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The winter game drop for Minecraft has arrived — and it features the initial fresh armament added to the title since the heavy club made its debut. The spear is finally here and it might just change how you play Minecraft, especially if you enjoy mayhem.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem drop also introduces a host of fresh elements and enhancements focused on riding animals in the game. That focus made the spear the ideal addition for this update, as the creators had long felt it was the moment to introduce a new weapon.

"We knew initially that we aimed for a fresh armament that would provide extended reach, and we wanted it to be fighting from atop a creature," stated a lead developer. "We prototyped a number of concepts, but the spear was the one that both handled superbly when we ran our trials and also looked good for the use case."

If you're asking yourself whether mounted combat means you can joust against your friends on steeds, the response is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an combat move perfectly suited for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is a major use cases for the spear, and it's incredibly enjoyable," the lead says. "The spear has a dual attack system: You have the jab attack, where you pierce your enemy. But you also have a sprinting strike where you couch your lance and inflict greater injury [with] the more momentum you have. So [it’s] tailor-made for mounted duels."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The unruly pleasure can extend beyond there, though. If you're deep enough into the game that you've explored The End, the developers have an delightfully absurd idea. "If you are quite advanced, [spears are] excellent for equipping the elytra and taking to the skies and creating genuine chaos," she suggests.

In other words: Aerial lance combat is now a reality, and it should be made an competitive event immediately.

Another major addition in this fresh content is the underwater mount. This sea-dwelling mob, which is modeled after 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 more swiftly than swimming, it'll also maintain your oxygen levels, so there's no requirement to return to the surface for oxygen.

The remaining new features are largely things that are out to get you, as is the tradition of Minecraft. Naturally, there's also a undead nautilus popping up in the water, often with a Drowned on its back. If you succeed in take care of the Drowned, though, you can tame the zombie Nautilus — or the standard version, for that matter — with a blowfish.

"We've long considered this problem periodically, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the right time to also bring in something for underwater," the lead clarifies. "For the Nautilus in particular, we had a several proposals for underwater mounts that we wanted to test, but the Nautilus concept art looked impressive, and we have the connection to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

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

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Further inclusions include the sun-proof skeletons, desert-exclusive skeletons that can survive in the sun, which means there's no escape from them if you find yourself in that environment. 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 undead steeds, who have a comparable exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be found at night with a spear-carrying zombie on their back.

The final pair of items on the drop's list are refinements, including some long-overdue tweaks to equestrian travel. Now, you can traverse bodies of water while mounted on a horse. Additionally, high-tier barding is now craftable at the crafting table, so you can provide your steed with the best defense it is worthy of.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

Overall, the year-end release of the year is a pretty good one. The spear by itself — and the mayhem it enables — would have seemed like a significant enhancement. Combine that with the Nautilus, and additional creatures seeking your end, and Minecraft's definitely getting a little more dangerous.

The Mounts of Mayhem content drop is available for Java and Bedrock editions of Minecraft.