You can now test Mounts of Mayhem’s most exciting additions in Minecraft, thanks to the release of the first snapshot for this groundbreaking update. While we’re still deep in the Copper Age, players are particularly eager to get their hands on the powerful spear weapon and the enchanting nautilus. This new underwater mount promises to completely revolutionize how you explore the aquatic depths, and naturally, it comes with a hostile counterpart to keep adventurers on their toes. Moreover, the undead forces are gaining strength as zombie horses finally become a natural part of survival gameplay.
The new Minecraft snapshot 25w41a provides our initial hands-on experience with Mounts of Mayhem, making it an update you absolutely won’t want to overlook. The spear is set to alter the dynamics of combat forever with its precise, long-range capabilities, while the nautilus offers unparalleled freedom to traverse underwater realms without the constant worry of running out of air. Regardless of what you seek in this expansive sandbox game, this update feels like one of Minecraft’s most transformative additions in a long time.
The nautilus, a neutral creature, can be discovered deep within all ocean biomes. It naturally preys on pufferfish, which it will actively hunt in the wild. You can use these very pufferfish to tame a nautilus for yourself. Once tamed, you can equip it with a saddle and utilize its swift dash ability to explore. The most remarkable feature is that while riding it, you gain the ‘Breath of the Nautilus’ effect, meaning you won’t need to worry about your air supply. You can explore as much as you desire, provided you remain mounted. Additionally, you’ll be able to find copper, golden, iron, diamond, and netherite armor types specifically for your new nautilus companion.
Meanwhile, the spear comes in various material types including wood, stone, copper, iron, gold, diamond, and netherite, each affecting its attack speed. This weapon demands a bit more skill to wield effectively, featuring a standard jab attack that delivers knockback and a powerful charge. The charge deals more damage the faster you’re moving, and if executed with enough momentum, it can even dismount opponents.
However, spear strikes won’t connect if you’re too close to a target, and the charge can only be maintained for a limited duration before your character tires, requiring some practice to master. Furthermore, a new ‘lunge’ enchantment for the spear allows your jabs to propel you forward, though this comes at the cost of significant durability loss for your weapon.
Watch out for zombies, husks, piglins, and zombified piglins, as they are all capable of wielding spears against you. While their range might be less than yours, they hit harder and can dismount you from your own ride with a charged attack even at lower speeds. Zombie horses, previously confined to creative mode, now naturally appear in survival worlds. Both they and the new zombie nautilus are not inherently hostile towards players, but beware of their riders! If you manage to knock off their rider, you might even be able to claim one of these undead mounts for your own.
Beyond these exciting combat and exploration changes, the new snapshot also brings improvements to graphics settings and introduces a stopwatch command. This command is perfect for tracking real-world time, a useful feature for anyone creating custom content in the game. The full release of the Minecraft Mounts of Mayhem update isn’t expected until December, so this snapshot offers the exclusive opportunity to test out these fantastic new features well in advance.
Minecraft snapshot 25w41a is now available in the Java version. Players on the Bedrock version will need to await a future Minecraft preview rollout to access these features.
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