Treasure Goblin

"Some devious little goblins have been robbing our merchants! When pursued, they simply open portals and disappear with a most aggravating chuckle. The peasantry seem to believe that the goblins serve a great demon lord known as Greed and furthermore, that their portals lead to Greed's domain! A ludicrous notion, truly."

- Abd al-Hazir^(src)

A Treasure Goblin

Treasure Goblins are small demons that steal loot and everything that glitters, carrying said treasure in sacks over their shoulders. They are servants to the baroness Greed, and they enter her domain from the mortal realm through portals.

The Goblins do not fight, preferring to escape into their realm where no one can follow them (or at least so they think), and even if anyone manages to, the Sentries will protect the Goblin there.

Lore

A Treasure Goblin

Treasure Goblins are ragged opportunists, sneering and scuttling admist battles to collect the loot of the fallen. Mischevous scavangers, they have a hunched posture due to the weight of the treasures they carry over their backs, and possess grayish bodies and lizard-like heads. As quickly as they enter Sanctuary, they depart, disapearing into portals with their goods in tow. A guarded species, if observed during one of their hunts, Treasure Goblins will retreat through these portals, utilizing a type of magic not unlike that of the kind the Horadrim employed to summon Town Portals and Waypoints. Until recently, no mortal has ever ventured through these portals after them. As their presence has become more common, so have rumors of their gold-filled "vault." It is said that beyond a goblin's portal untold riches await, as well as untold horrors.

History

Treasure Goblins are a more recent addition to Sanctuary's bestiary. Sightings of them increased shortly after the appearance of the Fallen Star. Little is known of the Goblins by Sanctuary's inhabitants bar the fact that they are not native to the mortal realm. After the Siege of Bastion's Keep, tales of Treasure Goblins scurrying about Kehjistan's battlefields have riddled Sanctuary’s taverns. At first believed to be frenzied grave robbers, the Goblins' true nature became known only once they were witnessed in broad daylight. Now, their appearance is recognizable to all but the most cloistered of citizens, and prove a welcome sight to powerful nephalem in search of easy loot.

In-game

"Treasure goblins are highly trained professionals, specializing in the transportation of valuable goods throughout the dangerous lands of Sanctuary. They are particularly skilled at engaging evasive maneuvers when avoiding the hostilities of local Nephalem. Though the reward may be great, one must be cautious in approaching the timid and excitable Treasure Goblin, lest you find yourself guided through a gauntlet of dangerous elite packs."

- Nevalistis in a joke post^(src)

Treasure Goblin in-game

Treasure Goblins are found throughout Diablo III. Five types of Treasure Goblin exist, each identified by colour; the blue Treasure Pygmy, the green Treasure Goblin, the red Treasure Seeker, the Treasure Bandit, and the Rainbow Goblin. As of Patch 2.0., there is no difference between their loot tables. The unique Treasure Goblin (found in The Unknown Depths) is no different from them as well. A special breed of Goblins called Treasure Fiends can be found in the Treasure Realm. The Rainbow Goblin is special in that, when killed, it will always spawn a portal to Whimsydale.

Treasure Goblins cannot attack the player, and remain idle until attacked. Upon taking hit, they stagger for a moment (suffering reduced damage for a few seconds, so it is impossible to kill them before they start running) and then flee with great speed in the opposite direction (away from the enemy). As they take damage, they will drop gold, leaving a trail of coins to be traced easily. Killing them will spill their entire loot onto the floor, which typically includes potions, extra gold, gems, crafting materials, as well as magical and sometimes rare armor and weapons. 

From time to time, Goblins stop and start opening the portal. If not struck in 6 seconds, they escape, leaving no loot and awarding no credit for the kill. This can be interrupted (to set them fleeing again), but after some time, opening the portal becomes uninterruptable, and the Goblin will escape unless killed in time. Slowdown, Stun, and other similar crowd control tools have no effect on Treasure Goblins at all, but Freeze effects can be useful, if they are not in the uninterruptable portal stage. Otherwise, only direct damage will suffice. Followers and pets do not attack idle Goblins until those are within 10 yards.

The in-game model

There is a very small chance to encounter a Goblinfest in Nephalem Rifts. The Fest consists of 10-20 Treasure Goblins in one location, resting together. It may be a very good opportunity to obtain a huge portion of loot, provided player manages to kill them all in time.

Goblins cannot harm the player in any way. However, they can run into other enemies, who will make it significantly harder to chase the greedy mocking packrat.

Note that all Treasure Goblins, regardless of type, count as elites.

As of Patch 2.1, there is a very small chance that Treasure Goblin slain in Adventure Mode will leave an opened portal to the Treasure Realm, which the players can use. Treasure Goblins in Rifts and Campaign cannot open this portal.

• Puzzle Rings can summon Treasure Goblins to exchange a player's white (common) loot for rares.

Tips

• Carefully sneak past the Goblin, killing nearby enemies without disturbing him.
• Use direct damage, respeccing if needed.
• Obtain movement speed or relocation abilities.
• If possible, attack the Goblin from the side opposite to which whence you came, so that it would be running into the location already cleared.

Uniques

• Snitchley, Aspect of Greed
• The Treasure Goblin

Trivia

This section contains facts and trivia relevant to this article.

• Blizzard Entertainment staff were gifted with Treasure Goblin statues in the 2012 holiday period. The statue was sculpted by former McFarlane Toys sculptor Brian Fay (currently Blizzard Entertainment Sculpting Lead), and sculptor/owner of Claymator Studios.

• A Treasure Goblin prop for Xbox Live can be purchased for $5. It is referred to as the "king of bling."

• A World of Warcraft Treasure Goblin pet exists, awarded to players who also purchased the Collector's Edition of Reaper of Souls.

• Treasure Goblin plushies were available at the 2014 San Diego Comic Con—a standard one, and a Whimsyshire variant, as per it "going native." The standard variant will be available for purchase from the Blizzard store at a later date.

Gallery

The Treasure Goblin statue

WoW in-game Treasure Goblin pet

Treasure Goblin plushie (standard)

Treasure Goblin plushie (Whimsyshire variant)