Guild

A Guild (ギルド) is a group of players, most on par with each other in regard to levels, with an organized structure and a leader, in various major online games. Known games that have guilds are «Sword Art Online», «ALfheim Online» and «Gun Gale Online». Guilds in Gun Gale Online are called Squadrons (スコードロン). The current number of existing guilds in each VR game is unknown.

Guilds in Sword Art Online could only be formed after a certain quest is completed on the 3rd Floor. Most known top guilds are composed of Clearers, high-leveled and experienced players. Within the system, guilds have recognised abbreviations of three to four letters long.

Management
In Sword Art Online, guilds are managed through a Contract Scroll (約定のスクロール), which gives players access to the guild finances and management of the guild personnel list. This scroll is the sign of a guild leader, but other members of the guild may also be granted permission to manage the scroll.

Guild Features
Guilds have unique features that allow players to interact differently from regular player to player interactions and thus offer several benefits to its members:


 * Guild members have access to a common guild storage, which can be used to easily share items, such as potions, among themselves. This storage cannot be opened within a dungeon.
 * The guild member list can be used for tracking the position of a fellow guild member, if the said member is not within a dungeon.
 * Guild members are able to send short messages to one another. Does not work within a dungeon.
 * Guilds have customizable emblems which appear on the guild members' top left interface, next to the player's Hit Point (HP) bar, as well as next to the player's Hit Point bar from another player's point of view.
 * When guild members are in the same party, the players receive a slight increase in their stats.
 * Guilds can purchase their own Guild Headquarters, which can only be entered by members of the guild.

The only known drawback of being a member of a guild is that guild members are taxed whenever they earn money and the taxed money is sent to the guild's vault.