EndeavourOS Linux Mercury Neo refresh arrives with updated ISO and proves Windows 11 isn’t worth the hassle

There’s a new ISO out for EndeavourOS called “Mercury Neo,” and it’s the kind of Linux release that makes you seriously question why you’re still putting up with the annoying Windows 11. Let’s be honest, folks, Microsoft’s flagship product feels more like a roadblock than an operating system at this point. Mercury Neo, on the other hand, just quietly works.

This isn’t some big flashy overhaul, and that’s totally fine; it’s more of a quiet tune-up. Mercury Neo is a refreshed take on the Mercury release from February, and it brings some important fixes, updates, and improvements -- especially for folks doing new installs. If you’ve already got Mercury installed and you update regularly, you’re good. There's no need to reinstall anything.

The new ISO brings updated packages and tools that make the install experience smoother and more predictable. The Calamares installer has been bumped to version 25.02.2.1-2. Firefox 136 is baked in. The Linux kernel in this release is version 6.13.7.arch1-1. There’s also Mesa 25, the latest Xorg server, and updated Nvidia drivers for those using discrete graphics.

A few smart changes were made under the hood too. The developers removed xwaylandvideobridge from the install script since it was dropped upstream. Mirror ranking during install has been fixed too. The bug was causing failed installations in certain regions. Obsolete Nvidia boot options have been cleaned up as well.

One change that’s easy to miss but is really useful: if you pick the Systemd auto-install option, the EFI partition will now be 2GB instead of 1GB. That might sound small, but it gives you more breathing room for things like multiple kernels and advanced setups. It’s the kind of detail Windows users never even get to control.

Mercury Neo is Arch-based, so it’s fast, lightweight, and a rolling release and it also feels surprisingly polished. The team behind it actually listens to feedback, and they’re constantly refining things based on real-world use. That’s something you just don’t really see from Microsoft.

EndeavourOS Mercury Neo is available to download here now.