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The winter content update for Minecraft has arrived — and it features the first new weapon introduced into the title 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 love chaos.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem update also incorporates several new features and updates centered around riding animals 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 increase combat distance, and we wanted it to be fighting from atop a creature," stated a lead developer. "We prototyped a few different ideas, but the spear was the one that both handled superbly when we ran our trials and also looked good for the intended purpose."

If you're asking yourself whether fighting from a saddle means you can charge at your friends on horseback, the response is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an offensive action ideally crafted for it.

"[Jousting on horses is a major use cases for the spear, and it's incredibly enjoyable," the developer continues. "The spear has a pair of offensive moves: You have the jab attack, where you just stab your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you lower your spear and inflict more damage [with] the more pace you have. So [it’s] perfect for knightly combat."

Sky-High Chaos and Underwater Adventures

The wild enjoyment can extend beyond there, though. If you're deep enough into the game that you've been to The End, the developers have an even more ridiculous idea. "If you are very late, [spears are] ideal for strapping on the elytra and going out and making some real mayhem," she teases.

In other words: Jousting in the clouds is now real, and it deserves to be an Olympic sport immediately.

Another significant inclusion in this latest drop is the underwater mount. This sea-dwelling mob, which is based on the nautilus shells we've all been collecting for years, can be tamed and ridden for underwater travel. Not only will it carry you through the water faster than swimming, it'll also conserve your oxygen levels, so there's no necessity to surface for fresh air.

The other inclusions are mostly things that seek your demise, as is the nature of Minecraft. As expected, there's also a zombie Nautilus appearing in the water, sometimes with a Drowned on its back. If you are able to take care of the Drowned, though, you can befriend the undead mount — or the regular one, for that matter — with a spiky fish.

"We've long considered this issue periodically, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the ideal opportunity to also introduce something for underwater," the developer clarifies. "For the Nautilus in particular, we had a number of concepts for sea mounts that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus initial artwork looked impressive, and we have the link to the Nautilus shell that was pre-existing in the game."

She also points out that there are actually two different types of undead nautilus: regular and coral zombie Nautilus. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you encounter underwater."

Desert Dangers and Long-Awaited Tweaks

Further inclusions include the sun-proof skeletons, biome-specific undead archers that can survive in the sun, which means there's no refuge from them if you end up in that biome. 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 analogous rib-popping design and can sometimes be found at night with a spear-carrying zombie on their back.

The last two things on the drop's list are smaller gameplay updates, including some much-anticipated tweaks to equestrian travel. Now, you can traverse bodies of water while mounted on a horse. Furthermore, netherite horse armor is now obtainable at the workbench, so you can provide your steed with the top-tier safeguarding it deserves.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

All told, the last content update of the year is a pretty good one. The spear on its own — and the mayhem it enables — would have constituted a major improvement. Add in the Nautilus, and new threats trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a little more dangerous.

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