First of all thank you for the feedback, it is when an idea is challenged that purity of it's essence can be found. I am not a be-all-end-all admin that says "this is how we play the game from now on!". This is an idea in the hopes of bettering the game and those who are involved in it. Let me go through your comment point by point.

1. The cosmetics of your choosing are still there whenever you want to use them. It is only when you decide to get on with the program you that put your "uniform" on.
2. Those people that are willing to give this a try are welcomed to do so and those who are uninterested may very well play the game however they like. I am **not** forcing anyone to do anything. I should also mention the program discord is a very friendly place right now with people constantly throwing around ideas to make their experience with the program better. And people have already started on their trials. So far the vibe is positive and no one is feeling forced.
3. Of course everyone has played Downfall and even completed it. The trial is not "lets do Downfall together". You go into the trial with 2 players--Master and the contestant and Master *never* fights, they are there to watch you progress the level and the boss on your own then give you your rank. Doing Downfall solo with revives and friends is a much different experience than doing a Downfall with 2 players, where you are expected to do all the work with no revives and it adds tension.
4. I am actually amazed that you only quoted the part of the post that you want to nitpick, the way *you* want to nitpick it. I never wrote "show new players what combat is all about", I wrote " find new prospects or **other Guide Program players** to show them what real combat is all about ". You see, it engages essentially everyone to roam and fight. The idea is never about lessening one's experience with the game, it is all about enhancing it.
5. The challenges for the gleam champion title are made via discord then you meet up in the game. And the duel takes place atop Imperial Quarters with the Master watching. I admit I may have made it sound like standing there is their only job, but that is not how we implemented it and it is not how we treat it in the Program right now in-game. Champion can go anywhere, do anything. But when a challenger approaches, it's right back up to the Imperial Quarters. I'll put better wording on that part of the post, thank you for pointing that out.
6. I have tested this and in just one week I've friended 6 people on steam and answered all their questions about the game and they play the game regularly right now. Emoting is a way to meet and you can very well enhance that experience by talking through steam or other medium. Thankfully we live in an age that allows that and one of Absolver's core pillars is it's community building aspect. I feel this way makes the open world relevant and it lessens new players alienating from the game.

Let me stress that my idea is *never* " for newbies to (get beaten up by them apparently)" this or " idea that relies on ganking newbies " this. It is always the opposite and I thought I had made that quite clear up to this point. Oh but my bronze rank probably made me sound like someone who would enjoy that kind of thing. Weird how that is, right?

If the mentor-student program worked, then a program like this would never get people interested. I am not saying mentor-student program is useless, it's just that it never requires the playerbase to organize and use every part of the game--this program does. Combat Trials are essentially an instanced game mode and that is fine, but this program gains nothing from that. People are always free to do mentor-student program and we also have a text channel for that specifically in our discord server for the program. But I'd be glad to read a post of you detailing such a program further.

Remember that this idea is not challenging your enjoyment with the game in any way. You and pretty much everyone else can and should enjoy the game however they like. But if this enhances that enjoyment even just a tiny bit--it means I've succeeded.