It is time for our guild spotlight, where we meet the dedicated adventurers banded together in 'Seven Knights Re:BIRTH' (hereafter SKRB). Today's feature is 'Cheongwol', a guild with deep roots in the Seven Knights series. Led by the guild leader 'Rabbit', who has been at the helm for quite some time, the collective expertise here is substantial. From designing their own emblem to meticulously managing siege data, the effort invested is impressive. When the new Guild War content dropped, they immediately dove into strategic team compositions and placements. While the leader's quick response was crucial, the collective analytical prowess of all Cheongwol members was the true star. We have gathered their insights below.

Operating a guild as elegant as the moonlight of 'Cheongwol'

Q. Could you give us a brief introduction to the guild?

A. Hello! We are the Cheongwol guild, operating under the slogan 'Elegantly like the moonlight!', inspired by Rachel's dialogue.

Q. What is the origin of the name 'Cheongwol'?

A. I did play the original Seven Knights. I wasn't there at the very beginning, but joined later on the recommendation of an acquaintance. When I went to found a guild back then, the name I wanted was taken, so I operated under the name 'Moonlight Empire'. Honestly, I wasn't that fond of that name, so this time I started brainstorming well before the pre-registration. After much thought, I settled on 'Cheongwol', which evokes the image of a clear and serene moon.

On a personal note, as the guild leader, I have a deep interest in space, and I particularly love the moon. If I were to organize the moon-related images on my phone gallery and computer, I’m certain there would be over 1,000 of them. That is how much affection I poured into the name Cheongwol.

Q. Is there a story behind the guild's founding?

A. Since the original Seven Knights, I have founded and operated a guild in every single entry of the series. Naturally, I prepared to do the same for SKRB. It was essentially starting from scratch, but I hand-designed the guild logo during the pre-registration period.

Perhaps my sincerity shone through thanks to all that preparation? Even before I started promoting, people were seeking us out because they liked the guild name and logo, even before the game officially launched. That helped us grow quickly in the early days.

Q. When was the guild founded?

A. As the founding story implies, it was the same day SKRB launched. As with any game, securing a nickname and a guild name early is crucial. Since I had already decided on the name I wanted, it was all the more important to me.

However, seeing the feverish start of SKRB, it didn't look easy to claim it first. So, as soon as the servers opened on May 15, I focused entirely on pushing through the adventure stages and founded the guild the moment the content became available.

Q. How did you handle guild promotion?

A. Initially, I promoted it in-game and checked the stats of applicants one by one. Now, whenever a vacancy arises, I post on the official forum. Honestly, it usually fills up immediately regardless of where I promote, but the official forum has been the most effective.

Q. What are your key selling points for recruitment?

A. Our top priority is always mutual respect among all guild members. Due to the nature of SKRB, the total contribution can vary significantly based on individual stats. However, as the guild leader, I treat every member equally, regardless of their stats or monetization status. That said, I make sure to express clear gratitude for their efforts.

I also constantly think about how to create a comfortable yet high-performing guild that doesn't put pressure on members' real lives or game time. While we may not be in the top rankings, our goal is long-term, sustainable growth together.

We run a guild-exclusive channel where I post weekly reports analyzing siege and arena tiers. Even those who aren't members can see the content, which is a testament to the systematic and transparent management that defines Cheongwol.

Q. What is the charm of the guild?

A. I think the promotional images and the report management are our biggest draws. When new members join, they often say things like 'I think I found a great guild' or 'I’m proud to tell my friends about Cheongwol', so it seems those efforts resonate the most.

Q. What kind of players are you looking for if you recruit new members?

A. In the early days, we recruited those who put in effort regardless of their monetization level. Now that we are stable, we are looking for players who can immediately contribute to the team. To keep up with the meta, we set a minimum of Master tier in the Arena and over 300,000 points in Siege every day. As with other guilds, these conditions are subject to change.

Recent focus shifting from PvE to PvP

Q. What are your recent siege scores and grades?

A. Recently, we achieved S grade from Friday to Monday, and A grade or higher on the other days. Monday, facing Rudy, is our high point, while the following day against Eileen is our low point.

Q. Which siege battles are you focusing on?

A. Since there is still a significant score gap between different sieges, we plan to challenge for SS grade starting with the Monday siege.

Q. Do you have any special know-how for Siege?

A. It was probably similar everywhere, but our scores were very low at the start. I decided we needed guild-level motivation, so I started checking every member's daily scores. That evolved into our current weekly report, which helps members track their weekly growth. As a result, some members who weren't even hitting 100,000 points are now consistently scoring over 1,000,000 per day.

Q. Which hero do you rate highest in Siege?

A. It’s a hero often mentioned in other guild interviews: a 2-transcendence Vanessa is almost irreplaceable. After that, it comes down to the main dealer. To achieve high scores, one must invest in Ruri for magic parties and Taka for physical parties.

Q. How are the members progressing through adventure content?

A. We currently have three members—'Resemarathon6', 'Viewhwal', and 'Loki'—who have cleared the current maximum stage, Nightmare 14-30. Loki cleared the normal stages quickly using the first pick-up character, Jave. Now, with Teo or Yeonhee, entering Nightmare is much easier.

From Nightmare onwards, you need two parties, and unless your stats are extraordinary, it requires countless retries and time. You also need to utilize immunity heroes in certain territories, which demands a lot of resources. Preparing an instant-death party including those heroes and a Melchior party makes it smoother. PvE difficulty has dropped significantly, to the point where we divide it into 'before and after Melchior'. Mixing status effect immunity heroes with magic types makes it manageable.

Q. How is the Infinite Tower going?

A. If we divide our members into three groups, 1/3 have cleared up to floor 200, another 1/3 are above floor 170, and the rest are working on below floor 170. Since Melchior appeared, everyone has started climbing rapidly. While it's great to clear content quickly for rewards, I am a bit worried that we are consuming the content too fast.

Q. What content is the guild most interested in right now?

A. I have to mention Melchior again. Thanks to that hero, many who finished all PvE content have naturally shifted their interest to PvP. Acquiring gear with good sub-options and legendary accessories takes a long time, so we are looking at this as a long-term project.

Still, it’s fun to see the meta shift every time a new hero is released and adapt accordingly. Furthermore, the 3v3 Guild War content requires a lot of strategic thinking, so we are finding it very interesting to research.

10 consecutive defenses in Guild War! The 'Yeonhee, Rosie, Nia' combo

Q. What is the tier of members who focus on the Arena?

A. We have two members with overwhelmingly high tiers, and 'Resemarathon6' is the champion of Server 40. While it might be called a 'rural server' due to the high server number, reaching champion status proves their skill and meta analysis are top-tier. In the top ranks of that server, defense decks have gone extinct since Melchior's release, and a speed battle among Nia-based magic parties is unfolding.

Q. What is the nature of the speed battle?

A. Because we are focusing so extremely on speed, other stats have naturally become quite low. This makes it very cumbersome when using other content. A prime example is Yeonhee. The Yeonhee I set as the main dealer for grinding no longer has the damage output needed because I had to prioritize speed.

That weakness is also showing in the Arena. We are seeing more losses against defense decks that have lower speed but much higher overall stat ceilings. The Arena meta is cyclical, but the current speed trend is causing inconvenience across all content. I think that's why people are saying, 'I hope this speed meta ends soon'.

Q. What is Cheongwol's evaluation of the new heroes, Rin and Karma?

A. For transcendence, the consensus is 2 for Rin and 4 for Karma. Rin focuses on the 'Confusion' status effect, but if your crit rate is low due to gear, 4 is worth considering. Karma seems perfect as a sub-dealer for defense decks, and with a 3-target skill set, I expect high performance in Guild Wars.

Our guild's Arena Legend rank player, 'Viewhwal', completed 6-transcendence for both on the first day of the update. According to their feedback, they are fully viable in PvP even without perfect settings. Rin is great in both Magic decks (Yeonhee, Rin, Vanessa, Melchior, Silvester or Juri) and Attack decks mixed with Teo (Teo, Melchior, Rin, Pai, Vanessa). Apparently, taking the initiative and landing 'Dragon's Wrath' as the first skill almost guarantees a win.

Karma needs more research than Rin, but potential is visible in versatile defense decks mixing Jave and Rosie. Coincidentally, because Rin was released at the same time, if new hero parties clash, the Rin side has a slight environmental advantage. It's a point where more gear setting research is needed.

Q. What does Cheongwol think of the performance of the three old Seven Knights?

A. Pai, once known for high performance, is increasingly being pushed aside by magic parties. However, the transcendence effects are good, so I expect a re-evaluation for attack decks over time. Rosie is the best pick in terms of versatility. With no flaws at both 2 and 6 transcendence, they seem to perform everywhere.

Juri is the hottest hero in terms of controversy following the recent broadcast. Initially, they felt like a 'trap card', but now they are evaluated as a hero that can gain an edge in top-tier legendary ring battles. The disappointing part is the transcendence ability. They definitely feel behind other old Seven Knights, so we need to watch the Arena environment more.

Q. Out of the 3 old Seven Knights, who is Cheongwol's best pick?

A. I will choose Juri, as they are a favorite among many! Their design is the prettiest, and they are the most obtained old Seven Knight in the guild. I was lucky enough to get Juri via synthesis a month ago, and I plan to utilize them properly.

Q. How was your first Guild War?

A. In the last Guild War, we met a guild with similar power. Our scores were a bit low as we were learning the system regarding formation and placement, but we secured the win! The tier gap among our members is wide, so taking a strategic approach to placement worked well. We placed two 'gatekeepers' at each outer castle to ensure they wouldn't be breached. It was a precious victory earned by sharing information and discussing with members. Everyone put their heads together, which was so fun that the feedback on Guild Wars is very positive.

However, there are still issues like formation bugs and other systemic inconveniences, so I plan to organize suggestions and leave them in the 'Noho's News Box' on the official forum. Additionally, replacing and enhancing hero gear during Guild Wars consumes too much gold. We need measures like gear presets without cost or a reduction in replacement fees.

Q. Are there any unexpected 'joker' picks for the Guild War defense deck?

A. There was a party that performed remarkably well in defensive formations: the 'Yeonhee, Rosie, Nia' combo defended a whopping 10 times. Composition is important, but high speed seems to be the key. After that, 'Yeonhee, Vanessa, Rin' blocked 8 times, and 'Yeonhee, Vanessa, Melchior' blocked 6 times. It’s the first Guild War so it needs more research, but parties with high speed—even with low transcendence—and legendary accessories were definitely strong.

For attacking, instant-death parties were advantageous for breaking defense decks, and conversely, the 'Leo' hero with immunity made countering instant-death parties easy. Among rare heroes, combinations with high stat ceilings like 'Evan, Li, Feng Yan' worked well if you prioritized speed. It was fun to build combinations using heroes that aren't usually used.

Leaping into a well-known guild by building skill!

Q. Is there any guild member you want to introduce or brag about?

A. I would love to introduce everyone, but since space is limited, I want to use this opportunity to express my gratitude. To Dong-gyun, Loki, and Kokkiriko, who always maintain top weekly scores in Siege—thank you all for your consistent contributions!

I also want to welcome our recently joined Arena rankers, Resemarathon6 and Viewhwal. Thanks to you, our guild's combat power has increased significantly, which is a huge help in Guild Wars. And a big thank you to our founding member, 'Ssoyamokgoshipum', who helped recruit Viewhwal with such difficulty!

Also, to 'Insaek', who saw our third-week siege report and gifted us beverage coupons because they felt we were working hard—I should be the one looking after those who put in the effort, but thank you for your consideration!

Q. What are Cheongwol's future goals?

A. First, stabilizing SS grade in all days of Siege is our primary goal. We are also dreaming of making Guild Wars our main content and climbing the rankings. I hope Cheongwol becomes a well-known guild in the competitive scene one day.

Q. Do you have plans for offline gatherings?

A. It's not quite a full-blown gathering yet, but I'm thinking of a small event. As early as July, I plan to pick a venue for those living in the metropolitan area and hand out merch, such as acrylic key rings with the guild emblem I designed. I will look for more time to arrange a proper meetup later!

Q. Is there anything you wish for in SKRB?

A. The recent communication broadcast was really fun and good. A slightly disappointing part was that there were some questions about how they would address certain issues that weren't answered. However, I could feel the communication intent of the operations team, so overall I was satisfied. Since they mentioned they have a lot prepared, I look forward to future broadcasts and communication.

Q. Finally, a word to your guild members!

A. Many have returned to SKRB for the memories of the old Seven Knights. I am sure our Cheongwol members came here carrying those memories. I will strive to make this a guild where we build even better memories in SKRB and in Cheongwol. As a guild leader who still lacks in many ways, I thank all the members who work hard with me!