Hello

The keyword for this post is Valentine’s Day, and I’ll be looking back at the ways this holiday was used in Nexon games.

It may not be an official holiday, but it has always been full of elements that lend themselves naturally to events, and MapleStory also ran Valentine’s Day-themed events on a regular basis. When I noticed that there was no related event this year either, it made me realize once again that it has already been several years since the last one was held. At this point, it really feels like something that belongs to the realm of memories. So with that in mind, I went back and looked through the related events.

The classic chocolate-making event

These are the NPCs that faintly come to mind whenever I think of Valentine’s Day in MapleStory. I could not remember the exact details of how the event worked, but I still remembered what these items looked like, so it was a little fascinating to look them up again.

From what I found, the event involved collecting chocolate and wrapping materials, making the chocolate, and then delivering it to other NPCs. It seems this format returned every year for quite a long time without fail.

2012: Sweet Valentine’s Day

After the earliest version of the event came to an end, later years began adding variations in both format and content. In 2012, there were three events in total.

First, there was an event where you could trade 100 chocolates for 1 coin.

There was also an event where holding onto an event item for 30 minutes let you exchange it for a buff item.

Lastly, there was a random box event. It feels like an attempt to move away from the older format and give things a slightly different flavor, and in that sense I think it was a fairly good change.

2013: Heart-Pounding Valentine Operation!

The 2013 event, <Heart-Pounding Valentine Operation!>, went with a rather unfamiliar concept.

It brought in a favorability system, something that is not easy to find in MapleStory. I know other games use that kind of system from time to time, but within MapleStory, at least as far as I can remember, I do not recall anything similar appearing either as permanent content or as an event feature, so it felt especially unusual.

In the end, it seems the title you received changed depending on how much favorability you had built up. What stood out to me was that this kind of solo-themed element continued all the way to the final Valentine’s Day event. There is a surprising consistency to it.

2014: Charge! Solo Corps!

There does not seem to have been a Valentine’s Day event in 2014. Looking into it, it appears the game held a White Day event instead, titled <Charge! Solo Corps!>.

It seems to have been a parody of a film that was popular at the time, and the event was built around the goal of creating a Solo Corps statue as you progressed through it.

Looking at the rewards from that time, you can really feel how much the game has changed over the years.

2015: 2015 Prince of Valentine

The <Prince of Valentine> event in 2015 did not use a favorability system, but it does seem to carry over part of the earlier event’s structure.

You could obtain chocolate by hunting level-range monsters, then either give it to one of two NPCs or eat it yourself, with the rewards changing depending on that choice.

2016: A Maple Valentine for Everyone!

The <Maple Valentine!> event held in 2016 was simply a login reward event, with no separate progression attached to it.

2017: Cassandra’s Valentine

The Valentine’s Day event in 2017 was <Cassandra’s Valentine>, run by Cassandra. Seeing that she still handles major events even now, it is striking how consistently present she has remained.

At the time, the BEYOND update seems to have been underway, and collecting chocolates rewarded you with coins that could be used in that coin shop.

Alongside that, a Valentine’s Day-themed package was sold, and it seems that buying it also gave a face accessory I had never seen before as a bonus.

This item, in particular, caught me off guard. It feels unfamiliar now, perhaps because something like this would never be released as an event item today.

2018: Chocolate-Filled Valentine

The <Chocolate-Filled Valentine> event in 2018 followed the same approach as the event from two years earlier, giving rewards simply for logging in.

Since events were being run under the <ARK> title at the time, those coins and chocolate-themed cosmetic items appeared among the rewards.

2019: Cash package sales

In 2019, there was no separate event, and only those cash items were sold.

2020: Sweet VS Bitter Valentine’s Day

The <Sweet VS Bitter Valentine’s Day> event held in 2020 was the last official Valentine’s Day event. Since then, no separate event themed around this holiday has been held.

The main NPCs here are all characters who had appeared in earlier events. Sollo Imnidas, for example, was an NPC who had first appeared no less than six years before this event.

Melissa, meanwhile, was an NPC from the RISE event that was underway at the time.

Depending on your choice, you could select one of two rewards. As you can see, the effect of the Couple Breaker item was so intense that I remember some people saying they would rather take that one and use it for its sheer awfulness. Since it was not seen much afterward, though, I wonder if the effect may simply have been too strong even for that kind of use.

Looking back on it all, it seems that Valentine’s Day events simply ran their course. They were held consistently for years, and most of the ideas that could be used for this theme in-game seem to have been tried along the way, so their disappearance feels quite natural. In its own way, it may have been a fitting time for them to quietly fade out.

Thank you for reading.