SsIras
Terrarian
Master Mode player here & there's a few things I'd like to point out, concerning the Underground Desert.
I personally think that skill checks & difficulty spikes, give areas in video games their identity. If the Encumbering Stone was a much better item, I wouldn't want the UD touched at all, but the items being mostly skipable, unless you're Summoner, I'm honestly indifferent to. It could indeed have much better stuff in it.
- I personally think that it's fine as-is, & shouldn't be changed (for the most part). There's no other place on the map quite like UD & I think nerfing it would take away it's identity.
- I do, somewhat agree that the items in the Underground Desert, may not be equal to its difficult, however, if resource management is to be taken into account, it is a great place to get Tomb Crawler & Dune Splicer banners early-on, before they become a major issue in Hardmode, with sandstorms; in addition to containing the Magic Conch. If the Encumbering Stone was a better, implemented item, I'd include it, but it's a bit wonky right now, so I'd personally pass. The Ancient Horn is a Mount worth noting also, if you plan on using any of the Lances in the game. Scarab Bombs are pretty decent too, I guess.
- Underground Desert is one of the many places where the Summoner Class excels, greatly. It's a place that I feel also, starts to sharply expose the major strengths & weakness with each kind of Character Archetype. If a player, or group of players are Metagaming, Summoner Class will play a major role in taming this part of the map early-on, very similar to the role a Summoner plays in the Underground Jungle.
Due to the amount of rolling cactus, you can easily die there at hardmode. The items you find there are only really good for pre-hardmode, if not before you get to explore the dungeon/jungle (with the exception of Magic Conch).
Yes, it's possible to go in the biome early game without dying. But it is also possible to go on jungle early game without dying. You can always rig the game in your favor. I like UD too, but I don't think the slight chance of getting Chisel/Conch are worth it. So either you make all rewards very good or you tone it down.