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It's your Nexon Picker, 달냥.

Have you decided what to play over the holidays?

When I have a little more free time, like during a holiday break, I tend to choose my games based on the devices I have available.

If I'm at home or a PC café and can settle in for a longer PC session,

I play MapleStory, taking my time leveling characters or checking out events I've been putting off.

But if I'm traveling or can't easily get to a PC, I'd recommend a game you can hop into on your phone: Mabinogi Mobile.

This Chuseok holiday, MapleStory has launched a Catch! Teenieping collaboration,

and Mabinogi Mobile has kicked off its Chuseok events, so it's a great time to enjoy a change of pace in both games👍

In this post, I'll split my recommendations into games to take your time with at home or a PC café, and games for quick sessions on the go.

| Contents |

① What to Play Over the Holidays? Pick a Game That Fits Your Plans!

② Have Access to a PC?

③ Playing on the Go?

④ Choosing Your Holiday Game: The Final Rundown

1. What to Play Over the Holidays? Pick a Game That Fits Your Plans!

A holiday break doesn't always mean spending all day at home, right?

Some days, you might stay home and do nothing but play games,

while on others, you might be traveling to see family or spending time out and about.

So when I choose a game for the holidays, my first question is usually “Where and how can I play right now?”

When I was younger, we always traveled for the holidays. These days, I sometimes relax at home and sometimes head out with my family.

Your Plans	Recommended Game	What to Play
You have access to a PC at home or a PC café	PC games (like MapleStory)	Activities that call for longer sessions, like leveling characters, playing events, and putting together outfits
You're traveling or need to spend time out and about	Mobile games (Mabinogi Mobile, DNF Mobile, etc.)	Quick, easy activities like dailies, events, and minigames

If you usually rush through the essentials as though you're checking off chores,

the holidays could be a chance to switch things up and work through the content you haven't had time for, one thing at a time. That sounds like a nice change to me.

2. Have Access to a PC?

|| MapleStory ||

If you're at home or a PC café and can settle in for a longer gaming session, I'd recommend MapleStory.

There are plenty of days when I just finish the essentials in MapleStory, like dailies or bosses, and log off,

but with more time to spare, it's nice to slow down and catch up on leveling characters or tackling weekly content.

When you're leveling several characters for Link Skills or Legion, it's easy to think,

“I should really start leveling this one, too...”

and then leave a character or two untouched anyway ㅋㅋㅋ

Luckily, Personal Burning has just started, making this a great time to dust off those characters.

• Personal Burning + Hyper Burning: Catch Up on Leveling Your Characters

Personal Burning, which started on 9/17, is a leveling event tailored to your character's current progress.

You'll get 30 stages of personalized growth missions based on your participating character's current level and EXP,

with extra rewards available through Personal Monsters, the Coin Shop, and more.

The event runs from 9/17/2026 through 11/18 at 11:59 PM.

What I like about having a growth event over the holidays is that it gives me a reason to return to a character

I've kept putting off with a “I'll level them someday...”

It feels less daunting, too: instead of making you start from scratch, the event gives you growth missions tailored to your character's current progress.

Just keep in mind that Personal Burning only allows one character per registered account holder, and you can't undo your selection,

so decide which character you want to level before you sign up.

If you're playing MapleStory over the break, I'd start with a simple plan:

“Pick one character to focus on → Work through the Personal Burning missions.”

That's my recommendation for getting started.

Have a character you've been meaning to level but never quite had time for? Is now the moment?! YES, it is!

The Coin Shop is also open alongside Personal Burning, so if you're looking to power up,

don't forget to make the most of it while it's here.

• Calling All Outfit Fans! Check Out the MapleStory x Catch! Teenieping Collaboration

Nonstop leveling can wear you out, so why not take a break now and then to check out the Catch! Teenieping collaboration?

New MapleStory × 캐치! 티니핑 items went on sale on 9/17.

The lineup includes the Catch! Teenieping Goods Collection and other collaboration items, available from 9/17/2026 through 10/21.

They also released... Teenieping magnet pets..? ㅎ..

Honestly, that caught me a little off guard. Seeing the Teeniepings in 3D against a 2D pixel backdrop feels a bit...

unusual, but I think I'll pick up some collaboration items this time, too.

The name tags turned out really pretty.

So instead of spending the whole holiday focused on leveling, try taking it easy:

Level a character a little with Personal Burning → Take a break to admire everyone's OO-ping outfits → Get back to leveling. That sounds like a lovely way to play at your own pace.

3. Playing on the Go?

|| Mabinogi Mobile ||

Of course, holidays often come with long journeys, tooㅠㅜ

Traveling by car or public transit, or spending lots of time away from home?

Then a game you can jump straight into on your phone is a more convenient choice than a PC game.

For times like these, I'd recommend Mabinogi Mobile, which I recently started playing.

I've found that you don't necessarily have to spend ages in combat. There are also music and life activities

to enjoy in short bursts, making it a nice option when you're traveling or have a little time to fill.

Plus, seasonal events have just started in time for Chuseok!

• Complete Chuseok Quests and Get a Hanbok!

You can collect what you need while playing your usual dungeons or hunting grounds. No need to keep repeating a separate activity or running a special dungeon, which makes things nice and convenient.

Wondering what's in it for you? Just keep up with the Chuseok quests, and you'll have...

A chance to get a hanbok outfit!

The hanbok is dyeable, so I wasted no time trying out some colors and even updated my Stellagram for Chuseok.

• In the Mood for a Minigame? Play a Quick Round of Spinning Tops Together!

The Chuseok update also brings “Spinning Tops Together!”, which feels like the most festive activity of the bunch to me.

You can jump straight into this new side game from 메뉴 → 사이드 게임,

and earn rewards based on how many times you play during the event.

└ Doing my best…

After 1 play, you'll receive 50,000 gold. Reach 2 and 3 plays to receive 5 dyes each.

The event runs from 9/17 through 10/1 at 5:59 AM.

It brings to mind those old-fashioned games you might play when the family gets together for the holidays...

Best of all, unlike dungeons or bosses, it doesn't call for a long, focused session. It's a lovely little time-filler, since you can fit in a quick round or two whenever you have a spare moment on the go.

4. Choosing Your Holiday Game: The Final Rundown

Ultimately, choosing your holiday game starts with where you'll be and how comfortably you can play.

Think about that first, and the decision can be surprisingly easy.

Here's how I'd break it down.

✔ You can settle in at a PC and take your time. → MapleStory

- Use Personal Burning to level a character you've been putting off, or tackle bosses and weekly content

you haven't had time for, one thing at a time. When you need a break, browse the Catch! Teenieping collaboration or check out some outfits.

✔ You're traveling or spending lots of time out and about. → Mabinogi Mobile

- Hop on your phone to collect songpyeon, or play a quick side game like spinning tops.

✔ You don't want gaming to feel like homework, too. → Try content you don't usually play

- Make time for activities that usually slip down your priority list: putting together outfits or leveling a neglected character in MapleStory, or enjoying music, life activities, and side games in Mabinogi Mobile.

Rather than sticking to one game all day just because it's a holiday, I like to play MapleStory at home or a PC café,

then switch to Mabinogi Mobile when I'm out or relaxing in bed.

Switching games to suit the moment feels less demanding, and I find it helps me keep enjoying both for longer.

└ Isn't that just... gaming all the time...

Ahem..! For those of us who see gaming on our days off as a way to relax, holiday gaming is more about being able to say,

“I got to take my time doing things I normally don't have time for.”

To me, that's what matters most.

If you're still deciding what to play over the break, why not start with where you'll be playing: MapleStory when you have access to a PC,

and Mabinogi Mobile when you're on the go?

If you usually head straight for your daily checklist, take things a little slower this holiday~

Give yourself time to enjoy the content you've been putting off, one thing at a time.

└ I have so many unfinished side quests in Mabinogi Mobile that I think I'll spend the whole break working through them.. ㅎ..

That's all for this post!

I'll be back next time with more gaming stories.

It's been 달냥—see you next time!