Starting out new.

I did not get a great deal done leveling my refer-a-friend stuff this weekend but got up to 34 with my team mate at 32.  Next weekend getting to 40 should be a breeze.  I did not have a great deal planned for this weekend so I took the time to make place holders for my next two characters on that server, a mage and a warlock.  That gives me 10 characters on that server which also has me standing neatly at 1 of each class.

I think I need to get another account.  Maybe I can refer a friend to myself. I guess that is possible.  What would I do with a second rocket mount however?  I could easily power level myself running myself through dungeons and then using the grantable levels from that char to get my others up.  Oh hell, now I am getting away from my train of thought here.  That defeats my purpose.  While I want more characters so I have all professions I also want to level them and learn while leveling them.  Having a level 80 you burned through the game to get yo level 80 does not give you the time needed to really learn that character.  It can be done, but it is a different type of learning.  I like to learn while doing, not learn after it is done.

I am a hunter, will always be a hunter.  The reason I think like that mostly is because I know how to play a hunter.  Not trying to toot my own horn but being realistic here.  I leveled a hunter from 1 to 80.  I made about every mistake you can make along the way and I survived.  It made me better, it made me realize how to play my class better.  I know a hunter inside and out because of that leveling experience.  That is why I think it will always be my main.  While I love the pet and the ranged style, I know it best, and that is what will make it my main end game character.

Because of the refer-a-friend I am starting on a new server with my friend.  Being it is a role play server I am making role play characters of course.  Three to start out with.  Made my main there a paladin because that is the character I have role played forever it seems.  Made a warrior, which is the brother of the paladin and made a deathknight that is the sister of the paladin.  I set them all up to be ready to go and walked them to an inn so they can build some rested time while I am waiting to go over there so we can level them together.

After setting them up it occurred to me that I do not really like playing a pally or a warrior, they where just made because they fit the role play.  The deathknight was not supposed to be a sister but the name of the character I was trying to make was taken, so I rolled with it and made it something different.  The DK is really just there to help make me some cash.  Made it mining and jewelcrafting.  That is always a nice and simple way to make money.  Starting on a new server I do not have massive amounts of gold just sitting around to help myself out with starting a new character.

So here I was, all set up with the role play characters when I realize that if I ever get to 80 on that server I would not be playing at end game level because I really do not like playing those classes.  I love playing a hunter.  The hunter I made as my first character was one of the role play characters names I had, so it would fit there as well.  So a new hunter was born.  I could play that one with the idea of end game in mind and I could role play with it.  Best of both worlds.

I made a hunter and set it up and decided that I would not use that one for refer-a-friend.  I would level it naturally, on it's own, as if I just started and never played this game before.  I already have no gold there and being I would be doing this on my own, no triple experience.  It was starting new.  I was interested with the idea to start off but once I started playing, it went from interested to full blown love.

I love leveling again with nothing to help myself along the way.  Sure, it is a lot harder, or longer at least, but it feels as if everything is brand new.  I hate the lack of bag space, it is killer, but in a way it fits for the level.  I have to go back often, so I just sell more often.  I will need to get some bags however.  Picking and choosing what to carry is a game in and of itself.  Wow, I did not remember what that was like.  Whenever I start a new character I deck it out with all the bags before hand and never have to worry about space.  I am liking this.

I ran out of arrows once.  It was not because I am forgetful either.  I have been a hunter long enough to know to carry enough for the task I am doing and then times that by 6.  So 6 times more then I need for anything.  I ran out because I could not afford to buy any more.  I had to run around and melee kill some nightstalkers hoping they dropped that one thing that is 33 bronze so I could get some cash to buy some arrows.  I got lucky, got a few of them and went back to buy arrows and turn in some quests.

Woohoo, had a stack of 1000 now, that would last me a small bit plus I had some extra silver to get some professions.  Level 6 now and got a quest to send me to darn.  I figured I wanted to go there anyway to grab my professions and put some junk in my bank, like food and cloth I knew I would need later to level cooking and first aid.

On my way there I grabbed skinning and leatherworking from those people in the middle of nowhere on the path to darn.  Only had a few copper left now.  Get to darn and turn in my quest.  Consider picking up cooking or first aid for a bit but decide I am better off keeping the little I have now.  I know I can get fishing for free soon from Gubber Blump so I am not worried about that.

At that moment I see someone say they are paying 5G for guild sigs.  I whisper them saying I am in darn and they say they are too.  Deal.  5 gold for me just for joining someones guild and I did not even need to take a break in my stride to do it.  Then I see another, and another.  One offer was in darn so I took it.  Here I am, 10 gold richer for all of 2 whispers worth of my time while I was running around there anyway.

10 gold is more then enough for all I would need to start a new character.  A hell of a lot more then what I had my first time I started playing.  I did not know any better then.  Now I know what bank alts are and I know people will pay you to join and you do not have to stay.  I took advantage of that.

I picked up my first aid and cooking now that I had to cash and headed back to do some more questing.  Having played a hunter before and having a better understanding of how things work I did things differently now then I had at first.  No pet means melee hunter time.  However, I am a learned hunter now, not a noob one.  I know how to kite and wow does it make leveling easier.  When I first got concussive shot when I started I asked, what is this BS, it is useless.  Now, as soon as I got it I said, woohoo, killing just got a whole lot easier.

I swear leveling a hunter the second time around and actually having to work on it is awesome.  I did get myself an 8 slot bag for 20 silver.  Just because I got 10 gold does not mean I am going to waste it.  The little extra bag space does help.  I can stay out longer while killing.

How times change?  When I first leveled it was serpent sting and auto shot until it got to me and then I would turn into melee hunter.  Now, I open with concussive, sting it, arcane shot it, oh, that is after marking it.  Needless to say, even with no greens, no heirlooms, no enchants, nothing but junk from quests and mobs, more then half the time the creature was dead before it got to me.  The few times it was not I dropped a raptor strike on it and did a back jump with a concussive again if it was needed.

The first time around I would get slaughtered by packs too.  I guess after all my soloing I was able to perfectly pull only one mob at a time.  Leveling with knowledge is so much easier.  Even without the gold and items and help from, well, myself.

Going on the quest to get my pet was like learning to love the game all over again.  I had become disheartened in the game recently and doing that quest line reminded me of why I loved playing.  It reminded me why I got addicted to the game to begin with.  It felt like a real accomplishment.  It also gave me something to run beside me while I quest.  A sense of being complete.  I always feel weird on my other characters.  No little buddy to follow me around where ever I go.  No friend there to help me out no matter what happened.  I was once again having fun with the game.

I got myself a nightstaker named Fang just like I did originally.  I leveled to 80 with Fang and Fang only.  Never got a grinding pet or anything else while leveling.  My cat did good by me.  I plan to do the same this time.  But I might grab a turtle when I get to southshore later.

My night ended as a new hunter with me fishing on the docks for Mr. Blump's quest.  I dropped a fire while I fished and cooked up the food so I could get some experience in both.  Occasionally I would throw Fang some fish, after it had been cooked of course, and I felt complete again in the game.

That is what made me fall in love with WoW, that is what made me fall in love with being a hunter.  It was awesome to feel that way about the game again.  A total rebirth.  I suggest others try starting over again with nothing on a new server with the class they like to play the most.  It is very fun.

BTW:  I kept fishing up trunks, which gave me lots of bolts of cloth and other such goodies to sell at auction.  I won't be trying to get rich on this server, but I surely will not be hurting for money.  Starting new is not as hard as I thought it would be.  Having Fang with me makes it a lot easier.  Back to questing with the first friend I ever made in WoW.  My nightstalker.