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?"

[Deceptus]

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:

What can be claimed without proof is easily disproved without proof.

[Anarnee]

Yes, it is. On several servers, no matter if it's high-pop or low-pop, the novice network is mostly useless.

I think this is a cultural difference. I had the experience that the NN is awful on EU and the player base there is super negative about it, while on NA, the NN is full of people willing to help and yes we meme about it but people are not as hostile about it as they are on EU. Every server has their own community, and I've seen some drama in the NN but I certainly see lots of people helping others in the NN all the time on NA and a lot of mentors take their role seriously. (People taking time to kick bots from the NN, and don't hesitate to kick people trolling new users, etc.)

Of course I'm sure that not all of EU is like that, and my experience on EU servers if far more limited, I only have three characters in EU, where as I have a lot of characters on different NA servers.

The system is not perfect, but saying that it's completely negative is ignorant.

I do want the crown to be changed though. I always liked the idea that the mentor symbol should be a watering can, so we can water the sprouts.

[Snowdove]

As I said before, I like the mentor system and never had a problem with it.


The crown is very helpful for new players to identify someone who is willing to help...as long as that person who has the crown is willing to help and not as a status symbol. I have no idea how to "fix" the system so we can make that distinction.


But I will say something anecdotally:


Look at my join date. Now look at my character level. That is not because of a new job. It's been two years and I haven't made it any higher.


FF14 is intimidating to new players, and the lack of a world chat makes the game feel very isolated. It doesn't have a good recruitment system for Free Companies, so finding one is hard for some people who are shy to talk to people out of the blue.


So I play for a bit and then disappear because of that in game loneliness.


Novice Network is really helpful. But it wasn't until last month that I got into it as a "returneee" because before no mentor invited me and I was too shy to ask one to invite.


I shudder to think what I will do when NN isn't available to me. Probably disappear for a while again.