This post was created as part of Nexon's PEAK activities.

Hello.

This guide covers character names in MapleStory and related events that are useful to know about when you are just getting started.

Character Name Basics in MapleStory

Here are the basics of how character names work in MapleStory.

• Rules for choosing a character name

• Each name can be used by only one character across all worlds, so you cannot choose a name that another character is already using.

• You can change your character's name by paying 15,000 Maple Points to 미스터 뉴네임 in town.

With these restrictions and MapleStory having been running for over 23 years, finding an available name of 2 or 3 characters—often called a rare name—is quite difficult.

Insisting on a rare name before you start playing can make character creation difficult. For your first character, it is better to find a naming pattern that suits you, ask AI for suggestions, or try a similar approach to find an available name you are happy with.

You can then try the methods below to obtain a different name.

Deleted Characters' Names Become Available Again, but There Is a Catch...

Inactive character deletions occasionally offer a chance to claim a name, although doing so is still difficult. Here is how it works.

• When a character is deleted, its name becomes available at a randomly assigned time between 24 hours and 7 days after deletion. From what I found, availability is updated at 1-minute intervals.

• Inactive character deletions take place at irregular intervals. The 3 most recent rounds are shown above.

• These official inactive character deletions have even led to the unusual sight of players gathering in front of the name-change NPC, ready to claim names as soon as they became available.

Character Name Event 1: [New Name Auction]

This event lets players auction character names using Maple Points. In the first format, players list their names for auction, and other players bid on them. The highest bidder wins the name.

The event drew considerable attention when 2-character class names and appealing words sold for 10 million to nearly 30 million Maple Points.

Although some names sell for those high prices, many players use the event to get a name they want at a reasonable price. It is worth browsing the listings when the event returns.

In the other format, players bid on names listed by the game operators. This version was held in conjunction with inactive character name deletions.

You can view the full list from that event here. As the table below shows, however, this format has only been held once so far. New Name Auction generally refers to auctions between players.

The table below lists the dates and formats of past New Name Auction events. Their timing and duration have varied rather than following a fixed schedule.

Dates	Format
23/08/31~23/09/20	Player / Player
24/01/25~24/02/21	Player / Player
24/08/29~24/09/11	Game Operators / Player
25/01/23~25/02/12	Player / Player
25/06/26~25/07/16	Player / Player
25/12/24~26/01/14	Player / Player
26/06/25~26/07/15	Player / Player

Character Name Event 2: [Nickname Express]

Finally, Nickname Express has only been held once so far, during 25/12/18~26/01/14. Since that was last winter, whether it returns this winter will indicate whether it is set to become a regular event.

This event lets you extract a name from a character on your account and claim it on another character on the same account. As explained above, deleting a character normally releases its name at a random time, so the event is useful if there is a high risk of someone else claiming it first. In short, it lets you transfer a name between characters on your account without that risk for 30,000 Maple Points.

Thank you for reading.