Hello.

This guide focuses on sweet spots: useful places to spend time in the game.

Many places could qualify as sweet spots, but “places where you gain EXP just by standing still” fit the description particularly well. With that in mind, I looked into MapleStory's so-called “AFK maps”. Newer players in particular will find some useful information here.

[Unity Training Center]: A place no one visits anymore

Located inside Mu Lung Dojo, the Unity Training Center has a long history and can be seen as the precursor to today's AFK maps. Over time, however, other AFK maps introduced better EXP rates, while the Unity Training Center's rates remained unchanged. There is now little reason to visit.

Entry tickets were once available as MVP rank rewards, but they can now only be purchased with points earned in Mu Lung Dojo.

Mu Lung Dojo itself is no longer a major part of the game's content, and even players who climb its floors prioritize spending their points on a Pendant of the Spirit or Mu Gong Soul Shards. This leaves practically no reason to visit the training center.

The Sunny Sunday event held on October 27, 2019, has also become infamous among players. That reaction is not new: comments on the official website's event announcement still show how poorly it was received at the time. Perhaps for that reason, this particular benefit has never returned.

[I Haven't Done Anything]: A once-regular event that no longer runs

I Haven't Done Anything is an event where, as the name suggests, you gain EXP without doing anything.

Time accumulated at the normal rate while you were logged in and at 1/2 the rate while you were offline, up to a maximum of 24 hours. You could claim the accumulated EXP whenever you wanted. Although the concept was appealing, the actual EXP rate was not particularly high.

The game's approach to updates has since changed, so this event will no longer return. From 2018 to 2023, however, it appeared regularly—often just as players were starting to forget about it.

Initially, the event only offered the automatic EXP accumulation described above. Later versions added features such as collecting Star Candy in the event map for cosmetic rewards.

AFK EXP in major event maps: A recurring seasonal benefit

The details vary from event to event, but major events, usually held in summer and winter, sometimes offer AFK EXP in the event map itself. The most recent example was Echoes of Memory, part of the winter event 탈라하트 판타지아.

You do not need to remember that particular name. If an attendance event includes an unfamiliar event name like the one above, it most likely refers to an AFK event.

However, the EXP gained is low relative to the time required. From what I found, going from level 101 to level 200 at 3 times the rate takes about 4 days and 20 hours. Since progression in MapleStory now begins in earnest at level 260 and above, this is unlikely to help much in most situations.

[VIP Sauna] and [MVP Resort]: The main AFK maps today

When players talk about AFK maps in MapleStory today, they mean the VIP Sauna and MVP Resort. I have grouped them together because they offer the same EXP rates.

You can check the exact EXP gains at each level on this website. Here are the gains over 1 hour at some representative levels:

• Level 260: About 9%

• Level 265: About 8%

• Level 270: About 4%

• Level 275: About 2.3%

• Level 280: About 0.9%

• Level 285: About 0.37%

As you can see, these EXP rates are far higher than those of other AFK maps. Players often use them to level alternate characters, and they are particularly helpful in Challenger World, where missions reward reaching specific levels.

Although both maps offer the same EXP gains, they differ in how you obtain time to spend there and in a few other details. These differences are worth reviewing.

The standard way to add time to the VIP Sauna is by spending Maple Points. Each purchase costs 3,000 Maple Points for 1 hour, with a limit of 48 purchases per week. Making all 48 purchases costs 144,000 Maple Points.

You can also earn VIP Sauna Passes as rewards from various events. Each pass adds 30 minutes of sauna time, and regular participation in basic event activities provides a steady supply.

The current attendance event offers 1 pass per week for full attendance, for a total of 12 passes (360 minutes) over the event period. During the previous major event season, players could earn 2 passes per week by completing attendance requirements that involved defeating monsters within their level range. Showcases also sometimes award 3 hours of time with no requirements, as shown above.

As shown above, each event has a set duration, and you must use all your remaining time within that period. Although the VIP Sauna is continuously available, each event ends and a new one begins the following day. Saved time does not carry over. Since June 18 (Thursday) marks the start of the new summer Challenger World season, this appears intended to prevent players from using sauna time earned in earlier events in the new Challenger World.

The sauna also awards furniture for Maple Home based on the total amount of time you have added. The rewards are as follows:

• Reward for a total of 30 hours: Sleepywood Wooden Washbasin

• Reward for a total of 100 hours: Sleepywood Sauna Bathtub

• Reward for a total of 200 hours: Sleepywood Wooden Footbath

• Reward for a total of 500 hours: VIP Sauna Cafe

Finally, time for the MVP Resort is granted each week based on your MVP rank. The weekly allowances are as follows:

• Bronze: 45 minutes

• Silver: 1 hour 30 minutes

• Gold: 3 hours

• Diamond: 6 hours

• Red: 12 hours

• Black: 18 hours

As mentioned, the EXP gains match those of the VIP Sauna, but you can accumulate up to 90 hours. Unlike with the VIP Sauna, you can also use your saved time in Challenger World, so many players save their time for that purpose as the season approaches.

Thank you for reading.