This week we had the chance to sit down with the guild leaders of The Hakin, one of first Elder Scrolls Online Guilds to create their guild page on The Shadowed Mare. Guild leaders @Asguard, @TheEmperor, @Sedrethi and @Teer-Shei answered questions on the formation of their guild, recruitment efforts and future plans when The Elder Scrolls Online releases sometime this year. As the release date draws near it becomes even more crucial for guilds to begin forming their structure, playstyle and expansion plans.
Asguard: Hi! I’m Asguard, a.k.a. John Scorpion. I am the one that originally created the guild in August 2012, and I’m one of the Taazokaan’Vahlok (admins) together with The Emperor and Sedrethi. I tend to play as a spellsword (hybrid of magic and melee combat), and intend to do so in TES:O.
TheEmperor: Hello! I’m TheEmperor (most people call me Emp); I’ve been playing Elder Scrolls for years starting with Morrowind. I either play as a warrior type character or as a Battle mage. Not sure about ESO, I’m still waiting to see all of the classes before I decide. In the guild, I’m one of the Taazokaan’Vahlok (the guilds leading council) I mostly mange the technical aspect of things such as our site and new members.
Sedrethi: Greetings! I go by the pseudonym Sedrethi, and I’ve been an Elder Scrolls enthusiast for about three or four years now. Initially, I started out with Oblivion, and went back to play Morrowind, before waiting patiently for Skyrim. The character style I often play as is similar to that of a Nightblade class from the Elder Scroll universe, concentrating on Magic and Stealth, with a few of my own little twists on the class. As far as guild position, I began as a ”high moderator” and ”editor” of sorts, but have since been promoted to a fellow administrator.
Teer-Shei: I’m Teer-Shei, a stealthy, duel wielding, bow sniping sneak. I’m a high moderator for The Hakin, and I keep the sister sites, Tamriel Foundry, and the Shadowed Mare up to date on guild news and check for members that may have applied on our guild pages other than our main site.
How did you come up with the name “The Hakin”?
Asguard: Good question! It actually goes back all the way to 2011 with the release of Skyrim. When I created my main character, I chose his surname based on the name of one of my ancestors. My ancestor’s name was Håkan, which is a variation of the ancient Scandinavian name ”Hakon”. I played around with the word and ”Hakin” just stuck with me so I chose it. I imagined my character to be a part of an ancient brotherhood, which I eventually named ”The Hakin”. The lore behind the brotherhood is something I pondered on all until I eventually made our first ”The Hakin” page, and together with The Emperor, Sedrethi and the rest we have edited and expanded on it together.
Can you give us a brief description of what your guild is all about, including the play style?
Asguard: Our guild is an order that strives to be guardians of what we deem is good, to protect those who can’t protect themselves, to oppose tyrants and to fight for freedom. Our order is guided by the codex that was first written by the founders of the order and has since been expanded on by our forefathers. In the setting of TES:O, we focus on defying Molag Bal and to crown an emperor/empress from our order that will rule Tamriel with the codex.
We focus on roleplaying, but we will be playing PvE (RvRvR), PvP and anything else TES:O has to offer. However, we are community based, and the most important thing is that we have a good time.
Sedrethi: We are a siblinghood of Argonians, Dunmer, and Nords who have set aside our ancestral differences for the sake of protecting our motherlands that we obviously hold dear. So, unlikely fellowship aside, we follow the codex scribed by our guild’s founders while assisting those in dire need of assistance. We are a role-playing guild that makes up its own adventures and stories to coincide with the lore of TESO. Role-playing is not a requirement by any means, but it is encouraged. Otherwise, we will typically participate in PvE, PvP, raids, and whatever else TESO may have to offer.
What is your primary focus in the upcoming months as we wait for ESO’s release?
TheEmperor: For me it’s actively recruiting new members, as well as getting to know each other. And getting ready for the Launch!
Asguard: The most important thing in my opinion is to generally make sure that we are prepared and organized for the launch of TES:O. That means that we will have to make sure that our website is what we want it to be, recruit new members, establish core members, and so on.
Sedrethi: At the moment, establishing core members and maintaining guild activity, sociability, and solidarity is what we’re hoping for. This is to make game launch much easier, organized, and hopefully fun for all of us.
Teer-Shei: Recruiting people who are willing to stick around, have fun, and not be afraid to come talk on our forums and especially on our guild Ventrilo where we have regulars come and discuss ESO, and the Elder Scrolls in general. We aim to build a strong community that delves into what ESO is about, experiencing Tamriel, and what is has to offer with a great group of people who share a common interest.
Asguard: As a TES fan, I was naturally curious of what TES:O had to offer. When I realized that this was my chance to actually make something out of The Hakin, the order that I had spent so many hours thinking about when I played Skyrim, I found it difficult to resist to not making The Hakin into an in-game guild. That’s what initially sparked my interest for the game.
Sedrethi: Being an Elder Scrolls enthusiast, it was hard for me to not be curious. Despite my MMO burnout and general avoidance of these types of games, I feel I have to at least give this game a try before passing my own judgment on it.
TheEmperor: When I first heard about it this summer I was extremely intrigued, and being an ESO fan it was hard not to be. After reading more about it I decided this was a game that I had to try!
Teer-Shei: As I had played Elder Scrolls games from Morrowind to Skyrim, it was only natural to be excited for ESO when the teaser trailer came out, and its existance was announced. ESO looks very promising, and will be a true part of an already legendary franchise.
What are some of the features you’re looking forward to and hoping for in ESO?
TheEmperor: The Feature that I am really looking forward to is the, Pvp aspect of the game. Especially the Cyrodil RvRvR stuff, I’m looking forward to seizing the Ruby Throne for the Pact! Not to mention how they are going to include in game guilds.
Asguard: Besides exploring all of Tamriel with other people and see how it will expand the lore, I really look forward to see what features it has to offer for guilds. I also look forward to see how crafting is going to work.
Sedrethi: Not sure if it technically counts as a feature, but I am very much looking forward to the lore. I want to see the shaky fellowship play out between the Ebonheart Pact, as well as among the other factions. More backstory on the Akaviri, Argonians, Maormer, and such would also be lovely. I am also curious as to how stealth gameplay will pan out in MMO format (as I haven’t experienced much of that in this format aside from typical invisible cloaking).
Asguard: That’s a difficult question! For me, what really makes us special is how we both are organized and dedicated while at the same time our guild allows the members to have a lot of freedom and can control their own experience. We aren’t limited to a certain in-game race, we aren’t limited to a certain region and our guild’s story allows for a huge variety of possible backstories for our characters.
Sedrethi: We have members of varying sanity. It will be glorious.
How long have you been playing MMOs and which games did you play? Were you apart of a guild in these games?
Sedrethi: As a teen, I used to play a lot of Korean MMOs, but eventually grew weary of farming, fetch quests, and grinding. That said, I’m still looking forward to a TES themed MMO. As far as guilds, I used to be a part of some relatively major alliances/factions/guilds in some games, and often in the same role as I am now (sub-leader), although always reluctantly.
TheEmperor: I’ve been playing MMOs for about 6 years now. I can’t remember most of them. Some of the one that I can remember are Runescape (I think that counts) World of WarCraft, and Star Wars the Old Republic. As for guilds most of the time I went lone wolf or was in guild of about 5 or 6 members. The only time I was in a bigger Guild was in WoW and that guild was only about 30-40ish members. Thanks for interviewing us! They were great questions. I look forward to fighting with or against you all!
We want to thank the members of The Hakin for taking the time to answer our questions and give such great responses. If you’re interested in joining The Hakin visit them on their new Website. If you’re interested in doing a guild interview Write Us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.
