Mentor Requirements

[GeminiReed]

The novice network helps hundreds of sprouts and returners every single day answering their questions, I see it on every server I go to on many data centers... I am not seeing much of this toxicity that people claim is in the novice network, just deeply thankful sprouts and returners.

The sprouts and returners are who would lose out if it didn't exist.

Right on. buuutttt....

There might be one or two odd servers with poor novice networks but again they tend to be full of trade mentors who came from other MMOs to raid and just fill the chat with raid-related discussion, when it's supposed to be about new player things.

What's with the Trade Mentor hate? Jealous much?

I'll match your anecdote with my own which was the exact opposite of your experience. For the brief time I was involved with NN it was the battle and full crown mentors screwing around. I left because one of them decided that discussing US politics during the presidential election was the thing to do there.

Much like trade mentors, battle mentors are a test of how much grinding you're willing to put up with. That has zero bearing on how helpful or knowledgeable somebody is. I've seen helpful people from all categories, battle, trade, and even several sprouts. I've also seen less than helpful folks from the same and quite a few disruptive folks as well.

[Awha]

Right on. buuutttt....


What's with the Trade Mentor hate? Jealous much?

I'll match your anecdote with my own which was the exact opposite of your experience. For the brief time I was involved with NN it was the battle and full crown mentors screwing around. I left because one of them decided that discussing US politics during the presidential election was the thing to do there.

Much like trade mentors, battle mentors are a test of how much grinding you're willing to put up with. That has zero bearing on how helpful or knowledgeable somebody is. I've seen helpful people from all categories, battle, trade, and even several sprouts. I've also seen less than helpful folks from the same and quite a few disruptive folks as well.

Trade mentor requirements can be met in an afternoon or two. All mentor requirements are a joke, but in terms of easiest and quickest to get trade bar none.

[Jeeqbit]

What's with the Trade Mentor hate? Jealous much?

As I've said there are some great trade mentors, but it's just an observation that too many of them get it too quickly. Instead of sharing actual experience of the game, a lot of them just quote what they've read because they are still relatively new to the game. Plenty of them get the status while still doing Stormblood, and most of the worst novice networks are full of trade mentors.

In my opinion, most battle mentors become this through normal gameplay instead of grinding for it, because what they say and do demonstrates they are a really experienced player.

[GeminiReed]

Trade mentor requirements can be met in an afternoon or two. All mentor requirements are a joke, but in terms of easiest and quickest to get trade bar none.

Depends if you count the time it takes to level a DoL and a DoH to 80. Thanks to Ishgard Restoration it's not quite the hurdle it is to get a Tank, Healer and a DPS to 80 although if you run a SMN to 80 you've killed two birds with one stone. I've heard that guildhests are great for commendation farming. That leaves clearing the 1000 dungeons, raids, or trials as the final gate and all that takes is perseverance.

Fun fact, one of my alts was an 80 SMN/SCH well before she stepped foot in Stormblood. Probably take me all of a week or two to get GNB to 80. Ok, sure, getting to battle mentor from scratch will take a month or two vs. the 2-3 weekends it would take for trade mentor but still nothing that demonstrates teaching ability. Experience helps but the other half of that coin is empathy and that's not something that grinding content is going to impart. Judging by the "Tales from Duty Finder" thread it seems like quite the opposite.

In my opinion, most battle mentors become this through normal gameplay instead of grinding for it, because what they say and do demonstrates they are a really experienced player.

See above.

The way the Mentor program is designed has attracted achievement hunters, collectors, and those that wish to lord their status over others. Access to NN corrects a major shortcoming with XIV (global chat). They've incentivized everything except mentoring.

[Themarvin]

Depends if you count the time it takes to level a DoL and a DoH to 80. Thanks to Ishgard Restoration it's not quite the hurdle it is to get a Tank, Healer and a DPS to 80 although if you run a SMN to 80 you've killed two birds with one stone. I've heard that guildhests are great for commendation farming. That leaves clearing the 1000 dungeons, raids, or trials as the final gate and all that takes is perseverance.

Fun fact, one of my alts was an 80 SMN/SCH well before she stepped foot in Stormblood. Probably take me all of a week or two to get GNB to 80. Ok, sure, getting to battle mentor from scratch will take a month or two vs. the 2-3 weekends it would take for trade mentor but still nothing that demonstrates teaching ability. Experience helps but the other half of that coin is empathy and that's not something that grinding content is going to impart. Judging by the "Tales from Duty Finder" thread it seems like quite the opposite.


See above.

The way the Mentor program is designed has attracted achievement hunters, collectors, and those that wish to lord their status over others. Access to NN corrects a major shortcoming with XIV (global chat). They've incentivized everything except mentoring.

the SMN thing with getting a heal and dps at once is not fool proof, the difficulty is getting 1500 commendations and in ways of that same time and difficulty should be put on the other types of mentors.... it say Trade Mentor, fine lets bar it behind as when having done sales for 30millions or something down those lines via the marketboard in addition getting what they are supposed to get now.

You wont just get PvE mentor as ease as you say, it can take several months to amass 1500 player commendations to begin with, battle mentor actually takes time and is not as easy as you claim it to be.... yes you can get a DPS/HEALS/TANK up fast, yes you can be cheap and run unsynched content to get the dungeon bit down as well, but you need physical to get 1500 commendations that you need to be getting from a random player that you are not pre-grouped with... if you run 5 dungeons a day and only maybe getting 1-2 commendations per run, then you are in another world of something you do not just get.

[Kaurhz]

the SMN thing with getting a heal and dps at once is not fool proof, the difficulty is getting 1500 commendations and in ways of that same time and difficulty should be put on the other types of mentors.... it say Trade Mentor, fine lets bar it behind as when having done sales for 30millions or something down those lines via the marketboard in addition getting what they are supposed to get now.

You wont just get PvE mentor as ease as you say, it can take several months to amass 1500 player commendations to begin with, battle mentor actually takes time and is not as easy as you claim it to be.... yes you can get a DPS/HEALS/TANK up fast, yes you can be cheap and run unsynched content to get the dungeon bit down as well, but you need physical to get 1500 commendations that you need to be getting from a random player that you are not pre-grouped with... if you run 5 dungeons a day and only maybe getting 1-2 commendations per run, then you are in another world of something you do not just get.

The reason why this wouldn't work is that in itself doesn't determine anything, making 30 million sum trade sales is not exactly difficult. Let's not forget to mention that given how the market board itself functions whereby you can see both the retainer and a signature on anything you craft, it makes it an easily boost-able component of the mentorship. Making it just as bad, if not worse than any other implementation they could go with. Setting aside just how ludicrously easy it is to make such Gil on patch days. These seemingly arbitrary goals (or types therein) don't really amount to much or demonstrate much, barring how active, or inactive the person is with engaging with a very small subset of the 'system' itself and that doesn't really translate into anything

[Jijifli]

Mentors need to have some sort of flagging or review in place where if enough people report a mentor for abuse, their logs are reviewed by the same task force that checks cheaters. If they are found to be in violation they should have status removed (or possibly suspended for first infractions).

I'm only here to mention that the STF is practically a joke and 99% of their given punishments are on RMT black mage bots that already do chargebacks, and not people who actually try to cheat.

A reminder they didn't even care for PvP cheaters despite tons of reports until it showed up on JP and ONLY when it then went to twitter to spread.

So in actuality your idea would do nothing different.

[Lanadra]

As I've said there are some great trade mentors, but it's just an observation that too many of them get it too quickly. Instead of sharing actual experience of the game, a lot of them just quote what they've read because they are still relatively new to the game. Plenty of them get the status while still doing Stormblood, and most of the worst novice networks are full of trade mentors.

In my opinion, most battle mentors become this through normal gameplay instead of grinding for it, because what they say and do demonstrates they are a really experienced player.

Can somewhat attest to this. I actually earned my Battle Mentor 'status' a few days ago.. guess how long it took me? Close to 8 months as someone who started playing at the end of June. The majority of that time played as a DPS, with about the last month spent on tanks and healers.. which would be why I got the last 300 or so commendations rather quickly. I cannot comment on how quickly Trade Mentor goes off course.

I will admit that I did go through the games content at a fairly slow pace, spending easily a month or two on each individual expansion's content. As a result I had my 1000 dungeon clears long before I dinged the 1500 comms, which I never really farmed for.

[Awha]

End of the day all mentors are a joke but trade mentors are the biggest joke.

Nothing wrong with being a meme within a meme.

Also let us not try and say trade mentor takes any amount of dedications you can auto pilot the requirements. I should know I have done it on a new account. Sure by in large it is due to road to 70 and Ishgard restoration. Still I like my budget mentor status.

[ForctyusGold]

it could be cool i guess, but i think many people will be against it , while i dont know why
tho i would be just happy to remove extreme trials from mentor roulette, because there is no way , why should mentors do such fights. overall people not queue for these, like hey lets queue for Bahamut ex o.o
anyway i dont know how to tell if someone with trade mentor could really help you with something