After years of player requests, Mojang has finally delivered netherite horse armor in the latest Minecraft Bedrock preview. The 1.21.130.26 update marks the final feature drop for the upcoming Mounts of Mayhem game update, bringing long-awaited equipment upgrades alongside new mob variants and crucial bug fixes. This preview signals that the full release is imminent, with Mojang expected to announce the official launch date by late November 2025.
Table of Contents
Minecraft Update Snapshot Overview
| Update Component | Key Highlights |
|---|---|
| Version | Bedrock 1.21.130.26 Preview |
| Major Addition | Netherite Horse Armor |
| New Mob Variant | Coral Zombie Nautilus (Warm Oceans) |
| Update Focus | Mounts of Mayhem Finalization |
| Expected Release | Late November 2025 |
| Platforms | All Bedrock-supported devices |
Game-Changing Netherite Horse Armor
The most celebrated addition in this preview answers a community request dating back to the 1.16 Nether Update. Netherite horse armor finally gives mounted players the ultimate protective equipment they’ve been demanding for years.
Crafting requires a Diamond Horse Armor, Netherite Ingot, and Netherite Upgrade at a Smithing Table—following the same upgrade pattern as other netherite equipment. The result? An impressive 19 armor points that significantly boost your horse’s survivability during dangerous expeditions.
This addition completes the netherite equipment set, ensuring your trusty steed can match your own legendary gear. For more crafting recipes and tips, visit our Minecraft smithing table guide.
Coral Zombie Nautilus: New Ocean Threat
Warm ocean biomes now spawn a visually distinct Coral Zombie Nautilus variant that replaces the standard version in these tropical waters. While functionally identical to regular Zombie Nautiluses, this coral-themed variant adds aesthetic diversity to ocean exploration.
The update also introduces numerous Nautilus improvements, including a proper inventory screen, better sound effects on land, and fixed visual issues with shell models. Using shears now properly removes armor before saddles, creating more logical interaction sequences.
Camel Husk and Mount Improvements
Camel Husks received significant attention in this preview, with fixes addressing hitbox accuracy, spawning locations in deserts, and water behavior matching regular camels. These desert variants now properly maintain their passengers when entering water, creating more reliable transportation.
Zombie Horses can now be leashed when untamed (but not when mounted), and their spawn frequency decreased on Peaceful difficulty. Wild Zombie Horses become unleashable once zombies mount them, adding strategic depth to taming encounters.
Parched Skeleton Enhancements
Parched skeletons now take freezing damage in snow biomes, creating environmental hazards these desert-adapted mobs should naturally fear. They’ve also gained immunity to the Weakness status effect while maintaining their aggressive combat style.
An interesting addition: Creepers now drop music discs when killed by Parched, expanding farming methods for these collectible items. For music disc farming strategies, check our Minecraft mob farming guide.
Spear Weapon Refinements
The new spear weapon received several quality-of-life improvements. Fire Aspect-enchanted spears now correctly drop cooked food from animals defeated in one hit during charge attacks. The weapon also gained dedicated controller prompts and can be used in Creative mode regardless of hunger levels.
Zombies, Husks, Piglins, and Zombified Piglins wielding spears now exhibit proper charge-and-retreat behavior while mounted, making them more formidable opponents.
Critical Technical and Visual Fixes
Graphical improvements address water rendering, piston-moved block darkness, and vibrant visuals issues. Light absorption in water changed from 2 to 1 unit, matching Java Edition parity—a subtle but important consistency improvement.
The update fixes numerous UI bugs including Windows dark mode support, taskbar icon display, and touch control joystick improvements. Ambient mob effects now display correctly without constant flashing, using the same HUD icons as Java Edition.
For complete technical specifications, visit the official Minecraft website.
What This Means for Mounts of Mayhem
With all major features now implemented, future previews will focus exclusively on bug fixes and balance adjustments. This signals the Mounts of Mayhem update is nearly ready for full release across all Bedrock platforms.
The update significantly expands mounted gameplay options with new equipment, mob variants, and improved AI behaviors. Players can expect enhanced desert exploration with Camel Husks, better-protected horses with netherite armor, and more diverse ocean encounters with Coral Zombie Nautiluses.
How to Access the Preview
Join the Minecraft Preview program through the Xbox Insider Hub (Xbox/Windows), Google Play Store beta (Android), or TestFlight (iOS). Remember that preview builds may contain bugs and aren’t compatible with stable release worlds—always backup before testing.
Preview participation helps Mojang identify issues before the official release, making your feedback valuable for the final product quality. For more Minecraft updates and guides, explore our Minecraft news hub.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will netherite horse armor be available in Minecraft Java Edition too?
Yes, Mojang typically maintains feature parity between Java and Bedrock editions for major additions like this. The netherite horse armor should appear in corresponding Java Edition snapshots as both versions prepare for the Mounts of Mayhem update launch.
Can I transfer my preview world to the full release version?
Generally, yes, but with caution. Preview worlds usually transfer smoothly once the official update releases, but Mojang recommends maintaining backups of important worlds. Some experimental features might change between preview and release, potentially causing minor compatibility issues.
