Hello, everyone.

This time, the theme is beating the heat, as we take a look at summer-themed elements in games.

With that in mind, I wanted to revisit a few things that remind me of summer in MapleStory, along with the summer-themed attendance event currently underway.

The Ill-Fated Florina Beach

No discussion of places that evoke summer in MapleStory would be complete without Florina Beach. Inspired by the beaches of Florida, its clear skies, blue sea, and sandy shores left a lasting impression on many players, myself included.

At some point, the area became inaccessible, as shown above, and sadly, it has since disappeared altogether. This seems to have come down to a combination of factors: Florina Beach was something of a side area to begin with, the addition of Gold Beach Resort introduced a similar setting, and changes to the leveling progression left it without a clear place in the game.

That also left the VIP Ticket to Florina Beach, once obtainable through quests, with no purpose, and it is interesting to see players still posting about their disappointment over this. Still, I am glad the area had at least a brief moment in the spotlight as a popular hunting ground in old MapleStory experiences such as 메이플랜드.

There is, however, still one place where you can see Florina Beach in the current PC version of MapleStory: floors 18 and 19 of the Tower of Oz. Its area boss, King Clang, appears in Mu Lung Dojo, while Clang, Lorang, and Tortie can be found here.

The World Archive also officially acknowledges this. Given that the Tower of Oz was an ark created by the Transcendent of Life to shelter environments and creatures then threatened with extinction, it has become a rather fitting home for what remains of Florina Beach, even if that was not the original intention.

<해변의 무법자>, an Event That Captured the Feeling of Summer

The 해변의 무법자 event ran quite a long time ago, and while I do not remember playing it myself, its distinctive gameplay and rewards left an impression.

As you can see, players attacked one another by throwing water balloons, and to me, it looks like a more immersive minigame than Crazy Splash, the collaboration event with Crazy Arcade.

The event rewards were a perfect fit for summer, too. The Summer Photo Card Chair stood out in particular for being based on official illustrations.

The event has not returned since 2017, but its imagery did inspire a Legendary card illustration in this collection card set, which went on sale relatively recently.

2026 Pre-Summer Event: Summer Countdown

Finally, although MapleStory has not recently held dedicated events featuring summer-themed items like those above, one event has become a regular part of the summer season: <Summer Countdown>.

This event also has a winter counterpart, Winter Countdown. Each begins a month ahead of the major updates that get underway in June and December, respectively.

Taking part is straightforward: click the attendance button once a day for 15 days during the event period, and you can claim all the rewards.

One distinctive feature is the division of rewards into two groups: “Countdown Gifts,” which can be claimed before each season’s first update, and “Summer Gifts.” The Summer Gifts are particularly helpful because you can also claim them in Challenger World, which opens with the first summer update—June 18 this time. The rewards change with each event, but their value is quite substantial.

[Countdown Gifts] Total Rewards

Available to claim until June 17 (Wed), 23:59 / Cannot be used on characters created after the update

• 4 4x EXP Coupons (30 minutes)

• 6 VIP Sauna Recharge Tickets

• 30 VIP Boosters

• 3000 Advanced EXP Vouchers

• 4 Magnificent Growth Potions

• 1 Transcendent Growth Potion

[Summer Gifts]

Available to claim after maintenance on June 18 (Thu), including on characters created after the update

• 10 Sol Erda

• 300 Sol Erda Fragments

Reaching 5/10/15 attendance days also unlocks the event skills shown above, which provide stat buffs. These apply in Challenger World as well and remain active until the event ends on July 1, making them particularly useful when tackling boss missions, where the extra help can make a considerable difference.

The bonus mission is more demanding, requiring you to defeat 10,000 monsters within your level range each day. Because of the event’s timing, these rewards cannot be given to characters in Challenger World either.

As mentioned, participating in this event beforehand can be a considerable help if you plan to level a character in Challenger World. The event runs long enough that you can begin checking in on June 4 and finish just as Challenger World opens on June 18, so if you intend to play there, it is worth taking a brief moment each day to register your attendance. Of course, the rewards can also be claimed in regular worlds.

You can continue checking in after June 18, too, so even if you are busy and cannot start until June 17, the day before the summer update, you can still claim all the rewards through the 15th attendance day. If you start on the update day itself, June 18, however, keep in mind that you will need to purchase 1 pass for 3,000 Maple Points.

Thank you for reading.