Hi, I've got a few questions for which I wasn't able to find the answers to on the Forums or Google.
I've played MapleStory very little before (I think my max level was around 40-50), and having read about the upcoming merge, I feel like starting to play again. Naturally, I've done a bit of research this time so I don't go in-game and have absolutely no idea of what's going on.
I've mostly done research for the earlier parts of the game (First few dozens of levels, classes, etc), so my questions will mostly be based around that.
1) Grinding or questing?
Been meaning to know which one of these is considered to be overall better for a new player. I remember doing those Theme Dungeons or whatever they're called last time around, getting some Title necklaces which give stats and I believe the Fairy Academy (If that's what it's called) gave me some equips and wings which have stats as well. I think I've done the Golden Beach one as well, which gave me a stronger Title Necklace.
So I've read different opinions, and some say that you should just kill mobs and grind, grind, grind, whereas some others say that you should do quests and grind a bit on mobs if they're on the way.
My question here would be which one of these is considered better on a general level and why?
2) Buying Equips from NPCs
Last time around, I'd get most of my lower level gear from mobs, however I would purchase some lv40-ish gear (Both clothes and weapons) from the NPCs in the city. Was wondering if this is worthwhile, do those few points of attack and/or defence make a difference or is it better to save the Mesos and get gear some other way?
3) Class Balance
So here comes the big question. How balanced are classes on a general level? Watched lots of videos breaking down classes, so I know some are better mobbers, bossers, farmers, DPS, tanks, etc etc. But I'm wondering if there's a class/some classes which simply outshine the others in a few aspects, as in picking said class(es) would make my gameplay way easier not just for leveling or bossing, but overall.
For instance I played Crossbowman last time, and I'm wondering if picking him again would be a bit lackluster compared to some other class(es)?
Sorry this turned out to be a wall of text, would appreciate if someone could answer these questions or if they could link me to a guide/video explaining either of these on an in-depth level, I'd be even more grateful.
Thanks in advance!
Comments
2. You'll get enough equips from the mobs you kill. The equipment that drops can also have "potential" (extra stat lines, basically) that makes it much better than the same item bought from an NPC. The only thing you might need to buy from an NPC (depending on your class) is your level 100 secondary weapon.
3. Classes are fairly balanced right now, and the source version in Korea (KMS) is constantly tweaking them to keep them that way. Pick whatever you think you'll enjoy playing. Crossbowman is fine.
I do have another question, which I forgot to ask in my OP, and that's whether or not partying up with someone makes a difference, less exp gain maybe?
Partying up can help you get more exp, if the people you're partied with can kill as fast as you can (or faster), and the map is big enough and has enough enemies so that you always have something to fight (rather than waiting around for new monsters to spawn, because the other party members already killed everything).
Partying with a class that can give EXP buffs (Priest, Bishop, Phantom, Beast Tamer) or improved spawn (Kanna) is good even if they don't attack at all.
In all other cases (partying with someone who can't kill fast or give you exp buffs), partying makes you gain exp slower.
1) Is questing worth it during the lv10-30 period? (I remember doing some Henesys quests or the "Wanted: Mushroom" quests after I had just been promoted to Bowman), yet since there's no theme dungeons and the rewards aren't that spectacular, is killing mobs outright better?
2) Is it worth picking up Mesos/items from the floor? I know that every bit helps, but if there's a whole lot of items on the floor, is it worth sacrificing that little bit of killing time in order to pick all the items up? Or is there a way of picking up items other than picking one at a time by
breakingrepeatedly pressing your Z key.3) Is the "auto-assign stats" (Or whatever it's called) worth trusting?
2) The meso amounts that drop at low levels don't add up to much. But do pick up equipment and anything else that looks interesting. Even if the equipment is not for your class, you can sell it at the shop in town for a good amount of meso.
The only way to not have to pick up items manually is to get a pet.
If you're in any server but Reboot, then at level 27 you can get a pet from Tot (the redheaded kid in your Book notifier - I hope you've found him already, he has some useful tutorials). That pet only lasts a few days, though (7 days I think) and after that you'll have to buy one from the Cash Shop.
If you're in Reboot, you got a white box in your Use inventory with a snail pet in it. The snail has 5 hours of life, but they don't tick down while it's in inventory. So if you only take it out briefly when you have a really big pile of loot to grab, it can last for a good long while.
Once your free pet expires, you'll need to buy one in the Cash Shop, or get very lucky with Hilla (a boss) who sometimes drops her pet.
3) Yes, auto-assign is perfect.
1) Understood.
2) Well, I'd often times ditch those few Mesos, but once I'd get to mobs which dropped like 20, 50 or 100 Meso, cleaning a platform would be quite profitable, as some items can also be used in quests, the equips as you've mentioned are another great way to earn some cash, but I guess it's not always worth picking everything up.
As for the pets, I'll definitely have to check that out after I start playing (Actually European, so I'm waiting for the merge), never seen Tot, but I guess I wasn't paying enough attention.
3) Well I noticed it generally puts everything into the primary stat of the class, while some guides state that most classes need some of their "secondary" stat as well (for instance having some STR as a Bowman class alongside the DEX).
Thanks again!
Helpful tip: The "0" key on your numerical keypad does loot too. So when your "z" finger starts to hurt, switch to that "0".
3) Any guide that tells you Bowmen need STR is years out of date.
Once upon a time, all classes had a secondary stat which they had to put some points in, in order to equip their gear.
However, that was changed, and now no items, except for a very few esoteric ones, have a secondary stat requirement. So there is no reason to put any AP in anything but DEX.
It's true that STR is better for you than LUK or INT, because (per the damage formula) 4 STR = 1 DEX. So if you see two equips which are otherwise identical but one has STR and the other has LUK, pick the one with STR. Other than that, DEX all the way.
That's very useful to know, glad to see it's all quite straightforward when it comes to stats, at least on the early levels, thanks for the information!
@KingStarfire
Don't get the "What are you" question. I'm not playing atm because I don't feel like installing and start playing EMS when it's merging in a few days, granted I can get quite a bit done in that period, I'd rather wait and start when everything's "stabilized", since some friends miiight start playing then as well. And thanks for sharing the info about stats.
@AKradian
I'll keep that in mind, was obsessed with picking EVERYTHING up as well, and it doesn't seem like it's that lackluster as long as I pay attention to mob spawns. P.S. I didn't know about the "0" key, always a useful information to have around, but I tend to use my right hand for the arrow keys, not sure how I'll manage spamming 0 as well, forgot whether or not you can meddle with controls such as picking items up or jumping, we'll see, we'll see. And yeah, thanks to you as well for sharing the stat information. I'll keep an eye out for outdated guides.
Glad to see the community here is very helpful and willing to put some effort in helping others out, big thanks to everyone!
@ManThigh , that's what your right pinky is for.
You can change your jump button and your "z" pickup, but the keypad-"0" pickup can't be reassigned (Nexon is weird that way) and neither can the arrows.