Hello.

The keyword for this post is game etiquette. Online games are still a form of person-to-person interaction, so even if the indirect nature of the format makes things feel a bit looser, the basic idea of manners is not all that different.

A recent example would be this event, where people often fail to keep the promises they made before partnering up, which ends up putting the other person at a disadvantage.

There have been a lot of cases like a partner promising 100,000 kills and then disappearing as soon as the following week starts, or a partner doing only the daily quests and taking the points I built up. It may be a game, but unless there is a truly unavoidable reason, I think it is only right to keep the promises you made as much as possible.

In MapleStory, aside from temporary events like this, there are also some basic things you should observe while playing. In this post, I wrote down two points that new players should definitely know.

Guild etiquette: Do not forget your weekly guild content

A guild basically functions as a community, so it is important to keep basic manners with other members and maintain good relationships. Meeting people you get along with, greeting each other, chatting, and playing together can itself become one of the main reasons you keep logging in.

That said, if there is one point of etiquette in MapleStory that matters even more than that, it would be making sure you participate in guild content every week according to your guild rules.

The Noble Guild Skill system works by earning SP based on how much guild members participate in weekly content, then using that SP to unlock buff skills. Since these buffs are effectively mandatory for gameplay rather than optional, this usually takes top priority unless the guild is a very small one that exists purely for socializing.

The exact standard differs from guild to guild, so before applying, you should read the guild introduction carefully and only join if you think you can keep up with those requirements. There are two weekly contents you need to participate in, and they are as follows.

Sharenian Underground Waterway, usually just called Suro, is a mode where you attack a boss for 2 minutes to build up score. Since the optimal build differs by class, it is a good idea to look up one that matches your class and use it as a reference.

Flag Race, usually called Flag, is a mode where you clear obstacles and make it to the finish line. You only need to run one lap, and your score changes based on clear time, but thankfully there is a minimum score, so a full clear is always possible.

After several patches, the format, difficulty, and SP requirements for these contents have all been eased quite a bit, so they are not especially burdensome now. Flag is now on a fully absolute scoring system, so in many guilds only Suro is treated as mandatory.

In <Challengers World>, especially in the early opening period, you need to raise guild level in order to increase the maximum guild size and unlock regular guild skills that are also close to essential. Because of that, contribution bosses, usually called Gibo, are required. This is not difficult either, since you can just form a party in guild chat and clear whichever bosses are available at the time, so during the early days of Challengers World, this is something you should make sure to do.

Later, if the guild rules change—for example, if the Suro cutoff goes up—it will be posted in the Notice tab on the board, so you do need to check it.

Also, some guilds have a rule that you will be kicked after n days of inactivity. If you log in and play only in private login mode, the guild UI will still show you as inactive, so you may be removed even if you participated in guild content. In that case, after logging in, you need to switch to online mode briefly so your login day is properly counted.

<Monster Park Extreme> etiquette: Learn the process beforehand and give proper callouts

<Monster Park Extreme>, commonly called Ikmon, which is an abbreviation made by reversing the original name, is essential content because it gives a large amount of EXP for the time you put in.

Since its release in 2022, enough time has passed that it is now considered one of the easier contents. In <Challengers World> as well, you passively get 100% final damage specifically for this content, so the content itself is now easy enough to say so plainly.

Still, because it is fundamentally co-op content, there is a noticeable difference between entering with a basic understanding of the process and entering completely blind. So if this is your first time, it is better to review it once before going in. It is simple, so one quick look should be enough.

When you enter, four monsters are displayed at the top like this.

You can divide this large map into 9 sections as shown here, and a total of 8 monster types appear in the 8 sections outside the center. Their spawn locations are random each run.

Unknown Zakarov, which is not part of those 8 monster types, increases all counts by 15 when defeated.

Since the map is wide, it helps to make use of portals and movement skills, and you can also use the map's built-in portals. If a party member who arrived first is already killing a monster, move elsewhere and look for a different one. Since parties are usually 4 players, each person can generally take responsibility for 1 monster type.

After all monsters are defeated, hold down the harvest key at the altar, and the boss Bigfoot will be summoned at random in one of the 9 total areas, including the altar area itself.

This is the most important part. Since you do not know where Bigfoot will spawn, before summoning Bigfoot, you should first take positions at 11 o'clock, 1 o'clock, and the altar area based on the clock positions.

You can take whichever spot is closest to your current location, and once you get there, type 1 o'clock waiting / 11 o'clock waiting / altar waiting in chat based on your position, so the rest of the party knows that spot is covered.

• The key point is that there must be 1 person waiting at the altar, 11 o'clock, and 1 o'clock respectively, while the remaining person fills in wherever needed.

Once chat confirms that all three positions are covered, the player waiting at the altar summons Bigfoot.

When the boss appearance image shown above pops up, each player checks for Bigfoot by moving downward from their assigned position (for example, if you are at 11 o'clock: 11 o'clock → 9 o'clock → 7 o'clock / if you are at the altar, summon first, move up to 12 o'clock, then check 12 → altar → 6 o'clock). If you find Bigfoot, call your position in chat so the party can come to you.

• Callout note 1: Since the map is wide, set your chat tab to [Party] rather than [All], so every party member can see your message.

• Callout note 2: For other directions, people often type things like 33333 or 55555 for convenience, and that is fine. But for 11 o'clock or 1 o'clock, if you type 111111, other people will not understand it. Please type 1 o'clock or 11 o'clock.

After that, gather up and defeat Bigfoot together to finish. If you fail to kill it, you simply repeat the same process, and the normal monster locations at that point remain the same as before.

If someone dies, they may ask to be revived with a guild skill, and this refers to this guild skill. You can use it next to them.

If a high-combat-power player carries the run, it is also good manners to thank them afterward.

Thank you for reading.