Adelmo

Larian made the right choice with goblins as they are, by desing, weak, evil, annoying in large numbers and easily manipulated by other species and that design is what makes them the first enemies you encounter in almost every campaing at the earliest stage.

The other option would have been, imo, Kobolds but that race is often enslaved by chromatic dragons and beleive themselves to be their descendants rather than just devoted/enslaved by a deity who is overthrown by other [Absolute] like the goblins.

The only reason I find to NOT see a goblin as a threat or enemy as a player would be another player in my game that wants to play a small, chaotic and mischevious character that is from the material plane [ So, no pixies or sprites which are, in fact, fae and most of them from the feywild] and are not as overused as players characters as Gnomes and Halflings.

Gobs are only Fae in Hasbro's dellusions. I dare you find me any published DnD adventure before hasbro's madness that shows gobbos as fae.

"In Faerun’s lore, goblins are not just marauding monsters but a people shaped by divine influence" No, those are Aasimars, Shadar'kai and the like. Goblins are not and never will be shaped by divine influence any more than Kobolds or Gnolls or the other playable races.

Drows are more complex as a race [species] than goblins by a solar system. They have a Hierarchy stablished. Slve system and a whole cult of a greater deity [Lolth] that amnipulates them as they manipulate other underdark species. The only "positive" interaction in Act 1 with such characters, specifically minthara, is to deceive her into thinking you working with her. That or you are playing an evil character and want to, in fact, work with her.

Dror Ragzlin is a goblinoid so making an argument with him to contrast it from goblins shows your lack of information on the goblins as a species. And, as well as Minthara, the only "positive" interaction is to make him believe you are comitting an "Evil" act.

Do NOT even try to compare the complexity of Gith Lore [zerai and yankti] with Goblin's even after hasbro short fuse with them. Oh you already did. Just for the sake of venting, I will continue my "rant" of your article. Giths are 2 factions [in conflict, there are more that are neutral] of the same species that have a conflict in how they think they were released from Illithid control by Mother Gith. This opens leeway for one yankti realizing the manipulation of their Lich queen A.K.A Lae'Zel as it does for a Zerai growing tired and frustrated of its factions strict code of conduct and "descending" to evil. Even with Hasbro's Ex Machina making gobbos fae because screw disposable evil enemies in a game of mostly good vs evil, that lore is just not as complex.

Dirzzt Do'Urden is an exception, not the norm as is the goblin from the quoted novel.