I was reading that the desert level from the end was made just hack and slash because they rushed the game release. If it wasn't rushed, it would have had quests, any info on what the devs have initially planned for that level?
I haven't come across any piece of info on what the devs had planned for the final act. Though they did leave lots of cut content in other parts of the game. None of it has ever been mentioned by the devs, so any context given is purely speculative.
There's a hidden difficulty mode, which can be re-activated. It doubles the amount of enemies spawned, some are even tripled. Also it yields more skill points per level up. Its name is a reference to lead developer Swen Vinckes former dog, which is also the studios namesake. https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=665693
Ferols dungeon map contains a handful of unused small caves and a "dev room" that contains every item in the game plus cut items. Also there's an area that has "DO NOT USE THIS AREA" written on it. It seems to act as storage for NPCs that are currently absent from the actual game world.
There's also a rectangular area with a "fountain of life" spitting blood in its middle. If one gets closer a "dream cat" will engage the player in dialog. Should the player agree to a game of chase, he will be transformed into a rat, then chased and most likely killed by the said cat which transforms into a ghost, should the player be able to outrun it. This has been speculation to have been part of or gotten replaced by the "house of madness", as part of Ilonas dungeon, as it is located right next to it:
Verdistis' overworld map actually extends far beyond the city walls. However it does not contain much scenery, except for some roads, a burned building and some locked golden chests. The devs decided to use this area for the pocket dimension Arakand. The keys found in Arakand, which open up the pots there, can also be used to open the golden chests in the cut area nearby.
Verdistis' dungeon map contains 3 big empty floors of an unused cave maze.
The southeastern corner of the dark forest is inaccessible due to a lack of walkable terrain. It contains a house, speculated to be the former home of Boratus the magician.
Here's the full version of every overworld/dungeon map to check out above areas:
If you wanna explore the map by yourself, you can use the teleporter pyramids, to clip out of bounds. If you're familiar with cheat engine you would be better off increasing your movement speed to the point where you can clip out of and into rooms: https://forums.larian.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=665942
