Alright folks, let’s talk shop about that Treachery runeword armor everyone keeps buzzing about. Honestly? Didn’t believe the hype at first. You know how it is – gotta see it to believe it. So, I figured, why not roll up my sleeves and craft the dang thing myself?
Digging Up the Stuff
First things first, gotta get the pieces. Needed a decent 3-socket non-magical armor base. Easy enough, right? Wrong. Spent what felt like ages running Lower Kurast like a madman. Boots worn out, fingers cramping from clicking chests… Finally! Snagged a nice-looking Mage Plate. Nothing super fancy, but solid defenses and low requirements. Perfect for my test character.
Next, those runes: Shael, Thul, and Lem. Not gonna lie, Lem was the tricky one. Had to hit up the Countess in Hell difficulty, focusing on dropping those unique monsters like flies. Took a few frustrating runs where everything but Lem dropped. Patience paid off eventually, found one nestled in a pile of junk.
Slapping it Together (The Moment of Truth)
Okay, runes in hand, base armor ready. Time to socket. Popped open the cube, sweaty palms and all:
- Shael – into the top socket.
- Thul – middle slot.
- Lem – bottom socket.
Hovered the cursor over the runes in the cube… held my breath… clicked Transmute. Boom! Purple flash! Success. Treachery sat there, all unassuming.
First Impressions? Meh…
Slapped that bad boy on my mercenary (figured he could handle riskier testing than my main!). Checked the stats:
- That 5% chance to cast Level 15 Fade when struck sounded cool.
- +2 Assassin skills – useless for my merc, but noted.
- 45% Increased Attack Speed – Okay, okay, now we’re talkin’! Speedy stabs.
- 20% Faster Hit Recovery – Nice bonus.
- Cold Resist +30% – Solid.
- Slain monsters rest in peace – Useful for those pesky revivers.
Honestly? Looked good, solid, but nothing mind-blowing on paper compared to stuff like Fortitude. Stats seemed… workmanlike? Thought I might’ve wasted my Lem.
The Magic Happens… Eventually
Sent my dude and the merc into some hellish zones. First few fights, nothing special. Merc swinging faster, sure, but taking hits. Then, it happened. He got smacked, a weird pulsing aura appeared around him – Fade triggered! Suddenly:
- Massive +60 to All Resistances flashed on his stats.
- He got a 15% Physical Damage Reduction buff.
Seriously? For a cheap runeword? My jaw dropped. This thing wasn’t about static defense, it was about survival insurance. That moment when Fade kicks in? Total game-changer. He became a tank soaking up elemental damage like a sponge.
And let’s not forget the 20% Chance to cast Level 15 Venom on striking. Watching green poison clouds pop out consistently – it just melted trash mobs! Constant poison damage ticking away? So good for clearing waves.
So, Why the Love?
Putting Treacherry through its paces made the hype crystal clear:
- Affordable: Lem is the highest rune. For that power? Bargain.
- Simple Base: Any decent 3-socket armor works. No crazy ethereal elite bases needed.
- Massive Survivability Boosts: That Fade proc is HUGE. It essentially gives god-mode resistances and damage reduction to mercs (or you!) regularly.
- Huge Damage Speed Boost: 45% IAS is insane for boosting damage output.
- Free, Constant Poison: Venom procs relentlessly, adding tons of DoT.
It looks humble on paper. It really does. You gotta see it in action, especially that Fade triggering and the Venom chipping away. Then you get it. Then you love it. It’s become my absolute go-to for mid-level mercs or specific builds needing that IAS and built-in defense trigger. Don’t sleep on Treachery!