Oblivion talk:Goblin Trouble

Mass Goblin Warfare?

How exactly does that thing work where you can apparently give a head to another goblin team and make em fight? — Unsigned comment by Dougie (talk • contribs) at 01:06 on 18 May 2006‎ (GMT)

This is my question as well, only I think you use the Staffs not a head, about to do some testing of all the methods and find out. But has anyone given the staff to a completely different Goblin tribe and watched what consequences it brought about? I see Newt Cave has dead (or possibly alive) Goblins in it. Shinbone Cave has the Rat cooking Goblins (alive) in it, and last but not least Wenderbek Cave. Which not only has a specifically named Goblin Tribe (the Skull Breaker Goblins) but they have their own separate Staff as well. Wenderbek would be my first try, but it seems you could really create one of the craziest dramas in the game between these three, possibly four, Goblin Tribes.

The Skull Breaker Goblins could have their Staff stolen and given to the Rock Biter Goblins, causing two Tribes to raid the Rock Biters at the same time possibly? If so, would the Skull Breakers and Bloody Hand Goblins then fight each other, after massacring the Rock Biters together? Could all Staffs be taken and given to the residents of Cropsford, or the Rat cooking Goblins? I feel I'm about to spend a few hours on this. --AlbinoMudcrab 16:13, 12 February 2007 (EST)

I've looked at the construction set on this one, and there is scripted behaviour that will make each tribe war chief go out and search down that tribe's totem staff if it is ever stolen; the tribe's berserkers and skirmishers will accompany the war chief. Although all of the staves look identical, each one is internally linked to one specific tribe, and that tribe will always hunt down its unique staff.

Any goblin tribes that meet each other will attack each other on sight, no matter what the circumstances. All the tribes and their locations are listed at Oblivion:Goblins. The tribe members don't hate non-tribal goblins, just goblins from other tribes. So if multiple staves were placed into a single tribe's cave, a mass slaughter would ensue, with basically any two different tribes that meet fighting to death on sight.

I haven't spent much time confirming any of this in game, so in game testing would definitely be useful. I'd suggest that Oblivion:Goblins might be a better place to document general information on the tribes, rather than this one quest since it really only involves two of the eight tribes. --Nephele 17:28, 12 February 2007 (EST)

this one's more than a bit old but it seems no one actually confirmed it here so i will. after testing, you are able to do this; but keep in mind that if you have all three staves in your possession you will have three goblin tribes out hunting for your head. also, if anyone's still interested, it needs confirming that the goblins will follow you into your home. Arcanus Redwolf 16:05, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

Reward Chest

If you return to Cropsford a few weeks after completing the quest, you will find a Reward Chest inside Bincal's House. For me, it contained only 20 gold, but it might regenerate or increase over time. The chest is the only one in the house not marked as stealing when you open it, so I assume it was supposed to be the reward for this mission, but never added to the dialogues? --Foo 07:54, 12 August 2006 (EDT)

Possible bug?

It is written in the notes that there is a chance that the Bloody Hand Goblins raid will be successful. I've experienced this. The thing is that after the warchief took the staff to his tribe the quest didn't update (there is even no stage for such solution, and there should be cause there is no reason for war anymore). When he does that it seems he puts the staff to some unavailable container or something. The map marker for it is beyond the cave boundaries. The quest update could be triggered by picking up the staff and dropping it inside Bloody Hand Goblins cave. But thats impossible for the reason mentioned above. So when that happens it seems the only solution to update the quest is to kill the shaman. Havner 23:49, 19 January 2008 (EST)

I had the same situation: when I reached Timberscar Hollow the Bloody Hand warband was already there - their Warchief snatched their totem back right in front of me. I just observed invisibly, but the Bloody Hand had no trouble defeating any of the Rock Biters who tried to stop them, and I escorted (followed) the Warchief back to Cracked Wood Cave. He was joined after a little while by two of his Skirmishers.

At that point, he did not drop the totem or go into the cave to put it away, but just stood outside the entrance. The war is essentially concluded but it is impossible to finish the quest without killing anybody. If I do kill the warchief, he has the staff in his inventory and I can finish the quest by showing it to Mirisa. Does he ever put the totem down? I'd really prefer to finish this quest without killing any tribe leaders. --Nocturnal 22:09, 17 December 2009 (UTC)

I currently use 100 % Chameleon, so I may stay invisible to observe as I like.

The Bloody Hand Warchief seized the totem as I watched, turning the quest marker from green to red, and the band of Bloody Hand goblins retreated out of Timberscar Hollow, killing all the Rock Biters standing in their way. I watched it all with interest and followed them. The Warchief marked with a red quest marker.

As the Warchief arrived back at Cracked Wood Cave he ran through the tunnels and halls, not stopping until he came to the entrance of the inner hall. There he went to the cauldron filled with sculls and dropped the totem there, and the quest marker turned green. I heard it fall, and I believe I briefly saw it too, before it was lost from sight, leaving the quest marker flicker between two points a couple of feet from each other, just by the cauldron.

Did it fall through the cave floor and out of my reach? -- 93.185.164.241 15:22, 10 September 2011 (UTC)

Normally replies on old topics get deleted, especially when you just come up with another question that doesn't even seem to be related. But, I suppose you answered the last question: yes, the Warchief may drop the totem at some point (intended or not). Now to answer your question, it is possible - and I'll tell you it happens quite frequently to me when I re-enter a cell in which I dropped an item - that items fall through the floor. If you're on the pc you can use tcl to toggle collision and go get the item, otherwise you'll have to reload an earlier save ~ Dwarfmp 01:27, 11 September 2011 (UTC)

Cropsford Bug?

There seems to be a bug where the totem staff has been picked up by the War Chief (you get a red quest marker pointing to him when you enter the cave) but *also* remains unmarked on the ground near the shaman deep in the cave. Picking up the totem staff from the ground does not advance the quest, nor did dropping it and picking it up repeatedly. I reloaded, killed the War Chief and took his staff and the quest advanced.Ramara 20:40, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

The second staff is the totem staff of the goblins of that cave. It isn't quest essential, but pretty funny to take and put in other goblin caves. NIL 03:50, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

Yes, the rock biter tribe has stolen the bloody hand tribe's staff (that's kind of the point of the quest). They are initially together on the ground near to the rock biter shaman, but the bloody hand war chief is leading a party to recover his tribe's staff. The OP encountered a situation where the bloody hand goblins had succeeded in obtaining their staff. I don't know what would happen if they then managed to return to their own lair - in theory, that should advance the quest, but it probably doesn't. --Gaebrial 03:55, 23 May 2008 (EDT)

As far as I've seen this situation just forces you to kill the Bloody Hand War Chief to take their staff, because he never seems to put it back in the cave. Then you must bring it to Mirisa who will advise you to keep it or give it to some other goblins to start another war for fun. It doesn't seem like this quest was designed in any way to allow you a practical means to solve the war peacefully. Unless someone knows otherwise? --Nocturnal 22:55, 5 January 2010 (UTC)

Cropsford's development

How long does it really take for the settlers to build Cropsford, from step to step? SwedishBerzerker at youtube.com 13:55, 13 April 2009 (EDT)

Each step takes a week to complete so 4 weeks from when they leave the camp. –Rpeh^{•T•C•E•} 00:46, 14 April 2009 (EDT)

Alright thanks! Maybe you should add that to the articles about Cropsford and, if it does apply to other "construction sites" as well, Weatherleah? SwedishBerzerker at youtube.com 07:51, 14 April 2009 (EDT)

Weatherleah is rebuilt when you reach the ogre cave in 'Sins of the Father', so doesn't have an official time, just when the player gets around to do the quest. — Unsigned comment by 86.131.196.255 (talk) at 11:08 on 11 June 2015‎

Totemstaves available after quest?

I completed the quest (by stealing back the bloody hand's staff) and tried to find the rockbiter's staff, with no success. Where's the other staff, and is it even available after quest completion? I just want both staves for fun. Thanks! SwedishBerzerker at youtube.com 14:44, 13 April 2009 (EDT)

Continued Goblin War?

After completing the quest by dropping off the stolen staff in front of the bloody hand goblin lair, i came back to cropsford later and ran into (Bloody hand) goblins just west of the settlement. Does this mean that the settlers will be in danger from continuing Goblin raids or is there a spawn point next to cropsford that eventually goes away? Mathiusdragoon 12:44, 28 March 2010 (UTC)

What to do?

I've stolen the totem head, and also killed the non-essential shaman from the same cave, but the quest log has not updated and I don't know what to do. I had to arrows pointing where to go, now there is only the one to kill the other shaman, so it must have recognised I'd taken the totem... What do I do? — Unsigned comment by Tilde (talk • contribs) on 23 April 2010

Try talking to Mirisa and see if that moves the quest forward. rpeh •T•C•E• 14:31, 24 April 2010 (UTC)

Goblin Tribe non-hostile to me.

After completing "Goblin Trouble" I visited the area again and realized the Rock Biter Tribe was no longer hostile to me. I couldn't tell right away because I have Guilbert and Reynald as followers and they were fighting with the goblins at the cave entrance. I didn't notice until I summoned a Dremora to help the twins out and the Dremora simply stood there, apparently because I wasn't under attack. I made the twins wait outside the cave while I went inside alone and sure enough, the Rock-Biters simply ignored me. Is this supposed to happen? — Unsigned comment by 174.0.106.101 (talk) at 22:12 on 12 May 2010 (GMT)

you probly killed there shaman because if you kill a goblin tribes shaman they won't attack you--GUM!!! 23:59, 12 May 2010 (UTC)

Lost totem?

I have previously raided this place unknowing that it would be part of a quest i beleive i sold the totem and cannot locate the buyer. I do not know how to retreive the lost totem. — Unsigned comment by DBane124 (talk • contribs) at 19:36 on 23 October 2010

needs confirming, but i believe if you do this before it starts then the staff you sold disappears, forcing you to kill a large amount of goblins to resolve the issue. i also encountered this in a previous game but was positive of where i sold it. Arcanus Redwolf 16:09, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

And even if you knew where you sold it, merchants' stock renew every 73 hours, so the staff would be gone forever if you wait that long. Razor 16:12, 13 March 2011 (UTC)

You only need to kill the Cracked Wood shaman. The rest of the tribe becomes non-hostile to you after that, but any attacks they have cued-up will still happen. So don't think they are still hostile if you take a couple of hits after killing the shaman. Then go talk to Marissa. 73.6.183.171 05:58, 9 June 2023 (UTC)