"World of Warcraft's" most conscientious objector has done it again. Without harming a single fly, and without ever leaving the starting zone of Wandering Isle (for players below level 10), Pandaren, aka Doubleagent, reached the MMO's maximum level of 70. All it took was dedication, hard work, and the ability to endure thousands of hours of mind-numbing repetition.

Here's how he does it: while other players are accumulating power through violence and climbing to new levels through dungeons, PvP, and other dark and bloody acts, the double agent is circling the Wandering Isle. They cannot leave the Isle. For to do so would break the sacred neutrality and choose between the Alliance and the Horde.

For hours and hours, days and days, months and months, he circumnavigates the novice zone, clicking on resources that respawn. And he will repeat the process, no matter how many days it takes, until he reaches the level cap without blood or tears.

Reaching the level cap in WoW requires millions of XP. Double Agents usually earn 50 XP for every rock they mine or flower they pick, and they have to walk painstakingly between each one. To say that the process is repetitive would be an exaggeration.

If you're curious, it was a bunch of little peaceblooms that brought him to level 70, and you can watch the magical moment on Doubleagent's YouTube channel (opens in a new tab) You can also sit back and savor the magic of the two-hour stream, but be warned: the stream is not a complete one. Be warned: but be warned.

DoubleAgent is good at this sort of thing. He last graced these pages in 2020, spending 17 days mining and collecting flowers to reach the old level cap of 60 (opens in new tab); when we chatted with PCG (opens in new tab) in 2016, he had already spent thousands of hours living the hyper-centric panda life. He has now played about 213 days.

I would like to offer an intergalactic-brain perspective on what this means. Like his ability as a player to carve out an unexpected gameplay niche in a game he loves, or that he is pointing the way to a world where games are less violent. But honestly, I think this is a testament to the most human trait of all: being utterly unnecessary, intense, and oddly stubborn. Here's to Godspeed, Double Agent, and the next 213 days.