How the Guide Mentor system helps you help new players in patch 9.0

With the launch of Shadowlands pre-patch on October 13, a new Mentor system will encourage veteran players to help newbies get started. Existing players can become Guides — as long as they meet the requirements — and start answering new player questions to make it easier to jump into this nearly 16-year-old game.

But what is the Mentor system? And what does being a Guide give you? Let’s dig into the Guide Mentor system to see what it’s all about.

What is the Guide Mentor system in Shadowlands?

The Mentor system revolves around a new chat channel: Newcomer. At level 1, as new players start Exile’s Reach, this channel is automatically opened up to them. The Newcomer channel is separated by faction and limited to the new players and to Guides. When the character reaches level 20, they’ll automatically be removed from the Newcomer chat, with no way to rejoin it on that character.

This channel allows new players to ask questions, even if they don’t have a helpful guild, even if they don’t have access to city chat channels, without relying on the sometimes toxic LFG system. And because there are qualifications required to become a Guide, their questions will be answered by knowledgeable players who really want to help.

What do the Guides receive for helping? Nothing, really, excepting for the satisfaction of a job well done. Newcomers and Guides will be able to identify each other out in the world with a special icon, but beyond the icon indicating they’re a Guide, there are no rewards. This is to ensure Guides are there because they want to be. Comments have compared this to a similar system in Final Fantasy XIV, which eventually rewards a two-seater mount. While the system may have good intentions, Reddit is full of posts about how to get this with little effort, trying to go through the mentor program without being there to mentor new players at all. Blizzard seems to have realized providing rewards is not the answer.

It’s too early to see how this will work out. Will this just be a Q&A channel? Will this be a place to provide portals, gold, bags, gear, and other necessities for those starting their adventure? Or will this only be another avenue for spammers selling services, advertising websites?

How to become a Guide

Not just anyone can become a Guide, but many veteran players can. If you’ve never been reported for bad behavior; if you’ve completed 3000+ quests; if you’ve accomplished two or more of the mix of simple and difficult achievements; and if you want to answer the same questions over and over again, then the Newcomer chat channel is looking for you!

After the launch of patch 9.0, report to the Recruiter Celeste Periwinkle near the Stormwind Embassy (coordinates 52, 18) or Eyla Pathleader outside the Orgrimmar Embassy (coordinates 40, 80) to volunteer. And if mentoring isn’t what you hoped it would be, or if you quickly find they are asking questions you just cannot answer, report back to the same Recruiter to opt out.

When you become a Mentor, you’re one of the first voices a new player sees. You could be the reason they stay or leave the game. But no pressure. Have fun meeting new people!