Behind the Banner is back to shine a light on Albion's many diverse guilds, from fierce PvP warbands to tight-knit social communities. Each episode delves into the identity, playstyle, and goals of a different guild, offering a glimpse into what life is really like behind the banner.

• Guild Name: Eikonic
• Alliance: MOZZY
• Guild Leader: RagdollMegs
• Date Founded: January 2020
• Size: ~270 members
• Primary Language: English
• Server: Albion Americas
• Discord: https://discord.gg/JEMFazceQv

Tell us about your guild.

Nazori has always been the one to start and lead our guilds. However, while Naz was taking a break from Albion, the guild found itself in a difficult position following an incident with a previous alliance. That's when Naz entrusted me [Megs] with the guild. I was handed a dying guild, but I was determined to keep it running, partly for the community we had left, but also in honor of our forever guildies, Madru and FlaccidBaron. With the support of my fellow leadership team, I fought hard to keep the guild alive, increase activity, and recruit members who fit the vibe of our community.

We've had our ups and downs, but we've built a close-knit, non-toxic community of people who genuinely care about each other and love spending time together. We managed to find a delicate balance between being non-mandatory and competitive, and we've comfortably reached Gold rank for the past six seasons.

Why did you choose this name? Is there a story or meaning behind it?

[From our founder, Nazori] Well, the name actually came from another game. In almost every MMO I've played since the early WoW days, I've led a guild, big or small. Just before Albion Online, we were playing Final Fantasy, and our guild name was Eikonic.

The name was meant to sound like Iconic, but the spelling was a pun on the fact that the game featured creatures called Eikons. My older brother actually came up with the name and started the guild in that game. When I was creating the guild in Albion, I tried to use Iconic, since that was our original guild's name, but it was unavailable. So I stuck with Eikonic.

What sort of activities do you focus on?

We do a bit of almost everything: ZvZ, Faction Warfare, Fame farming, open-world roaming, Roads of Avalon, Mists, Depths, and gathering.

What sort of members are you looking for?

We want ZvZ players and people who contribute to the guild, but we also want people who are here for the community: people who want to hang out and work together. We are strictly non-toxic, and we value loyalty from our members. But most importantly, we want people who are looking to build lasting friendships and enjoy running all sorts of content with us. This is not a guild to AFK in. However, we do have a strict IRL-first policy and will never ask you to rearrange your life to be here.

Where is your guild primarily located?

Fort Sterling. We've moved around over the years and always seem to come back to it. We aren't married to the area by any means, but for now it works well for us, and we enjoy being here.

Do you have any rivalries or ongoing quarrels with other guilds?

We spent most of last season at war with the Fort Sterling renter coalition.

What are some of your most memorable battles or activities?

After being begged to try shotcalling, I made a fully randomized ZvZ comp and took my alliance out on April Fools'. It somehow ended with me getting an epic clump and then shouting, "Hit them, hit them! I did the thingy!" 0/10, do not recommend.

What does your guild do for fun?

Anything from Depths to Faction Warfare, Hellgates, Arenas, Crystal Creature roams, or Roads. We love basically every aspect of the game (except HCE, ew.)

What is your guild's approach to the game? Do you have any core values or beliefs that guide how you play together?

People before pixels. IRL always comes first. A lot of us have partners and kids (some even play with us!), and we strongly believe that real life comes before anything ingame. You never need an excuse for missing a CTA.

We don't tolerate any sort of toxic or hateful behavior. We log in to enjoy the game with friends, not to make it miserable for others. That said, we like to work for what we have. We don't like renting, and we're always happy to lend a helping hand to friends however we can.

We love ZvZ. We aren't an inner-ring guild by any means, but we love a good territory battle. We also strongly value our villagers and everything they contribute to the guild. We wouldn't be here without them!

We run our alliance with the same principles. We don't see our allies as competition, but as teammates. We work well together and take pride in helping each other achieve our goals and celebrating our victories together.

What are your goals for the future?

We recently took in a bunch of new players after The Crucible ended. In the short term, we're focused on training them for ZvZ and helping them spec up their desired roles, strengthening our zerg, and finding our synergy as a guild and alliance with our new dynamic. Over the next few seasons, we're hoping to become strong enough to make a Crystal League push.

Anything else to share about your guild?

Our founder is a "ZvZ expert," and I'm just the GM's wife... apparently.

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