Let me share my opinion on the relevant points of this update:
FF: I'll be biref: good, we have been wanting it for a long time. Let's see how things are going to work.
Mounts&Saddles:
- Jumping thunder: honestly who cares... is there still anybody still wasting time sleeping in this game?
- Rolling thunder: are they astonishing? No. Did I expect them to be stronger, having seen the regular set? Yes. Am I unhappy? No.
In the end, they are fine. Bonuses are more or less balanced. If I had bulls ^2 would i consider buying them? Maybe not, but they are nevertheless stronger. But in many servers bulls are rare to find nowadays and players come to forts with Leavenworth's saddle/mount, which is suboptimal since the reduced defence given by the lack of hiding skill is relevant and can be easily perceived during battles.
- Davis tutt: I initially thought this whole set sucked, as Zapata did during his time. Reading it carefully, however, I think it might find some space, limited, but still some space. This is due to the sector defence bonus. In both attack and defence, 1 (max 2) adventurers (since they are useless both as sniper and on frontlines) can be equipped with this set (weapons+clothes+h&s) and be used as banners to boost up the defence of soldiers by 17, which is a lot and can seriously impact battles. But the set is still weak and should receive a buff. The same goes for horse and saddle. Need AT LEAST more resistence. AT LEAST (Not talking about sector defence, otherwise the buff is indirecly for soldiers). And I would increase the defence stat too. Since they can not absorb, at least make them harder to hit, and when hit, make them more durable.
It is clear that nobody will use this set besides adventurers and workers. Now, the latter are decent snipers and most of them go in that direction, while the former are completely useless in fort battles. There are servers where battle are decided just because an alliance has too many adventurers within their lines, and these adventurers are often very high in level. Old timers remember that adventurer's avatar 13+ years ago was by far the coolest one, and many chose it for that reason, since 15 levels in the game do not give you the proper understanding to make a thoughtful choice. These guys have been locked for 15 with a worthless character. If you do not want to rework it, at least give them OP sets that will make them somehow useful in FFs.