Nah defensive pacts are cool, they make you interact with the game in other ways
>Marry into the big players to make NAPs
>Instigate revolts in other realms and keep the revolt leader into your own payroll by gifting him loads of gold
>Declare multiple quick war and win before anyone comes to you
>Or have 150k of men under your service and just murder hordes of nations for fun with general Big Dickus and your own ruler with 40 martial and the ark of convenant
The defensive pacts are only shit when the pope wants you to go into a war and because of defensive pacts he joined the war. Thats bullshit.