You think these new abilities and traits for WAR actually matter?

When was the last time there was a good version update teaser? I can't even remember since I'm usually apathetic toward version updates in general, but the latest teaser concerning "Adjustments of the Job Persuasion!" has provided a lot of fodder for blabbing and speculation, and here are my two Zimbabwean cents on the warrior job abilities and traits.

Restraint (level 77)

Ability delay: 10 minutes
Effect duration: 5 minutes
Description: "Enhances your weapon skill power with each normal attack you land, but prevents you from dealing critical hits."

Would use this for zerging when you have Mighty Strikes? No. I can't imagine a situation where the WS bonus would exceed the substantial benefit of 100% critical hit rate.

Consider the implications of 0% critical hit rate for the purposes of great axe WS spam without MS. Then, consider the implications of 0% critical hit rate for Raging Rush (doubtful that the loss of critical hits wouldn't apply to the WS), leaving King's Justice as the only choice for WS spam. Will the trade-off be worth it? I doubt it. If anything, I wouldn't be surprised if the bonus applied only to the first hit of any WS, and I doubt you can cancel Restraint and keep the WS bonus.

The loss of critical hits and actual WS bonus notwithstanding, this naturally favors one-handed weapons relative to two-handed weapons in theory, except that dual-wielding generally sucks relative to using great axe (or polearm when applicable) and one-handed weapon skills not named Rampage generally suck, too.

Critical Attack Bonus (level 78)

(Also Thief level 78, Dancer level 80)
Description: "Improves power of critical hits."

If this is like a permanent Brave Grip (estimated 3.5% increase in critical hit damage), it's better than nothing. Technically it's "good," but it's not to going to change anything about how to "play" warrior.

Of course this bonus has to be introduced alongside Restraint, which is likely to be a spurious JA.

Fencer (level 45)

(Also Beastmaster level 80, Ranger level 80)
Description: "Increases rate of critical hits when wielding with the main hand only. Grants a TP bonus to weapon skills."

The description and jobs for which this is available seems to imply that the rate increase applies to one-handed weapons only without dual-wield. Now why would anyone want to do that? Tanking!?

It's way more relevant for jobs subbing WAR at level 90 and beyond. But watch the rate increase be like 1%.

Shield Defense Bonus (level 80)

(Also Paladin level 77)
Description: "Reduces damage taken when blocking an attack with a shield."

Joke.

Dormancy

There are not a few interesting, new, even completely unexpected things from the latest version update, such as the new "arena" battles in beastmen strongholds of the past, not that I should keep deluding myself about being able to participate in these successfully within the next year. Level Sync seems nice enough. Heck, even reducing the HP of certain beastmen's pets is a completely unexpected change because you'd never think SE would've ever tacitly acknowledged leveling off those as a legitimate form of experience point acquisition. (Yes, don't give SE too much credit yet; it's possible that there aren't actually any good camps in ToAU or WoTG areas...) These new things are genuinely praiseworthy by my standards.

On the other hand, there are changes to existing "content" that fall under the "it's about fucking time" category. For example, Nyzul Isle progress is now recorded for all players (under certain conditions) instead of just for the annoying asshole leech who demands that he use his runic disc. Chocobo rentals in the past after nine months is infuriating when they could've introduced them in the March or June updates. Still, sometimes these things are welcome even if unreasonably overdue.

Then you have "what the fuck?" changes whose ramifications are not immediately apparent...

"The strength of Zeni NMs will now gradually be adjusted after a predetermined amount of time has elapsed following their being claimed." What does this mean? Can you actually elaborate without having us figure it out through trial and error? Can you actually stop having zeni costs be maximized after every maintenance?

I think it might be okay to disincentivize solo or low-number attempts on ZNMs on a temporary basis if there is actually high demand for these at "peak" hours currently, but is this really the case? Doubt it. Wanna bet SE just keeps this crap in permanently?

Another example is that "the effects of certain items used during chocobo races have been adjusted," whatever that means. Why did this have to be changed to begin with? It apparently was fine for over six months!

Overall, though, this update seems solid enough, although it isn't enough to keep me wasting excessive amounts of time for minimal "enjoyment" return. (I've gone well past the point of diminishing returns about a year ago.) Even the simplest things take forever to do, and it's not like I'm actually going to rely on someone else to honor his or her "word" about returning a favor at a later date. That shit has never, ever happened, ever, and I don't need to waste anymore time so that I can someday be wrong.

Nonsense

Since the June update, I've been eagerly awaiting more than one "casual," cutscene-heavy quest to do for the past three months since the fare offered in June was almost non-existent. (Mythic Weapon quests and complete garbage like "The Miraculous Dale" don't even count, but Babban Ny Mheillea was amusing.) Yet the "developers" apparently forgot that key quest-related NPCs disappear during Campaign battle in Bastok Markets (S) and Windurst Waters (S) (and probably San d'Oria, too, depending on your server population's collective ineptitude at Campaign), a ridiculous oversight on their part given that they now allow campaign arbiters (providing teleportation services) and Sigil NPCs to remain during battle (not to mention some Campaign Ops NPCs whom no one cares about). Don't you bootlickers forget that back when "Wings of the Goddess" was released that SE promptly issued an update/fix allowing some quest-related NPCs (for maps) to remain even during Campaign battles. Fuck, even Diordinne sticks around during Campaign.

Obviously, disappearing NPCs in the "hometowns" wasn't a problem before Campaign was fucked with (fixing something that wasn't broken) in favor of the beastmen confederates, and maybe they think this will be moot once loser nations finally get their acts together or the initial surge of interest in the new quests dies down, but it's still puzzling they won't fix something that seems so basic given the fact that they've done it before.

Less time butchering once-orphaned "content" like adventuring fellows, where the "devs" saw fit to reinvent the wheel--same grinding shit just to make entirely cosmetic changes to our fellow's appearance--yet no ToAU availability (who cares if losers "solo" on greater colibri with their fellow?) and no free fourth armor lock. More time on quality-of-life issues, thanks.