Are online RPGs a good choice for progressing alongside friends?

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I think MapleStory is a good fit for players who want to chat while leveling their own characters and occasionally take on bosses together. Its chat features make it easy to share information, while defeating bosses or developing a guild can give players shared goals.

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After recently leveling 레테 to 200, I explored the Community menu. Here, I will outline ways to enjoy the game with friends based on the features I tried firsthand.

Start by Adding Your Friends

If you plan to play MapleStory with friends, choosing the same world is the obvious first step. Once you log in, open “Friends/Blacklist” in the Community menu and click Add Friend, then enter your friend's nickname.

One interesting detail is that you can assign a group, an alias, and even a note when adding a friend. This seemed useful for distinguishing friends you started with from people you met in the game, or recording the nicknames you use for each other.

Use Maple Chat While Leveling Separately

Playing the same game as a friend does not mean you need to do all your hunting in a party. You can each level in hunting areas suited to your progress, while chatting and sharing information to make it a shared experience.

Maple Chat is useful for this. You can invite up to 6 people, including players who are not on your friends list.

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The screen shows each character and their nickname, with messages appearing in speech bubbles. It felt like a video call using characters, making it enjoyable in a different way from the regular chat window.

To use an emoticon, type a colon (:) in the chat window followed by the emoticon's name.

Minimizing the window turns it into a small square that you can place in a corner.

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You can use it to discuss your progress or ask each other questions about skills and equipment. It is a way to spend time together while leveling separately.

Form a Party With Friends and Take On Bosses

To fight together, select Create Party under “Party” in the Community menu and invite your friends. A regular party can have up to 6 members and supports voice chat between party members.

If your friends are offline, you can also check Party Search. You can look for a field party or use the boss party recruitment board in the upper-right corner to find players to take on a boss with.

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When I checked, there were about 20–30 boss party recruitment posts. That number may vary depending on when you log in, but the board provides a place to find other players for boss fights.

However, new or returning players may find it daunting to jump straight into boss fights with strangers. In that case, try choosing a boss to challenge with a friend and learning its attack patterns in Practice Mode, where available. Practice Mode gives no EXP or rewards, but it lets you practice without affecting your normal-mode clear count.

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Check each boss's entry requirements and prerequisite quests. For event missions, read the requirements beforehand to see whether party clears count or a solo clear is required.

Build a Small Guild of Your Own With Friends

For a longer-term shared goal, creating a small guild with friends is another option. A character at level 101 or above can create a guild for 5 million mesos.

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As you earn Contribution through guild activities, you also accumulate Honor EXP, the guild's experience points. Progress may be slower with fewer members, but you can enjoy watching a guild bearing the name you chose together gradually grow. If needed, you can expand the group by recruiting new guild members.

Guild benefits include regular Guild Skills and Noblesse Guild Skills. Regular Guild Skills unlock as the guild levels up. Noblesse Skills require you to invest points earned through performance in activities such as the Culvert, Flag Race, and weekly guild missions.

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Noblesse Skills provide useful buffs for boss fights. These last for 30 minutes and include a 30% increase in damage against boss monsters, the ability to ignore 30% of enemy defense, a 30% increase in damage, and a 30% increase in critical damage.

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However, maintaining the points needed to use Noblesse Skills requires consistent activity. For a small guild, focusing on the skills you need within your available points may be less demanding than aiming for every benefit from the start.

Progress at Your Own Pace and Set Goals Together

Many small guilds are visible here

There are several ways to progress with friends in MapleStory. You can use Maple Chat while hunting separately, form a party to take on bosses when you are ready, and build a small guild together if your interests align.

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This approach suits players who usually prefer solo play but occasionally want to cooperate with friends, as well as those who enjoy chatting and sharing progression tips. Rather than focusing only on efficiency, setting shared goals with friends one at a time can help make an online RPG enjoyable over the long term.