Thread: Mentors: What do you expect them to do?!

Disclaimer: I am not a mentor, but this rant is coming from my friends' experiences as mentors.

Now, Mentors are supposed to help right? Group with the lower level, perhaps new players and help ease things along?

Now. Mentors' goals is to help and give advice, say, in the Mentors' Roulette.
But whenever you try that, people tell you to shut the fuck up, or even just outright kick you, claiming 'Don't tell me how to play my Job.'
And when you're absolutely silent in runs, the low-level players cry 'Why didn't you help us or give us advice? You're a mentor, that's your job!'

Not joking when I say this happened almost every time they got in groups.

I'm sorry, but.. My god. What the heck do you expect them to do? You yell at them for doing their job, and then when they don't, you scold them anyway.

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I really hope not all people are like this X_X I was finally considering trying to become a mentor, but after having heard these things from my buddies, I'm terrified @.@

I don't acknowledge the mentor system because its an utterly failed concept and thus, I don't acknowledge "mentors" either.

I do, however, acknowledge those who act in the spirit of a mentor, crown or no crown.

When SE decides to revamp/rework the system properly, only then will I recognize its legitimacy and thus actually expect something out of mentors.

I expect them to be able to give advice when asked and be competent at their job.
So far this holds true for the majority of mentors I've encountered.

I've also had my run ins with people belonging to the small subset of geniuses who give mentors a bad rep but so far those are the exception.
Like the healer who outright refused to take part in Final Steps of Faith the other day because he didn't feel like "wasting his time with bonuses" demanding we kick him.
After we just waited for 5 minutes they left on their own, we got a replacement and cleared it on the third pull after getting people to stack for Ahk Morn so joke's on them.

I expect them to answer questions and give advice. I also expect them to keep from engaging in mentor fights. When these break out, everything suffers. Most mentors I've encountered have been pretty helpful in one way or another though.

I took my crown off long ago for various reasons:

1) I dont always feel like mentoring or being EXPECTED to mentor ppl. So
I keep it low-key. If someone needs help or asks for it, I can still step up and help.

2) some people expect mentors to be flawless and perfect every time, anytime.
I remember one vault run as a whitemage where I nicely contributed to dps and kept everyone alive
despite the tank not being all that great. Then I made ONE mistake and died to the last boss cos "derp" moment happened.
I was laughed at and told to "take off your crown". Cos of ONE mistake. And that wasnt the only incident.

3) the general bad perception people have about mentors nowadays. Its like "Oh no,its a crown. RUN".
Do I wanna be associated with that? No.



I wouldnt say the mentor system is a failed system. Western society's mentality is the problem. From both sides, newbies and veterans alike.
Pretty sure it works as intended for the most part on JP DCs...otherwise, I'm sure they wouldve adapted some things on the system already.


So honestly...take off your crown and help when you feel like it or when people ask for it is what I roll with best...

Mentors have their own duty roulette, which will put them in bonus parties mostly. Aka, with new players.

They will not teach you how to play your job because having all jobs maxed is not a requirement to become a mentor. They are not some FFXIV expert. But they know the basics of the game.

- Telling you about a mechanic that might cause a wipe if ignored.
- Seeing someone who's level 30 but does not have his job stone yet.
- Correcting players wearing wrong gear.
- Correcting false information that players may have. (e.g. BRD foe' lowers their damage)

But most of the time, they really don't have to say anything. The content is easy and direct. Most groups manage by themselves just fine.

I expect them to cure my gout, chase the locusts from my fields, and to make the village fruitful again.

Thankfully, the OP's friends' experience with mentoring is not typical. It, like most things that get posted to the General Forums, is a fringe case.

In actuality, most individuals will not comment if a Mentor completes a run silently and the run proceeds smoothly. If there are no problems, no mentoring is needed.

People often do react negatively to unsolicited advice, but not always. Because pride is a thing, and many people like to believe that they know what they're doing even if they don't, it is best to offer to give advice before actually giving it. If the one you're advising accepts, then they can no longer complain about you trying to help, because they agreed to it.

I have been a mentor since the system was added, have had the crown icon on ever since, and I can count on one hand the number of times where I felt like members were being abusive toward me due to my mentor status.

I think that some mentors are way too thin-skinned; they have a bad experience once or twice, and dwell on those isolated cases until they can't remember any of the positive or neutral experiences they've had. It's a common affliction, both in this game (just ask crafters about the so-called "real" odds of crafting success!) and in real life.

As a mentor, I think mentors should:

1. Be an example to others, be kind and respectful towards others.

2. Help newcomers and veteran when you notice that they are lacking certain things (Dragoons not using Heavy thrust, players not unlocking their Job, they want to know about stuff etc.), the key to providing this advice is to be polite and not demean the other players.

3. Explain the tactics, but only do this if they want to know. Alot of players (myself included) want to go in blind on their first try. I will ask the newcomers if they want me to explain, if they do not want me to explain, I will be silent. If we keep wiping, because of the newcomer(s), then I will have to put the needs of the group over the newcomer(s). I will tell the newcomer that they can either leave the group and do a blind run with a new group or receive the tactics and continue.

The way I see it is, if you are someone who wants to learn, then I will help you. But if you give me excuses like: "I pay my sub" or "STFU do not tell how to play my job" that is when you lose my respect and service as a mentor. I will put the needs of the group as a collective above this player and proceed to kick them out.