Goblin technology

For the profession specialization, see Goblin Engineering.

A goblin shredder, an invention designed for mass lumber harvesting.

“Every great goblin invention was born from necessity, bubble gum, or an accident.”

— Goblin adage^[1]

Goblin technology is a collection of inventions created by the goblins, a race known for their love of money, explosives, and technology, which makes them dangerous both to their enemies and themselves.

Background

The many races of the Horde are far more primitive than those of the Alliance and thus are not nearly as technologically advanced. Most advances have taken place in the field of war machines and weaponry, and the Horde had to employ technological "consultants" - goblins - to create the city of Orgrimmar. The permanent inclusion of goblins, with their emphasis on engineering and mechanical development, into the Horde has opened up tremendous technological potential. Today, the Horde is slowly realizing real gains through technology, both for military and domestic purposes.^[2]

The Old Wizard's Almanac claims that goblins lack the capacity to understand the arcane and tend to be distrustful of magic, preferring to focus on technological ventures instead.^[3]

During the Second War, the daring goblins control the captured giant turtles and were dedicated to destroying enemy ships by launching hazardous, steam-driven canisters containing highly volatile liquids that can shred even the strongest of armor.^[4]

Ever since the Second War, goblins have had a rivalry with gnomes who supplied the Alliance with their technology and weapons similarly to them with the Horde. The two races are in competition with each other over which race is the smartest and most advanced technologically, though the degree of seriousness of this competition varies according to the individual, with some goblins being hostile to gnome while others are friendlier to them. Isaac Blastimov and Bamm Megabomb notably invented the mechanical wolves together.

Known inventions

See also: Technology, Gnomish technology

Robots

Vehicles

Weapons

Siege weapons

Transportation

Others

In the RPG

This section contains information from the Warcraft RPG which is considered non-canon.

Steam warrior in Magic and Mayhem.

Though once nothing but fodder for more taproom banter, goblin inventions have shown their worth in recent years. They're particularly fond of tinkering with mechanical things, alchemy, and explosives. Their love of mechanics often places them into direct competition with gnomes who enjoy similar devices. The "competition" between goblins and gnomes seems to be friendly; an example of this is in the Shimmering Flats, where the two races are constantly competing (by racing) with one another. Whether clockwork "shredders" that allow a single goblin to do as much harvesting as 10 field hands or zeppelin-like "airships" that can ferry troops over otherwise impassable terrain, the goblins' inventions have become legendary. Such technological ingenuity is as central to the goblins' rise among the races as any trading prowess.

Even with the malfunctions and explosions that occur (not as frequent as tavern chatter suggests, but far from rare), goblin technology is proving to be of a quality that rivals the dwarves and their firearms. If they possessed physical strength and mystic power to match their inventiveness and cunning, they would be a force of some significance. Of course, the goblins claim that they are already — if not for their frail physical forms, goblins would rule the world. Then they laugh and say they prefer a challenge and offer to buy the taproom guests the next round.^[5]

Goblins value technology as a useful aspect of commerce. Some say that their advantage — and their curse — is to be the primary users of technology in a world governed by magic. While dwarves and gnomes share a similar gift, goblin technology is more far-reaching and sinister and makes a larger impact on the natural world. Following their liberation on Kezan, goblins rapidly expanded their knowledge of technology. Goblins created Azeroth's first steam technologies. Rumors are that goblin technology back then was far more advanced than current dwarven technology. Goblins established themselves as master technicians, selling their goods on the open market. Desperate, goblins spread out into the world, attempting to find any pockets of kaja'mite they might have missed.^[6]

They don't have a tremendous number of truly skilled engineers, primarily because they tend to blow themselves up. It’s said that there are old goblins and there are goblin tinkers, but there are no old goblin tinkers. While not one hundred percent accurate, there is truth to this adage. Many goblin inventions are bizarre or have no apparent use. A goblin often creates things just to see what happens, then discards his creation when he can't think of a way to make money with it. Some of the most well-known devices in the world came from the trash heaps of goblin inventors who didn’t know they had something anybody would have wanted.^[7]

Goblins were once brilliant inventors, but no longer. They once were the definitive name in technology long ago, but now their machines barely run. This doesn't stop the race from playing with technology, however, and goblins run the market in destructive weaponry. They try desperately to maintain their amazing devices, but they’re no longer clever enough to carry out the maintenance properly. They now rely on improvisations and jury-rigs that work only haphazardly. Thus, when a goblin creates, the process might appear to be one part ingenuity and five parts desperate improvisation. Most goblin items look suicidal to use and rarely work correctly.^[8]

Their technology tends to be radical and dangerous, always pushing the ragged edge of feasibility. Goblins have short attention spans as a rule, so if they can’t get something to work right away, they either give up or move on to something else that attracts their attention. Goblin workshops are littered with half-finished projects and the scavenged remnants of inventions that didn’t pan out. While this attitude gives them more time to work on new and promising creations, who knows how many potentially valuable projects have been left gathering dust in some back corner?^[9]

Goblins share the gift of technology with gnomes, yet they have a much more sinister and devious method of putting technology to use. Goblins revel in the destructive power of their devices, and their lack of discipline often manifests in unreliability in the field. A goblin inventor is more likely to die using one of his own devices than he is to be killed on the field of war. Notorious for malfunctioning in catastrophic displays of explosive power, goblin technology is better left to those who need a big payoff with substantial risk. The goblin race’s independence makes them a reckless force, with little restraint as to what they are willing to build or create. Luckily goblins have little discipline for research and development unless it produces wealth, and most, if not all, of the grander experiments they begin are aborted due to sudden interest in another branch of technological development.^[10]

Rivalry with gnomes

Goblins and gnomes have long had an intense rivalry. This competition has fostered a number of inventions designed specifically to show up the opposition. Nowhere is this better seen than at the racetrack in the Shimmering Flats, where the two sides rush endlessly to develop new racing vehicles — ones with little practical use anywhere else in the world.^[11] Gnomes and goblins have always been rivals — though whether this rivalry is friendly or brutal depends on the individuals involved.^[12]

Both sides scoff at the other as taking the “wrong” attitude towards engineering. Goblins laugh at the way gnomes spend far more time and money on a project than they’ll ever hope to recoup, while the gnomes shake their heads at the way goblins are always blowing themselves and their laboratories to pieces. Still, both sides have their advantages and disadvantages, so neither can be said to be the right way to do things. Some tinkers choose to study the ways of gnomish or goblin engineering in more detail, becoming specialists in that race’s way of thinking and designing technological items.^[11]