The problem with the mentor system

[Arkfrost]

This isn't true.

Yes, it is. On several servers, no matter if it's high-pop or low-pop, the novice network is mostly useless. Just to quote something I've read on reddit recently:

If you could take a cancerous tumour, infect it with AIDS and hepatitis, surgically implant it into a diseased anus, and then convert the whole mess into a chat channel, it would be the Novice Network on Cerberus.

The crown specifically means nothing. Any exclusive symbol will generate the same response from players. Some portion will just want it for status.

I would disagree. A crown is always considered something special and is much more likely to lead people to see it as a status symbol. A pair of boring glasses doesn't do this - at least not to such an extend. Most people wouldn't even ask "How do I get that pair of glasses on my name?", but most new players who start out would ask "How do I get such a crown on my name?"