Mentors - What is expected really?

[Lastelli]

No they aren't. The average mentor have the same gameplay skill as the non-mentor.

I have yet to meet a player that can impress me positively and is wearing the mentor crown. And I do use the PF quite a lot because...I'm a masochist, I guess.

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.

[Thamorian]

I have yet to meet a player that can impress me positively and is wearing the mentor crown. And I do use the PF quite a lot because...I'm a masochist, I guess.

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.

Mentors don't choose to be mentors to impress you. And like I said, I'm sure you run into plenty of people who had mentor crowns on who you don't remember because they didn't do anything noteworthy to be remembered for. They did whatever role adequately they sign up for in the dungeon. Ran a dungeon and it went smoothly? In what way is a mentor supposed to shine bright in that regard? Someone being bad at end game has NOTHING, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with being a mentor. The requirements to obtain mentor are pretty low and the only extra systems they gain is novice network, which is for new players, and a regular "casual" content roulette. Yes you can become a mentor by being a healer that only heals, a tank that stays in tank stance only doing enmity rotation and AoE, and a DPS who doesn't hit all their oGCDs. Or you can become a mentor by making collectables with crafting and gathering while only ever doing each dungeon a grand total of once to unlock them. Show me where it says mentors have to be great at end game?

As long as mentor has a good attitude, share what knowledge they have, and helps new players learn the basics of the game, they have fulfilled the requirements of what SE wanted mentors to be. You need to stop equating mentors with something they are were not designed to be.

Basics of the game being:
How do I get to Limsa?
Where do I get my first mount?
How do I join a FC?
How to I enable more hotbars?
What is a basic rotation for a class?
Where do I go to unlock a job?

If a mentor is also a great at savage raiding and knows a job really well, thats great but it is bonus knowledge.

[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.

[Ramesses]

I have yet to meet a player that can impress me positively and is wearing the mentor crown. And I do use the PF quite a lot because...I'm a masochist, I guess.

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.

Are you just looking to be impressed or looking for a reliable person for resource? Granted, there are mentors who are an embrassment to the title but its unfair to generalize all of them as being "unimpressive" because you have yet to meet one.

Thamorian coins it well enough in the above post... ultimately, mentors should have great attitudes, be knowledgable and above all be welcoming towards new players. Unfortunately, gil sellers and an influx of incredulously rude players from other MMOs have pushed the patience of the several great mentors to the limits; thus, reducing the number of mentors who actually exhibit mentorship.

[Valkyrie_Lenneth]

The expectations of a mentor really is that you will not be proficient at your job, the content, or the game, because a lot of people went after the shiny and don't actually know how to play.

For real tho, I've been playing this game since it released, and re-released. I have nearly every mechanic memorized, and the ones I don't, quickly come back. (except more recent raids, I've only touched 3 raid tiers since Heavensward released.)

I have everything at 70, but I don't claim to be proficient at every job, but I do know how the role mechanics work, and I know most of the little things in fights each role can do to make them easier.

Most people in my experience, however, do not like advice on their performance, and are happy to be carried through content oblivious to their shortcomings.

[TyrTry]

The one piece of advice is that be aware that their is a stigma towards Mentors and it is NOT unwarranted.

Many players have proven to put on the crown just for show, but in case of actual mentoring greatly lacks. That doesn't mean there aren't good mentors mind you:

1. Mentors are people too. They have a certain amount of patience, and each varies depending on the individual. Be kind, respectful, and if things still seem bad, at least you tried.

2. Mentors do not know everything. They are either still learning, new, or just rusty. But be prepared for some (a small some) of players to give you flack for failing a mechanic.

3. If you don't want to be a mentor, I suggest removing the crown. Take a break every now and then and put the crown aside. It is more than just a shiny.

4. Don't be upset when people don't take your advice. It happens more than you think. Simply saying it nicely doesn't always work either.

5. Let people try and learn on their own. If they keep failing, then give them some advice. Don't get angry, call them out, then either leave or try to kick the person (I saw a mentor do this)

For each bad mentor I've run across, I ran into a couple of good ones. Have fun and although people give it flack, the crown is rather shiny. :P

[Freyt]

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.

There's not really much more than that, but I can give you advice. Just don't make a big deal of it. You aren't a big shot just because of the crown, and you shouldn't act like you're special. Most players like to tackle the game without too much outside input, letting the game present itself to them as they go along. Let people make mistakes. Let people screw up. Don't make a big deal out of it. Let people learn on their own, and if it seems to you that a player might not learn on their own, or may appreciate your advice, then that's when I would suggest providing your input.

I can't tell you how many healers I've had that didn't do any damage for the entire dungeon, and guess what I did about it? Nothing. When I was a fresh healer in 2.0 I barely did any damage either. Unless it's a problem, which it usually isn't, then I'm content with the result even though it takes more time. Especially with the introduction of level and story skips, more players than ever are doing higher end content without having a proper understanding of what it is they should be doing, but the best way for them to learn is from experience, and not someone bickering at them. At the very least, whatever you do, try to be as nice as you can about it. It's just more advice, but I think it'll get you farther with much less stress otherwise.

I keep the mentor crown on basically at all times. On Gilgamesh there haven't been many new players for a long time, so I haven't had much to utilize it with outside of instances, but it's always there to let people know that I may have answers to any questions they may have. It's not something you have to actively use, and I really wouldn't suggest thinking of it in that way.

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.

[Alestorm]

I don't really PvP, am a noob at crafting, and don't raid. I will always be up to offer some advice to new players, help speed up their queue times so they can progress whenever I can, and just be friendly to everyone in the NN.