MapleStory
Maple Story is a free, anime/fantasy, 2D side-scrolling MMORPG developed by the Korean company Wizet. Maple Story has been released in Japan, Korea and China, and is currently in a beta stage of development for the world at large. In the game, the player defends the "Maple World" from monsters and can chat with other players.
Gameplay
Character advancement comes through gaining experience points, levelling up, and collecting items and pieces of wieldable/wearable equipment. The player combats monsters, acquiring money (in a currency called mesos) and various items as well as completing quests.
The Beta version of Maple Story on its Global server takes place in a world called Tespia. When the full version is released, it is most likely that other worlds will be added.
The action begins on Maple Island, a floating island designed for new players. Once the player gains enough mesos, they can buy a ticket to sail to Victoria Island via the boat located in the town of Southperry. At level 8 your character can become a magician. And at level 10, the player can choose between three other character classes or jobs as well. These classes are: the Bowman, the Thief, and the Warrior. Keep in mind that the player can only choose one class.
You arrive at Victoria island in a place called Lith Harbour, which is ideal for beginners (Chracters without jobs). After vacating Lith Harbour, a player may explore the whole island, which includes such areas as: Perion (Warrior's Mountain), Kerning City (Thief's City), Henesys (Bowman's Town) and Ellinia (Magician's Forest). Also, in the center of the island, there is a place called the Dungeon. As a player advances in the game, the character will eventually become mature enough to enter the Dungeon and reveal its mysteries.
There are four types of skills, which will decide which Job your character will choose. The following displays the full list of attributes and various Jobs' requirements of stats:
Str: Strength - This attribute increases the maximum power of melee attacks.
Dex: Dexterity - This attribute increases the accuracy of all attacks.
Int: Intelligence - This attribute increases the maximum power of magic attacks.
Luk: Luck - This attribute increases avoidability of your character.
Tips
Bowmen tend to concentrate on Dex and Str.
Magicians tend to concentrate on Int and Luk.
Thieves tend to concentrate on Luk and Dex.
Warriors tend to concentrate on Str and Dex.
Level breakdown, choosing your class for fighting-
1-9, there are no classes available
10-17, Thieves>Warriors>Mages>Archers Thieves are the strongest class, Warriors are unable to buy effective weapons so are slightly weaker then you would expect, Mages have little MP, but are capable of very strong attacks, Archers do not have the money to secure a lot of arrows.
18-24, Mages>Warriors>Archers=Thieves Mages quickly take the place of the strongest class, Warriors continue to grow stronger, though are consistant, Archers and Thieves are considered equal- Archers are slightly stronger but have limited arrows
25-39, Warriors>Mages>Archers>Thieves Warriors become the strongest fighters, Mages find their spells do not increase in strength quickly so begin to even out, Archers begin to have enough money to buy equipment and Thieves continue to plod along as the weakest.
40+, Warriors>Archers>Mages>Thieves Warriors prove themselves to be heroes, and have a strong and fast attack, Archers no longer need to worry about arrows so much, so become a consistantly strong and fast long-range class, Mages continue to have the strongest spells but are slow in casting and increasingly weak in attack, Thieves continue to have a sub-par attack level.
However, there are other things to consider. Warriors may be stronger than Archers and Mages, but they are unable to attack well from long range and so are more prone to dying and must be healed more often. Archers find themselves incapable of escaping somewhere safely if they happen to run out of arrows, so must be very careful- while Mages regain MP over time and so can be sure they will be safe. Thieves seem to be the weakest, but have fantastics skills and are capable of fighting both short and long range- aswell as being a very quick class. As such, it is generally considered there is no 'best' class.
Mage Training Guide:
Mages often need team-mates to work effectively, especially at lower levels when they are lacking in MP (and are able to cast many spells before running out). It is advised they carry a lot of MP potions until they reach level 18, at which point they can equip a Magic Claw (a relatively strong weapon).
LEVELS 1-10: Snails. ONLY blue and green. Red snails will take too much time.
LEVELS 10-15: Slime Tree near Ellinia. Kill all those ugly slimes to get major exp.
LEVELS 15-18: Fight pigs a bit more now, but still focus on slimes.
LEVELS 18-30: Kill the blue horned mushrooms. They are difficult, but give 35EXP (a substantial amount at this time)At level 21, try to do the PQ quest. Mages are in most demand for the PQ quest, because of their high damage at level 21-30 (Level 30 warriors are in even higher demand though, because they can easily do tons of damage without losing alot of health).
LEVELS 30-40: Begin to explore the caves. A warrior team-mate comes in handy as (as a mage) you will recieve a lot of damage.
LEVELS 40+: Venture very deep within the cave.
Quest Guide
Any Level:
Blackbull's New House
This quest is pretty simple. You need to collect 50 firewood and 50 tree branches (It may be leaves)to help Blackbull build. Blackbull is right above the Taxi in Perion (Warrior's Mountain) and he is the man that looks like an indian. Talk to him, and he will give you the quest. Most tree monsters are around Perion. Be careful in fighting them if you're under level 18 and aren't a mage, because they are often grouped with axe stumps, or even dark axe stumps, which will hurt you at a low level. After gathering the items, talk to Blackbull. You will have a 10% chance to get a Red Triangular Shield (sells for 90k or so) and a 90% chance for a Steel Tower Shield (Not alot, will only sell for 3K if you try to sell it in a shop).
External links
- Official Maple Story global site
- Official Maple Story Korean site
- Sleepywood.net fansite
- Hidden Street - Extensive English database.