It makes zero sense for the PLD class to have three different skills for AoE

[WhyAmIHere]

Wait, WAR's ASKED for an AoE shield?

WAR's generally asked for raid utility. They asked for SiO to do something.
SE saw an "easy" fix to address both those points in one. (read: easy == simple/lazy/little work required)

[Kalise]

WAR's generally asked for raid utility. They asked for SiO to do something.
SE saw an "easy" fix to address both those points in one. (read: easy == simple/lazy/little work required)

yes they did, one of the comon most request of WAR back in 4.0 is giving utility to WAR in form of a party defensive support skill, the most comon sugestion whas an aoe thrill of battle, expand his iriginal effect to all the party or some kind of defensive mitigation.

Oh, so they merely asked for party utility.

Thus you make it seem like they were saying "We don't have an AoE shield like PLD, we should get one!" to further fuel WAR hate...

In fact, no-one asked for an AoE shield at all from what I can see. Instead looking at things like TBN's single target shield but as a health buff instead. Or otherwise AoE Thrill of Battle, which would have been more thematic than an AoE shield.

It was SE that decided to make SiO into an AoE shield. It was not down to WAR's asking for it.

I personally, don't like SiO. I feel it's out of place in WAR. In the same vein, I'd still like it if WAR and DRK had some party utility so as to not have PLD having literally all of it. However, done so in ways that is thematic to WAR and DRK and won't be just copying a PLD skill.

However this is off-topic here. It would make much more sense for me to discuss it in a WAR 5.0 wishlist thread (Much like other roles subforums have for various classes), but I'm afraid to make one because I know it will inevitably just be drowned out by anti-WAR hate posts from most likely 2 very vocal posters whom neither wish to create wishlist threads about their preferred jobs nor wish to create a thread to complain about WAR.