[Chaos]

Criticals are supposed to be more about precision

Then please explain to me why Axes outclass Swords and Spears in the base Critical Damage department.

Sure, daggers slipping through armor and into someone's throat is a solid image, but Critical Damage can also be seen as breaking through someone's defenses with sheer, overwhelming power.

I don't think 'versatility' is the driving point with STR, it's about having the horsepower to land solid, physical blows and the ability to lug around heavy stuff without breaking your back. Inate DEF bypassing is not necessary here.

Yeeeeeessss, because dumping into STR for solving some B/W issues really feels rewarding doesn't it? Let's stray away from that, why don't we?

'rewarding' isn't the driving point here. If the secondary effects of STR can be safely ignored due to extremely accessible stuff like VIT and Packrat, there's a problem, because no stat in this game should be dumped without any consequences.