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The seasonal game drop for Minecraft has landed — and it features the initial fresh armament added to the game since the heavy club made its debut. The javelin is finally here and it could very well revolutionize your approach to Minecraft, especially if you love chaos.

An Armament Designed for Chaotic Rides

The Mounts of Mayhem update also introduces several new features and enhancements focused on animal mounts in the game. That central theme made the spear the natural choice for this update, as the development team had long felt it was time for a new weapon.

"From the outset, we understood that we aimed for a new weapon that would add some more range, and we designed it specifically for mounted combat," stated a lead developer. "We tried out a number of concepts, but the spear was the one that both felt great 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 allies on horseback, the answer is a resounding yes. In fact, there's even an combat move ideally crafted for it.

"Mounted lance combat] is one of the biggest applications 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 simply impale your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you couch your lance and deal greater injury [with] the more pace you have. So [it’s] perfect for jousting on horses."

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 even more ridiculous idea. "If you are quite advanced, [spears are] excellent for equipping the wings and taking to the skies and making some real mayhem," she teases.

In other words: Sky jousting is now real, and it deserves to be an competitive event without delay.

Another significant inclusion in this latest drop is the Nautilus. This underwater creature, which is modeled after the seashells players have gathered for years, can be domesticated and ridden for deep-sea journeys. Not only will it transport you through the water quicker than swimming, it'll also preserve your air supply, so there's no need to come up for air for a breath.

The remaining new features are mostly things that want to kill you, as is the way of Minecraft. Naturally, there's also a zombie Nautilus appearing in the water, often 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 pondered this problem on and off, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the perfect moment to also introduce something for aquatic environments," the developer clarifies. "For the Nautilus specifically, we had a few different ideas for sea mounts that we wanted to experiment with, but the Nautilus design sketches looked impressive, and we have the link to the Nautilus shell that was already in the game."

She also notes that there are actually two different types of zombie Nautilus: regular and coral-infested undead mount. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you discover underwater."

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Further inclusions include the Parched, desert-exclusive undead archers that can withstand the sun, which means there's no refuge from them if you find yourself in that region. Sometimes you'll see them on zombified camels, another new mob. Camel husks have an excellent design that sees their skeletal frame exposed. The same goes for undead steeds, who have a similar exposed-rib aesthetic and can sometimes be spawned in the darkness with a lance-wielding zombie on their back.

The remaining updates on the drop's list are refinements, including some long-overdue tweaks to riding horses. Now, you can traverse waterways while atop a horse. Also, high-tier barding is now available at the crafting table, so you can give your horse the top-tier safeguarding it is worthy of.

A Spicy Send-Off for the Year

All told, the final game drop of the year is a pretty good one. The spear on its own — and the potential for chaos — would have seemed like a significant enhancement. Add in the Nautilus, and additional creatures seeking your end, and Minecraft's definitely getting a bit spicier.

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