[Participating in the Nexon PEAK Post Challenge]

When I first started Mabinogi Mobile, my main focus was character growth and gearing up. But as I kept playing, I eventually found myself just as drawn to the fun of collecting things one by one as I was to progression itself. Mabinogi Mobile has a lot to collect, from costumes and mounts to achievements and titles.

The things I especially enjoyed collecting were runes, pets, costumes, and titles. I liked each of them for different reasons, but they all had one thing in common: every time I got one, it naturally made me want to go after the next.

So let’s go through what made each of them fun!

1. The fun of progression: Runes

The first collection that really clicked for me was runes. As I developed my character, I started wanting the best runes for my class, and I enjoyed looking them up and gathering them one by one so I could build my character the way I wanted. At first, I thought of them as a simple power-up system, but once I actually started collecting different runes, even deciding which ones to use became part of the fun.

Mabinogi Mobile also has something called Rune Words. Once you collect runes, you can apply Rune Word effects to the ones you’ve gathered, which increases your combat power. Since Rune Word level 5 is the maximum, I ended up focusing on collecting enough Rune Words to reach that point, and that naturally pulled me deeper into collecting runes overall.

2. The peak of cuteness: Pets

At first, I thought one pet I liked would be enough, especially if I was only thinking about combat power. But once I saw them... I couldn’t help wanting the others too. The reason is simple: they’re cute. Mabinogi Mobile has pet interactions, so your character can interact with your pet, and every pet has its own different motions, which makes them all charming in their own way. They also wear different outfits, and that really stirs up the urge to collect them. They’re just too cute... On top of that, as I kept playing, they started to feel like companions traveling with me, so when I finally got a pet I really wanted, I felt even more attached to it.

Of course, pets also affect combat power a lot. When you pull an Epic pet, you get a possession effect title that increases your combat power. Each pet also has different stats, and because there’s battle content, it’s only natural that players end up favoring and equipping certain pets. Still, Mabinogi Mobile is also a game about styling, so you can use different pets in town and in battle. Because of that, I keep one pet for combat power and another purely for cuteness, and I switch between them depending on whether I’m in town or fighting.

3. Costumes that are a feast for the eyes!

The collection I enjoyed the most was costumes. I’m the kind of player who loves dressing up characters, so I’m always interested in pretty outfits. But since I’m a free-to-play player, at first I thought, “One outfit I wear often is enough. I can just stick with that.” Then I kept seeing new outfits added with each update, and before I knew it, I was topping up cash... and my wallet was empty.... Anyway! If an outfit I like gets released, I pretty much always pull for it.

Another part of it is dyeing, which is one of the signature features of the Mabinogi series. Even the same outfit can feel completely different depending on the dye colors, which makes me want to own two copies of the same costume. Costumes can completely change a character’s overall vibe, so once I collect one, I naturally want to try a different style too. Whether I’m going for something cute or trying a slightly different look, I really enjoy the process of shaping my character into the image I want.

That’s why, for me, costumes weren’t just about collecting a lot of them. More than anything, they were about “the fun of discovering the style I like.” As I picked up costumes I liked one by one, dressing up my character started to feel like content in its own right.

4. Titles and achievements that introduce me!

The thing I found most fun to collect was titles. Runes are random drops from hunting grounds, dungeons, and other content, while pets and costumes also come from using tickets with very low odds, so to some extent they fall into the realm of spending. Titles and achievements are different. If I put in the effort while playing, I can earn them, and that made the collecting process itself enjoyable. Since titles are displayed above my character’s nickname, I especially want to have the unusual ones.

Some titles come naturally from events or regular play, while others are only awarded if I complete a specific action or achievement myself. On top of that, some special titles have possession effects, so if you want to raise your combat power even a little, they’re worth getting.

I’ve earned a lot of different titles, but there’s one that stands out the most.

It’s “The One Who Lit the Deep Underground.” You can get this title by going into the Abyss Hole multiple times, but I wanted to earn it by clearing the mission for the fastest single purification of an Abyss Hole. The catch was that, to clear that mission, your party had to be the fastest among all parties on the server in one of the five hunting grounds (based on Season 1).

I was worried because my combat power isn’t especially high, but three extremely strong party members told me they’d clear it with me and asked me to come along, so I was already tense, wondering how I should handle the boss. When the long-awaited weekend came, we tried to read the situation and chose the hunting ground that seemed likely to have the fewest competing parties out of the five, then waited in the Cloud Wilderness hunting ground. The moment the Abyss Hole appeared, we entered, and from then on every second felt dry-mouthed and nerve-racking... my hands were shaking, and then in the blink of an eye, the boss was down.

At that moment, news about our party spread across the server. I was so happy I could hardly believe what I was seeing. I still vividly remember jumping up from my seat and shouting as soon as it happened... Since my character really isn’t that high in combat power, the title felt even more valuable to me. It became one more memorable moment I got from the game.

Runes are progression, pets are companions, costumes are individuality, and titles are effort

The fun I found in collecting runes, pets, costumes, and titles in Mabinogi Mobile was different in each case. Runes were fun because they helped my character grow stronger. Pets were fun because they felt like adding new companions to my journey one by one. Costumes were fun because they let me express my own style through my character, and titles were fun because they reflected my effort. I liked that even though they all fall under the same idea of “collecting,” each one could be enjoyed in a very different way.

To wrap up,

The fun of collecting I experienced in Mabinogi Mobile wasn’t just about owning a lot of things. If you enjoy character growth and the feeling of getting stronger, I’d recommend collecting runes. If you like cute pets and gathering different companions, I’d recommend collecting pets. If you enjoy earning things through your own effort, then titles and achievements are a great collection goal. And if you love dressing up your character, then collecting different costumes one by one will probably be a great fit for you too.

That’s why Mabinogi Mobile felt like a game where I could enjoy not just progression, but collecting as well. Once you start picking things up one by one, before you know it, you want something else too, and building your own collection becomes another reason to keep enjoying the game.