Shahrukh Sial is a gaming content writer at Sparked Host. He covers game guides, tips, and updates to help players improve their skills and enjoy a better gaming experience.

Minecraft Live 2025 brought us a revolutionary look at the future of the game with the announcement of two distinct Game Drops, moving away from the single annual update model. While one drop, The Copper Age, focused on utility blocks and a new equipment tier, the second announced drop is all about speed, movement, and a thrilling new combat style.

The Mounts of Mayhem update is coming later this year and promises to completely redefine how players travel across the Overworld and beneath the waves. This is your essential guide to the new mobs, new weapons, and game-changing exploration mechanics coming soon.

The Nautilus: Your New Underwater Companion

For years, deep-sea exploration in Minecraft meant chugging Water Breathing Potions or building tedious air pockets. The Nautilus changes all of that. It is a new, friendly mob that finally makes the ocean floor accessible to everyone.

Taming and Riding the Nautilus

The Nautilus can be found swimming naturally in ocean biomes. Getting one to be your companion is simple:

  • Taming: You can tame the Nautilus by feeding it its favorite food: the Pufferfish.

  • Riding: Once tamed, you can equip it with a Saddle and ride it. In a great quality-of-life change for beginners, Saddles are now craftable, meaning you do not have to rely on finding them in random chests. This makes the Nautilus an easy mount to get early in your game.

The Game-Changing Breathing Feature

The most incredible feature the Nautilus brings is the ability to breathe easily underwater. When you are riding the Nautilus, you receive a special status effect called the Breath of the Nautilus.

This effect causes your oxygen bar to stop depleting. It is important to note that it will not refill your air if you are already low, but as long as you are mounted, you will not drown. This new ability is a massive win for builders, allowing you to set up massive, long-term underwater projects without constant trips to the surface.

Nautilus Armor

Just like horses, your Nautilus can be equipped with its own dedicated armor. This means you can upgrade your mount’s protection as you progress in your world.

  • Tiers: The armor comes in various material tiers, including Copper, Iron, Gold, Diamond, and Netherite.

  • Acquisition: You must find this armor in treasure chests located in places like Shipwrecks and Buried Treasure. This encourages players to actively explore the ocean to find powerful upgrades for their trusty mount.

The Spear: A New Combat Dynamic

The Mounts of Mayhem update is not just about travel; it is also about introducing a thrilling new way to fight. The Spear is the first new weapon added to Minecraft in a long time, and it introduces a brand-new, exciting combat mechanic: velocity-based damage.

Weapon Tiers and Attack Modes

The Spear can be crafted across several tiers, from the new Copper up to Netherite. It has two distinct modes of attack:

  1. The Jab: This is a standard, quick melee attack that is great for defending yourself when you are on foot, allowing you to keep mobs at a slight distance.

  2. The Charge Attack: This is where the Spear completely changes combat. The damage of this attack increases with your speed.

Mounted Mayhem

The faster you are traveling, the more damage your Spear will inflict with the Charge Attack. Imagine the possibilities:

  • Jousting: Attacking while riding a fast horse turns combat into a full-on jousting match.

  • Air Combat: Zipping through the air with an Elytra while hitting a target results in massive damage.

  • Minecarts: Even traveling in a high-speed Minecart will increase the Spear’s power.

The Spear is a huge addition for players who love fast-paced combat, allowing skilled riders and flyers to knock hostile mobs or even other players right off their mounts. The ability to knock foes off their mounts is going to make player-versus-player (PVP) interactions far more dynamic.

New Hostile Mob Encounters

The Mayhem part of the update name means there are new dangers specifically designed to leverage speed and mounting, ensuring that your new mobility is not a guarantee of safety.

The Zombie Horseman

The Zombie Horse has existed as a novelty mob in Creative mode for years, but with this update, it is finally coming to Survival mode.

  • Spawning: They will now spawn naturally in the Plains and Savanna biomes at night.

  • Threat: These Zombie Horses are often ridden by a hostile Zombie Horseman wielding the new Spear. This creates a fast, dangerous, and hard-hitting patrol that players must be ready to face, especially if they are traveling on foot.

The Zombie Nautilus Jockey

The ocean is getting its own fast-paced threat. You must watch out for the Drowned mob, which will now sometimes be found riding a Zombie Nautilus.

  • Threat: This combination is extremely fast underwater. The Drowned Jockey often wields a Trident, making it a very powerful and quick attacker.

  • Loot: Once you defeat the Drowned rider, the Zombie Nautilus will simply revert to being a passive mob, meaning you do not have to worry about an aggressive zombie mount chasing you forever.

Pros & Cons of Mounts of Mayhem

Feature Pros Cons
Nautilus Mount It provides the Breath of the Nautilus effect, allowing for indefinite underwater exploration. The effect does not replenish existing lost air bubbles if you are already low.
Spear Weapon Damage scales with your speed, creating thrilling new mounted combat possibilities. It may become less effective when used on foot against large groups of slow-moving enemies.
Nautilus Armor Dedicated armor for your mount encourages deep-sea treasure hunting for upgrades. The armor is acquired through chests, which means it cannot be reliably crafted from the start.
Zombie Horseman The Zombie Horse is finally available in Survival mode after defeating its rider. The hostile Zombie rider wields a new Spear, making the encounter very dangerous.

Final Thoughts on Mounts of Mayhem

The Mounts of Mayhem update is poised to be one of the most exciting additions to the game in years. It is a focused update that solves real problems, like the difficulty of underwater building, while introducing a thrilling new dimension to combat. Between the utility of the Nautilus and the devastating power of a velocity-charged Spear, your world is about to get a whole lot faster. Get ready to saddle up and dominate the seas and the plains when this drop arrives.