World of Warcraft's pacifist panda returns to hit Dragonflight's level cap without actually playing the expansion
Why battle evil when you can mine ore and pick flowers?
The famous World of Warcraft player who won't choose a faction for their Pandaren is attempting to reach the Dragonflight level cap without landing a single blow on an enemy.
Released in 2012, World of Warcraft's fourth expansion, Mists of Pandaria added a new playable race, the Pandaren. The fact they're a race of giant pandas isn't the only thing that makes them unique as, unlike the MMO's previous races, they aren't tied to either the Horde or Alliance factions. This means you can remain factionless until you reach the end of their starting area, the Wandering Isle.
A player by the name of Doubleagent rose to fame several years ago by refusing to choose a faction - thus remaining in the Wandering Isle - and reaching max level through peaceful means. Now, every time Blizzard launches a new expansion and ups the level cap, Doubleagent logs back in, and the grind begins anew. In 2020, they reached level 60 in the Shadowlands expansion in just over 17 days, and with Dragonflight raising the level cap to 70, the impartial player is back to level up their factionless panda again.
In a tweet earlier today, Doubleagent revealed that they have already reached level 61, which took them just under 12 hours. The player gets their experience from picking herbs and mining ore so levelling up takes some serious patience and dedication. Having come this far, it’s pretty much a given they’ll reach level 70 fairly soon. But we do wonder if this panda will ever be able to keep to his neutral ways and also enjoy the great big world.
Elsewhere, players not confined to the Wandering Isle have managed to reach World of Warcraft's Dragonflight new level cap in just three hours. That's even more impressive, given that server issues have left many fans unable to access the new content.
Looking for more games you can sink thousands of hours into? Check out our guide to the best MMORPGs for some inspiration.
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Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.