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The winter game drop for the block-building phenomenon has arrived — and it features the initial fresh armament introduced into the title since the heavy club made its debut. The javelin is finally here and it could very well alter your gameplay in Minecraft, especially if you enjoy mayhem.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem drop also introduces a host of fresh elements and updates centered around riding animals in the game. That central theme made the spear the ideal addition for this update, as the development team had already known it was the moment to introduce a fresh combat tool.

"From the outset, we understood that we desired a new weapon that would provide extended reach, and we designed it specifically for fighting from atop a creature," noted a lead developer. "We tried out a number of concepts, but the lance was the one that both played wonderfully when we ran our trials and also made sense for the use case."

If you're asking yourself whether mounted combat means you can charge at your allies on horseback, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an combat move excellently designed for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is a major use cases for the spear, and it's so much fun," the developer continues. "The spear has a dual attack system: You have the jab attack, where you pierce your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you lower your spear and get greater injury [with] the more momentum you have. So [it’s] perfect for knightly combat."

Sky-High Chaos and Underwater Adventures

The unruly pleasure doesn't have to stop there, though. If you're advanced sufficiently into the game that you've explored The End, the developers have an delightfully absurd idea. "If you are very late, [spears are] excellent for strapping on the wings and taking to the skies and unleashing absolute pandemonium," she suggests.

In other words: Jousting in the clouds is now possible, and it should be made an Olympic sport right away.

Another significant inclusion in this fresh content is the Nautilus. This underwater creature, which is based on the nautilus shells we've all been collecting for years, can be tamed and ridden for deep-sea journeys. Not only will it carry you through the water more swiftly than swimming, it'll also preserve your breath meter, so there's no need to come up for air for oxygen.

The rest of the additions are primarily things that want to kill you, as is the nature of Minecraft. Unsurprisingly, there's also a rotting sea creature appearing in the water, sometimes with a zombie villager on its back. If you are able to defeat the Drowned, though, you can tame the zombie Nautilus — or the regular one, for that matter — with a spiky fish.

"We've long considered this issue on and off, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the right time to also bring in something for aquatic environments," the lead clarifies. "For the Nautilus specifically, we had a several proposals for sea mounts that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus design sketches looked impressive, and we have the connection to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

She also adds that there are actually two distinct kinds of zombie Nautilus: regular and coral-infested undead mount. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you discover underwater."

Desert Dangers and Long-Awaited Tweaks

Additional features include the sun-proof skeletons, biome-specific undead archers that can endure the sun, which means there's no refuge from them if you find yourself in that region. Sometimes you'll see them on camel husks, another new mob. Camel husks have an striking appearance that sees their skeletal frame exposed. The applies equally to undead steeds, who have a similar rib-popping design and can sometimes be encountered after dark with a lance-wielding undead rider on their back.

The last two things on the drop's list are minor quality-of-life improvements, including some much-anticipated changes to riding horses. Now, you can cross bodies of water while riding a horse. Furthermore, netherite horse armor is now obtainable at the workbench, so you can give your horse the best defense it deserves.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

In summary, the last content update of the year is a pretty good one. The spear alone — and the pandemonium it invites — would have seemed like a considerable upgrade. Throw in the Nautilus, and additional creatures seeking your end, and Minecraft's definitely getting a bit spicier.

The Mounts of Mayhem update is out now for Java and Bedrock editions of Minecraft.