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## Mercenary: Smoother crossbows and stronger combos

After the warrior , one of the biggest improvements in patch 0.3.0 concerns the fluidity of crossbows and more generally the feel of skills. The Mercenary is the main beneficiary, but these changes also benefit all classes.

##### A much smoother shooting experience

Two major adjustments make run-and-gun gameplay much more enjoyable:
* Crossbow reloading : it no longer penalizes your movement.
* Skills usable while moving : The slowness penalty is now much shorter.

The result: the Mercenary can shoot, move and chain with unprecedented speed, which radically changes the feeling of the class .

##### Improvements to combo mechanics
The team also sought to make the combinations of elements more relevant and sustainable:

Shock : Doubled duration (8s), providing more time to exploit the damage bonus.

Plasma Blast : Now significantly increases damage dealt to shocked enemies.

Chill & Freeze : Slows and freezes last longer, and abilities like Permafrost Bolts take full advantage of this mechanic.

Burning : Burns persist longer, and Incendiary Shot further emphasizes this specialization.

These changes push to integrate secondary damage (cold, fire, lightning) into a build that would not have thought of it before.

##### New synergies between skills

Some combos have been explicitly strengthened:

Frag Rounds : Their chain freeze blasts now hit nearby enemies.

High Velocity Rounds + Armor Break : Armor fragmentation causes each subsequent hit, even weak ones, to deal a portion of the damage from fast-moving projectiles. Perfect for following up with Shotgun Blast and finishing with Frag Rounds to demolish bosses.

New Skill: Mortar Cannon
A particularly spectacular new feature: the Mortar Cannon .

![](https://cdn.poe2db.tw/image/leaks/image-114.webp)

* You can embed any grenade skill into it .
* Upon use, a cannon is summoned, loads and fires the chosen grenade.
* A siege weapon that opens up new strategic possibilities.

![](https://cdn.poe2db.tw/image/leaks/image-115.webp)

##### The Banners Redesigned
Another issue fixed: Banners . Deemed too weak, they have been reworked:

* Extended duration.
* No longer disappear when you leave their area.
* Removal of the Value system.
* They now offer more consistent and powerful bonuses , activated through Glory.