What’s the point of the mentor system?

[Dewslam]

In theory it's for experienced players to pick up to signify they're more willing and adept to answer questions for newbies and guide them through content.

However, the nature of MMO players tends to be selfish - and so they sought to motivate players to choose this role by giving them tangible rewards for doing it. You get a special icon, a mount, and certain other things; this means now, rather than being filled with skilled players who choose to become mentors to help other people, it's filled with people who become mentors because they wanted a fancy crown to make themselves look cool and a unique mount not everyone else will be able to get.

So, basically, square shot themselves in the foot by doing that and doomed mentorship from ever actually being useful. IMO they should strip those rewards from the mentor program, change the crown to a more humble icon (the little watering can one people have suggested in the past is cute) and keep holding mentors to task and strip poor mentors of their title because boy howdy have I seen more mentors who rage quit and display really caustic attitudes and behaviors in-game than I've seen mentors willing to help do things like explain mechanics and help new players improve at the game.

[Hezzlocks]

I admit I became a mentor (only trade atm, still short a few hundred comms for battle but lets face it, comms are inevitable if you're decent, especially if you tank or heal) just for NN. I enjoy NN.

But I also do my due diligence and if someone asks a question I do my best to answer it, if I believe I can answer it satisfactorily. Sometimes I even help people get their MSQ dungeons and trials done. So I do my part in trying to help out when I can, and I believe that so long as there are enough mentors out there that are like me or better than me, and on my server at least I can safely say there are, then the Mentor system is worth keeping.

There ARE toxic mentors out there, absolutely. A product of mentorship being so easy to get, and a mount being awarded through Mentor roulette. It's unfortunate, but it's up to us to police the Mentor program and report any mentors who we believe are abusing the mentor system. Sprouts should be doing this as well but admittedly Square could do a lot better in informing new players about this, as they WILL revoke mentor privileges from mentors that are clearly abusing the system and sprouts in general, but I often see sprouts that don't even know this is possible, let alone know how to report.

As for the crown, that icon could be anything and it'd still spark an elitist attitude in certain individuals, but the point of it is supposed to be advertising "I'm a mentor, I know whats what, ask me if you need help". Personally I hide mine, though. I feel I'm a decent player but I'm still inexperienced enough in several systems that I shouldn't have sprouts following my examples on certain habits of mine. That, and I get anxious of screwing up in raid content and the less attention I draw in that content the better

[Krotoan]

The "Point":
Identify experienced players who have a baseline of competency and willingness to help to those who might have questions in game as well as a universal roulette that would put them in a variety of instances to fill out space with a player who should theoretically be able to guide newer players through unfamiliar mechanics.

The actuality:
Many NA Players immediately saw it as a status symbol and route to another goodie that others might not have and abused the Novice network as their personal moderateable chat and the roulettes were optimized to quick clears or leaving if it was apparent that a non-clear was possible.


The problem as I see it: The Mentor program as it is, is not culturally compatible with the NA/EU player mindset in general. For every mentor out there to be helpful and open, there are mentors who sour the experience for newbies for their own benefit.

[BluexBird]

Initially I went for Mentor so I could unlock Mentor Roulette and get to teach people how to do Extreme Trials, since they are otherwise a dead content that nobody does anymore.

Once I got it thought I stayed because it's fun to talk on NN sometimes, you see some funny things and even make friends. Obviously I help whenever I can or see someone asking a question, but most of the time people just use it to spread information around about things. In my experience, the majority of mentors in NN don't even talk. And the ones that do are often friendly and helpful. Maybe some of them did do it just to get the crown, but at the end of the day the crown doesn't really mean anything. I doubt new players would even know what it is, so I really don't see the point of making a fuss over it.

[Theox]

I have yet to encounter a mentor in a dungeon who is really good. Usually they are tanks who don't use mitigation, don't say anything in the chat, rarely explain mechanics and just bruteforce the boss after several wipes still. I remember I had to explain a mechanic to two mentors in a dungeon and it's just like... who's supposed to be the mentor here?

[SahreeYurblu]

I have fulfilled the requirements lately but I don’t really get it.

Next thing is giving the mentor a crown. This will draw in all sorts of special people and it’s clear that those people will use anything possibly to put themselves above others in the internet. It shouldn’t be a crown.

Then there’s supposedly another layer of artificial hierarchy with the title ‘mentor of mentors’. Oof, we’re getting into rough territory here.

Apart from that, to become a mentor you don’t need to be skilled or knowledgeable about the game, the role quests are a joke and the likes and dungeon runs can be farmed. You could fulfill those requirements by running a single dungeon for 3 months. And there’s even ‘advice’ on various sites how to best manipulate people into giving you their like at the end of a run.

I don’t get it really. People were asking for something like that in WoW, but it did never happen for a reason.

Why shouldn't there be an icon and rewards? First off, just because there are some people that do it just for the crown, doesn't mean everyone does.

"Mentor of mentors" title comes from running 500 mentor roulettes. Those can be literally any instance in the game aside from savage, ultimate, or current extremes. A mentor has to be willing to subject themselves to new players, some of which have no desire to learn mechanics to clear that content, and clear 500 instances.

The mount? That's 2000 cleared runs. I can't tell you how many "mentor roulette hostage situations" I was in. That's when the newer players think they know better than to listen to the explanation of mechanics, usually for a synced extreme trial, and think they'll just face pull to victory and ignore mechanics. I had some good groups that did want to learn the fights, and either cleared, or made great progress towards clearing in a lockout.... but there were times when I had groups that were an abuse of my play time. Ignore the mentor's explanation of mechanics that are being failed, refuse to vote abandon, and of course nobody really wants to take a penalty to leave.... then you have yourself a mentor hostage situation.

You can pry my mount whistle out of my cold, dead, fingers. I paid my dues, taught a lot of sprouts, and suffered some horrendously entitled people who don't think the mechanics apply to them for it.

I genuinely enjoyed helping people that wanted help, but that's what I do on a daily basis with friends, FC members, etc. I have also been known to join learning and clear parties for fights I've already cleared when I have the time to kill. You want me to queue to help 2000 groups of newbies clear things? Yeah, I think that deserves a little reward at least. Why begrudge the decent mentors that reward?

[AlyaNimfa]

I have fulfilled the requirements lately but I don’t really get it.

First it’s almost the year 2022, when I want to know something I pick up my phone that’s laying next to me and get the information I want within 5 seconds from google and it’s algorithm and from more than one source in case of contradiction. It’s not some year 2000 MMO where getting the information from the internet would be incredibly time consuming.

Next thing is giving the mentor a crown. This will draw in all sorts of special people and it’s clear that those people will use anything possibly to put themselves above others in the internet. It shouldn’t be a crown.

Then there’s supposedly another layer of artificial hierarchy with the title ‘mentor of mentors’. Oof, we’re getting into rough territory here.

Apart from that, to become a mentor you don’t need to be skilled or knowledgeable about the game, the role quests are a joke and the likes and dungeon runs can be farmed. You could fulfill those requirements by running a single dungeon for 3 months. And there’s even ‘advice’ on various sites how to best manipulate people into giving you their like at the end of a run.

I don’t get it really. People were asking for something like that in WoW, but it did never happen for a reason.

I agree with you OP, you aren't the sort of person who should be a mentor. You also haven't played long enough to have the experience to do it.

This is why the Mentor system needs completely re-worked, and newbies such as yourself should find it entirely out of reach.

[van_arn]

Ah, another thread telling mentors precisely how they should volunteer their time.

[Hayden]

What’s the point of the mentor system?

For FFXIV content creators to complain about.

[Windwalker]

I only picked up mentor to use the novice network, i use it like a linkpearl or fc to talk to other people, ask for help or help others.

Being a mentor doesn't mean you are some super knowledgeable teacher or whatever, even i, after finishing the game, forget stuff after going on a long hiatus.

Mentor is more like being willing to help others if they have questions or need someone to guide them trough content.

Sure there are bad mentors too who use it as a sign of accomplishment or to flex on others, they can be reported i believe, since you are confirming a TOS to helping others when you get it.