by Darvin on Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:28 pm
I think the platemail nerf was chosen more thematically than anything. The slow effect works beautifully from the conceptual point of view, but it certainly was an overnerf.
Platemail was definitely far too powerful in its earlier form, and there was little reason to prepare anything else. That on its own means drastic action was justified. It's now a below-average item and not really locker worthy, but it's still decent and I do purchase it in-dungeon, particularly for taking down monsters like meatmen.
Really, if you're been around long enough, the same thing happened to the venom sword, trisword, dragonshield, mage plate, and avatar's symbol. They all had it coming, and some of them are still quite powerful in spite of drastic nerfs, and they will certainly never see their former glory.