My guild does not have a thread on 1.9. In fact, I think only one member has an Arc. Maybe I should look for a better guild...
Welcome to the forum and the game!
Unsolicited advice, make of it what you will.
NOTE WELL! I am NOT advising your to leave your current Guild. If you are enjoying yourself there, stay!
Since the advent of GBG fastest game state advancement rests on three aspects of the game.*
Joining a good Guild, getting lvl 80 Arc, heavy GBG participation. The latter two are both objective and dependent on the former.
A good Guild is absolutely critical to happiness and success in this game.
There are a lot of good Guilds in the game, but like shoes finding just the right fit makes all the difference.
Take a bit of time, identify what you enjoy in the game, what you dislike, what you want to learn, and what you want to do with your city.
As a new player, you prolly want to find a Guild that is strong on teaching new players. If you;re interested in an Arc, you'll want a Guild with 1.9 and lots of Arcs. If you wanna do GBG look for a Platinume or Diamond Guild. If you like GE, trading Goods, GvG, active socially, whatever, look for Guilds Guilds that do those activities.
Don't join a Guild that has requirements or rules you don;t like or want.
Talk to your Friends in game, see if they have recommendations, talk to the leadership and members of Guilds you are considering.
Choose the Guild that feels best.
Understand that players and Guilds change over time as players grow and leave and join.
There's nothing wrong with leaving a Guild that you've outgrown.
Good luck!
* Much more important though is what you bring to the game.
Patience, a willingness to lean, strategic long term planning, and time in game are critical to success in this game.