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The seasonal game drop for Minecraft has arrived — and it features the first new weapon added to 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.

A Weapon Forged for Mounted Mayhem

The Mounts of Mayhem drop also incorporates a host of fresh elements and enhancements centered around riding animals in the game. That focus made the spear the ideal addition for this update, as the development team had already known it was the moment to introduce a fresh combat tool.

"We knew initially that we wanted a new weapon that would increase combat distance, and we designed it specifically for fighting from atop a creature," noted a senior product manager. "We prototyped a number of concepts, but the lance was the one that both played wonderfully when we ran our trials and also was visually fitting for the use case."

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

"Mounted lance combat] is a primary functions for the spear, and it's so much fun," the developer says. "The spear has a pair of offensive moves: You have the jab attack, where you simply impale your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you couch your lance and deal more damage [with] the more pace you have. So [it’s] ideal for knightly combat."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The wild enjoyment 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 truly outlandish idea. "If you are in the end-game, [spears are] ideal for strapping on the wings and taking to the skies and creating genuine chaos," she teases.

In other words: Aerial lance combat is now real, and it needs to become an competitive event immediately.

Another major addition in this latest drop is the Nautilus. This underwater creature, which is inspired by the nautilus shells found in-game for years, can be tamed and mounted 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 requirement to come up for air for a breath.

The other inclusions are mostly things that want to kill you, as is the nature of Minecraft. Naturally, there's also a undead nautilus spawning in the water, often with a Drowned on its back. If you manage to dispatch 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 issue for some time, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it appeared to be the perfect moment to also unveil something for aquatic environments," the developer clarifies. "For the Nautilus specifically, we had a several proposals for aquatic rides that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus concept art looked compelling, and we have the tie-in to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

She also notes that there are actually two distinct kinds of undead nautilus: regular and coral-infested undead mount. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you encounter underwater."

Desert Dangers and Long-Awaited Tweaks

Additional features include the Parched, desert-exclusive undead archers that can endure the sun, which means there's no getting away from them if you end up in that region. Sometimes you'll see them on desiccated dromedaries, another new mob. These passive, zombified camels have an notable look that sees their ribs poking out. The same goes for zombie horses, who have a comparable exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be found at night with a spear-carrying undead rider on their back.

The remaining updates on the drop's list are refinements, including some much-anticipated tweaks to riding horses. Now, you can cross bodies of water while riding a horse. Additionally, netherite horse armor is now craftable at the crafting table, so you can provide your steed with the ultimate protection 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 by itself — and the potential for chaos — would have constituted a major improvement. Throw in the Nautilus, and more things trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a bit spicier.

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