So wouldn't it be smart to have low def on the treachery armor for merc because it would lead to quicker fade? Or is there some sweet spot for def?

idk i used low def treacherys till i could get a higher def one and it worked really well.

Not getting hit is still better

Not really IMO the way I see it the fade buff lasts for like 5 mins, unless you just prebuff with it then switch it out it'd be pointless to go low def

That's the problem i have with treachery. It sometimes take a while for fade to trigger.

But your merc will get hit so much anyway even if he has high defense, so it will eventually trigger anyway. However i prefer fortitude when i can afford it.

Defense on merc is nearly useless unless you can give him auras/bo's til it reaches 15k+, but you will see not a lot of difference wearing a 100 def treachery or a 1300 def treachery, fade will proc pretty easy.

That's why i prefer fortitude. Level 15 chilling armor increases armor. 115% ed, idk if that is just the body armor's defense number increase, or the total defense overall increase. But it pushes his defense up by a leap and seems to make him take less hits.

If i play bowzon or another character that uses treachery, and my economy is such that i use treachery at myself and fortitude at merc, i switch the two occasionally so that both gets the fade and chilling armor bonus, especially the merc. That really makes him tanky.