I remember when Fulminators and the girdle of serpents was some of the most coveted items in the game because of their extra damage. Inferno gear was a huge reward.
Now any goodie with request can pull off nearly the same thing. Most people who write areas want them to actually be used (example being Caravan of Jhianna, the jade elf village, Balator Fields, and a whole long list of places no one really goes for gear) so they design cooler and cooler gear....at the expensive of balance.
It's not just villagers that are the problem, it's really the speed of combat and damage has gone way up over the years. We're not seeing dual unspeak backstabs but the penalty to dying in one or two rounds is a lot more painful now than it ever was.