Your mentor system is Horribly Horribly Flawed.

[LineageRazor]

Why are entirely optional fights such as EX trials part of the mentor system at all? Mentoring players is about helping people to learn the game, their class/job and helping people enjoy the game. That includes assisting players through MSQ related content. EX trials don't - IMHO - belong in Mentor Roulette.

A lot of people participating in such content for the first time really do benefit from having mentors to show them the ropes. Arguably, Ex Primals are THE most important stepping stone for newer players who plan to go on to advanced content such as raids. These are some of the first places where mechanics actually have some complexity, that failing them has serious consequences, and where slacking off on your dps may cost your group the fight even if you manage to handle the mechanics.

It may be optional content, but it's content for which newbies sorely need guidance - even something as simple as someone to recommend to them that they study up on fights like this before they take the plunge.

[HyoMinPark]

I have seen both good and bad mentors. Unfortunately, the bad seems to outweigh the good: speed-runners, bullies, "elitists", trolls, etc. I've seen them all. Even on these forums and in game, most tend to view mentors as jokes because the bad apples spoiled the rest.

I just recently got my crown (just needed that dungeon achievement), but I'm scared to use it. No, I don't have every job/crafter/gatherer to 60. No, I can't remember every dungeon and every fight and every mechanic. But I want to help people the best I can. It really sucks being somewhere new and not knowing anything. I'm not one who can learn by watching videos, and yeah, reading guides is helpful, but I need to do the fights to really learn them--kinetic learner, that's who I am. And I know others are like that too. We can't all just watch videos and read guides on things and have them down 100%.

I know I don't need the crown to help others. But I want it there so people know they can ask me. However, it's not even day two of wearing it (initially I didn't even want to since mentors have such a bad rep it seems), and someone demanded I be kicked from Weeping City for trying to help a new person (a healer, no less) with boss fights (specifically Forgell, which has a healer check!!!). I'm sorry if I take longer to type out my responses--I play on Ps4 and use a wireless keyboard for chat so I have to drop my controller to answer questions while also trying to do other things--like heal when people pull bosses before we finish explanations and in running as WHM or AST.

Yes, a lot of mentors are useless and only in it for the rewards. But not everyone. Yeah, I want the mount but it's not the only reason I have a crown. I want to help. I haven't even done and mentor roulettes yet, and haven't planned to until I refamiliarize myself with some fights. Again, not every mentor with a crown is a crappy one. And we are all human too. We aren't perfect. Don't berate us for making mistakes, or forgetting to mention a mechanic. Don't bully those of us who actually want to mentor for trying to mentor. We are human too. Have some compassion. Have some respect.

As of right now, my crown is off. Not sure if I will turn it back on anytime soon either.

[Nicobo]

I have my status on, if you are willing to help, why you don't dare to show it to everyone.

I think a lot of ppl over expected the mentor thing, the crown only tells ppl, you can blame me if I am not nice in your PoV. ^^;

[Nicobo]

... Most of the people I have met with crowns are either dead silent while I mentor the newbies or are complete and utter bullies.
yers ....

Actually they set the requirement too low, I think almost everyone is a mentor,
so if previously you grouped with bad guys frequently, then now you grouped with bad guys with crowns ^^;

Think positive, now at least you can blame them bcoz they have the mentor status on.

As an immediate fix, I suggest adding a check box [ ]No Mentors for DF,
at least it can make sure you won't be grouped with those bad players with crowns.

[HyoMinPark]

I have my status on, if you are willing to help, why you don't dare to show it to everyone.

I think a lot of ppl over expected the mentor thing, the crown only tells ppl, you can blame me if I am not nice in your PoV. ^^;

Willing or not, some days when I get home from work, I want to relax and have fun. But it seems that those with crowns (good and bad) are more prone to be Keyboard Warrior magnets. And some days I don't have the energy. Not that good mentors should have to put up with the verbal abuse, but it happens. Unfortunately. :/

[Cherie]

I've said it on these forums before. The problem with the mentor system is the language is way too vague as far as what they are supposed to do. As such, people project into it to mean whatever they want. It's like that fine print on legal documents or on your cell phone contract. What if it just said: "Be excellent to each other!" instead of all that tiny text of rules and regulations? Does "be excellent" mean treat everyone with kindness? Does it mean to live in excess and have every vice in the book in a effort to find happiness? Who knows.

I know plenty of good people that join with intentions of helping out. I know plenty of shady people that want it as a cover to act even shadier (since who would suspect the teacher?!).


It's the system itself that is the problem. Maybe it isn't a problem in JP. I don't know how their region handles it. It's pretty evident in NA that it's a mixed bag of good people and wolves pretending (or maybe worse, not pretending well enough) to be good. Maybe it works in other places.

[ADVSS]

I dont use the crown very often, if at all. I have /novicenetwork on usually and i think thats where they did a good thing. I help those out who ask if im not too busy(in an instance) and give advice accordingly, to that degree i think the nn at least on my server(when I'm on) seems to be the best help this system can offer. In a dungeon with randoms? Its not doing very well imo. Maybe the roullette itself was a little high tuned for some.I mean I get it, Ive cleared titan ex, doesnt mean ill be able to get a group synced down to clear it on my own

[HyoMinPark]

@ADVSS - I think the issue with it not working in instances is because the ones who aren't new to the duty tend to be impatient, and they don't want to wait for the mentor to explain mechanics and battles to the newbie. In a party of all new sprouts I had, they all waited patiently for explanations. Being that they were all new and wanted to learn. The run of Weeping I had last night with 1 new person out of 24? Disastrous because the majority did not want to wait for simple explanations of boss fights.

These explanations don't even take that long, but it seems a lot of impatient people get grouped with newbies, and don't really give them the opportunity to learn or mentors the opportunity to teach.

[Lilith_Merquise]

Simply put,

"Why?"

This game isn't a job, and it isn't like SE is paying mentors to give out advice, so a service that makes you play interactive help desk FOR FREE; means you'll get what you paid for. If YOU don't like it, and YOU feel like you serve as a better mentor. Than Mentor. You sitting around while "all the bads" take the reigns is example exactly of why the system gets the type of people it does, because nobody else will.

The system doesn't need checks and balances because let's be real, we're only doing it for the free tomes, and if SE is going to knock down a chunk of my sub to be a mentor; I will continue to give them exactly what they paid for. Also half of this game is explained and spoon fed where this system is more for niche points. Anything that is fundamentally important in this game, is given to you in game dialogues... So READ.

Oh and if you're saying my payment is the bonus tomes, that's funny, I'm pretty sure that's my payment for me contributing my skills to carry noobies through challenging content, not that I babysit an spoon feed them all the info like a teacher. I can't tell you how many times I get EX primals that would otherwise require scrubs to pay gil to get clears for, an I'm doing it for +10 lore when it could cost upwards to a mil in gil... so be thankful ;-).

You ask me a question as a sprout to a mentor (yes I am a mentor) I will answer, we go in, and you look like you don't know what you're doing, I will explain as the stuff comes up, or after we wipe. I can tell when you're NOT trying to learn and looking to get CARRIED, and if you learn too slow, sorry that's someone elses problem, not mine. You get three tries of me watching you do what I explained to you, and if you're junk at it, sorry, it's nothing personal, I just got stuff to do and no time to waste on someone I'll probably never see again. If you want to act like this is your $14.99 and you can play the game how you wanna play it, sorry, you'll be someone elses problem, because I'm kicking you.

[PharisHanasaki]

I guess I'm part of the 1% that's doing this to help. I don't care about the mount, and honestly wish they had never added it as a reward. The tomes are already enough of a reward for running the mentor roulette at least once a day. Also I'm usually rather quiet. But I do explain mechanics to people who seem interested in learning them (for example, if they wait for them before each boss fight). Not long ago, someone asked me how to extend cards to other party members while in the Weeping City, and I was happy to explain Royal Road to them. Also, I was impressed with how much I remembered of the AST quest line since it has been a while since I did those haha.