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The seasonal game drop for Minecraft has landed — and it brings with it the first new weapon introduced into the game since the heavy club made its debut. The javelin is now available and it might just revolutionize your approach to Minecraft, especially if you enjoy mayhem.

A Weapon Forged for Mounted Mayhem

The Mayhem Mounts drop also adds several new features and updates focused on animal mounts in the game. That driving concept made the spear the natural choice for this update, as the development team had long felt it was the moment to introduce a new weapon.

"From the outset, we understood that we wanted a new weapon that would increase combat distance, and we designed it specifically for fighting from atop a creature," explained a lead developer. "We prototyped a number of concepts, but the lance was the one that both played wonderfully when we tested our prototypes and also was visually fitting for the use case."

If you're wondering whether mounted combat means you can charge at your allies on steeds, the response is a definite affirmative. In fact, there's even an combat move ideally crafted for it.

"[Jousting on horses is a major use cases for the spear, and it's a blast," the developer says. "The spear has two attacks: You have the quick stab, where you pierce your enemy. But you also have a powerful lance where you couch your lance and get greater injury [with] the more momentum you have. So [it’s] ideal for mounted duels."

Aerial Mayhem & Deep-Sea Exploration

The unruly pleasure isn't limited to there, though. If you're advanced sufficiently into the game that you've explored The End, the developers have an truly outlandish idea. "If you are very late, [spears are] perfect for equipping the elytra and taking to the skies and making some real mayhem," she suggests.

In other words: Aerial lance combat is now a reality, and it deserves to be an Olympic sport right away.

Another significant inclusion in this latest drop is the underwater mount. This sea-dwelling mob, which is inspired by the nautilus shells found in-game for years, can be tamed and mounted for underwater travel. 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 return to the surface for oxygen.

The other inclusions are primarily things that are out to get you, as is the way of Minecraft. Unsurprisingly, there's also a zombie Nautilus appearing in the water, sometimes with a zombie villager on its back. If you are able to dispatch the Drowned, though, you can befriend the undead mount — or the regular one, for that matter — with a spiky fish.

"We've pondered this problem for some time, and again, like with the spear and [adding] more mounts, it felt like the ideal opportunity to also bring in something for underwater," the lead explains. "For the Nautilus in particular, we had a few different ideas for aquatic rides that we wanted to try out, but the Nautilus design sketches looked compelling, 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 zombie Nautilus: standard and coral-infested undead mount. "[The variants] give some flavor to what you discover underwater."

Parched Perils & Overdue Enhancements

Additional features include the Parched, biome-specific undead archers that can withstand the sun, which means there's no getting away from them if you find yourself in that environment. Sometimes you'll see them on zombified camels, another fresh creature. These passive, zombified camels have an excellent design that sees their ribs poking out. The applies equally to zombie horses, who have a analogous rib-popping design and can sometimes be encountered after dark with a lance-wielding zombie on their back.

The remaining updates on the drop's list are minor quality-of-life improvements, including some highly requested changes to riding horses. Now, you can traverse waterways while atop a horse. Furthermore, high-tier barding is now craftable at the crafting table, so you can provide your steed with the top-tier safeguarding it deserves.

A Fittingly Chaotic Finale

In summary, the year-end release of the year is a pretty good one. The spear on its own — and the pandemonium it invites — would have seemed like a considerable upgrade. Combine that with the Nautilus, and additional creatures trying to kill you, and Minecraft's definitely getting a little more dangerous.

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