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The seasonal content update for the block-building phenomenon has arrived — and it includes the initial fresh armament introduced into the title since the heavy club made its debut. The spear is now available and it could very well revolutionize your approach to Minecraft, especially if you love chaos.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mayhem Mounts update also adds a host of fresh elements and enhancements focused on riding animals in the game. That focus made the spear the ideal addition for this release, as the development team had long felt it was time for a fresh combat tool.

"From the outset, we understood that we desired a new weapon that would add some more range, and we designed it specifically for mounted combat," stated a lead developer. "We prototyped a few different ideas, but the lance was the one that both handled superbly when we ran our trials and also made sense for the use case."

If you're wondering whether mounted combat means you can joust against your companions on horseback, the answer is a definite affirmative. In fact, there's even an combat move ideally crafted for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is one of the biggest use cases for the spear, and it's incredibly enjoyable," the lead says. "The spear has two attacks: You have the quick stab, where you simply impale your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you couch your lance and deal greater injury [with] the more speed and velocity you have. So [it’s] tailor-made for knightly combat."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The wild enjoyment can extend beyond there, though. If you're far enough into the game that you've been to The End, the developers have an even more ridiculous idea. "If you are quite advanced, [spears are] excellent for equipping the elytra and going out and making some real mayhem," she hints.

In other words: Jousting in the clouds is now a reality, and it deserves to be an competitive event immediately.

Another key feature in this fresh content is the Nautilus. This underwater creature, which is modeled after the nautilus shells we've all been collecting for years, can be tamed and mounted for submarine exploration. Not only will it move you through the water more swiftly than swimming, it'll also maintain your oxygen levels, so there's no necessity to return to the surface for a breath.

The remaining new features are mostly things that are out to get you, as is the nature of Minecraft. Unsurprisingly, there's also a zombie Nautilus popping up in the water, frequently with a Drowned on its back. If you manage to defeat the Drowned, though, you can claim the undead mount — or the standard version, for that matter — with a spiky fish.

"We've long considered this problem for some time, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the right time to also unveil something for underwater," the lead explains. "For the Nautilus in particular, we had a number of concepts for aquatic rides that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus design sketches looked striking, and we have the tie-in to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

She also adds that there are actually a pair of variants of undead nautilus: regular and coral zombie Nautilus. "[The variants] provide diversity to what you encounter underwater."

Desert Dangers and Long-Awaited Tweaks

Other additions include the Parched, biome-specific skeletons that can endure the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you find yourself in that biome. Sometimes you'll see them on zombified camels, another new mob. These passive, zombified camels have an excellent design that sees their ribs poking out. The applies equally to zombie horses, who have a analogous exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be found at night with a spear-carrying undead rider on their back.

The last two things on the drop's list are minor quality-of-life improvements, including some long-overdue changes to equestrian travel. Now, you can cross bodies of water while riding a horse. Additionally, netherite horse armor is now obtainable at the workbench, so you can give your horse the top-tier safeguarding it is worthy of.

A Spicy Send-Off for the Year

All told, the final game drop of the year is a pretty good one. The spear on its own — and the mayhem it enables — would have felt like a considerable upgrade. Add in the Nautilus, and additional creatures trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a little more dangerous.

The Mayhem Mounts update is out now for all major editions of Minecraft.