This post was written as part of Nexon PEAK activities.

Hello.

In MapleStory, leveling characters across multiple classes is effectively a requirement, and that is an aspect of the game that not everyone enjoys, so newcomers may understandably wonder, “Why do I have to level multiple classes?” The reason comes down to systems that have a major impact on your character’s overall strength.

Of course, being told that you need to level dozens of characters can feel overwhelming at first. However, with [Challenger World] now a regular event each summer and winter, making good use of these periods can help you settle into the game more comfortably than you might expect. In practice, you will rarely need to level those characters manually anymore, and the substantial benefits you gain can make the process rewarding in its own right.

With that in mind, this post will briefly introduce two essential systems, [Link Skills] and [Maple Legion], which offer particularly good value for newcomers, along with a few other details worth knowing.

[Link Skills]: Unique skills assigned to each class

Link Skills are unique skills whose effects vary by class, unlocked by leveling a character of the corresponding class in your world. Each skill has 3 levels, with the following requirements for unlocking each one.

• Level 1: Reach level 70 on the corresponding character

• Level 2: Reach level 120 on the corresponding character

• Level 3: Use a “Radiant Hero’s Token,” obtainable after reaching level 285, on a character at level 200 or above who has completed the quest to obtain Arcane Power

You can equip the skills you have unlocked through the Link Skill UI, with up to 12 active at a time. Presets make it easy to save and switch between different Link Skill setups for bossing and training.

Link Skills have two significant advantages: each skill provides a substantial benefit, and unlocking them up to level 2 takes far less effort than progressing through other systems. Here are the Link Skills I currently have equipped.

Class	Skill Name (Level)	Skill Effect
Angelic Buster	Terms and Conditions (3)	Increases damage by 60% for 10 seconds
Phantom	Phantom Instinct (2)	Increases Critical Rate by 15%
Ark	Solus (2)	Increases damage by 11% upon entering combat
Demon Slayer	Fury Unleashed (2)	Increases damage against boss monsters by 15%
Explorer Thief x 3	Thief’s Cunning (6)	Increases damage by 18% for 10 seconds after inflicting a status effect (20-second cooldown)
Demon Avenger	Wild Rage (2)	Increases damage by 10%
Cadena	Unfair Advantage (3)	Increases damage by 9% when attacking monsters below your character’s level, and by 9% when attacking monsters affected by a status effect
Explorer Magician x 3	Empirical Knowledge (6)	Grants a 70% chance to identify a weakness in an enemy you attack. Identified weaknesses last for 10 seconds and stack up to 3 times, with each stack increasing damage by 3% and Ignore Enemy Defense by 3%
Illium	Tide of Battle (2)	Increases damage by 10% for 10 seconds
Kinesis	Judgment (3)	Increases Critical Damage by 6%
Luminous	Light Wash (2)	Increases Ignore Enemy Defense by 15%
Xenon	Hybrid Logic (2)	Increases all stats by 10%

These skills offer enough value even at level 2 to be considered essential. This update also removed the activation conditions for Ark’s and Illium’s Link Skills.

Beyond the main Link Skills listed above, others offer benefits suited to different situations, including the Resistance classes’ skills that extend invincibility after revival, Evan’s Link Skill that extends Rune effect duration, and Mercedes’s skill that increases EXP gained.

Even if you are completely new to the game, starting when [Challenger World] begins allows you to have all the essential level 2 Link Skills ready by the time you transfer to a regular world. I will explain how this works below.

[Maple Legion]: A system that grants stats based on the combined levels of the characters you raise

In Maple Legion, your rank increases automatically based on the combined levels of the 42 highest-level characters in your world, while points earned according to each character’s level can be spent on various stats. Each class also provides its own unique effect.

Previously, you had to arrange blocks in a Tetris-like layout to allocate stats, but the system now uses points, removing that extra step. You also have 10 presets available, making it easy to switch between training, bossing, and class-specific setups.

These valuable stat bonuses come naturally as you level your characters, but because each class provides a unique effect alongside the stats you gain by spending points, it is best to avoid duplicate classes. Here is an overview of the basics.

• Ranks and Legion Points earned based on character level

• Each class’s unique character effect

• Legion raid ranks based on the combined levels of 42 characters

• Q: “As a newcomer, what should I aim for?”

The 8 expanded stats shown above account for the main benefits of Legion stats, and their maximum level currently rises to 40 when your combined level reaches 6000. Set a combined level of 6000 as your first goal, then continue progressing through regular play or use additional methods as needed.

• Q: “What is MapleStory M?”

This refers to the mobile game MapleStory M. Your character’s level there does not count toward your combined level, but it does grant bonus stats: reaching level 120 gives you 20 Attack Power/Magic ATT, while level 250 gives you 25 Attack Power/Magic ATT. The effort required to reach those two levels differs enormously, so focus on 120 first and consider aiming for 250 later, depending on the events available during the winter/summer event seasons. There is no need to rush, and I will cover this in more detail later if I have the opportunity.

• Q: “Where can I find recommendations for Legion stat allocation and Link Skill priorities?”

The well-known website MapleScouter presents this information clearly and accessibly.

Enter your character name on the site, open Boss Setup Optimization under the Analysis & Optimization tab, and click Optimize to see a setup tailored to your character’s stats. Alongside Link Skills and Legion, the site also recommends Hyper Stats and event buffs, so be sure to consult the results and adjust your setup accordingly.

Q: “You said leveling characters in [Challenger World] makes things easier. What advantages does it offer?”

Challenger World is an established major recurring event, and Season 4 ended last week. It begins with the first update of each summer and winter season and runs for around 3–4 months; this time, it lasted 3 months.

The event is useful for existing players leveling alternate characters, but it is particularly helpful for newcomers. The world’s built-in buffs make it a good place to start if you have nothing established in a regular world, and another important advantage is that

rank achievement rewards include the Growth Potions shown above, which are a great help when you are first getting established. Combine these with the Burning event, which lets you comfortably reach level 285 when assigned to your main character, the 3 Tera Burnings offered as additional world benefits, and the Tera Burning included in the Welcome Package available for 10,000 Nexon Cash, and these alone guarantee a Legion level of over 5000 by the time Challenger World ends.

Recently, new Coin Shop events have also tended to begin immediately after Challenger World ends. Spending your coins on these items should then put your initial goal of 6000 comfortably within reach.

• Q: “What is Legion Champion?”

[Legion Champion] is intended for characters stronger than those needed for the 2 systems above, with participation available at level 260 or above.

Completing the Champion Evaluation shown above once with a character registered in Legion Champion grants the corresponding stat bonuses, which apply to all characters registered as Champions. Players now tend to add 1 character every 6 months through Challenger World, and you can currently register up to 5 characters.

Registered Champions can also participate in the monthly Champion Raid, giving you access to buffs that last for 30 minutes.

As you can see, the stat bonuses here are substantial too, but newcomers do not need to rush into this system. Players generally build one character each time Challenger World runs, and with a reasonable investment and consistent participation throughout the event, you should be able to comfortably clear at least Hard Seren.

For now, newcomers only need to keep the following points in mind.

• You cannot register 2 or more characters of the same class

• Removing a character from Legion Champion costs 1 billion mesos, so only register characters you are certain you will use for the Evaluation

Thank you for reading.