Delete the Mentor system or rework it.

[Jeeqbit]

I was expecting a more detailed post than just a sentence or two which only provides vague suggestions and little or no information on how mentors are actually "abusing" it in your opinion.

A lot of mentors answer the questions of sprouts and returners in the novice network, help them queue into dungeons faster and things like that. I've met plenty of sprouts who love the novice network.

There's no reason for it to be exclusive to novices and mentors.

There's no reason novices should have to be invited.

There's no reason mentors and novices should be placed in it automatically if they're not interested in participating.

If it was not exclusive it would have thousands of people in it, which would make it more chaotic than it already can be. Novices used to be invited automatically, but it invited bots so it was changed to require mentors to invite them. Mentors are not placed in it automatically and sprouts are prompted and can decline the invite.

Mentors are supposed to share their experiences with sprouts and returners. The experiences of each individual mentor can be different, but with up to 100 mentors in the novice network the answer the majority of them are giving is probably more reliable than the unusual ones. There isn't going to be a world where everyone agrees and everyone has the same opinion.

[Niobee]

Most mentors I've encountered either say nothing at all

You make it sound like this is something bad. I stay silent for most of my dungeon runs because I don't feel like talking.

[angienessyo]

Every time I hear about bad mentors and NN I'm thankful Cactuar tends to have a pretty good NN. We got our share of memes and joking around but I don't think I've ever seen an instance where a sprout didn't get help. I know me and a bunch of other mentors in there always jump in to help if a sprout says they need someone to run something with them. Have I run into rude mentors before? Well, yeah, people are gonna be people. But most of them I've run into are either quiet or helpful. I've been playing since Heavensward and I think I have over 3000 mentor roulettes done so I've met a lot of other mentors. (I just really like doing the roulette even after getting the mount)

Really my only complaint with the current system is trade mentor being so easy to get so it can be difficult to get into NN to help sprouts. I get people not wanting to lose a global chat, but that's sadly FF14's fault for not incorporating one. I know on our server we made a Discord so new players are able to join that when they lose their sprout status. If mentors are being quiet in NN when someone asks for help, they're probably in the middle of something. I've been a lot less active in NN as I've been progging the new ultimate.

[UkcsAlias]

I stay silent for most of my dungeon runs because I don't feel like talking.

I think this has to do with the many buttons you already need to press anyway. The moments i notice most talking are at the start, the end, and after a wipe.

The end and wipes are usualy when feedback or excuses happen. And in extreme trials some people quickly just gave the general guide to explain the boss mechanics. For mentors themselve i rarely had any interaction, even if i sometimes asked about a mechanic. But i also think that this is how it should be, mentors that are aggressively trying to teach others are usualy not good as they dont seem to accept a learning step.

[Caurcas]

While I don't support dismantling the system. I am in favor of making it harder to obtain. As it stands currently novice networks are a cesspool of degeneracy and cliques. For example visit Siren's.

[Purrsnikitty]

Every time I hear about bad mentors and NN I'm thankful Cactuar tends to have a pretty good NN. We got our share of memes and joking around but I don't think I've ever seen an instance where a sprout didn't get help.

I don't know. I didn't hang out there often when I was on Cactuar, but I remember at least a few instances where mentors were way out of line. One of them involving a mentor saying that people would be put in a gas chamber. There were plenty of instances where new players were ignored as well or begged to be told how they could leave.

[Deceptus]

The problem isn't that mentors are universally bad, honestly. The biggest problem is that you have plenty of folks who wear the crown like a status symbol, and the mentors actively trying to be helpful are generally so disgusted by the "LOOK I HAVE A CROWN I'M SPECIAL" crowd that none of us ever turn on the status except when Mentor Roulette forces us to. Which only further reinforces the crown's bad reputation.

I always see this accusation and literally no one ever provides proof of it. Just once, I'd love to see someone show a mentor that has outright said, "I'm just here for the crown, screw ya'll newbs"

Even then, if you could actually find a single one, that doesn't justify outright despising the vast majority of mentors who do not have that attitude.

[Darthgummibear]

despising the vast majority of mentors who do not have that attitude.

And just what are you basing this on, because myself and many others have had plenty of experiences to the contrary?

[Coletergeist]

Most mentors I've encountered either say nothing at all.

As a mentor, I remain silent unless someone asks for help. I don't go out of my way to teach someone; let them learn on their own at first, and if questions arise, then I will be there. I know of a LOT of mentors that have this mentality, actually.

[myahele]

It's working fine in Japan, so don't expect any changes