After several days of testing and investing around 30 to 40 divines, the mortar cannon tactician build has reached a well-rounded state. This update focuses on recent bug fixes, performance changes, new upgrade paths, and practical advice for optimizing the build moving forward.

Recent Bug Fixes and Mortar Cannon Tactician Adjustments

The latest patch introduced key fixes that impact mortar cannon tactician users and crossbow builds in general. The long-standing reload bug, which caused failures when weapon swapping, has finally been resolved. This opens the door for alternate setups like Galvanic Arrow and Shock Burst Rounds without performance issues.

Another significant change involves Defy II, a fix that eliminates mana costs for self-cast setups. This is particularly impactful for self-cast grenades, as it removes one of the biggest barriers for running non-totem playstyles. However, this benefit does not extend to totems since they only require placement once and do not consume ongoing mana.

Companion Nerf and Mortar Cannon Tactician Build Decisions

The companion nerf included in the patch notably reduced the innate Haste Beast’s effect. Previously granting 25% movement speed, the new haste aura now provides only 10% movement speed and 20% attack speed. While companions are still usable, they require farming specific fast wasps in the Ashen Forest interlude zone and using the Tame Beast skill gem to capture them.

However, with the increased reservation cost (currently bugged at 50% instead of 24.9%), many players are questioning if companions remain worth the investment. This impacts build flexibility, forcing sacrifices in support gems and aura setups depending on your playstyle priorities.

Mortar Cannon Tactician Gear, Charms, and Upgrades

Upgrading gear remains a critical step for maximizing damage output and survivability. The Fall of the Axe charm is highly recommended, as it nullifies slows temporarily and grants onslaught during effects — useful for maps with chill ground or temporal chains.

Expensive charms exist in the market, some costing 50+ divines, but practical setups often involve a mix of anti-stun, rarity, and situational mobility charms. For defense, investing in armor scaling synergizes well with the mortar cannon tactician path:

  • Prioritize Iron Reflexes to convert evasion to armor.

  • Combine Glancing Blows with hybrid armor bases for balanced mitigation.

  • Look for gear with “percentage of armor also applies to elemental damage” for layered defenses.

These upgrades allow mortar cannon tactician builds to withstand heavy hits while maintaining high damage potential.

Endgame Paths and Mortar Cannon Tactician Playstyle Options

The mortar cannon tactician excels at both mapping and bossing, but certain encounters require caution. Bosses like Arbiter are particularly challenging due to visual clutter and the build’s spam-heavy nature, making phase transitions harder to track.

Endgame optimization opens several paths:

  • Transitioning into self-cast grenades for faster clearing when damage scales high enough.

  • Maintaining totem playstyles for consistent high DPS in sustained fights.

  • Experimenting with alternative crossbow-focused builds now that the reload bug is fixed.

Additionally, Headhunter belts remain a game-changer for mapping speed and survivability. While costly, their synergy with mortar cannon tactician setups makes them a long-term goal for pushing juiced maps efficiently.