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The winter content update for Minecraft has touched down — and it features the first new weapon introduced into the game since the heavy club made its debut. The lance is finally here and it has the potential to alter your gameplay in Minecraft, particularly when you enjoy mayhem.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem update also adds several new features and updates related to 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 add some more range, and we wanted it to be mounted combat," explained a lead developer. "We prototyped 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 use case."

If you're asking yourself whether fighting from a saddle means you can tilt at your friends on horseback, the response is a definite affirmative. In fact, there's even an offensive action excellently designed for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is a primary use cases for the spear, and it's a blast," the lead continues. "The spear has two attacks: You have the jab attack, where you simply impale your enemy. But you also have a sprinting strike where you couch your lance and deal more damage [with] the more momentum you have. So [it’s] perfect for mounted duels."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The unruly pleasure can extend beyond 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 flying forth and creating genuine chaos," she hints.

In other words: Sky jousting is now real, and it needs to become an Olympic sport without delay.

Another key feature in this latest drop is the underwater mount. This aquatic being, which is inspired by the seashells we've all been collecting for years, can be domesticated and mounted for underwater travel. Not only will it move you through the water more swiftly than swimming, it'll also preserve your oxygen levels, so there's no necessity to come up for air for a breath.

The other inclusions are largely things that are out to get you, as is the tradition of Minecraft. Naturally, there's also a rotting sea creature spawning in the water, often with a zombie villager on its back. If you manage to defeat the Drowned, though, you can befriend the zombie Nautilus — or the regular one, for that matter — with a blowfish.

"We've long considered this issue for some time, 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 clarifies. "For the Nautilus specifically, we had a few different ideas for sea mounts that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus concept art looked striking, and we have the tie-in to the Nautilus shell that was pre-existing in the game."

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

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Additional features include the sun-proof skeletons, biome-specific skeletons that can withstand the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you end up in that environment. Sometimes you'll see them on camel husks, another fresh creature. Camel husks have an excellent design that sees their bones protruding. The same goes for undead steeds, who have a comparable exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be encountered after dark with a lance-wielding zombie on their back.

The final pair of items on the drop's list are smaller gameplay updates, including some long-overdue tweaks to riding horses. Now, you can ford waterways while mounted on a horse. Furthermore, high-tier barding is now obtainable at the workbench, so you can provide your steed with the best defense it is worthy of.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

All told, the year-end release of the year is a notable addition. The spear on its own — and the potential for chaos — would have seemed like a significant enhancement. Combine that with the Nautilus, and new threats trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a bit spicier.

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