This post was written as part of Nexon PEAK activities

and is sponsored content.

When I first started Mabinogi Mobile and had to choose a class, I picked Apprentice Mage without a second thought. I hesitated a little when it was time to advance, but I ultimately chose Pyromancer. And now, today, October 2, 2026, a year and a half on, it has been 555 days since I set out on the Mage → Pyromancer path after Mabinogi Mobile launched on March 27, 2025. Of course, there were a few days between being an Apprentice Mage and actually becoming a Pyromancer, but since it was not even ten days, I hope you will let me gloss over that part a bit. Ah, and to be honest, I did briefly switch to Healer for about a week with a weapon conversion scroll from an event, but since I came back after literally one week, I hope you will let that one slide too.

After living that way for so long, I ended up with a character that really felt like my own. Anyone who plays RPGs will know what I mean, and the more freedom a game gives you in building a character, the more clearly that individuality tends to stand out. Apparently my fortune says I already have too much fire in my life and ought to go looking for water, but seeing that I even chase fire in games... maybe it really is fate. In any case, as I kept adventuring as a Pyromancer and simply enjoying the game, my character gradually took on a personality of her own. Even the way I dyed my outfits started to reflect my tastes more and more clearly.

The palette was black or red, but always a darker red. I am a Pyromancer, after all. Maximum flash. So what if I am a little weak? I am a Pyromancer. That was more or less the mindset I started carrying around. There is something fun about expressing another version of yourself for its own sake. And as my wardrobe grew, the range of that expression grew with it. In combat, I wanted to be a dazzling Pyromancer wielding fire; in everyday life, or when spending time with other people, a Pyromancer dressed in shades of red.

"My very own" character is an incredibly charming thing. And when I look at this other avatar of myself taking shape in front of me, it is hard not to grow attached. That naturally makes me more immersed when I follow the stories between NPCs, or the story of this world itself. I may be just one of many users, but this is still my own self within the game, made by expressing a version of me that feels special. Even in a game enjoyed by so many people, there are still so many different looks and identities, and I think that says a lot about how enjoyable the process of creating your own character is in Mabinogi Mobile.

When you play games, there are moments when you forget that the other users playing alongside you are real people sitting behind their own PCs, just like you. After all, you only meet on a screen, and you only communicate through that screen. But when you talk to someone and spend time together while seeing this kind of deeply cherished character as the person in front of you, the joy of building a character of your own also makes you feel more keenly that the other person is someone who loves and enjoys this game just as much as you do. I think that is why I like this game.