The Issues With FF14: May 2026 Edition

[TheRealMadruck]

I will be updating this thread periodically with issues I see that need to be voiced and addressed. Also, if you get mad and decide to post a troll comment or angry reply, understand this completely: I do not care. Post your comment. Get mad. Stay mad.

Truth is truth. If you cannot handle that truth, then again, I do not care.

1. The Lost Art Of Mentorship

There was a time over the last 13 years when “Mentor” used to mean something. I remember when this program first started: every person who had the mentor label was an active veteran of FFXIV, and they would actively try to help their fellow players, including—and especially—sprouts.

Sadly, from my observation, this is no longer the case. I have seen countless times where sprouts ask in mentor chat—small clue: my main is a Mentor who drops it and reacquires it from time to time to see what is happening—“What is one of the best ways to level a job before 60?” Do you know what automatic response I see countless times?

“Just do roulettes.”

“Just keep spamming your roulettes.”

“Just go do alliance raids continuously.”

Yes, I have actually seen one mentor say this countless times, even after others, including myself, corrected them. They still say it!

Yet what happened to actually being a mentor because you knew the game? What happened to being a mentor not because you wanted the mount, but because you actually liked helping your fellow players with realistic and helpful information? What happened to mentor/sprout chat being about sharing information with new players, instead of random discussions such as endgame raid strategies with other non-sprouts, mentor-to-mentor conversations, or talking about glamour all the time? When did “Mentor” become a meme?

Again, if you are an old-school 13-year player like me, you will remember when the Mentor program meant something. You remember when seeing that crown on a player meant you could respectfully approach that person for accurate information, or at least be pointed toward the right facts.

Now, Mentor is nothing more than a joke program filled with players who only care about a mount, or players who think having that crown next to their name makes them something special while they do absolutely nothing to help their fellow players.

Mentorship needs an overhaul. Mentors should only be allowed if they have played for a long period of time on that one character and completed certain aspects of the game, such as specific raids or trials.

To be blunt, in my opinion, the people who deserve to be mentors are the top players who clear Savages and EXs. I am saying this as a, by definition, “normie” player who does not currently do either type of content. Why only these players? Because they can honestly say they have the in-game experience and time spent learning how to clear content.

Many may disagree, but again, that is my opinion, and I do not care!

2. Sage

Every other healer that queues until things change in 8.0 seems to be a Sage.

There are a lot of good players who main Sage. However, in contrast, there are far more bad players who play Sage solely for “deeps.” What do I mean by that? Simple: yes, DPS is important for the healer role, but the fundamental issue I run into a lot is that some people play Sage, and sometimes White Mage too, though less commonly, with the mindset of, “I should focus primarily on my DPS, not on being a healer.”

If you say this is not true, then I will be blunt, as I always am: you are lying to yourself. More than likely, you are exactly the type of player who is getting angry because you know you are the kind of player I am talking about.

To be clear, if you are doing EXs or Savage content with a static, a core team, or even PUGs, that is not the situation I am talking about. There is a reason to have the mentality of, “I need to maximize DPS,” in those specific situations. That makes sense.

What I am talking about is normal queue content, especially when players with the title of “Mentor” play Sage and allow tanks or other party members who make mistakes to die. Why? Because of attitudes like:

“My deeps.”

“Oh, you don’t want to die? Then don’t make a mistake and stand in an AoE mechanic.”

“Did they die? That is all that matters, right?”

I have heard that last excuse countless times from these ego-driven players. They allow their teammates to get to the brink of death, and most of the time, if the party survives, it is based more on luck than actual healing. They do not want to be healers. They want quick queues and an easy role where they can press one to three buttons for their DPS rotation while the other healer does all, or most, of the actual healing work.

Again, go ahead and lie to yourself, or get mad at what you are reading. Live in delusion if you want, but what I am saying is a factual truth. After 13 years, I honestly do not care if players get angry because I am voicing what it is like to play DPS or tank with these types of “healers.”

They are not healers. They are lazy players who want others, people who actually want to heal, to do all the work in most content that is not Savage or EX.

Bottom line: play DPS!

If you are one of these lazy players who plays Sage not because you actually want to do what the job is designed to do, then again, play DPS. If you want a simple rotation, then Bard, Machinist, and Dancer are there for you.

Stop wasting the player base’s time by queuing for a role you do not truly want to perform just because you only want to press two to four buttons and get quick queues.

If you are an honest person who plays FFXIV, this sentiment should not anger you, because you know the exact type of Sage player I am talking about.

[VeyaAkemi]

Sir, the Tales from Duty Finder thread is this way...

[Azurarok]

something something all the good healers either find a static or quit because the role is boring in normals

[Divinemights]

Could it be… the fact that Sage starts at level 80?
Ever since Shadowbringers, there’s always been hidden extra story content locked behind completing every role quest.
As a melee focused player myself, what’s the most practical option supposed to be?
I picked Sage for healer, Pictomancer for caster, and Dancer for physical ranged.
Not because any of them are absurdly overpowered, but because they’re probably the least painful way for a melee player to clear the role requirements and unlock the full story.
Sometimes the choice is just convenience and efficiency...

[Gwenkatsu]

Please show us on this doll where the bad sage touched you.

But on a more serious note: If this is your biggest gripe with FF14 as of May 2026 - then I envy you. Deeply.

[DiaDeem]

[Kamudo]

Lil bro has beef with Sage players :sob:

[TheRealMadruck]

Lil bro has beef with Sage players :sob:

I have beef with noone but again specific players who play any healer who does not do the role of healing and only focuses on DPS only! This standard as I directly wrote applies to SCH/AST(love to see a AST focused only on their DPS lol)/WHM/SGE! Sage is the most common, followed by WHM, yet I have seen it on all jobs but way less than AST!