In the bustling, ale-soaked taverns of Gloomhollow, stories swirl like smoke around the name Blorbo the Shrewd. A goblin of questionable morals and undoubted intelligence, Blorbo has become the centerpiece of one of the most chaotic and oddly specific quests adventurers whisper about between mugs of frothy mead: “Bring Blorbo the Shrewd 25 Hobgoblin Hides.” This strange and seemingly simple errand has taken on legendary proportions, becoming a rite of passage for new players, a meme among veterans, and a symbol of how even the smallest fetch quest can become an epic tale in the right (or wrong) hands.
Who is Blorbo the Shrewd?
Blorbo is no ordinary goblin. Clad in patchwork robes stitched with ancient runes and glittering buttons that serve no clear purpose, he resides in a sunken mushroom hut just outside of the Rotroot Marshes. Unlike other goblins, who lean toward chaos for chaos’ sake, Blorbo’s schemes are… calculated. Cunning. Shrewd, if you will. He trades in rare goods, forbidden alchemical concoctions, and secrets. Lots of secrets.
To the untrained eye, he might just be another background NPC. But players who’ve spent more than a few hours in this sprawling fantasy RPG know that accepting a quest from Blorbo is like agreeing to a gamble with fate. And nothing exemplifies this better than the Hobgoblin Hide mission.
The Quest Begins: Confusion and Curiosity
The quest kicks off like many others. You stumble upon Blorbo’s hut, receive a rambling monologue about “arcanosymbiotic weather cloaks” and “hobgoblin pheromone textures,” and then—almost as an afterthought—he makes his request: “Bring me 25 hobgoblin hides. Not 20. Not 26. Precisely 25. Or suffer the Wrath of the Unbalanced Rectangle.”
No further context. No explanation.
The player is given a basic quest log entry:
Objective: Acquire 25 Hobgoblin Hides. Deliver to Blorbo the Shrewd.
No map marker. No hint where to find hobgoblins. Just vibes.
Naturally, this sends most players into the wild, blades in hand, searching every mountain, forest, and war camp in the surrounding regions. Hobgoblins aren’t rare—but they’re annoyingly elusive when you’re actively hunting them. And then comes the twist.
The Hidden Layers of the Quest
Blorbo’s quest, though simple on the surface, is riddled with obscure mechanics and ridiculous layers. For example:
-
Only hides from Red-Marked Hobgoblins count. They spawn during nighttime during a thunderstorm in the Screeching Hills.
-
You must harvest the hides using a Silver Skinning Knife, which Blorbo conveniently forgot to mention.
-
If you gather 26 hides, Blorbo turns hostile and morphs into “Blorbo the Slighted,” a miniboss with 3 phases and a grudge.
-
Deliver fewer than 25, and he deducts XP from your entire party and curses your inventory so every bread item turns into a moldy fish.
-
Deliver the hides in a bag woven from Screaming Vines, and he gives you a secret reward: the Cloak of Controlled Chaos, which gives +15 to Intelligence and a 5% chance of turning enemies into turnips.
These hidden mechanics have transformed what seemed to be a mundane fetch quest into a legendary test of patience, research, and sheer perseverance. Entire forum threads and wiki pages are dedicated to cracking the optimal path to completion. Some players go full detective, tracking weather cycles, spawn timers, and even in-game lunar phases to streamline the process.
Why This Quest Became a Legend
Part of the charm lies in how absurdly specific it is. The number 25 isn’t arbitrary; it’s the exact amount needed for Blorbo to craft his “philosophical garment,” though what that means is up for debate. Some say it’s part of a larger meta-narrative hidden in the game files. Others think it’s the developers trolling the players in the most elaborate way possible.
But beyond the silliness, Blorbo’s quest reflects something deeper about RPGs: the beauty of the unexpected. Players crave epic swordfights and world-saving drama, yes, but they also adore the quirky moments—the ones that make you laugh, scratch your head, or take a screenshot to show your friends. In a sea of identical “Kill 10 Rats” missions, “Bring Blorbo the Shrewd 25 Hobgoblin Hides” stands out like a goblin in a ball gown.
The Community Embrace
The gaming community has embraced the quest with memes, fan art, and cosplay. One Redditor famously showed up at a convention dressed as Blorbo, complete with a sign saying, “Got hides?” Another popular fan theory suggests that Blorbo is a forgotten god of mischief and that players who complete his quest unwittingly contribute to his growing power in the game’s lore.
It’s even become a social challenge: “Can you complete the Blorbo Quest without looking up a guide?” Most fail. Gloriously.
Conclusion: The Power of a Silly Quest
On the surface, “Bring Blorbo the Shrewd 25 Hobgoblin Hides” is a joke quest. But in reality, it’s a microcosm of everything that makes games magical: discovery, frustration, curiosity, and joy. It challenges players not with combat prowess or puzzle-solving, but with patience, absurdity, and attention to detail.
Blorbo may be small, green, and slightly unhinged—but he’s also unforgettable. So if you ever find yourself near the Rotroot Marshes, and a goblin with shiny buttons asks for a weird favor, say yes. Gather those hides. And embrace the madness. Because some quests aren’t about the rewards. They’re about the chaos we make along the way.