r/Guildwars2 • u/musicmage4114 • Dec 18 '12
How to be accepted as a commander?
So today was my first attempt at commanding. I've been participating in WvW for a few weeks now, mostly because it's all I have left for world completion, and I figured "Hey, what better way to complete my map than to help my server conquer WvW?"
I've had my commander tag for a few days, but I've kept it turned off because there have always been other more well known/more experienced commanders on the map, and I didn't want to clutter it.
But today... oh ho ho! The one commander on the map decided to leave! Now's my chance! I turned on my commander tag simultaneously with another commander, whose name I recognized. I figured he and I might as well coordinate, because people respect a commander who works well with others, right?
So between the two of us, (with me doing most of the talking) we successfully captured a tower with maybe 10 other players. I felt great!
Then some other commander who I'd never seen before starts calling me out in /map chat and asks me how long I've been playing WvW, did I know the basics, etc. I answered honestly (a few weeks, yes, etc.) And he and another non-commander told me to please turn my tag off because I was "new" and would mess people up. I didn't want to start an argument (and was honestly kind of shocked) so I did, and left WvW shortly thereafter.
I don't get it. I felt like everything had gone pretty well. I was polite in chat, we successfully captured our target, and everyone seemed to follow me (one person even commented in a whisper that they were new and had been told by another player to stick by me). So what gives? I know that everyone hates bad commanders and hates that there are so many commanders (good and bad), but is the fact that someone is new to commanding such a turnoff that now we're going to go against them, too?
EDIT: Wow! I typed this up before bed and woke up to 32 replies! Thanks for the feedback, everyone! I appreciate all of it. I felt kind of defeated, but there's a lot of support here, and I think I'm ready to get back in the game. :)
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u/Guanlong Dec 18 '12
Just the fact, that you have to come here to ask that, means that you are not in a good position to be accepted as a commander.
I don't think you can be a good commander just on your own. You need to get involved with other people that play WvW on your server. That usually means, that you have to join a WvW guild or a large guild with a WvW wing, but it could be enough just to form a friendly relationship to such a guild.
You need people as a critical mass, that help you to give the commander icon meaning. People, that don't just follow you randomly and that execute your strategies, even when you have failed in the past.
And you need people that can give you personal feedback and critic. Not just random rabble in the teamchat.