BioWare originally made you explode Dragon Age Inquisition’s Skyhold during the Trespasser DLC

BioWare almost forced you into a tough situation during Dragon Age Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC, one where you obliterated Skyhold, your base for most of the RPG

BioWare

BioWare almost forced you into a tough situation during Dragon Age Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC, one where you obliterated Skyhold, your base for most of the RPG. Matt Rhodes, BioWare’s lead concept artist for Inquisition, along with Mass Effect 2 and Dragon Age 2, posted about the original Trespasser story on Twitter and shared some concept art of the abandoned plot.

• Read more: Every BioWare game ranked from worst to best

The idea was that Sten shows up to arrest you for meddling with magic, which, as some commenters pointed out, was a bit odd to begin with. Dagna reverse engineers their explosives and sets a trap for them, so by the time they arrive, the Inquisitor – that’s you – and their entourage are safely away. The explosions do away with Sten and the threat to the Inquisitor, and they do away with Skyhold as well.

From Inquisition’s Trespasser DLC
An earlier version of the story. Sten would arrive to arrest you for meddling with magic, but Dagna has reverse engineering their explosives. You leave a trap for when they return, sacrificing Skyhold in the process. pic.twitter.com/0gTrLB4fiI

— Matt Rhodes (@mattrhodesart) November 28, 2024

If you’ve played Inquisition, you already know BioWare binned this idea entirely and doesn’t make you destroy the base where you spent so much time in the base game. The plot concept was a bit weak, but I do think the thematic touch would’ve been a brilliant fit. Trespasser is about the end of the Inquisition, where you’re forced to decide whether to disband your merry group of meddlers or turn them over to someone else’s control and where Solas makes his true self – and true intentions – plain for all. 

It’s a dramatic expansion and very much steeped in “end of an era” vibes, and nothing says that like blowing up your old home. Still, Trespasser works just fine without demolishing your emotions, in that specific regard anyway, and it’s a strong lead-in to Dragon Age The Veilguard. If you haven’t played it yet, it’s definitely worth a go.

• Read more: How Dragon Age: The Veilguard transformed BioWare’s approach to world-building

This little tidbit is just one of the behind-the-scenes secrets former BioWare members have shared since Veilguard's launch. Dragon Age creator David Gaider's been posting lengthy character creation background stories on Bluesky, including one about how Dorian started life as a Freddie Mercury lookalike and a long musing about how Morrigan's story proves branching RPGs are a myth no one can make real.