Mentor needs to mean something again

[Makeda]

Well, that explains everything quite nicely. My friends begged me to play for a long time and I've enjoyed playing.

FFXIV is a great game at both the casual and hardcore levels. Where I feel it struggles is in the 'midcore'. There's a massive gap between the casual and hardcore ends. If you're trying to get across that gap things can get very frustrating.

That gap is where we could use a newly redesigned mentor system. One that attracted the kinds of people that like making guides and like teaching, and looked like a horrible nightmare to anyone else. Make it so that it actually stayed a mentor thing and not a 'gotta get it perk collection system'.

[frijole]

FFXIV is a great game at both the casual and hardcore levels. Where I feel it struggles is in the 'midcore'. There's a massive gap between the casual and hardcore ends. If you're trying to get across that gap things can get very frustrating.

That gap is where we could use a newly redesigned mentor system. One that attracted the kinds of people that like making guides and like teaching, and looked like a horrible nightmare to anyone else. Make it so that it actually stayed a mentor thing and not a 'gotta get it perk collection system'.

I have definitely noticed that with this game. I come from a background of fighting games mainly so I can totally understand that gap between casual and hardcore. I'm impressed with the amount of user-created content outside of the game itself for people like me who just want to understand what the game is about.

There is a trend in fighting games to make them more accessible (despite a history of backlash against this) and I wish more games would maybe consider having resources in the game to easily teach the basics such as a rotation, game mechanic, etc. Relying on other people to learn a game has it's benefits but given that this is a purely online experience, I think that is a bit tough to implement.

[Fourbestintoner]

Mentor never meant anything and never will, it should requires you to beat a current savage fourth floor or an ultimate, but they will never do that because 99.9% of them would disappear and astrope would become even more unobtainable, I don't actually believe you that should need to be that competent to teach on a basic level, but the majority of current mentors play worse than bots, it is the way I could think of to filter them.
Your idea of the icon becoming a watering can would probably make me become one.

[Krotoan]

it should requires you to beat a current savage fourth floor or an ultimate,.

Ability to clear difficult content really shouldn't be a gate for being an educational resource. Mentors mainly need to be accessible, knowledgeable about basic gameplay, patient, and capable of relaying information over text.

All things newer players need. If people want runthroughs of top tier, bleeding edge content, they aren't the supposed targets of the mentor system.

[RyuSaarva]

Mentor never meant anything and never will, it should requires you to beat a current savage fourth floor or an ultimate, but they will never do that because 99.9% of them would disappear and astrope would become even more unobtainable, I don't actually believe you that should need to be that competent to teach on a basic level, but the majority of current mentors play worse than bots, it is the way I could think of to filter them.
Your idea of the icon becoming a watering can would probably make me become one.

Those mentors would be pretty much useless since they could only answer questions which nobody asks.

[Halivel]

Mentor never meant anything and never will, it should requires you to beat a current savage fourth floor or an ultimate, but they will never do that because 99.9% of them would disappear and astrope would become even more unobtainable, I don't actually believe you that should need to be that competent to teach on a basic level, but the majority of current mentors play worse than bots, it is the way I could think of to filter them.
Your idea of the icon becoming a watering can would probably make me become one.

Demanding some kind of a content being cleared for becoming a mentor openly implies that you should be able to teach people how to clear said content. And it's all included in Mentor Roulette. Savages aren't part of it, because it's a high end content that, let's be honest, shouldn't be teached by mentors - their task is to help new players on their first steps, not to lead them through the entire game holding their hand. If anything, even Ex Trials already shouldn't be there, but since they are - so be it. The system isn't perfect (very far from it), but making Savages part of requirement for becoming a mentor wouldn't save it either.

[MPK]

Those mentors would be pretty much useless since they could only answer questions which nobody asks.

Yeah! What kind of new player would ask questions like when to use a certain skill or what's the most optimal rotation for a class, or what to meld, or real tips for a fight? Real players like us free style samurai and play ice mage! If it's good enough to go carry is through trusts, good enough for everyone else!

[RyuSaarva]

Yeah! What kind of new player would ask questions like when to use a certain skill or what's the most optimal rotation for a class, or what to meld, or real tips for a fight? Real players like us free style samurai and play ice mage! If it's good enough to go carry is through trusts, good enough for everyone else!

Anyone can help with those, you don't need to be part of the small minority who try to do ultimate stuff.

[MPK]

Anyone can help with those, you don't need to be part of the small minority who try to do ultimate stuff.

Yeah you're completely right! A pure healer in dungeons surely knows as much about optimizing their rotation than someone who does thing like savage where your dps actually matters where you have to use your entire kit!

[RyuSaarva]

Yeah you're completely right! A pure healer in dungeons surely knows as much about optimizing their rotation than someone who does thing like savage where your dps actually matters where you have to use your entire kit!

Nobody asks question about savage level combat, they ask question like why people are mad when I only use fire 3 and not fire 1, anyone who has levelled a class and read what the skills do can answer rotation questions.