Goblin

File:Goblin info.png

***"These pesky little creatures only have eyes for one thing: LOOT! They are faster than a Spring Trap, and their hunger for resources is limitless."***

* **Summary**
	+ The Goblin is the fourth troop unlocked in the Barracks.
	+ The Goblin is the fastest ground unit in the game.
	+ The Goblin's first target is Resource Buildings, making them the ideal troop to deploy if your primary concern from a raid is collecting resources.
	+ The Goblin deals double damage to Resource Buildings, Town Halls and Clan Castles, Gold Mines, Elixir Collectors, Dark Elixir Drills and storages for each). This means that he deals more than twice as much damage as Barbarians and three times as much as Archers to these types of buildings. The trade-off is his relatively low health, which is higher than an Archer but lower than a Barbarian.
	+ Because the nature of the character is to attack Resource Buildings first (ignoring all defenses) they can be vulnerable to attack and should not be deployed without another type of troop (such as the Giant or Barbarians) as a meat shield.
	+ {{#vardefine:TroopName|Goblins}}{{#vardefine:DefenseType|specific defense types}}{{#var:TroopName}} prioritize resource buildings above all other targets, and will bypass all other types of enemy buildings and troops while any resource buildings remain on the battlefield. This is true even if they are under attack by enemy Clan Castle troops, heroes or Skeleton Trap skeletons. Note that like all troops that prioritize resources, {{#var:TroopName}} consider the Clan Castle or the Town Hall to be resource buildings regardless of whether or not they contain loot; {{#var:TroopName}} will preferentially target them in addition to causing double damage to them.
	Once all resource buildings are destroyed, {{#var:TroopName}} become like any other troop with no preferred target; they will attack the nearest building to them regardless of type, and will turn and attack enemy units if they become aware of any nearby.

* **Offensive Strategy**
	+ Goblins are great for stealing resources. First, use Wall Breakers to clear a route to Storages and Mines/Collectors. Then, use Barbarians, Giants or any other higher-health units to distract Mortars and Wizard Towers while the Goblins deplete the resources. Or you can simply destroy the splash-damage defenses first.
		- An alternative to Wall Breakers is the Jump Spell, which helps guide Goblins over the walls and directly into the riches inside, however this is much more expensive.
	+ Like Archers, the Goblin's greatest weakness is splash-damaging structures (i.e. Wizard Towers, Mortars). Most Wizard Towers and Mortars can kill Goblins in one shot. To combat this, send in Goblins in waves rather than spawning them all at once. Alternatively, you could send in Giants and Barbarians and let them serve as distractions while the Goblins get the resources.
	+ Another good strategy is to place a couple of Goblins after the defenses are destroyed to help clean up any remaining buildings before time runs out. Since they are fast, they can speed over to buildings far away from each other. And if there are resources in the center, the Goblins will go right to it and ignore the other buildings.
	+ Goblins are excellent at triggering Traps (especially Bombs), as their movement speed can allow them to get out of range before it detonates. This is especially helpful in the Single Player Campaign where there are often a large number of Bombs in predictable places.
	+ You can also spawn goblin hordes, for their attack speed and power can destroy many buildings. When all resource buildings have been destroyed, they will attack anything.
	+ Goblins can trigger Spring Traps without dying unless they stop on top of the Spring Trap.
	+ Goblins are usually not viewed as a good troop for getting Trophies, however they can be useful in small amounts.
		- For example, if you are doing a revenge and you think your units might go to the sides instead of into the middle because of resource buildings outside the Walls, you can use 5 Goblins per resource building to clear the way for your troops so they go in the middle.
		- Also, Goblins can be useful at the end of attacks. If you didn't get to 50% and all your other troops died you may be able to use Goblins to destroy a few mines and collectors to get you over 50%.
	+ Goblins are a great choice as clean up Troops for War attacks for Town Hall 8-9 players since majority of the leftover buildings are Resource Buildings which makes Goblins extremely effective to prevent time shortage.
	+ Because Goblins also target the Town Hall, they can be useful for destroying the Town Hall while defenses are distracted by other units to obtain a star.

* **Defensive Strategy**
	+ Although generally not viewed as the best defensive troop, Goblins are still useful as Clan Castle troops. As there are no resources to target, Goblins will attack the enemy very quickly compared to the other troops.
	+ Goblins have the highest damage of any of the Tier 1 Troops and can engage the enemy units quickly due to their fast movement speed. They are particularly proficient at taking out small numbers of Giants on defense.
	+ When designing your base to defend against Goblins, it is useful to place your defenses strategically to cover all resource buildings. Most importantly, make sure your Wizard Towers and Mortars are within range, as otherwise Goblins will make short work of your Resources.

* **Upgrade Differences**
	+ The Goblin does not undergo any significant changes throughout each level.
		- Upon first receiving the Goblin his appearance is that of a small, green creature with large pointy ears, red eyes with green pupils and a red-tipped nose. The Goblin wears brown pants and shoes. He also has a large sack, ostensibly for carrying resources stolen from your enemy.
		- At level 3 & 4, the Goblin’s bag receives light brown stripes on the sides of it.
		- At level 5, the Goblin’s bag turns all light brown and he gains a red mohawk.
		- At level 6, the Goblins gain a red leather cape and a golden necklace.

* **Trivia**
	+ Goblins are the main antagonist in the Single Player Campaign, despite the fact that you can train them as part of your army. Your own Goblins seem to have no compunction about attacking their NPC brethren.
	+ Oddly, the two CPU Goblins spawned during the tutorial ignore your Gold Mine and go straight to the Cannon.
	+ When you tap on the Army Camp the Goblins stationed there all turn and look to their left for a brief moment.
	+ Goblins and Minions are the fastest moving units.
	+ The Goblins from the Single Player Campaign look the same as the Goblin troop; however, they don't attack and immediately retreat into the Town Hall, in a similar fashion to the Villagers and Builders in players' bases.
	+ They are the only ground unit known to be faster than a Spring Trap. This does **not** mean they are not *affected* by the Spring Trap. For example, if there is a large group of Goblins running over the Spring Trap, the front Goblins will release the Spring Trap, run quickly over it, thus causing the Goblins in the back to be sprung by the Spring Trap.
	+ Although Builder's Huts are considered resource buildings, Goblins do not treat them as such and will ignore them until all other resource buildings are destroyed.
	+ As of the Winter 2014 update, Goblins are now unlocked at Barracks level 4 instead of 3, which means the first Tier 2 troop (the Giant) is unlocked before the final Tier 1 troop.
	+ Goblins go for treasures, but they never keep it, so it remains unseen why they like treasure.

For additional statistics and information, see the Unit Calculators page.