Goblins versus 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 . Gnomes and goblins have always been rivals — though whether this rivalry is friendly or brutal depends on the individuals involved . Goblins . Goblins 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 . 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 . Goblin 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 ? 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 . Gnomes . In contrast , gnomes overplan new projects , producing blueprints and schematics that can take longer to make than the device itself . While this cautious attitude results in higher quality products and a greater success rate , it often takes so long that cost overruns creep in . While a goblin would scream and flee at the mere thought of a cost overrun , a gnome simply shrugs and presses on . If a project fails to work correctly the first time , a gnome will continue to tinker with it , while a goblin would usually give up and move to something else . Thus , gnomish items have very low failure rates compared to goblin items . The gnomish inventors are highly adept at creating outlandishly clever contraptions for military use . Among the many bizarre inventions created by the Gnomes are the Flying Machines that hover high above both land and sea , as well as the implausible Submarine that can move under the seas . The Gnomes are also responsible for perfecting the technique of extracting various chemical compounds out of oil to make gunpowder and explosives . Although the Gnomes are a bit odd and eccentric , none can deny their value to the Alliance . Gnomes tend to design fairly complicated devices that are relatively safe . Gnomes are in many ways commensurate organizers : a gnome can spend as much time ( or more ) organizing and planning a project as he / she does actually working on it . If the design fails , he / she tries to learn why , and fixes it if he / she can . If he / she meets with success , he / she as often as not continues to tinker with and improve the design , often for years afterward . Thus , many gnomish designs feature a high degree of complexity and a low chance of failure , the exceptions being those that dabble with chaos energy — but even then , they take steps to ensure the worst that could happen is a brief , non - fatal failure . Gnomes are innovative thinkers and are responsible for a vast variety of inventions , including more than a few that are commonly attributed to dwarves . Although a diminutive people , gnomes think big , often producing designs far too complex to ever be realized . To gnomes , technology is a way of life . Even gnomes who take on other trades often tinker in their spare time . Because of their innate curiosity , they produce a wide variety of devices that are interesting or amusing but otherwise useless or impractical . While others might shake their heads at such folly , the gnomes value all invention , no matter how unimportant it might seem . Among the well - known gnomish devices are the world enlarger , net - o - matic projector and harm prevention belt . Rivalry . 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 tinker s 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 . Someone may not need to be a goblin or gnome to specialize in that race ’ s engineering methodology . In fact , it ’ s not unheard of for a goblin to give up on his dangerous ways and embrace gnomish engineering , or vice versa . So far , the goblin / gnome rivalry has yet to erupt into fighting , but the possibility exists , especially given the resurging presence of goblins within the Horde . Such a technology war would have consequences undreamt of .