What functionality is missing? What is unsatisfying with the current situation?

Visual Editor Plutarch is a stellar improvement to the old Plato editor. However, the lack of a toolbar for the basic functions the editor is capable of significantly disrupts article workflow when you have to hunt through the new pop up box. Although the "/commands" are handy and could make formatting even quicker, it is a difficult shortcut to get used to, as is the multitude of commands you would have to memorize.   The addition of a toolbar at the top of every article box would decrease the new barrier to entry for people trying to migrate from Plato and new World Anvil users.  

How does this feature request address the current situation?

Plutarch is a relatively new visual editor that will doubtlessly cause growing pains as users adapt to the new system, as all new editing systems tend to cause. By adding some of the old functionalities of Plato to Plutarch, these issues can be minimized.   Even Euclid, the advanced BBCode editor designed for avid authors and worldbuilders with a deeper understanding of webdesign and markdown, still has a toolbar at the top of every textbox.  

What are other uses for this feature request?

A distinct toolbar would help onboard users and allow them to explore the extent of Plutarch's new editing system and fashion their articles into a more engaging and alluring format. In my personal experience, idly clicking around in the toolbar has given me inspiration in planning the layout and organization of sprawling articles. With the new pop-up box system, it makes it significantly more difficult to have those bursts of creativity that help propel your work further than you expect.