Mentor Roulette: Journey of the Crown - Episode 1

What do you know about the Mentor system? You've probably heard a lot, and have some opinions on it all. But what about the Mentor Roulette? This is a roulette of nearly every duty in the entire game. Which means one moment you're getting a 20 second Guildhest, the next spending an hour against a brick wall Titan Extreme.
In reference to this roulette, you may have heard about a trip to 2000 duties cleared via the roulette. That is because of a series of achievements tied to it. The final achievement is a mount called Astrope. Now, I have no interest in the horse because I have a drifting Shiba. But I am an achievement collector...
And on top of that, have you seen this channel? This started out of spite rooted in wanting to help people who actually want to be helped. So here we go, let's finally get through this achievement... together.
The following will be highlight reels of my runs. Along the way I'll give tips of what people are doing wrong. Additionally, I'll try and bring a topic along with some episodes to discuss such as rewards or the system as a whole.
Hope you enjoy, please like, comment, subscribe, and check out all these links!
Duties List: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...
Twitch: / weskalber
Twitter: / weskalber
Bluesky: bsky.app/profile/weskalber.bs...
Discord: / discord
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#FFXIV #Endwalker #Mentor

[@WeskAlber]

Wow... Uh. You guys really are taking to this one! The response is huge. I guess I have Cider to thank for that given the comments I'm getting. Some of you seem to be expecting weekly videos for this. You all really want that? I can probably find the time for that. But do you all really want that? I'll gladly take feedback regardless of what about specifically.

[@BBrawler101]

It doesn’t need to be weekly, but chill videos depicting the insanity loss from Mentor Roulette is fun to watch! I still love the mentor breakdown edits from Zanagoth, so seeing a less fast-paced version of that is just a fun thing to enjoy.

[@xyzzyx4142]

Agreed, also it was just something out of the ordinary. And fun😂

[@nspaulding07]

I think it could be a fun series, especially if you focus on the constructive criticism aspect of things, both offered in the chat and outside of it, as a lesson to everyone. But that's just what I like to see. As always, your dry humor makes the time go by quickly!

[@satomia.mounaim6449]

I would love weekly, but if you think that will get boring for you, we can wait longer

[@ShoryukenPizza]

Weekly videos would be addicting lmao. I'd love it as long as you avoid burnout or boredom!

[@afiregender]

Every time you're like "oh it's four people it's not an extreme, phew" I remember the time I said that and got Great Hunt EX...

[@silque_brigandess]

Eh to be fair, Great Hunt EX is among the easiest extremes in the game, at worst you'll wipe twice then people understand to use the potions sparingly and never actually share the shares

[@fungalgrowth]

eagerly anticipating the episode where you actually get the 20m elapsed EX disaster

[@Zendelxex]

ramuh Ex

[@Veishan]

This reminds me of Cider Spider's weekly achievement runs which have become a highlight of my weeks while we are in content drought, hope you keep it up Wesk!

[@Trakan1]

This was an idea I threw out there when you asked for ideas, but I didn't think you'd actually do it lol.

[@phazoninfused]

As someone who will never unlock mentor roulette due to a severe case of skill issue, this has been an incredible look at what goes on "behind the scenes" so to speak. Very entertaining, I hope you do more.

[@arbalest747]

The roulette isn't gated by skill requirements, you eventually WILL qualify, willing or not. The real test of character is gauging if you should rather than if you could

[@phazoninfused]

Yeah no, I just suck at playing anything other than DPS, and have no desire to farm comendations. hence, skill issue. @@arbalest747

[@shirox11]

⁠@@arbalest747you do actually have to clear the extremes on the list to unlock the roulette. Sure they’re easily unsyncable, but you still have to go out of your way to do them all to unlock the roulette.

[@vitorsalles5919]

​@@arbalest747it kinda is

[@melisasmith6698]

Love this idea. Can't wait to see more. Very interested to see what random stuff you will see:)

[@RustyWater6]

Hey Wesk, firstly wanted to thank you as my wife had started playing a little while ago and you had reached out to her in Ul'dah if she needed any help learning the game and I appreciate you being such a great member of the Midgard community. Secondly, I am a big fan of this live commentary mentor roulette style video. I could definitely watch more content like this! Keep up the great work o7

[@7qr572]

PLEASE make this into a series this is so entertaining

[@eduardopena5726]

Keep up the good work! Super excited to see the highs and probably the very lows of your journey. And yes, a weekly series like this and other series would be amazing.

[@FishSkeleton-]

Always happy to see more content from this channel, and it's fun to see something more casual like this along with all the super informative guides. I look forward to watching these as often as Wesk wants to grind out roulettes and further episodes.

[@MinotoPPT2]

*WAITING IN QUEUE* Intensifies! 😂 This series is fantastic. Can’t wait for the next episode! 😎

[@flametitan100]

I'm wishing you luck through this journey! It looks like it'll be an experience, if this episode is anything to go by

[@ode-blu]

Was waiting for you to release this one and wasn't disappointed. As someone who tries giving advice now and then, the "please AOE Mr tank" and reminding of interrupt are the most common ones. Looking forward for more videos!

[@satomia.mounaim6449]

This is so much fun to watch!!! The commentary was funny, the gameplay was great, and seeing multiple duties is really entertainnig, pleaaaase pleeeeease keep up this series!!

[@sneakingbox198]

I would absolutely love to see more of these types of videos. Keep up the awesome work!

[@wolffster25]

Honestly, I would like to see more of this because that Crystal Tower part surprised me you showed up for nothin and still get commended. EDIT: Also WAITING IN QUEUE!!!

[@ruot]

enjoying this already! love to see all the mysteries of dutyfinder :)

[@bidyogames]

Loved this, I myself am going for the 2000 mentor roulettes currently at 65. Can't wait for episode 2 and the more to come.

[@quatzecoatl1795]

This video got my sub; your guides are so good but the mentor roulette series has hooked me! Keep em coming

[@acehealer4212]

Glad you decided to make this series! I’m very entertained.

[@Nore_Ma]

i didn’t think i will have this much of fun!!, i’m really excited for this journey!! ♥️♥️♥️ can’t wait for the next episode.

[@Cherryblossoms110]

man, I love it so much when you tell people something they don't know and they tell you "I KNOW!!!" because they're basically admitting that they're griefing. :)))))))))

[@arzedeunebulus9232]

"waiting in queue!!!" Best quote no matter what. Love the fervor you say it.

[@ghawk15]

Great video, Wesk! Would definitely enjoying seeing more in the future

[@cadeypie]

This is like Tales from the Duty Finder but not every post is about a YPYT tank, I love it!

[@TheeUnderBrake]

CiderSpider weekly every achievement videos WeskAlber weekly mentor roulette videos We eating good

[@WeskAlber]

Wait Cider is doing that weekly in ADDITION to normal content?

[@jjpa8898]

Don't forget Rath Games "Can you Solo FFXIV?" videos. Mostly monthly videos, still all of the three uploaded the same week.

[@poro9084]

@@WeskAlber yep, i think he did bozja this one

[@talancorwell]

Wait. Isn't Cider going to have to get THIS achievement at some point too?

[@WeskAlber]

@@talancorwell If all means ALL... yes

[@CanisSkye]

I just got Mentor Roulette myself. It's gonna be a good time seeing how you fare with your roulette's! Keep it coming!

[@Coconut-fq7rl]

As a mentor roulette enjoyer myself I really like the idea of the video, looking forward to more like it!

[@thevideocrafters]

While i know most people forget it but on interruptible casts even healers have an interrupt, most things that can be interrupted can also be interrupted by repose, granted its a little annoying to use since its a cast and not an ogcd but here we are. I've started using repose as my interrupt when i run whm in mentor rouls, it works more often than you'd think. 17:33 made me think of this :)

[@NeoMiles74]

that's GENIUS. I can't believe I never thought of using it like that. Definitely a gamechanger for me as I play healer a lot and cry every time an interruptable cast goes off with two physical ranged dps in the party

[@asteroidxarmageddon2354]

Repose causes Sleep. If the enemy you're trying to interrupt can be put to sleep, then it'll work. But some mobs and a lot of bosses that have casts that can be interrupted are immune to sleep. I'm pretty sure that one enemy in Don Meg with that Watering Wheel skill can't be put to sleep.

[@thevideocrafters]

@@asteroidxarmageddon2354 you're right i should've explained better that its more similar to low kick in regards to its interruption capabilities, my bad

[@thedlion2767]

This is.... actually extremely entertaining and relatable. Good job, Wesk.

[@liasprings6502]

Oh wow having the list of duties at the start is really cool, i don't think i ever saw any mentor roulette video include such a list!

[@MrIbisss]

Great idea for a series please make more. Love your videos

[@wiistop4690]

Not even close to even unlocking mentor status but loved the episode. One of your best videos yet.

[@TheElix07]

This was really cool and inspiring for me as I go through the same. I'm currently feeling the same things you mentioned in the beginning - specifically, the challenge of trying to give some advice and hoping that it's received well. Considering a macro that introduces myself as a mentor and opening myself to questions.

[@bunnydo22]

I actually completed my 2000 roulette grind the other month! My advice to anyone trying this would be to learn the ARR extremes inside and out, if you're going to get an EX fight, its gonna be one of them. Probably Ramuh. I got Thordan a couple times, and was even able to clear it with the sprouts once, but HW trials and above are far and away the more uncommon ones. The highest I ever got was Shinryu EX, which we WOULD have cleared, but the healers gear broke, and this was before you could repair it in duty. Also turn on 'Join Duty in Progress' in the duty finder settings. Best case scenario, someone DC'd and you get to take their spot and get a shorter dungeon. worst case, you join an EX that another mentor left, in which case you get to do what the roulette was made for and help the sprouts through the fight! Just remember to have patience, I've found that most people, especially in EX's are open to advice if its explained constructively. I've only not been able to complete an EX trial I was queued into a couple of times, most of the EX trials I got we ended up clearing

[@lambs5258]

"Welcome to my newest cry for help" what a way to start the video LOL

[@slickdarula1]

Good stuff Wes, hope you enjoy the journey. I had fun. Once you go as tank or healer, and they see the crown, they will automatically go cray-cray and pull for you or go wall to wall. Fun stuff.

[@DragoranShini]

That was fun as heck ^^ length of the video also felt pretty perfect

[@bloodybackfat]

This seems very fun, hyped for more episodes!

[@LordMidichlorian]

Keep these coming. It's a good video and I will watch further videos of this.

[@spiderside3892]

ill be real, I've never Been A Mentor, but I do try to help where I can. And every time someone mentions struggling with their rotation, I bring up your leveling guides. the best and most productive fights I've had where we struggled and then were able to finish was because we all paused and GOOGLED IT suggesting resources to each other and reading through quick guides. as much as xiv claims to be an mmo, the chat box sucks and people can be punished for offering help, which makes no one want to help.

[@thekaxmax]

I got abuse on the regular on NA servers, never on OCE. I have been told off once, no actual abuse, and that's _so_ refreshing in comparison.

[@lainroonune7969]

Saw the name of your channel and instantly knew your character! Fellow Midgard player here see you around all the time! Will gladly sub and gl on the mentor roulettes!

[@seochis]

OKAY BUT I LOVE SEEING YOU JUST VIBING AND W/MENTOR ROULETTE ITS SUPER FUN

[@ElPrezAU]

Wesk, you’re a delight. Don’t you ever change. :)

[@WeskAlber]

Lol no I'm an asshole

[@ElPrezAU]

@@WeskAlber Delightful assholes exist. ;)

[@InnocentGuillotine]

@@WeskAlberbut the fun kind of asshole

[@awrcade124]

high key hilarious. keep these coming, mental health willing.

[@shikaro]

the random nature of mentor duty makes me look foward to these vids in the future for sure! hope you dont suffer too hard through these though.

[@SpicyPotatoe]

The backfill to Syrcus then getting two comms had me laughing

[@edgarlarios4718]

... I... I did not realize I could farm mentor roullete! I thought I was only able to do it once a day! Thank you for this valuable information!

[@ReliousFlareStar]

These are gonna be a blast to keep up with.

[@MGlBlaze]

I actually didn't know that's what an interruptible cast looked like. Thanks for that!

[@powerlucario]

This was great. Nice to see someone just playing roulettes and suffering like the rest of us.

[@soldierorsomething]

This did not seem too bad, until you got to Aurum vale!, (Im very excited to see more of this!!)

[@Asterin14]

I found that starting off with "Hey so and so, mind if I mention something about *thing they could improve* net me better responses from folks during my 2k rolos. Good luck!

[@tillanous]

Rooting for you, will come back and watch after I finish endwalker.

[@Cluelessdye-jz3hg]

Let’s go!!! This will be a fun series

[@praenoto]

1:47 “we are literally weeping to the dps check” absolutely killed me

[@TheRismint]

Looking forward to more of this!

[@AgentPanda15]

Nice Crystal Tower run!! Pro mentor right there

[@TruxtonII]

[Fanfare plays] Wesk obtained the title of " *Twitter Guy* ."

[@alanastevenson]

This might be my favorite series yet! 😂😂😂❤

[@towboy99]

I need more! I hope to see episode 2 on my desk by tomorrow! /s

[@kimlee6643]

For someone not currently subbed who does roulette for "fun" this is pretty enjoyable content.

[@SandTurtle]

the ultimate terror is getting a 4 man duty and it being rathalos ex

[@WeskAlber]

Watch ep. 2 :3

[@zacharydavis3579]

This is hilarious. I have almost an identical spreadsheet I've been compiling.

[@davidbell7491]

I got mentor years ago but have never done it. Knowing there are guildhests mixed it makes me think I could give it a go… neat series idea!

[@crayyonnyadrav4055]

Pepperidge Farm remembers about the 7 waves hitting Estinien.

[@arathain2]

I like a lot of the redesigned fights. I think making Nidsy behave more like 3.3 is smart and thematic. I will miss defending Estinien so we could hide in the bubble all the same.

[@rathazure]

Love the video. Thank you. I think it was in a Cider Spider video or maybe his stream, could be someone else, but I think it was him. Anyways, they said that there really is not much actual content of people playing the game and most of it is just the same guides/tips videos, drama and adventure plate videos. It has gotten a bit stale and this kind of content is really enjoyable.

[@ruot]

yes this all the way!! loving watching cider spiders current achievement hunting because it's just Playing The Game, you know? very grateful for this series now aswell:)

[@captainsavvy07]

As someone just over the 500 mentor roulette mark, it's definitely a bumpy ride. The joy of helping a group of people clear a fight is wonderful, but then you can have utterly miserable experiences that make me not want to keep going. Today I helped a lovely group of people clear Urth's Font after a few tries. Yesterday I got Rivana Ex and I remarked how most people have better luck doing extremes in PF than DF. I also mentioned that I hadn't done Rivana Ex synced in a very long time and didn't really remember it. At the end, one of them called me a "fake ass mentor". I just need to remind myself that some people are just rude, and that the good roulettes mostly outweigh the bad. I'm not the best player, not by a long shot; I just want to do what I can to help people 🙂

[@telezon7206]

Fun watch. Enjoyed it

[@amapolavioleta]

Haha good luck! I recommend doing it as SMN because you can raise from a low lvl and believe me you are going you need it.

[@WeskAlber]

Well uh... I would recommend checking out Ep 2 in a few weeks...

[@kaihoward7093]

Loved this, please do more :)

[@sirlenemodesto2665]

Thanks for the sprint tip never learned that!

[@mamaglittercryptid3779]

I think this is great. I enjoy watching other ppl run roulettes. I have a love/hate relationship with roulettes so it is always fun to me to watch others run them. I would watch weekly roulettes.

[@Robolewa]

Wild rides like this are why spamming mentor roulette (when you don't get Ex after Ex that is) are somehow enjoyable. Looking forward to more.

[@SugarfreeSux]

i love how your comments are literally the same thoughts i have when i go into roulettes "oh, dude's not using mitigation" "oh, they don't know about free mitigation between pulls using sprint" and so on... most responses i get is either a "oh i know" followed by a complete ingorance of what i said them, or, more commonly "who cares, i didn't die" while i thinkg "yeah, because i kept your 7 vuln stacked ass alive" or something like that good content, not sure if you want to keep that up on a weekly basis tho, it'll drive you mad really quickly

[@Kazgrel]

"Whew, 4 player duty, I'm safe" The Great Hunt (Extreme) has begun! Won't lie, I never minded that EX if it popped. Probably got a dozen people their first clear of it when I did the mentor grind last year. Good luck!

[@ursulcx299]

I'm starting to think a novice/mentor party finder might be a better idea. You sign up for "I need help with this content" and then mentors who are interested in doing that specific duty for some reward (and helping you) can join. Wont be perfect, humans are humans so even a perfect system would have problems because of some people i'm sure but like, at least you' loose the "no idea wtf I'm getting into here today" feel a bit

[@SamRocher]

Really excited to see how your interactions with Extremes go. I'd like to be able to mentor just dungeons, but knowing you can get Extremes makes me never want to touch this system XD

[@ArkathorBot]

I look forward to this series. It's always interesting to see people doing mentor roulettes and seeing what they get and how they deal with it. I am doing them myself because it's very diverse (you may get nearly anything), kinda like a duty lootbox. I do nearly all of them as white mage and ~90% of them are dungeons. Very rarely anything needs input (The Tam-Tara Deepcroft Hard and Hauke Manor Hard mostly). I also don't try to teach people if they don't ask for advice or strategy (I can't force good behaviour on someone and I am not interested on trying, if someone want's to improve they will seek advice or guides). These situations with joining a Aliance Raid midway happens from time to time to me also. Sometimes I get AR or HW Extremes but most of them are surprisingly smooth and usualy end successful (Nidhog Ex usualy gets abandoned per vote and Thordan Ex sometimes runs out of time). That said I also run some amount as DRK and it was painful, beeing very depended on healer meant that several dungeons were very slow because of cure 1 no stone spam and I couldn't compensate for failed mechanics like healer (like you did with fountains on ill mheg). Overall I think mentor's roulette is fun if someone does not treat it as second job to get astrope.

[@Sunila_DragonladyCH]

LOL, the CT one! Reminds me of my first time in Dun Scaith. I got out of the cutscene and no one was around. I had to wait for the teleport prompt and just explored. Then I had to watch it on KZbin to find out what actually happens. People, if you farm, please wait for newcomers to get of their cutscene. Thanks!

[@21eeveevulpix]

That Syrcus Tower at the end, glorious. Dungeon: Ends. 'But I literally JUST got here!'

[@MrBubbles0o0o]

Hey! I met you on hullbreaker isle! Now I know what the goal is! GOODLUCK! and thanks for all the help!

[@WeskAlber]

That'll be next episode!

[@asinametra]

Definitely a fun video format, nice relaxed environment that still offers some informative feedback to newbies and reminders for vets, too! I just had a fresh (non-mentor) roulette experience. Leveling Roulette, for sweet sweet tomes for relic rocks. I ran on i660 WHM, had an i660 WAR as a main tank. BRD and DNC as DPS. Dungeon: Doma Castle. WAR did not use mits on pack pulls. I didn't see a single Rampart. Also didn't wall-to-wall, and the combination of the lack of mitigation, staggered pulls, and (statistically) low DPS made the run pretty miserable. The highlight (low point) was the ad dash preceding the second boss, with the staggered artillery obstacles to dodge. The tank, again, was not wall-to-wall pulling, so we'd sat before the hallway taking care of a few enemies. Then the WAR sprinted into this hallway, booked it to pull the next pack this time, broke line of sight from me, again used no mitigation, took at least one hit from the environmental artillery--and by the time I sprinted myself in cast range, line of sight, and out of harm's way, I was still out of lilies from the last mit-less pull, and stuck casting Cure II. Which finished casting the precise moment the WAR dropped to 0 HP. I pop a Swiftcast Raise on the WAR while everything aggros to me. I kiss my butt goodbye, the DPS also die. The tank did not accept the raise. I and the DPS return to the start and sprint our way back. The tank is... mysteriously absent. I wonder to myself, is the WAR throwing a tantrum on the ground waiting for us? But NO! The WAR is up--and their HP is dropping, dropping, down to 0 again. I drop a "?" in party chat. WAR: "Heals please" I ask: "WHERE ARE YOU. We just got back to the enemies, you're not here but died... somewhere?" WAR: "It was just me!" Then it clicks. The WAR TOOK THE RAISE *AFTER* the rest of us released back to start! We went down in the middle of one of the packs of enemies, so the WAR took the raise, alone, and was immediately in combat. THEN BLAMED ME. AND I REPEAT: THIS WAS AN i660 WAR.

[@zheinpathos]

I too am on this journey, mostly as a healer for insta-queues. I felt that pain of healing *that* tank viscerally

[@kythrax3285]

I quite enjoy the idea of this series! I know it's something that I've learned a lot about the game from all your various 1-90 guides that you've put out before. :) As a piece of feedback, for this series in particular, I do think there will be quite a bit of merit to being able to see the chat box more. I'm sure that there's messages from FCs, or friends, or otherwise that you may not necessarily want to display, but I think that in the similar vein of seeing all the vitriol of people frothing at the mouth to "grrr, mentor bad", there's definitely an aspect of learning how to properly mentor, and to see how people are taking it. I know that it may not always come up, as a lot of my mentor roulette hasn't had too much talking (yet). But even things as innocuous as letting that dragoon know "Hey, this is an opportunity you could use AoE skills instead of the ranged skill" are good to see both how they're delivered, and how they're received. All the best, looking forward to episode 2!

[@WeskAlber]

Yeah that's something I wanted to do but forgot. Ep. 3 will have box easier to access

[@Narlaw1199]

24:20 LMFAO the best result ever! Mentor roulette done, comms, Alliance raid rewards, 0 efforts, 2 comms, mere seconds in duty!

[@Gravitysonic0]

Back when I was a wee noob my two friends and I (one was a veteran, the other also a beginner) probably dragged some mentors to Ravana and Bismark EX thinking that it was the way people did things. After all it was part of a blue quest to unlock something I don't quite remember now. We wiped a little bit but the experience was fun and we had guides on other tabs to help the party

[@east3rcat]

If you have fun making these and are willing to publicly suffer for our enjoyment, this seems to be great stuff to watch as we’re leading up to DT. Your commentary is great as you point out issues that players can do to improve. I used to be the person that stood in narnia and am trying to get closer

[@Rubsonik]

You made it look like it fun thing to do. I dunno why people complain about mentor roulette

[@desdenova1]

"Waiting in Queue - A Dragoon's Tale"

[@Geoodeees]

While getting an extreme might sound like it will be a dooming experience, i find it a good opportunity to help people with raid etiquette. I tend to explain why people leave instantly and then mention that party finder will probably give them more success in the long run. Then I help them with the basics of the fight, but give them the option to abandon together if it's too much for the group. As long as the extreme is not too complex, people are able to challenge through them! Some of the worst to get are Ramuh, Sepirot and Sophia. And stuff like Ultima and Rathalos are usually the easiest for people to learn during the hour. Good luck on your journey!

[@WeskAlber]

I sure as hell have STORIES to tell. That will be part of this series.

[@PaladinMtz]

Love the idea!

[@ryshazeux4099]

love it when people document their fall to insanity.

[@0ut0fm4n4]

What helped me stay motivated throughout my now 900+ mentor-roulettes is doing "job-roulette" at the same time, chuck in all the jobs you have at 90 into any kind of rng-picker and just play whatever it tells you to (Even more fun if you have all jobs maxed d:) Sure, i dont REALLY wanna play Ninja but it helped me get better at it by a lot

[@Vindaelyn]

I’ll accept your slander against the superior ShB boss theme because that run across the tightrope was immaculate, well done lol. You’re on thin ice though….. (Actually though you’re the best your videos have helped me so much, thank you for making great content ❤)

[@WeskAlber]

nahhh Insatiable (original) is way better than this Dissidia version or w/e it is. Glad to be of service lol

[@grath779]

Love this!

[@threadscore]

That Syrcus Tower pop was hilarious.

[@ArmageddonEvil]

Got to say, Journey to a Two-Player Mount should be the name of this. XD

[@CrowDalova]

I've been playing this game continuously since patch 2.3. I remember when they added rogue and ninja, when the Akh Afah Amphitheatre was the new trial, and the excitement leading up to Heavensward. I leveled all of my crafters and gatherers, and got over anxiety around both tanking and healing to get my full mentor crown, and am now a savage raid healer, despite saying once I would never play an MMO, let alone have the responsibility of healing. I feel like the accumulated knowledge I have of the game is not just a responsibility to share, but a joy, and I do genuinely like having new people in fights and seeing the live reactions to this beautiful game I care so much about. I wear my crown with pride everywhere I go. EX trials in the mentor roulette make me want to commit scooter-ankle though. :')