

The ESO division has had a big weekend. We are the first division to go on the new TAW channel on Twitch TV. We started out Friday Feb. 28th with the live stream of ESO's beta weekend and ended Sunday night. It was an important weekend for Zenimax Online as they had invited the press and given them full access to the server. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with the broadcast.

    Elder Scrolls Online is one of the most anticipated games in the last couple of years. When I got into it I had played Skyrim, but none of the previous games in the series. It has turned out to be more than I expected. The graphics are exceptional and the combat can be challenging. The best part in my opinion however is the ability to group up and play with other members of the division. Whether it be strategizing on the proper way  to capture a keep in PVP or creeping through a dungeon and searching for hidden treasure before you go up against the elite boss. All members of ESO are willing to do whatever it takes to help. It may be searching for skyshards, trying to decipher the clues in many of the riddles or simply ganging up on a particularly hard adversary.

It has been a pleasure to serve as CO of the division, but it would not have been possible without the help of an exceptional staff.  Every single one of them have gone above and beyond what is necessary to make sure the division thrives and grows. For this I am eternally grateful.

Kakamighty [2SO] -

I have been in TAW for a little over a year. When I first applied for TAW I was merely looking for some people to play League of Legends with, but what I found was so much more. When I first got accepted into TAW and started being active on TS it was like getting a new family. In those months after joining TAW I developed so much, both in maturity and socially. TAW has changed my life completely and I have gained a lot of really good friends whom have helped me through some rather tough times.

I then decided to transfer to Vanguard to broaden my horizons, meet new people and expand my network. I certainly wasn't disappointed when I transferred to ESO right from day 1 people were friendly and I have already in my short time I have met numerous people what have helped me develop even further as an individual.

ESO is a great division with massive future potential and it is absolutely amazing to work with the people currently in the division. They are all great people and I am looking forward to working with them getting to know them, even better, in the future.

ESO is also a really good game with exceptional graphics and really good gameplay. Join our battalion to play a great game with fun, friendly, helpful and overall fantastic people, what more of a reason do you need?