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The winter game drop for Minecraft has landed — and it features the first new weapon added to the game since the heavy club made its debut. The spear is finally here and it has the potential to change how you play Minecraft, especially if you thrive on pandemonium.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mayhem Mounts drop also introduces 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 creators had long felt it was the moment to introduce a fresh combat tool.

"From the outset, we understood that we wanted a fresh armament that would add some more range, and we wanted it to be fighting from atop a creature," stated a lead developer. "We tried out a number of concepts, but the lance was the one that both played wonderfully when we ran our trials and also made sense for the use case."

If you're wondering whether mounted combat means you can joust against your allies on horseback, the answer is a definite affirmative. In fact, there's even an combat move ideally crafted for it.

"[Jousting on horses is a major functions for the spear, and it's a blast," the developer adds. "The spear has a pair of offensive moves: You have the quick stab, where you just stab your enemy. But you also have a charge attack where you lower your spear and inflict increased harm [with] the more momentum you have. So [it’s] perfect for mounted duels."

Sky-High Chaos and Underwater Adventures

The chaotic fun doesn't have to stop there, though. If you're deep enough into the game that you've visited The End, the developers have an truly outlandish idea. "If you are quite advanced, [spears are] ideal for strapping on the elytra and flying forth and creating genuine chaos," she suggests.

In other words: Sky jousting is now possible, and it deserves to be an competitive event immediately.

Another key feature in this new update is the underwater mount. This underwater creature, which is based on the nautilus shells found in-game for years, can be tamed and ridden for submarine exploration. Not only will it transport you through the water more swiftly than swimming, it'll also conserve your breath meter, so there's no necessity to return to the surface for oxygen.

The other inclusions are primarily things that want to kill you, as is the way of Minecraft. As expected, there's also a zombie Nautilus popping up in the water, sometimes with a Drowned on its back. If you manage to dispatch the Drowned, though, you can tame the zombie Nautilus — or the regular one, for that matter — with a puffer fish.

"We've been thinking about this challenge periodically, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it seemed like the perfect moment to also introduce something for underwater," the developer explains. "For the Nautilus specifically, we had a few different ideas for sea mounts that we wanted to experiment with, but the Nautilus initial artwork looked compelling, and we have the tie-in to the Nautilus shell that was pre-existing in the game."

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

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Additional features include the sun-proof skeletons, biome-specific skeletons that can survive in the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you end up in that region. Sometimes you'll see them on camel husks, another fresh creature. Camel husks have an notable look 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 remaining updates on the drop's list are smaller gameplay updates, including some highly requested tweaks to equestrian travel. Now, you can traverse waterways while riding a horse. Also, high-tier barding is now obtainable at the crafting table, so you can give your horse the ultimate protection it deserves.

A Spicy Send-Off for the Year

In summary, the final game drop of the year is a pretty good one. The spear by itself — and the potential for chaos — would have constituted a significant enhancement. Throw 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 available for all major editions of Minecraft.