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The winter content update for the block-building phenomenon has arrived — and it brings with it the initial fresh armament introduced into the title since the mace made its debut. The spear is finally here and it might just revolutionize your approach to Minecraft, particularly when you enjoy mayhem.

A Weapon Forged for Mounted Mayhem

The Mayhem Mounts drop also introduces a host of fresh elements and enhancements centered around animal mounts in the game. That focus made the spear the ideal addition for this release, as the creators had long felt it was the moment to introduce a fresh combat tool.

"From the outset, we understood that we wanted a fresh armament that would provide extended reach, and we wanted it to be mounted combat," stated a senior product manager. "We experimented with 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 tilt at your friends on horseback, the response is a definite affirmative. In fact, there's even an offensive action ideally crafted for it.

"Mounted lance combat] 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 jab attack, where you just stab your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you lower your spear and get greater injury [with] the more pace you have. So [it’s] perfect for jousting on horses."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The wild enjoyment can extend beyond there, though. If you're advanced sufficiently into the game that you've visited The End, the developers have an delightfully absurd idea. "If you are in the end-game, [spears are] ideal for equipping the wings and flying forth and making some real mayhem," she teases.

In other words: Jousting in the clouds is now a reality, and it should be made an Olympic sport immediately.

Another major addition in this fresh content is the underwater mount. This aquatic being, which is inspired by the seashells players have gathered for years, can be domesticated and ridden for deep-sea journeys. Not only will it carry you through the water faster than swimming, it'll also preserve your oxygen levels, so there's no necessity to come up for air for oxygen.

The rest of the additions are mostly things that are out to get you, as is the nature of Minecraft. Naturally, there's also a undead nautilus spawning in the water, frequently with a zombie villager on its back. If you succeed in take care of the Drowned, though, you can claim the zombie Nautilus — or the standard version, for that matter — with a spiky fish.

"We've been thinking about this problem on and off, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like 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 underwater mounts that we wanted to test, but the Nautilus design sketches looked impressive, and we have the link to the Nautilus shell that was pre-existing in the game."

She also notes that there are actually a pair of variants of undead nautilus: regular and coral-infested undead mount. "[The variants] add variety to what you encounter underwater."

Desert Dangers and Long-Awaited Tweaks

Further inclusions include the sun-proof skeletons, desert-exclusive undead archers that can withstand the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you venture in that biome. Sometimes you'll see them on zombified camels, another fresh creature. Camel husks have an notable look that sees their ribs poking out. The applies equally to undead steeds, who have a analogous exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be spawned in the darkness with a spear-carrying zombie on their back.

The remaining updates on the drop's list are minor quality-of-life improvements, including some highly requested adjustments to riding horses. Now, you can cross rivers and lakes while mounted on a horse. Additionally, high-tier barding is now craftable at the crafting table, so you can provide your steed with the top-tier safeguarding it is worthy of.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

Overall, 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. Throw in the Nautilus, and new threats seeking your end, and Minecraft's definitely getting a touch more chaotic.

The Mounts of Mayhem content drop is available for all major editions of Minecraft.