🔗 Share this article

The seasonal game drop for Minecraft has arrived — and it brings with it the initial fresh armament added to the game since the heavy club made its debut. The javelin is finally here and it has the potential to revolutionize your approach to Minecraft, especially if you enjoy mayhem.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mayhem Mounts update also introduces several new features and updates focused on animal mounts in the game. That central theme made the spear the ideal addition for this release, as the development team had long felt it was the moment to introduce a new weapon.

"From the outset, we understood that we aimed for a new weapon that would provide extended reach, and we envisioned it for mounted combat," explained a senior product manager. "We experimented with a number of concepts, but the lance was the one that both played wonderfully when we tested our prototypes and also made sense for the intended purpose."

If you're wondering whether fighting from a saddle means you can charge at your companions on steeds, the response is a definite affirmative. In fact, there's even an offensive action ideally crafted for it.

"[Jousting on horses is a major applications for the spear, and it's so much fun," the lead adds. "The spear has a pair of offensive moves: You have the quick stab, where you simply impale your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you couch your lance and get more damage [with] the more speed and velocity you have. So [it’s] ideal for knightly combat."

Sky-High Chaos and Underwater Adventures

The chaotic fun doesn't have to stop there, though. If you're advanced sufficiently 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] ideal for strapping on 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 competitive event right away.

Another key feature in this latest drop is the Nautilus. This underwater creature, which is modeled after the seashells players have gathered for years, can be domesticated and ridden for underwater travel. Not only will it transport you through the water faster than swimming, it'll also maintain your air supply, so there's no need to return to the surface for a breath.

The other inclusions are mostly things that want to kill you, as is the tradition of Minecraft. As expected, there's also a undead nautilus appearing in the water, often with a zombie villager on its back. If you are able to defeat the Drowned, though, you can tame the undead mount — or the regular one, for that matter — with a puffer fish.

"We've long considered this challenge periodically, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it seemed like the ideal opportunity to also unveil something for the ocean depths," the lead explains. "For the Nautilus in particular, we had a several proposals for aquatic rides that we wanted to test, but the Nautilus initial artwork looked compelling, and we have the link to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

She also points out that there are actually a pair of variants of zombie Nautilus: standard and coral zombie Nautilus. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you encounter underwater."

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Other additions include the Parched, biome-specific skeletons that can withstand the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you find yourself in that region. Sometimes you'll see them on desiccated dromedaries, another fresh creature. Camel husks have an striking appearance that sees their ribs poking out. The applies equally to zombie horses, who have a comparable rib-popping design and can sometimes be spawned in the darkness with a lance-wielding zombie on their back.

The remaining updates on the drop's list are smaller gameplay updates, including some much-anticipated adjustments to equestrian travel. Now, you can ford rivers and lakes while mounted on a horse. Furthermore, high-tier barding is now available at the crafting table, so you can give your horse the top-tier safeguarding it deserves.

A Spicy Send-Off for the Year

In summary, the year-end release of the year is a notable addition. The spear on its own — and the pandemonium it invites — would have constituted a major improvement. Combine that with the Nautilus, and additional creatures trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a touch more chaotic.

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