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The winter game drop for the block-building phenomenon has touched down — and it brings with it the initial fresh armament added to the title since the heavy club made its debut. The spear is now available and it has the potential to revolutionize your approach to Minecraft, particularly when you enjoy mayhem.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem drop also introduces a host of fresh elements and updates focused on riding animals in the game. That driving concept made the spear the ideal addition for this release, as the creators had already known it was the moment to introduce a new weapon.

"We knew initially that we aimed for a fresh armament that would add some more range, and we wanted it to be mounted combat," noted a lead developer. "We tried out a few different ideas, but the spear was the one that both handled superbly when we ran our trials and also was visually fitting for the use case."

If you're curious whether mounted combat means you can charge at your friends on horseback, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an combat move excellently designed for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is a major applications for the spear, and it's a blast," the lead says. "The spear has a dual attack system: You have the quick stab, where you just stab your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you couch your lance and deal increased harm [with] the more pace you have. So [it’s] perfect for jousting on horses."

Sky-High Chaos and Underwater Adventures

The wild enjoyment can extend beyond there, though. If you're advanced sufficiently into the game that you've visited The End, the developers have an truly outlandish idea. "If you are very late, [spears are] perfect for strapping on the wings and taking to the skies and unleashing absolute pandemonium," she suggests.

In other words: Sky jousting is now possible, and it needs to become an Olympic sport right away.

Another key feature in this new update is the underwater mount. This sea-dwelling mob, which is based on the seashells we've all been collecting for years, can be domesticated and ridden for deep-sea journeys. Not only will it transport you through the water faster than swimming, it'll also preserve your air supply, so there's no necessity to surface for a breath.

The rest of the additions are primarily things that want to kill you, as is the nature of Minecraft. Unsurprisingly, there's also a rotting sea creature spawning in the water, often with a zombie villager on its back. If you manage to take care of the Drowned, though, you can befriend the undead mount — or the standard version, 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 the ocean depths," the lead 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 striking, and we have the tie-in to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

She also points out that there are actually two distinct kinds of undead nautilus: regular and coral zombie Nautilus. "[The variants] add variety to what you discover underwater."

Desert Dangers and Long-Awaited Tweaks

Further inclusions include the sun-proof skeletons, desert-exclusive skeletons that can withstand the sun, which means there's no refuge from them if you venture in that environment. Sometimes you'll see them on camel husks, another new mob. These passive, zombified camels have an striking appearance that sees their bones protruding. The applies equally to undead steeds, who have a comparable exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be found at night with a spear-carrying undead rider on their back.

The final pair of items on the drop's list are refinements, including some long-overdue changes to equestrian travel. Now, you can traverse rivers and lakes while mounted on a horse. Furthermore, high-tier barding is now craftable at the workbench, so you can provide your steed with the top-tier safeguarding it is worthy of.

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 potential for chaos — would have constituted a considerable upgrade. Combine that with the Nautilus, and additional creatures seeking your end, and Minecraft's definitely getting a bit spicier.

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