A Guild is a game engine-managed group of players in MMO games with a structure, a leader, and usually clearly set goals. Known Sword Art Online series worlds that have guilds are SAO, ALfheim Online, and Gun Gale Online (these are called Squadrons). There can be any number of guilds in a game at any time.

Guilds in SAO can only be formed after a specific quest on Floor 3. Most known top guilds are Cleaners, high-leveled and experienced players capable of defeating floor bosses.

Guild Functionality

In SAO, guilds offer the following additional functionality:

• Guilds have common guild storage accessible to all members for easy item distribution.
• The guild member list allows telling the location of any member who is not in a dungeon.
• Any two guild members can exchange short text messages, instant if the intended receiver is not in a dungeon.
• Guilds can create their own insignia that are shown by the character's name, and are visible to the outside viewer.
• Guild members partying together receive minor benefits to their stats.
• Guild members are taxed when they earn money, and the taxes are collected in the guild vault.

Known Guilds

Sword Art Online

|English Name | Japanese Name | Abbreviation | Notes|
|||
|Aincrad Liberation Force | アインクラッド解放軍 ainkuraddo kaihōgun | ALF ||
|Aincrad Liberation Squad | アインクラッド解放隊 ainkuraddo kaihōtai| ALS | Merged with MTD to form the Aincrad Liberation Force after the 25th Floor boss battle|
|Divine Dragon Alliance | 聖竜連合 | DDA | (lit. sacred dragon alliance)|
|Divine Division | 天穹師団 | | (lit. heavenly division)|
|Dragon Knights Brigade |ドラゴンナイツ・ブリゲード | DKB | |
|Fūmaningun | 風魔忍軍 | | (lit. wind demon spy force) Existence only confirmed for the beta test.|
|Fūrinkazan | 風林火山 | WWFM | (lit. wind, woods, fire, and mountain)|
|Golden Apple | 黄金林檎 | GA | Disbanded|
|Knights of the Blood | 血盟騎士団 | KoB | (as in "blood brothers")|
|MMO Today | MMOトゥデイ | MTD | Merged with ALS to form the Aincrad Liberation Force after the 25th Floor boss battle.|
|Moonlit Black Cats | 月夜の黒猫団 tsukiyo no kuronekodan | MBC | Disbanded after the majority of the members were killed on June 22, 2023.|
|Silver Flags | シルバーフラグス | | Majority of members killed on February 14, 2024.|
|Titan's Hand | タイタンズハンド | | Members imprisoned as of February 24, 2024.|

ALfheim Online

|English Name | Japanese Name | Abbreviation | Notes|
|||
|Fuurinkazan | 風林火山 | WWFM | Mentioned in Progressive|
|Sleeping Knights | スリーピング・ナイツ | Disbanded after Yuuki's death.|

Other

|English Name | Japanese Name | Abbreviation | Notes|
|||
|Laughing Coffin | 笑う棺桶 | LC | Not an engine-managed guild. Majority of members either killed or imprisoned as of August 2024.|

ALS, ALF, MTD

Commonly known as "The Army," they were the largest guild in SAO with three thousand members. The Army's headquarters was located t the Black Iron Palace on Floor 1 of Aincrad.

Leader: Thinker
Former Leader, Sub-leader: Kibaō

Until Floor 25, ALS, led by Kibaō, was a Clearer guild with a third of all Clearers in it. Things took a dire turn for them on Floor 25, where the monsters were much more powerful than the progression implied, and there was not enough information on them, while the floor structure was a trap-ridden maze. Misinformed, Kibaō took an incomplete raid group there and went to the boss room, where more than half of the guild members died, and the rest of ALS split off from the clearing group and returned to Floor 1 to merge with Thinker's MTD, Thinker becoming the official leader.

The initial goal of ALS was to clear SAO, and MTD's was distribution of information and resources evenly between all players. After the merge, they began keeping order. After a shift to armored uniforms, were nicknamed "The Army".

The Army became too large in size to stay organized without a proper chain of command and an inspiring leader, which led to so many coups and revolts that the leaders lost control of it, and Kibaō rose. He then organized the force and renamed the guild to ALF. He also forcefully monopolized fields with effective experience and drop rates. The guild's profits grew, and political power grew with it. The guild started extortioning citizens.

Kibaō had all but abandoned the goal of clearing the game, so he started assigning people to it. When he had sent a dozen of their best fighters to clear Floor 74 and three of them, including Lt. Col. Kobatz, died, Kibaō was on the brink of losing power, so he lured Thinker into a trap. Kirito, Asuna, Yulier, and Yui rescued Thinker, and Kibaō's clique was exiled. Thinked partitioned ALF to return to his volunteer efforts.

Continued on page 2.

References

• Guilds - Fan Wiki