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Tuesday night, 9:40 pm: the second character is born

My main has been sitting at the cap since the start of Midnight, and I felt guilty about it. She is geared, she runs her keys, she has done the raid. So tonight I made a second character, a plain old hunter with a bad haircut, and told myself I would see how far a week could take her.

No big plan. Tea, a headset, a half-eaten sandwich. I picked a zone, took the first three quests and rode off feeling like a tourist.

Wednesday lunch break: five minutes of pure vendor logic

Logged in on my phone-sized lunch window just to sell grey items and swap a helmet. It sounds boring and it was. But there is something satisfying about a bag that goes from overflowing to empty in a single click on the vendor menu.

I also noticed the little rested marker glowing on the portrait. I had only been gone since last night, so it was small, but it was there.

Wednesday evening: first dungeon, first mistake

Queued for a leveling dungeon through the group finder while I was questing. The queue popped faster than my tea cooled. The tank was kind, the healer was silent, and I pulled early twice. Nobody said a word, which is the nicest thing a stranger can do for you.

I learned two things. My hunter has a pet that likes to chase everything, and a dungeon is a much better teacher than a quest log.

I also talked myself into a rule: one dungeon a night, no more. Rules like that are easy to make at 9 pm and easy to bend at 11. We will see how long it holds.

Thursday: a delve, because why not

Evenings can be loud. This one I wanted quiet, so I tried a delve with my companion. It was small, snug, and strangely cozy, like being handed a short story in the middle of a novel. I came out with a few rewards and a smile, which is not what I expected from a tunnel full of enemies.

The companion even commented on the scenery, which I appreciated more than I should have. Solo play can get quiet, and a voice in the corner of the screen made the tunnel feel less empty.

Saturday morning: professions and a crafting order

Coffee first. Then I picked up two gathering professions and spent an hour just collecting herbs and ore as I traveled. I also peeked at the crafting orders board for the first time on this character and put in a request for a bit of gear. Someone made it before I finished my second cup. That felt like cheating in a nice way.

Then I got greedy and took a second order for a little upgrade, just to see how the board behaved with two at once. It handled it fine. I am starting to think crafting orders are the part of this expansion that I underuse.

Saturday night: the long session

Four hours, a handful of quests, two dungeons and another delve. The hunter stopped feeling like a stranger. Her rotation clicked, the pet behaved, and I caught myself humming at the screen.

At one point I stood on a hill at sunset and just watched the light move across the zone. I forgot about the cap entirely. My friends pinged me about a key, and I told them I was on the alt tonight. Nobody minded. Somebody even sent a picture of their own second character, a gnome with a very large hat.

After that I queued one last dungeon, a short one, and the group was cheerful in a way that made me think the group finder is only as good as the people who show up, and tonight they showed up. That might be the real point of leveling a second character: you get to see the world again at walking speed.

Saturday, past eleven: the temptation

By now I was well past the halfway mark, tired, and watching friends talk about the new season in chat. Season 2 of Mythic+ was in full swing and someone was asking for a fourth for a run.

I did a bit of window shopping that night. Searching around, I saw how many players mention WoW Powerleveling as a way of skipping a middle stretch that has gotten dull. I get it. When you already know what the endgame feels like, the middle can look like a hallway you walked once and do not need to walk again. I did not click anything, I just read, shrugged, and went back to quest hubs. It is a choice some people make, and I do not judge it.

I logged out near midnight and left her in an inn. The rested marker will have some company by tomorrow, and I like the idea of a character quietly saving up for me.

Sunday afternoon: wrapping up

I did not hit level 90 this week and I did not try to. The hunter is closer, I know her better, and I have a rough idea of how many evenings it will take. The raid, the eight-boss Venomous Abyss from patch 12.1, is still ahead of her, and so is the new season.

Next week I will keep going. Probably in the same chair, with the same bad tea.