The implicit question when booting up Fobri’s chaotic new co-op stealth game, Burglin' Gnomes, is simple: what exactly are you supposed to be doing in this giant, hostile house? The answer lies in the High-Gnome demands. These are the core mission objectives your tiny squad must complete to successfully extract, upgrade your hideout, and survive the night. From stealing the Old Man's underwear to flushing valuable vases down the toilet, these tasks dictate your entire stealth strategy.
If your squad is tired of getting punted across the living room by the homeowner or blown up by a misfired revolver, you need a cohesive plan. Unlike other extraction games where you just grab whatever isn't nailed down, Burglin' Gnomes requires specific coordination to satisfy your tiny boss. Here is the complete list of the High-Gnome's tasks and the definitive strategies for executing them before the sun comes up.
What Are the High-Gnome Demands?
Released on Steam on June 10, 2026, Burglin' Gnomes heavily leans into the physics-based co-op chaos popularized by games like Lethal Company. However, instead of a faceless corporation, you answer to the High-Gnome.
The High-Gnome demands are essentially your quota. Before you deploy into the human house, you receive a randomized list of objectives. These aren't simple fetch quests; because you are a six-inch-tall gnome, moving a slice of bread requires the logistical planning of a bank heist. Failing to meet the High-Gnome demands means you return to your hideout empty-handed, unable to craft the crucial equipment needed for later, more dangerous missions.
Survival in this game is currently hovering around a "Survival Rate 12%", with the vast majority of runs ending in "Old Man Punts". To tip those odds, you have to understand exactly what you are stealing and the physics governing those items.
Analysis Report Poster: Breakdown of the High-Gnome demands and survival rates
The Complete List of High-Gnome Demands
The tasks you receive fall into a few distinct categories. Some require brute force, others require careful physics manipulation, and a few just require you to be incredibly quiet.
Stealing Bread
Bread is the staple currency of the gnome world. When the High-Gnome demands bread, you must locate the kitchen, climb the counters, and physically drag a slice back to the extraction point. The challenge? A single slice of bread is massive compared to your character. Dragging it slows your movement speed to a crawl, making you prime bait for the cockroaches that patrol the floorboards. The best strategy is to have one player act as the dedicated "mule" while the other scouts ahead to distract the bugs or clear a path under the cabinets.
Stealing a Vase
This is where the physics engine becomes your worst enemy. Vases are heavy, but more importantly, they are fragile. If you drop a vase from a height greater than a few gnome-inches, it shatters. The sound of breaking porcelain immediately alerts the Old Man, who will come stomping into the room. When moving a vase, use the game's passing mechanic to hand it down from tables to the floor rather than tossing it.
Stealing Underwear
Humiliating the homeowner is apparently high on the High-Gnome's priority list. Underwear is usually located in the bedroom or the laundry room. Because the bedroom is where the Old Man sleeps, this is a high-risk stealth mission. If the grandfather clock strikes "3:00 AM" or you step on a creaky floorboard, the Old Man wakes up. Grabbing the underwear requires you to navigate a maze of giant slippers and discarded clothes without making a sound.
Comic Grid: The sequence of getting caught stealing underwear by the Old Man
Flushing Items
Not everything is meant to be brought back to the hideout. Sometimes, the High-Gnome demands that you simply destroy human property by flushing it down the toilet. This "flushing" mechanic requires you to drag the specified item (often a vase, a tool, or even a weapon) into the bathroom, heave it over the rim of the toilet bowl, and then jump on the handle to flush. You often have to use a "plunger" to force larger items down the drain, but be careful—the bathroom is a prime spawn location for hazards.
Infographic: Step-by-step guide to fulfilling High-Gnome demands by flushing items
Weapon Management
The most dangerous tasks involve the human's weapons. The house is littered with mouse traps, knives, and occasionally a loaded revolver. The High-Gnome will often demand that you "hide" these weapons. If you leave a gun out in the open after knocking it off a table, the Old Man can and will pick it up and use it against you. Hiding weapons requires dragging them under sofas or behind floorboards where the human AI cannot path to them.
Best Strategies for Completing High-Gnome Demands
Knowing what to do is only half the battle; knowing how to manipulate the game's janky physics is the other. Veteran players have already figured out a few mandatory protocols for surviving the night.
Always Grab a Stick from the High-Gnome: Before you even leave the hideout, immediately grab a "stick" off the High-Gnome. This basic tool is essential for propping open doors, triggering mouse traps from a safe distance, and defending yourself against the roaches.
Handle Weapons by the Tip: If you have to move the "revolver" to complete a hiding task, how you hold it matters. The game's physics dictate that bumping the hammer or the trigger against a wall will cause a "misfire". Always hold the gun by the tip of the barrel. Furthermore, never point a knife or a mouse trap towards yourself while dragging it. If the physics engine glitches and the item snaps forward, you will instantly kill your own gnome.
Baiting the Old Man: The Old Man operates on a sound-based AI loop. If you need to clear him out of a room to steal a high-value item, have your fastest player intentionally drop a low-value item (like a spoon) in the opposite corner of the house. While he stomps over to investigate, the rest of the team can execute the heist.
Upgrading Your Gnome Home
Completing the High-Gnome demands isn't just for a high score. The loot you extract is used to craft equipment and upgrade your home base. As you progress, you can build grappling hooks made of paperclips, gliders made of human receipts, and reinforced armor crafted from thimbles.
Prioritize upgrading your movement speed first. The faster you can drag items across the floor, the less time you spend exposed in the open hallways. Once you have basic mobility upgrades, focus on inventory expansion so you can carry multiple small items (like coins or keys) alongside the massive objective items demanded by the boss.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
How do you steal bread in Burglin' Gnomes? Bread must be physically dragged from the kitchen counters to the extraction point. Because of its size, it slows you down significantly. It is best handled by two players working together, or by throwing it down from the counter onto a soft surface (like a towel) to avoid making noise, then dragging it under the cabinets to avoid detection.
How do you flush an item? To flush an item, drag it into the bathroom and push it up the side of the toilet (using improvised ramps if necessary). Drop it into the bowl, then have your gnome jump onto the silver flush handle. If the item is stuck, you may need to locate a plunger in the bathroom to force it down.
What happens if you leave the gun out? If you knock a weapon like the revolver onto the floor and fail to hide it, the Old Man will eventually find it during his patrol routes. He will pick it up and actively hunt your squad, turning the game from a stealth heist into a lethal survival horror experience. Always hide weapons under furniture.