diff --git a/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/opt/array_set.rs b/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/opt/array_set.rs
index 58ba498e68b..0a8f05c709c 100644
--- a/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/opt/array_set.rs
+++ b/compiler/noirc_evaluator/src/ssa/opt/array_set.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,9 @@
 //! set a known index on a previous `make_array` instruction, as long as both instructions
 //! are under the same side-effects predicate or the side effects var for the `array_set` is `true`.
 //!
+//! If the predicates are different, but the element type is numeric, it will use the `ValueMerger`
+//! to merge the items.
+//!
 //! For example, this:
 //!
 //! ```text
@@ -20,9 +23,36 @@
 //!
 //! ```text
 //! enable_side_effects v0
-//! v0 = make_array [Field 2, Field 3] : [Field; 2]
-//! enable_side_effects v1
-//! v1 = array_set v0, index u32 0, value Field 4
+//! v1 = make_array [Field 2, Field 3] : [Field; 2]
+//! enable_side_effects v2
+//! v3 = array_set v0, index u32 0, value Field 4
+//! ```
+//!
+//! will change into this:
+//!
+//! ```text
+//! enable_side_effects v0
+//! v1 = make_array [Field 2, Field 3] : [Field; 2]
+//! enable_side_effects v2
+//! v3 = not v2
+//! v4 = cast v2 as Field
+//! v5 = cast v3 as Field
+//! v6 = mul v4, Field 4
+//! v7 = mul v5, Field 2
+//! v8 = add v6, v7
+//! v9 = make_array [v8, Field 3] : [Field; 2]
+//! ```
+//!
+//! and this:
+//!
+//! ```text
+//! enable_side_effects v0
+//! v1 = make_array [Field 1, Field 2] : [Field; 2]
+//! v2 = make_array [Field 3, Field 4] : [Field; 2]
+//! v3 = make_array [v1, v2] : [[Field; 2]; 2]
+//! enable_side_effects v4
+//! v5 = make_array [Field 5, Field 6] : [Field; 2]
+//! v6 = array_set v3, index u32 0, value v5
 //! ```
 //!
 //! will remain unchanged.
@@ -30,10 +60,12 @@ use std::collections::HashMap;
 
 use acvm::AcirField;
 use im::Vector;
+use noirc_errors::call_stack::CallStackId;
 
 use crate::ssa::{
     ir::{
-        dfg::DataFlowGraph,
+        basic_block::BasicBlockId,
+        dfg::{DataFlowGraph, simplify::value_merger::ValueMerger},
         function::Function,
         instruction::{Instruction, InstructionId},
         value::{Value, ValueId},
@@ -92,8 +124,10 @@ impl Function {
                     let array = *array;
                     let value = *value;
 
-                    if let Some(elements) = fold_array_set_into_make_array(
+                    if let Some((elements, insert_predicate)) = fold_array_set_into_make_array(
                         context.dfg,
+                        context.block_id,
+                        context.call_stack_id,
                         array,
                         value,
                         index,
@@ -111,10 +145,12 @@ impl Function {
                         context.replace_value(result, new_result);
 
                         // Keep track of the predicate of the newly inserted make_array instruction
-                        let Value::Instruction { instruction: new_instruction_id, .. } = context.dfg[new_result] else {
-                            unreachable!("Expected the previous make_array insertion to be an instruction value");
-                        };
-                        make_array_predicates.insert(new_instruction_id, context.enable_side_effects);
+                        if insert_predicate {
+                            let Value::Instruction { instruction: new_instruction_id, .. } = context.dfg[new_result] else {
+                                unreachable!("Expected the last make_array insertion to be an instruction value");
+                            };
+                            make_array_predicates.insert(new_instruction_id, context.enable_side_effects);
+                        }
                     }
                 }
                 _ => {}
@@ -123,14 +159,24 @@ impl Function {
     }
 }
 
+/// Decide whether we can turn an `array_set` into a `make_array`, returning:
+/// * `None` to keep the `array_set`
+/// * `Some(elements, insert_predicate)` to replace it with a `make_array` with the updated `elements`;
+///
+/// If `insert_predicate` is true then we should keep tracking the side effect variable of the new `make_array`.
+/// Otherwise the `elements` are a result of merging the items at the `index` under different predicates,
+/// and the items in the `make_array` can be a mix of various side effects, and tracking must be stopped for it.
+#[allow(clippy::too_many_arguments)]
 fn fold_array_set_into_make_array(
-    dfg: &DataFlowGraph,
+    dfg: &mut DataFlowGraph,
+    block_id: BasicBlockId,
+    call_stack_id: CallStackId,
     array_id: ValueId,
     value: ValueId,
     index: u32,
     side_effects_var: ValueId,
     make_array_predicates: &HashMap<InstructionId, ValueId>,
-) -> Option<Vector<ValueId>> {
+) -> Option<(Vector<ValueId>, bool)> {
     let index = index as usize;
 
     let (instruction, instruction_id) = dfg.get_local_or_global_instruction_with_id(array_id)?;
@@ -144,23 +190,57 @@ fn fold_array_set_into_make_array(
     }
 
     let side_effects_var_value = dfg.get_numeric_constant(side_effects_var);
+    let always_executes = side_effects_var_value.is_some_and(|var| var.is_one());
+    let never_executes = side_effects_var_value.is_some_and(|var| var.is_zero());
 
-    // If the current side effects var is `u1 0`, the `array_set` will never execute. In that case we
-    // can make its return value be the original `make_array` it's (not) modifying.
-    if side_effects_var_value.is_some_and(|var| var.is_zero()) {
-        return Some(elements.clone());
+    // If the current side effects var is `u1 0`, the `array_set` will never execute.
+    // In that case we can make its return value be the original `make_array` it's (not) modifying.
+    if never_executes {
+        return Some((elements.clone(), true));
     }
 
-    let can_fold = side_effects_var_value.is_some_and(|var| var.is_one())
-        || make_array_predicates[&instruction_id] == side_effects_var;
-    if !can_fold {
-        // The array_set and make_array are under different predicates, and the array_set predicate is not `true`,
-        // so we can't fold them together.
+    // If the current side effects var is `u1 1`, then the `array_set` will always execute, and we can safely replace the element.
+    // This is also true if the `make_array` was under the same predicate as the `array_set`, however we might not have this
+    // information, if the `make_array` is the result of merging an earlier `make_array` with an `array_set` below;
+    // in that case different items may be under different predicates, and we must keep using merge.
+    let can_fold = always_executes
+        || make_array_predicates.get(&instruction_id).is_some_and(|p| *p == side_effects_var);
+
+    if can_fold {
+        return Some((elements.update(index, value), true));
+    }
+
+    // If we are dealing with a simple numeric value, we can merge it, so the new value will be:
+    // elements[index] = side_effects * value + (1 - side_effects) * elements[index]
+    if !dfg.type_of_value(value).is_numeric() {
         return None;
     }
 
-    let elements = elements.update(index, value);
-    Some(elements)
+    // The array_set and make_array are under different predicates, and the array_set predicate is not `true`,
+    // so we can't fold them together. We can either keep the array_set, or merge the items at that index.
+    let mut elements = elements.clone();
+
+    let negated_side_effects_var = dfg
+        .insert_instruction_and_results(
+            Instruction::Not(side_effects_var),
+            block_id,
+            None,
+            call_stack_id,
+        )
+        .first();
+
+    let merged_value = ValueMerger::merge_numeric_values(
+        dfg,
+        block_id,
+        side_effects_var,
+        negated_side_effects_var,
+        value,
+        elements[index],
+    );
+
+    elements[index] = merged_value;
+
+    Some((elements, false))
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
@@ -219,23 +299,68 @@ mod tests {
         ");
     }
 
-    /// ArraySet on a constant array must not be folded into MakeArray when the
+    /// ArraySet on a constant array must use merging with the MakeArray when the
     /// side-effects predicate is different for both instructions, because the array_set may
     /// not actually execute.
     #[test]
-    fn does_not_fold_array_set_when_side_effects_predicate_is_unknown() {
+    fn merge_folds_array_set_chain_when_side_effects_predicate_is_unknown() {
         let src = "
             acir(inline) fn main f0 {
               b0(v0: u1):
                 v1 = make_array [Field 10, Field 11] : [Field; 2]
                 enable_side_effects v0
                 v2 = array_set v1, index u32 0, value Field 99
+                v3 = array_set v2, index u32 0, value Field 100
                 enable_side_effects u1 1
-                v3 = array_get v2, index u32 0 -> Field
-                return v3
+                v4 = array_get v3, index u32 0 -> Field
+                return v4
             }
         ";
 
+        let ssa = Ssa::from_str(src).unwrap();
+        let ssa = ssa.array_set_optimization();
+
+        assert_ssa_snapshot!(ssa, @r"
+        acir(inline) fn main f0 {
+          b0(v0: u1):
+            v3 = make_array [Field 10, Field 11] : [Field; 2]
+            enable_side_effects v0
+            v4 = not v0
+            v5 = cast v0 as Field
+            v6 = cast v4 as Field
+            v8 = mul v5, Field 99
+            v9 = mul v6, Field 10
+            v10 = add v8, v9
+            v11 = make_array [v10, Field 11] : [Field; 2]
+            v12 = not v0
+            v13 = cast v0 as Field
+            v14 = cast v12 as Field
+            v16 = mul v13, Field 100
+            v17 = mul v14, v10
+            v18 = add v16, v17
+            v19 = make_array [v18, Field 11] : [Field; 2]
+            enable_side_effects u1 1
+            return v18
+        }
+        ");
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn does_not_fold_array_set_on_complex_array() {
+        let src = r#"
+            acir(inline) fn main f0 {
+              b0(v0: u1, v4: u1):
+                enable_side_effects v0
+                v1 = make_array [Field 1, Field 2] : [Field; 2]
+                v2 = make_array [Field 3, Field 4] : [Field; 2]
+                v3 = make_array [v1, v2] : [[Field; 2]; 2]
+                enable_side_effects v4
+                v5 = make_array [Field 5, Field 6] : [Field; 2]
+                v6 = array_set v3, index u32 0, value v5
+                return v6
+            }
+        "#;
+
         assert_ssa_does_not_change(src, Ssa::array_set_optimization);
     }