A new era of mounts, weapons, and mayhem hits Minecraft as Mojang drops its latest update, bringing a wave of undead cavalry, deep-sea creatures, and a brand new weapon.

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With 1.21.11, Mojang has introduced the Mounts of Mayhem update. New mobs, weapons, mechanics, and world behaviour. Following earlier 2025 drops, this update shifts the spotlight onto traversal and combat, giving players more ways to move and fight. We took a deep dive into every confirmed feature to break down exactly what’s arriving in this chaotic new chapter.

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What Is Mounts of Mayhem?

Mounts of Mayhem is the fourth Minecraft game update of 2025, following The Spring to Life (25 March 2025), Chase the Skies (17 June 2025), The Copper Age (30 September 2025).

This drop focuses entirely on mounts, riders, and mobility upgrades. It introduces new creatures across multiple biomes. It finally adds a way to get the classic zombie horse in survival, a brand-new weapon class, and refreshes how players navigate land and sea. Everything is designed around dynamic movement. There’s jousting with spears, diving into oceans on undead nautili, or thundering through deserts beside skeletal raiders.

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The Spear: Minecraft’s New Combat Style

Minecraft gets a new weapon: the spear, available in all main material tiers.

• Works with two attack modes: Jab for fast melee, and Charge for mounted or sprinting attacks.
• Introduces a fresh combat rhythm focused on spacing and momentum.
• Paired with a new enchantment, Lunge, which adds mobility at the cost of hunger.
  

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Undead Riders of the Desert

Camel Husks

A new undead camel-like mount found in deserts and badlands.

• Typically spawns with a rider.
  
• Can be tamed once the rider is dealt with.
  
• Behaves like other undead mobs (Smite-vulnerable, burns in sunlight on land).
  

Parched

A new skeleton variant for hot biomes.

• Uses a bow that inflicts Weakness.
• Often rides camel husks alongside spear-wielding husks.
• Does not burn in daylight.
  

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The Nautilus Rises

Nautilus

A brand-new aquatic mount found in deep oceans.

• Tamed with pufferfish, then mountable with a saddle.
  Grants the Breath of the Nautilus effect, freezing the oxygen bar so players do not drown while riding.
• Attracts drowned naturally.
  

Zombie Nautilus & Coral Zombie Nautilus

Undead variants appearing in regular and warm oceans.

• Can spawn with drowned jockeys riding them.
• Tamable once the rider dismounts.
• Behave as undead: burn in sunlight on land, react to Smite, etc.

Zombie Horses Return From the Dead

Long requested and now fully supported:

• Zombie horses spawn naturally in plains and savanna as part of new rider encounters.
• Can be tamed after unseating the rider.
• Can wear all tiers of horse armor, including the new netherite variant.
• Count as undead and burn in sunlight.

Mount Armor Overhaul

Two major additions expand mount customisation:

• Nautilus Armor – copper, iron, gold, diamond, and netherite variants.
• Netherite Horse Armor – now craftable via a smithing upgrade, making it the strongest armor for horses and zombie horses.
  

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How Gameplay Will Change

Mounts of Mayhem provides a lot of different ways to move around in the game.

• Spears transform both foot combat and mounted combat.
• Horses can now swim, making rivers and lakes far easier to cross.
• Underwater travel with mounts thanks to the nautilus family.
• Desert biomes become more dangerous with parched riders and undead cavalry.
  
• A lot of new ‘jocky’s’ were added giving mob collection players additions for their zoo’s.

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Full Feature Breakdown 

New Weapon

• Spear (all tiers)
• Lunge enchantment (3 levels)
  

New Mounts & Mobs

• Nautilus
• Zombie Nautilus
• Coral Zombie Nautilus
• Camel Husk
• Parched
• Zombie Horse (expanded features & natural spawns)
  

New Effects

• Breath of the Nautilus
  

Mount Armor

• Nautilus armour (copper → netherite)
  Netherite horse armour (craftable)
  

Major Mechanics

• Horses can swim
  New jockey encounters across deserts and oceans
• Undead mob rules applied consistently to new mounts
  

Technical Additions

• Updated data pack version
• Updated resource pack version
• Item component updates
• Item tag updates
• Entity texture updates
• Entity model updates
• Bug fixes and behaviour tweaks
  

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Final Thoughts

This drop adds a fair amount of new features, mobs and mechanics. There are more ways to traverse terrain now, along with mob-collecting opportunities and interaction for players (jousting.) Ever since the announcement that Mojang was releasing drops instead of slower updates, a lot has been added into the game. 

Gaming and orchestral music collide next year when BAFTA Games in Concert brings some of the most celebrated video game soundtracks to stages across the UK.

The world premiere lands at London’s Royal Festival Hall on Saturday 31st January 2026, featuring the BBC Concert Orchestra conducted by Austin Wintory. The 65-piece ensemble will be joined by London Voices and BAFTA award winners Sea Power, who took home the Music gong for Disco Elysium back in 2020.

The setlist has grown considerably since the initial announcement. New additions include Helldivers 2 (composed by Wilbert Roget II), Fallout 4 (Inon Zur), Far Cry 4 (Cliff Martinez), and a world premiere performance of Returnal by Bobby Krlic. These join previously confirmed titles including Baldur’s Gate 3, Journey, Cuphead, and Assassin’s Creed.

“The London premiere of BAFTA Games in Concert is really shaping up to be something special,” said Jane Millichip, BAFTA CEO. “A celebration for both fans of video games and beautiful, inspiring music. We’re thrilled to be adding Helldivers 2, Fallout 4, Far Cry 4 and Returnal to the lineup, further showcasing the creative power of the games industry and the authenticity of its music. Each will feature exclusive orchestral suites arranged by the original composers exclusively for these concerts. We’re also delighted to confirm the 2026 UK tour dates, bringing this incredible experience to audiences nationwide.”

Composer Jesper Kyd has crafted exclusive new orchestral suites for the shows, and he’s clearly excited about the opportunity.

“BAFTA has been championing game music for over 20 years so it’s an honour to contribute to this concert and forthcoming tour,” he said. “I’m excited to share that I worked on a brand new Assassin’s Creed suite which features music from Assassin’s Creed and Assassin’s Creed II, as well as a new Hitman suite which includes music from my BAFTA winning score for Hitman Contracts. Thank you BAFTA for asking me to be part of this great celebration.”

Following London, the tour hits six more cities: Gateshead (23rd May), Bristol (31st May), Edinburgh (4th June), Glasgow (5th June), Birmingham (6th June), and Manchester (7th June). More dates are expected.

London ticket holders can also grab VIP Meet & Greet access for post-show drinks, canapes, and signings with composers Austin Wintory, Jesper Kyd, and Borislav Slavov.

Tickets start at £30. Full details at www.liveconcert.games.

Towers of Aghasba invites players into a vibrant open-world experience, blending settlement-building with the restoration of lush ecosystems on a fantastical island. Developed by Dreamlit Entertainment, this title marks the studio’s debut and is available on Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), and PS5.

A Visual and Conceptual Delight

The game stands out for its visually distinctive style, offering a fresh take on the exploration-survival genre. It centres itself around a core mechanic: rejuvenating the ecosystem. As players plant a colossal tree and upgrade it, the island slowly comes back to life, with flora and fauna gradually reappearing. One of the game’s most rewarding features is to see these physical changes in the world.

Early Development Hiccups

Being an early-access title, Towers of Aghasba is still rough around the edges. Resource gathering, for instance, feels unbalanced. The issue lies less in the cost of items and more in the storage mechanics—small chests hold less than half of the player’s inventory, forcing you to spend more resources simply to store what you’ve gathered.

Similarly, climbing mechanics, reminiscent of Conan Exiles, require significant refinement. The character frequently glitches while climbing, making it difficult to control, and initiating climbs is often frustrating due to what feels like mismatched bounding boxes on terrain. Nevermind trying to climb out of water onto rocks.

Combat, too, lacks polish. Striking an enemy fails to deliver any sense of impact, leaving encounters feeling underwhelming and clunky. However the creature design is stunning and the world feels relatively full of activities to do.

A Promising Foundation

Despite its flaws, Towers of Aghasba showcases immense potential. Its unique aesthetic, compelling concept, and focus on ecosystem restoration set it apart from typical survival games. As a fan of the genre, I find myself rooting for its growth. With further development and attention to its mechanics, this game could blossom into something truly remarkable. For now, it’s a promising journey worth keeping an eye on.