Tasks First Beginner Guide | Burglin' Gnomes
New player? Your first job is not looting. Each day rolls five tasks, three are needed for extraction, and a failed timer can reset progress. Learn the entry, finish safe objectives, then decide whether loot is worth the risk.
Core loop: 5 tasks, 3 required to extract
Every run should be planned around the task count first. The house can contain useful loot, but the bell only matters after the team has enough task progress to leave safely.
Beginner rule: stop chasing valuables until three tasks are done, the exit is known, and at least one player can call the route back to the bell.
Open the complete survival and camp management guideBasic controls that actually decide runs
Burglin' Gnomes is a physics-heavy game. Right-click grab and mouse-wheel arm distance are not secondary controls; they decide whether you can climb windows, open drawers, pull heavy items, and avoid getting stuck in door frames.
Best first route for new players
New players should not start by dragging the largest object they can find. The first run should prove that the team can enter, read the High-Gnome task list, complete a few small objectives, identify an exit, and leave without turning the house into a rescue mission.
Read the High-Gnome task list before touching loot
The tutorial task set teaches five fundamentals: break a TV, climb the kitchen counter, hit with Clonk-style force, open a cabinet, and open a window.
Leave the gnome world through a planned entry
The safest early entry is the vine-covered window. Treat it as both the way in and the mental marker for how to leave when threats move badly.
Open cabinets before calling a room empty
Task items and useful loot often sit behind drawers or cabinet doors. Open containers before deciding the room has nothing useful.
Use counters and windows as movement tests
Climbing the kitchen counter and opening a window are not side tricks; they teach how to reach human-scale surfaces and leave under pressure.
Use mouse wheel distance control when carrying objects
Held-object distance changes how safely you move through clutter and doorways. If a small object keeps catching on geometry, adjust the carry distance instead of forcing it.
Save enemy testing for throwaway runs
Human hits, cat pull range, rat health, and tool stun values are too risky to test during progression. Mark the route, leave, then test mechanics deliberately.
First task list new players should learn
The first useful route is built around five tutorial fundamentals: break a TV, climb the kitchen counter, hit a target, open a cabinet, and open a window. These are not random chores; they teach room priority, object handling, container checks, vertical movement, and when to stop looting.
Daily task pool, group limits, and difficulty by day
Normal days still roll five tasks, but they are not pulled from one flat list. Gather/Steal and Misc are the backbone groups, while toilet, explosion, violence, stun, and blowdart tasks are capped so the day does not become one repeated hazard.
Days 0-1
5 Easy tasks
Use these days to learn entry, containers, and extraction timing.
Day 2
3 Medium + 2 Easy
Start crafting route tools before the house asks for harder objectives.
Days 3-4
1 Hard + 3 Medium + 1 Easy
Do not over-loot before the hard task is solved or skipped.
Days 5-7
2 Hard + 3 Medium
Enter with a craft plan, not just empty hands.
Days 8+
Hard-heavy task pool
Expect more dangerous verbs and recheck the exit before fighting.
Task pairs that should not roll together
Cause Explosion + Explode Random Enemy; Mine Explode + Mine Trigger; Boar Charge + Boar Tusk; Jonathan Music Box + Jonathan Spawned; Water Plants + Cut Plants; Dart Stab + Fork Stab; Enter Shed + Enter Greenhouse; Build Minicopter + Garage Door Open; Steal Dog Toy + Free Dog; Window Open + Window Shatter.
How to enter the human world safely
The human world is the task zone: lawn, exterior walls, windows, drain pipe, and rooms such as kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room, and hallway. The front door does not open cleanly from outside, so new players should learn three entry methods.
Vine window
Random exterior window with green vines
Grab the window with both hands, pull upward, and climb in. If the body will not pull, reset position before assuming the window is blocked.
Bad angle, heavy carried item, or weak-body bug can make the climb fail.
Drain pipe
Usually fixed near the back side of the house
Approach the pipe and press E when the prompt appears. Use it as a backup entry when windows are unsafe.
It can place the team inside without the same visual exit marker as a vine window.
Inside door setup
After at least one player is already inside
Move a low stool or chair to the door, stand on it, and use the height to reach handles or interior door controls.
Furniture is heavy for one gnome; two players are safer when moving it.
How to open doors, climb windows, and avoid getting stuck
Doors, windows, cabinets, drawers, ovens, and refrigerators are route tools, not background props. Many early runs fail because players never open the containers that actually hide task items, cigarettes, weapons, or useful small loot.
Oven and refrigerator doors
Grab the external handle and pull down or outward. Do not stand in a bad angle where the door pushes your body into clutter.
Drawers and cabinets
Pull drawers and cabinet doors open before calling a room empty. Small valuables, cigarettes, weapons, and task objects can hide inside.
Cigarettes and smoke items
House layout, object set, and item spawns are random. Some runs have several packs in drawers or cabinets; some runs may have none.
Mouse holes
Mouse holes can help escape pressure, but the exit may be awkward. Do not use them while carrying critical loot unless the route is already lost.
Death and revival mechanics: CPR, Spirit Catcher, and failed days
Revival needs separate practice because players mix up three states: being grabbed, being downed and rescued by a teammate, and using the base revival furniture. The run is still lost if the team reaches the deadline with fewer than three completed tasks.
CPR rescue
CPR-style rescue is not a guaranteed fixed timer. Treat it as a repeated chance to bring a teammate back, and stop if the body is in a lethal position or the threat still controls the room.
Spirit Catcher charges
The Medical Terminal / Spirit Catcher setup has limited charges: three in multiplayer and one in solo. Spend them on task progress, not greedy loot mistakes.
Failed-day lockout
When the day fails because the task minimum was not met, respawns are blocked briefly while the game resolves the loss and resets the run.
Muscle weakness bug, co-op lag, disconnects, and virtual memory setup
Full-release traffic can expose physics, network, and memory issues. Keep fixes direct: lower heavy graphics options, restart the lobby after severe desync, avoid testing movement gear during unstable sessions, and increase Windows virtual memory if crashes or memory errors appear during co-op.
Settings and controls worth checking before the first run
Burglin' Gnomes has enough physics, camera movement, voice coordination, and small object handling that setup matters. Do this before a co-op session, not after someone is already stuck under a table with a task item.
Main menu flow
Create Game, Tutorial, Join Game, Settings, and Quit are visible entry points. New players should run Tutorial once before co-op routing.
Co-op readiness
The gnome world supports friend invite flow. Assign one task caller before entering the human world.
Comfort settings
Voice chat, invert mouse Y, 3D sickness mode, camera smoothing, FPS cap, VSync, volumetric lighting, and texture resolution are relevant before a long session.
Carry control
Mouse wheel carry-distance adjustment is an actual routing tool. Use it for doors, toilets, small clutter, and tight window entries.
Recommended room order
Start with rooms that support small task objects. Bathrooms and kitchens are useful because they often contain interactable objects, light clutter, and task-friendly items. Deeper rooms and heavy valuables are safer after you know how to get back out.
In co-op, one player should call the next objective while another watches the route. Random splitting is fast for five seconds and slow for the rest of the run.