Desert Temples should have a Block of Lapis Lazuli
Lapis Lazuli is, let's face it, a pretty niche resource that you either never have enough of, or have way too much of. Its primary use is enchantment, but it can also be used to make dye. Seeing as Lapis' only real way to get it is mining it or the odd loot chest that contains it, I think a good way to get it is to replace the Blue Terracotta tile in the floor of the Desert Temple with a Block of Lapis Lazuli.
There's a few reasons I think this could be nice, aside from just "more lapis pls!"--for one, Ancient Egyptians (and indeed, multiple river valley civilizations) highly valued Lapis Lazuli both for its color, but also believing it to be the soul of the Gods; seeing as the Desert Temple is clearly trying to evoke the imagery of the Ancient Egyptians, I think this'd be a nice touch, and since it's just 1 block, it doesn't really matter too much and it won't become "broken" in a way that the balance of the game can't handle--like, an additional 9 lapis per desert really isn't too much when a chunk probably has the same amount as ore.
In addition, everyone, and I mean everyone, knows the trick to getting the loot of the Desert Temple; you absolutely do NOT mine the Blue Terracotta, you mine around it, fall on down/water bucket down, disarm the plate, get the treasure and TNT, and then leave. Despite the Blue Terracotta playing a pivotal role in the operation, you would be caught dead (either figuratively or literally, if you decided to mine straight down) actually caring to extract it. By making it Lapis Lazuli, it'd encourage people to actually try and salvage that block for their own use... possibly to fall into the very trap the Desert Temple is known for. ;P
Posted Jun 23, 2021, 5:00 PM UTC