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The seasonal content update for Minecraft has landed — and it features the first new weapon introduced into the title since the heavy club made its debut. The lance is now available and it has the potential to alter your gameplay in Minecraft, especially if you thrive on pandemonium.

A Weapon Forged for Mounted Mayhem

The Mounts of Mayhem drop also introduces several new features and updates focused on animal mounts in the game. That central theme made the spear the perfect fit for this release, as the creators 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 wanted it to be fighting from atop a creature," stated a lead developer. "We experimented with a few different ideas, but the spear was the one that both handled superbly when we tested our prototypes and also looked good for the intended purpose."

If you're wondering whether fighting from a saddle means you can joust against your friends on steeds, the response is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an attack perfectly suited for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is a primary functions for the spear, and it's incredibly enjoyable," the lead continues. "The spear has a pair of offensive moves: You have the thrust, where you simply impale your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you lower your spear and get increased harm [with] the more momentum you have. So [it’s] ideal 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 been to The End, the developers have an delightfully absurd idea. "If you are quite advanced, [spears are] excellent for equipping the elytra and flying forth and making some real mayhem," she suggests.

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

Another major addition in this latest drop is the underwater mount. This sea-dwelling mob, which is modeled after the seashells we've all been collecting for years, can be tamed and ridden for underwater travel. Not only will it move you through the water more swiftly than swimming, it'll also preserve your air supply, so there's no requirement to return to the surface for a breath.

The remaining new features are mostly things that are out to get you, as is the nature of Minecraft. Naturally, there's also a zombie Nautilus spawning in the water, sometimes with a Drowned on its back. If you manage to take care of 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 problem on and off, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the perfect moment to also bring in something for the ocean depths," the developer explains. "For the Nautilus in particular, we had a number of concepts for aquatic rides that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus design sketches looked impressive, and we have the tie-in to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

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

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Other additions include the sun-proof skeletons, biome-specific undead archers that can survive in the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you end up in that biome. Sometimes you'll see them on camel husks, another new mob. Camel husks have an excellent design that sees their skeletal frame exposed. The same goes for zombie horses, who have a comparable exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be found at night with a lance-wielding zombie on their back.

The final pair of items on the drop's list are smaller gameplay updates, including some highly requested changes to equestrian travel. Now, you can traverse waterways while riding a horse. Additionally, netherite horse armor is now craftable at the workbench, so you can give your horse the ultimate protection it deserves.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

In summary, the final game drop of the year is a pretty good one. The spear by itself — and the pandemonium it invites — would have seemed like a considerable upgrade. Throw in the Nautilus, and additional creatures trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a touch more chaotic.

The Mayhem Mounts update is out now for all major editions of Minecraft.