Time: Since 2.1 launched
Frequency: Whenever the conditions for the bug occur (see details)
World name: Phoenix
Character name: Vina Black
NPC name: ---
Monster name: ---
Class/level: SMN 50
Party or solo: Both (see details)
In-game time: ---
Area and coordinates: (see details)
Steps/details:
The below steps are the only way so far that I have been able to use to replicate the bug on demand 100% of the time. My FC members were also able to successfully use this technique. I am a PS3 player, although my FC are mostly PC.
1. Find a mob to attack (I use the sprites by Revenant Toll's west gate for testing)
2. Starting out of combat, initiate combat with the mob by casting Shadow Flare. You should notice the character model animation clip once it has resolved casting. The bug is now active.
3. Repeatedly cast Ruin 2 to get a better look. You will see that, after the bug has been 'activated', each time an ability is used (in this test, Ruin 2, although other abilities have the same effect), once the casting animation has resolved, the character will clip into a weapon-sheathed stance. This effect is permanent once the bug is 'activated', occurring after every ability use, until either combat ends or the player manually changes stances.
4. It should be noted that in instances (I've primarily played Ultima, Moggle Mog and Amdapor Keep since 2.1 launched), the bug seems to manifest a lot more randomly, not just after Shadow Flare, but seemingly after any ability with a cast time, although this last part is just speculation that requires more testing. The only way I avoided it in one of my Amdapor Keep runs was to open up combat with Ruin 2 or Bio, as they have no cast times, and didn't seem to cause the bug.
5. As well as just looking and feeling bad aesthetically, it has negative consequences in that my targeting modes keep switching back to their sheathed settings during combat due to this.