Bioware's art director shared some rejected concepts for Dragon Age Inquisition multiplayer characters. This included the return of an controversial companion that we never saw again

Matt Rhodes, BioWare's art director, has shared 21 character designs that never made it to Dragon Age: Inquisition on X. "The Everything App." The rejected character concepts were originally intended to playable in Inquisition’s aggressively monetized but surprisingly great coo-op multiplayer.

The released mode featured a lot of zesty, out-there concepts for the characters that you could play. (The Silent Sister and Saarebas come to mind.) But these rejected concepts add a sense zany humor that I can get on board with. I love "The Pirate Queen," a swashbuckling Qunari rogue that looks like Isabela from DA2 but with horns. The Rivaini Guard adds a little more flair to the classic sword-and-board warrior concept.

Other Dragon Age lore is either out there or offers interesting tidbits. I love how the "Cube Golem" is described, a construct which looks more at home with Destiny than Dragon Age. "Some rocks can really be weird." The "Automaton" is an Orlesian metal soldier who can cry, while the cheeky candle to help the dwarf "Excavator," see in his dark caves, really makes my heart sing.

The biggest surprise of all is "The Hermit": That's Anders, from Dragon Age 2's Awakening expansion. His description reads: "There are many good reasons for mages who hide in the wilderness." "From Templar persecutors to the crippling guilt that comes with starting a war which threatens to burn down the world."

BioWare, or perhaps just Matt Rhodes, were clearly mulling over several options for Anders's appearance in Inquisition. But it never happened. Rhodes, shortly after Inquisition was released ten years prior, shared a similar idea of a hermit Anders being discovered in the desert. Rhodes described the controversial companion as "some guy in a cavern".

I'm glad to have the chance to look at the concepts, even if we don't get to see them in the game. Rhodes recently shared some of the early concepts for this year’s Dragon Age: The Veilguard.