So I’ve never really questioned what they were before now.
But after some digging they’re apparently alchemically mutated goblins who’ve the reasoning skills of an ogre with a hangover and acidic sweat (quotes from WoWpedia).
So I’ve one question;
Is this like a punishment visited upon particularly nefarious goblins or just something unlucky orphans are subjected to?
I can see why such a fun sized race would be in need of some muscle but it seems way easier to just hire ogres. Or hell just make your own ornery oafs of objectless offal like the Forsaken do.
Maybe it’s just really economically sound?
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It’s what the goblin banks do if you default on your loans.
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it’s just the end result of seeing other people as nothing more than commodities.
seemingly not good enough for anything else? got into too high a debt?
turn them into literal dumb muscle slaves with a single-digit lifespan.
use them as both a way to beat up others, and show them what ultimate fate awaits them if they get too unprofitable.
Also, ogres didn’t exist on Azeroth until the horde brought them over.
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Yes.
The answer is yes to all that and more, Bene.
Goblins are not hindered by the weakness we call morality, because they replaced it with an overabundance of wreckless, carefree experimental curiosity without regard for any form of life.
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But the thing is they’re regarded enough by at least some aspect of goblins to make it on to Ocean 11 heist teams. So they don’t seem like a derided underclass who’s very existence is looked down upon.
They’re just kind of there.
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possibly Blizzard retconned the original dark aspects of it away when no one was paying attention to better fit their new moral model of World of Anduincraft?
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If so there hasn’t been any lore update I’m aware of
Every good heist needs muscle.
Hobgooobers are the muscle.
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I’m convinced there has been some soft retconning going on their intelligence and origins.
Funny enough, they are effected by Kaja’mite/Kaja Cola just like goblins. They probably started off as a slave race but at some point realized that if they didn’t like working hard for no pay, then they could just snap their employers necks, which really helped their bargaining position.
We also see them running their own shops in Undermine so maybe they are not that dumb.
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I see their origin being due to alchemy being more an art than science sometimes, and goblin test subjects sometimes just staying that way.
Hobgoblins not being disrespected is probably due to them being relatively big hunks of muscle. Very useful, and very much not someone you want angry at you in melee range
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I wasn’t exactly joking, but at the same time, it’s something I wouldn’t put past them
what was the lore reason behind the paintings of women becoming paintings of fruit?
Harsh censorship spells from the Kirin Tor
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Azerothians could not distinguish between a food platter and females until very recently. Those paintings were always of fruit, it’s just that the veil has been lifted from our eyes by the rise of the void.
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Because goblins, who are masters of tech, are also masters of alchemy. So they would experiment on their own and they found out they could make hobgoblins. So they could make mooks who are bigger and stronger, who are easier to control, yeah, it is simple.
That is my goblin warrior RPs as someone who made a perfect alchemic serum to get all the strength plus more, regeneration and unlocking titan like abilities. His name is literally Serum, like captain America but stronger, faster, with healing factor.
I love it.
Yup, lore wise it is never known how long goblins actually live for. They either all die way too young or extend their life further than normal via alchemy or magic. They also breed like rabbits so there is always more of them than less.
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Nothing was retcon. Stop trying to find issues with some hobgoblins being more than just mooks.
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That people think hobgoblins are retconned because we’ve now encountered a handful who have the intelligence of the average real world person is really funny.
is that because the hobgoblins are smart or the average real world person seems dumber than ever?
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Yes. You knew this already.
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This part about the “single digit lifespan” is at least non canon considering it came from the RPG.
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