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The seasonal content update 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 spear is now available and it could very well change how you play Minecraft, especially if you love chaos.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem drop also incorporates a host of fresh elements and enhancements centered around animal mounts in the game. That central theme made the spear the natural choice for this release, as the development team had already known it was time for a fresh combat tool.

"From the outset, we understood that we wanted a new weapon that would increase combat distance, and we envisioned it for mounted combat," explained a lead developer. "We experimented with a few different ideas, but the lance was the one that both felt great when we tested our prototypes and also was visually fitting for the intended purpose."

If you're curious whether mounted combat means you can tilt at your allies on steeds, the response is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an offensive action ideally crafted for it.

"[Jousting on horses is a primary functions for the spear, and it's a blast," the developer adds. "The spear has a dual attack system: You have the thrust, where you simply impale your enemy. But you also have a charge attack where you lower your spear and deal greater injury [with] the more pace you have. So [it’s] tailor-made for jousting on horses."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The chaotic fun isn't limited to there, though. If you're advanced sufficiently into the game that you've explored The End, the developers have an even more ridiculous idea. "If you are quite advanced, [spears are] perfect for strapping on the elytra and going out and making some real mayhem," she teases.

In other words: Sky jousting is now a reality, and it deserves to be an competitive event right away.

Another significant inclusion in this new update is the underwater mount. This sea-dwelling mob, which is modeled after the nautilus shells found in-game for years, can be tamed and ridden for submarine exploration. Not only will it carry you through the water faster than swimming, it'll also maintain your oxygen levels, so there's no need to come up for air for oxygen.

The other inclusions are mostly things that want to kill you, as is the way of Minecraft. As expected, there's also a undead nautilus appearing in the water, sometimes with a Drowned on its back. If you succeed in dispatch the Drowned, though, you can claim the undead mount — or the standard version, for that matter — with a blowfish.

"We've pondered this problem on and off, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it appeared to be the ideal opportunity to also bring in something for the ocean depths," the lead explains. "For the Nautilus specifically, we had a few different ideas for aquatic rides that we wanted to experiment with, but the Nautilus design sketches looked impressive, and we have the link to the Nautilus shell that was found within the game."

She also points out that there are actually a pair of variants of undead nautilus: standard and coral-infested undead mount. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you find underwater."

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Further inclusions include the sun-proof skeletons, desert-exclusive undead archers that can endure the sun, which means there's no getting away from them if you find yourself in that region. Sometimes you'll see them on camel husks, another fresh creature. Camel husks have an striking appearance that sees their skeletal frame exposed. The applies equally to undead steeds, who have a analogous exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be found at night with a lance-wielding zombie on their back.

The last two things on the drop's list are smaller gameplay updates, including some highly requested adjustments to riding horses. Now, you can cross rivers and lakes while atop a horse. Additionally, netherite horse armor is now available at the workbench, so you can give your horse the best defense it deserves.

A Spicy Send-Off for the Year

All told, the year-end release of the year is a pretty good one. The spear alone — and the mayhem it enables — would have felt like a major improvement. Add in the Nautilus, and more things seeking your end, and Minecraft's definitely getting a bit spicier.

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