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Attention: Cut Content The following information is classified as Cut Content of the Fable games, which even though not being featured in the final playable version of such games, have been found in the game's code or provided by a reliable source. |
Trogdor is the name of the giant Dragon that was cut from the original Fable and was intended to be a Final Boss for that version of the game. However, due to the strict deadlines that Lionhead Studios had to deal with and struggles on making the experience fun during the game's development, he was eventually cut from the game before its release on the Xbox in 2004.
According to sources such as the Fable: Anniversary Official Prima Guide, Trogdor would have been a wild creature that was huge in scale and would like living in the Old Kingdom ruins of mountainous regions, such as Hook Coast or The Nothern Wastes. He would stay in these regions locked behind an ancient Demon Door, resting for thousands of years and waiting for an opponent that was strong enough to actually challenge him in combat.
Trogdor was also meant to have a quest where he would find the Hero of Oakvale in Hook Coast and chase him across the countryside in a cutscene, which would eventually lead to his original boss fight.
Note: This should not be mistaken for the Dragon that can be found in Fable: The Lost Chapters, which was the original developers attempt at restoring this concept and tying it into the storyline that was already established in the original game on Xbox.
Fable
The original vision for Trogdor in Fable was to have him terrorise the countryside and fly around breathing fire on all of the villagers. Once he spotted you, he would chase you down instead. This is further supported by the Fable: Anniversary Official Prima Guide, which features descriptions by some of the game's developers that explain certain aspects of this cut Dragon and its intended quest. That being said, it's not really mentioned in the Prima Guide where exactly this quest would take place. Leading some to speculate that it might have been an earlier version of Hook Coast.
Different Concepts
The concept and style for Trogdor kept changing during the game's development. Leading to evidence that supports about five different versions, which were planned at some point. Each one representing a different stage of the Dragon's own development to becoming the final idea. The table below represents Concept Art for each of these stages, with a description alongside them that details their appearance and what we know about that particular Dragon design.
| Name | Theory | Image |
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| Dragon A | This was probably the original concept for Trogdor, which was made to give a sense for what kind of Dragon they would like to see in the game. It seems to be much larger than any of the other designs. It has an obsessive amount of spikes scattered all over its body, a giant wing that is made up of tattered skin and it appears to have four nipples on its chest. Since this concept art is only available as a sketch and was most likely never developed upon past this stage, its intended colour scheme is currently unknown. | 
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| Dragon B | The strangest concept for Trogdor out of them all as it has loads of tendrils that act as arms, so that it can hang on to things like trees and villagers. This version of the creature seems to have characteristics that resemble a bird, more than an actual Dragon. Its body is a dark cyan colour with an orange glow that eminates from its torso and face. It doesn't appear to have eyes, either. Not much is known about this version of the Dragon or how long it lasted during development. | 
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| Dragon C | A lot of these Dragon designs seem to be distinct from one another, but this appears to be a version of Trogdor that was meant to be a combination of both Dragon B and Dragon D's designs. Although its face is a lot more detailed, it has longer horns and an even stranger looking nose. Similar to Dragon B, it is a dark cyan colour and emits a type of orange glow from its torso and face. However, this dragon appears to have more of a hunched back and its tail starts further up from its body. Not much is known about this version of the Dragon or how long it lasted during development. According to Co-Creator Dene Carter, he had personally refused one of these Dragon designs because he felt like it looked too similar to Balrog. Though he says that he can't remember which one exactly, it's believed that he could be referring to either this design or Dragon D. | 
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| Dragon D | This version of Trogdor seems to look more like a Wyvern inspired design since it has its two hind legs, while only having two wings that support it from the front whenever it lands. Interestingly enough, this design also appears to have pig-like characteristics such as pink skin, small amounts of fur, a stubby snout for a nose and a curled up tail. A texture for this Dragon called "Dragon_Head_01" can still be found in the game files for Fable, which implies that it was meant to be named Creature_Dragon_01 before it was eventually removed from the game and replaced with Dragon E. | 
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| Dragon E | The latest version of Trogdor that there is evidence for, as some of its data can still be found on the Xbox Version of Fable. It is named Creature_Dragon_02 in the game files, meaning that it probably replaced Dragon D at some point in development. This design has a body that is a light cyan colour, with a sort of yellow light that emmits from its head and torso. Its chest and stomach are a light beige colour and unlike the designs before it, this one was meant to have bright red eyes. The head has two distinct mouths, one of which has a chipped tooth. This Dragon design even possess will markings that help it glow in the dark. Just like Dragon A its wings are extremely long when compared to its body and are connected to its back, instead of being a part of its torso. | 
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Creature Dragon 01
Thanks to recent screenshots and confirmation by the developers, the first Dragon that ever made it into the game was referred to in the data as "Creature_Dragon_01". Based off the screenshot below, this Dragon could have been put into the game sometime around 2001-2002 (during the Project Ego era of the game's development). The Concept Art shown for Dragon D is assumed to be the original idea that they were going for, but it was changed slightly when being translated into a 3D model. At this stage of its development, it was merely just an imported model. It had no animations and wouldn't function like creatures you would experience in the game, since it still needed a lot more work done on it, such as Scripting and AI.
Creature Dragon 02
At some point in development, the model for "Creature_Dragon_01" was scrapped from the game entirely. This could have been somewhere around 2002-2003, presumably when the game was being rebranded from Project Ego to Fable. Instead, the new focus was a different Dragon design. You can find more concept art for this dragon than you can for any of the other ones mentioned, so far. This version of Trogdor can still be found in the game files for the Xbox Version of Fable and is referred to as "Creature_Dragon_02" in its data. This is because it got very close to being finished and released alongside that version of the game as a secret boss.
It was clear that this time, the developers had found what they had perceived to be the perfect Dragon for Fable. This is evident by how much effort went into making this version of Trogdor. It was not only imported into the game as a model, but it also had numerous animations and effects created for it. Most of which were already rigged and ready to work in the game, as shown in the screenshot below. All that was left now, was for them to make the arena that you would fight it in.
Dragon's Lair
The map that a lot of people often hear about in regards to the original Fable's cut Dragon Concept is the infamous map, Dragon Cliff. This is because of the substantial amount of evidence that can be found in the Xbox Version of the game, to help support it. However, there is evidence to support an earlier version of Dragon Cliff. On the map of Albion in earlier versions of the game, it shows that there was meant to be an area attached to Hook Coast that was meant to be called Dragon's Lair.
There is also assets still left in the game files which the map Dragon Cliff doesn't use, despite having the same naming conventions as the ones that are used for the map. These objects and pieces of architecture are generally referred to as Dragon Quest in the game files. This strongly supports the idea that the developers might have wanted to make something else first, like Dragon's Lair for example. But later decided to create Dragon Cliff instead.
Dragon's Grave
This is further supported by design documents for the game which show the intended structure of the world and their ideas for the maps in Albion, during different stages of development. Leading us with three different names that were potentially intended for the original Dragon Map, before it was scrapped from the Xbox Version of Fable (Dragon's Grave, Dragon's Lair and Dragon Cliff).
In the design document shown above, it is implied that you were meant to find an NPC called the Boatman, in the town known as Hook Coast. This is so that you can take a boat ride to reach an island that was meant to be named the Isle of Bones. This would then lead you to an area called Dragon's Grave. Since there is currently no images or concept art for the Dragon's Grave maps intended design, it is unclear what it was actually meant to look like or if it bared any resemblence to Dragon Cliff.
Dragon Cliff
Once the developers for Fable started to realise how much work was needed to create the Dragon the way that they had originally planned, they decided to make the idea for it smaller. This was done by making the Dragon act as more of a 'secret' that you would find behind a Demon Door. This Demon Door would only allow you access if you had a high enough Renown level, stating that he has "contained this threat for a thousand years" and "it could kill you where you stand". If your renown wasn't high enough, then the Door would insult you for not being worthy and there was 4 different stages for this dialogue too.
It's believed that at this stage of the game's development, the Demon Door was planned to be outside of the Heroes Guild to give the Hero a chance to talk to the Demon Door when they just left the Guild, so that it could insult you at the start of the game. Once you go through this Demon Door, you would enter Dragon Cliff. A Map that was also cut from the original Fable.
Dragon Fresco Art
Just like the Fresco Art for Jack's Dragon Form when you defeat the game, a Fresco Art was already created for Trogdor. Showing how close the developers got to completing it and trying to tie it to the story, before they had to scrap the idea altogether. It can still be found in the Chamber of Fate Map, but is overlapped by Jack of Blades' Fresco Art so that you don't see it. The Fresco Art for Jack's Dragon form still uses the architecture shown in the image below, which depicts the map Dragon Cliff even though you fight him in Archon's Folly during The Final Battle. This could either be a mistake by the developers or done intentionally, as a way to pay homage.
Dragon Scale Trophy
The Dragon Scale is a trophy that can still be found in the game files for Fable: The Lost Chapters. It was probably intended as a reward for defeating Trogdor, as a marker for a chest can be found on the Dragon Cliff map. This would have most likely appeared when the Dragon was killed by the Hero of Oakvale. It's assumed that The Harvester may have also been a reward from this chest, due to its Legendary status. However, there is no real proof of this being the case and is merely speculation.
Unused Villager Dialogue
There is various unused dialogue that mention a threat in Hook Coast. These lines of dialogue appear to be the reaction of interacting with villagers while a certain quest is active. The villagers will mention lights, screams and noises that are appearing from the Hook Coast abbey. They are referred to as "Post Dragon Battle" in the game files and could have been used for the Dragon Boss Fight Quest intended for Trogdor or it was for a quest that happened after fighting him.
Removing Trogdor
According to Combat AI Programmer Alan Harding, despite all the effort they had put into it, the idea for the Dragon was ultimately removed from the original game because they didn't have time to make it seem fun in terms of Gameplay. This caused them to remove any references to Trogdor from the gameplay experience, along with any maps, dialogue or scripted sequences that were associated with it. However, the Xbox Version of Fable still had most of this functioning data left on the disk. Which gave the modding community for Fable a chance to get a glimpse into what Trogdor and Dragon Cliff might have been like, had it not been removed from the final version of the game. Back when the original Fable was initially released, rumors spread about a Dragon that you could find in the Xbox Version of the game. While Trogdor and Dragon Cliff did exist in the game files, there was no legitimate method to access either of them outside of modding the game. Even if you did get access to the map, the scripts intended for Trogdor to appear are tied to quests that never trigger in the Xbox Version of the game. Proving they were merely just rumors.
Fable: The Lost Chapters
A year after Fable's original release on the Xbox, a new version of the game was planned and then released. This new version is referred to as Fable: The Lost Chapters and contains extra content that was meant to be in the original game. This even features its own storyline involving a Dragon. Other than the Textures that were used for designing Trogdor, it is believed that everything intended for that Dragon was then reused or reshaped to work for Jack of Blades' Dragon Form instead. Even the map design for Archon's Folly is heavily influenced by the original vision for the Dragon Arena, with its mini map being almost identical to the one that was intended for Dragon Cliff.
Trivia
- At one point in development, he was meant to be the first NPC that you would encounter in Hook Coast.
- The name Trogdor is confirmed by Co-Creator Dene Carter to have been a reference to Trogdor The Burninator by Strong Bad.
- According to the game files for Fable, the fire breathing attack for the Dragon was actually meant to be called "Burninate".
- The version of Trogdor that can be found in the Xbox Version of Fable was created by the game's then Lead Artist, Damian Buzugbe.
- The name Dragon's Lair could have been a reference to the laserdisk fantasy game with the same name.
- The developer Charlie Edwards confirmed that Creature_Dragon_01 was the first version of Trogdor that ever made it into the game.
- The map Archon's Folly is actually referred to as DragonCliff_02 in the game files of Fable: The Lost Chapters.
- The idea for the Dragon was changed completely for Fable: The Lost Chapters. Rather than being a wild creature that you would fight somewhere in Albion, it was changed to be Jack's Dragon Form being trapped behind the Bronze Gate instead.
- It's believed that the Demon Door which can't be opened in the Xbox Version of Fable was the final entrance for Dragon Cliff, before it was ultimately removed. However, there is no definitive proof of this being the case, outside of the Dragon Demon Door's dialogue.
- Since its name wasn't common knowledge to people who modded the game, it was assumed for a long time that this Dragon was meant to be called Kyris, due to an unused line of dialogue for the Arena that refers to Jack of Blades as the "Slayer of Kyris the Dragon".