No!!! Not my heckin crownerino! How else will I show that I'm superior to other players????????????
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No!!! Not my heckin crownerino! How else will I show that I'm superior to other players????????????
A year isn't a long time, it's likely going to take at least that long to get the commendations. The problem with the system is that it is already a system based off of time played, not performance. Eventually, you'll hit the commendation and level requirement, that's just how it is. Commendations, on paper, should go to "good" players, but let's be real, an average healer or tank is more likely to get commendations than an above average/amazing DPS. I've played like garbage on healer and still get comms.
You need to separate that status from time played and move it to actual knowledge/performance. Ideally, a system would be less binary and more about getting "badges" like in Boy/Girl Scouts. Get to 90 as Summoner, complete a current Stone, Sky, Sea, and complete a semi-difficult solo duty. That gets you your SMN Mentor badge. But even that has its problems.
I agree with you that expectations need to be set, but disagree with the expectations that are the problem. I don't think that the problem is the FFXIV community expecting mentors to be gods, it's the minority of mentors that expect to be treated as such.
Except the crown doesn't mean you're a veteran. I got my crown after about a year and a half of playing in August of last year, and I even now I would not consider myself a veteran when I know people who have played this game since ARR or HW.
I don't agree with removing the crown or the rewards, but I do think the requirements to becoming a mentor could use some change.
Time played does usually translate into knowledge and experience and this is what you are meant to be sharing as a mentor. Having knowledge and experience doesn't necessarily mean that you perform well enough to do extreme and savage, although I would say the vast majority of the mentors I have talked to over the last few years have done that content.
The nature of questions in the novice network is usually as simple as "where do I spend tomestones?", "how do I upgrade my gear?", "when do I get a mount?" or "why do I only get 300 exp from this quest?"
These type of questions do not require someone to perform really well or to be able to defeat a striking dummy at Stone, Sky, Sea. By the time they would have questions that require you to be this skilled, they won't be in the novice network anymore because their sprout expired.
It seems very common that mentors talk about raids and optimization so I feel that enough of them could meet these requirements. I wouldn't be opposed to tighter requirements but the battle requirements are working a lot better than the crafter/gatherer ones.
That's why I like Krotan's list suggestion. It preserves the intent of the icon by making interested mentors available to answer questions outside of NN while making the status less attractive to those doing it for the wrong reason: Ability to add a flair to their nameplate.
As the topic returns to discussion I must add that I too think a watering can would be more appropriate and would be quite cute.
Maybe throw the crown at people who clear all the utimates or something?
If they CANT find it in themselves to change it then definitely need to add watering can at least as an option.