Mentors - What is expected really?

[Sylvina]

Mentor does not mean super uber "top" "best" player. Mentor means MENTOR. stop expecting mentors, or anyone for that matter to hold up to these unrealistic and lame expectations. the game is hard enough to play well without people being asses.

[LineageRazor]

Rule #1 of being a mentor is do whatever you want. It's just a symbol showing that you fulfilled some requirements and you likely at least have more than a rudimentary knowledge of the general game. You aren't expected to be anything more or less than that.

See Zojah's post above. The game spells out quite clearly what is expected of a Mentor. It is a box that EVERY Mentor had to check before becoming one, though very few live up to even those basic requirements.

Rule #2, pretend the Novice Network doesn't exist. It's hot garbage. Stay far the hell away from it regardless of what server you're on.

Surprised to hear a Greg native say that. I can't vouch for NN on other servers, but Gilgamesh's Novice Network is fine. There's a lot of extraneous chatter, true, but questions that are asked get answered and without belittling or bullying the Novices. Ultimately, that's what Novice Network is for. I've seen far more novices moan and wail about having to leave, than complain about being there.

In fact, most mentors I've met make me believe they don't even have any knowledge of what their job's rotation looks like.

And what if they don't? Mentors exist to help Novices with the basics of the game, and until you reach Extreme or Savage content, you can clear pretty much anything by mashing random buttons.

"How do I unlock a new class?" "Where can I get a Chocobo to ride?" "How do I toggle run/walk?" These are questions Mentors should be expected to field. Stuff pretty much everyone has done, no matter how casual a player they may be.

"What's the optimal DPS rotation for Machinist?" "Why is it a bad idea to macro NIN mudras?" "What are the best secondary stats for WAR?" These are advanced questions, and while many Mentors DO know the answers, there's no requirement to know them in order to become one, and so it's silly to expect it of them.

[Thamorian]

Surprised to hear a Greg native say that. I can't vouch for NN on other servers, but Gilgamesh's Novice Network is fine. There's a lot of extraneous chatter, true, but questions that are asked get answered and without belittling or bullying the Novices. Ultimately, that's what Novice Network is for. I've seen far more novices moan and wail about having to leave, than complain about being there.

As a fellow Greg player, can confirm. Our NN is fine. If someone has an issue with the chatter in NN, they are usually the type that just does not like seeing their chat log filled with a lot of random player chats. Novices are helped and questions are answered when they need it.

[Freyt]

See Zojah's post above. The game spells out quite clearly what is expected of a Mentor. It is a box that EVERY Mentor had to check before becoming one, though very few live up to even those basic requirements.


Surprised to hear a Greg native say that. I can't vouch for NN on other servers, but Gilgamesh's Novice Network is fine. There's a lot of extraneous chatter, true, but questions that are asked get answered and without belittling or bullying the Novices. Ultimately, that's what Novice Network is for. I've seen far more novices moan and wail about having to leave, than complain about being there.

If only everyone adhered to guidelines and rules, then we would have no chaos in the world. What the devs hoped for when creating the system and what the players actually need are two different things. Mentors are players just like anybody else.

And novice networks will be fine from time to time. But it's only a matter of time until you get the most toxic environment you've ever seen, and then maybe someone cleans it up and it's fine for a while again. Not only is it unhealthy to subject yourself to that, but it's a terrible thing to invite a new player to such a thing. Even if it's fine for now, they'll just watch it crumble into the ground just for it to happen all over again. Rather than push a new player into an uncertain environment, I'd rather answer all their questions myself or get them to join a friendly FC.

[Annah]

The mentor status has been so abused by a lot of mentors, I removed the crown from my name. There are absolutely ZERO oversight from the mentor program.

It's a program SE should just kill off and keep the novice chat open for some folks who were prescreened to moderate it (like other MMOS do)

[Annah]

As a fellow Greg player, can confirm. Our NN is fine. If someone has an issue with the chatter in NN, they are usually the type that just does not like seeing their chat log filled with a lot of random player chats. Novices are helped and questions are answered when they need it.

I'm on Greg too....I have seen mentors kick other mentors out of novice chat over and over.

Gilgamesh Server has our own issues too

[Rymm]

1. As a mentor, do you tend to focus on one particular area in this game or do you try to broaden your horizon?

I don't really pursue knowledge with the goal of mentoring other people, I do it to better play the game myself. If someone needs help with a topic that I have a good grasp of, I'll be more than happy to offer it. If they ask something that I don't know the answer to and no one else in NN replies (actually pretty rare on my server, mentors are usually falling over themselves to help sprouts) and I've got the spare time, I'll google it for them and then link them answer so they know how to look it up for themselves in the future.

2 Do you tend to point out if someone is not geared properly?

Only if they ask for advice or it is bad enough that it is hindering the rest of the party, which is honestly very rare. Or if it's extremely obvious that they are confused about what they are supposed to use, like a tank wearing all cloth gear, etc.

3. Do you watch/read guides and try to somewhat "memorize" different instances so that you can better coach our lovely sprouts?

Again, I don't watch guides or memorize anything for the sake of being a mentor. I do it to be a better player. I could watch a guide video for an encounter a million times and I would still be less qualified than a sprout who successfully cleared that encounter once.

4. Are you level 70 on every job including crafting/alchemy?

Almost, I'm working on NIN which is 68 at the moment and will be my last job to 70. Again, this is something I do for myself and has little and less to do with being a mentor. Even after leveling them all, I would say I'm sufficiently qualified on only 2 or 3 DoM/DoWs to give anyone more than the most basic advice.

If I'm going to be honest, you seem just a little too caught up on the idea of being a mentor. I would try to dial it back a little because while it is a very worthy goal and the desire to help others does you a great deal of credit, it could make you come off as a little condescending to some sprouts if you aren't careful and try to act like some grand teacher sent to shepherd the poor little sprouts.

My advice boils down to this: focus on bettering yourself for the sake of being better. Let the knowledge and experience come naturally as you try to improve yourself. Treat sprouts like any other players (or people in general, for that matter,) with courtesy and thoughtfulness. Don't be a doormat or a heel. Offer help without being pushy and be patient while still knowing when to walk away from a lost cause (for your own sake.)

[Canadane]

Glorified queue filler.
Nothing more.

[Penthea]

I'm happy when mentors are competent with their classes. Some are disappointingly awful. Sadly the requirements to get the mentor tag mean any fool can get it.

[MeganLynn]

The mentor status is so easy to obtain that it actually means nothing. Actually...people with a mentor's crown are usually the worst players in the game.

No, it's people with this type of attitude that are the worse players in the game. I would take a mentor that doesn't know much but is willing to learn, over someone with this attitude.