Hello all!
I come looking for some advice from the pro players that are out there.
I've been a MapleStory player since the end of 2005/beginning of 2006 and I really like this game so I've never been able to stay away for too long, even after some bad things happened that made me think I would quit for good. I have played in Windia ever since I started, so long ago. Also, I have always been a "free to play" player, since in the beginning I couldn't buy NX because they didn't accept payments from my country (I'm not in the US, I'm from South America) and, even though now they do accept payments from my country, I don't have the kind of money you need to actually succeed or progress on the game nowadays. At most, I can afford a pet here or there, but nothing else.
In spite of how long I've been playing, I've come to realize that I suck at this game (as I suck at 99% of the games there are out there). In spite of the many years I've spent in this game, there are LOADS of things I don't even know exist or that I don't know how they work anymore. I just hit level 200 for the first time last year, even though I've played all this time, and, after reaching 5th job at last, I find myself struggling to grind or to do the quests I need to, because I keep dying, I don't have enough strength to kill the monsters I need and, of course, I can't boss either. My guild is completely empty and dead, all the friends I ever had stopped playing a long time ago and never came back and I haven't made a single new friend in all this time, so I can't get help from other people to do the stuff I need. So, as you see, I'm not even close to being a "pro" player or anything, in spite of the long years I've spent in this game. I don't know how did this happen, but that's the reality. :P
Seeing how hard it is for me to play with my chosen main (Bishop) and discovering some of the many things we are supposed to do or have to actually succeed in this game, I've started to work on getting Link Skills and making my Legion grow, and that's helped a little, even though I still have a lot to do. That has helped a little, but it's a lot of work, considering how long it takes me to level one character from 0 to 140. Getting them to 200 or more is really unthinkable for me! But, still, I already have a collective level of 1800 something and I plan to continue working on that.
On my quest to learn more about the game and try to find ways to actually being able to do stuff with my only level 200 character, I discovered all the many things people get when they use money on this game and realized the huge gap there is and why everything's so hard and impossible to do for me, when it seems to be common sense for everyone else. And that made me think I've been wasting my time and that I should quit for good.
However, I also discovered that some of those things that are impossible to get on a regular server like Windia unless you have lots of money, are more obtainable in Reboot, since there mesos allow you to get some stuff that require NX in Windia, and you can find ways to make mesos and use it to fund yourself. I knew that was the basic idea behind Reboot when it came out, and I even tried making a new character there when it was first released, but... I didn't really feel like starting over. I've worked SO hard for so many years on my character in Windia, I've spent so much time and even what little money I've had to get a permanent pet, more slots in my inventory, to level up and get some of the many mules we need nowadays and all, that starting over with a character that has nothing, that doesn't even have a permanent pet, that doesn't have the help of a Legion or Link Skills and that would make me have to create another whole bunch of mules just to give her power or a fighting chance... All that seemed way too daunting, way too boring, way too much. So, when Reboot came out, I felt like it wasn't worth the effort to try and start over on that server, while neglecting my dear character that has come so far with me through all these years. :P
I was super sure of my decision. I was not going to go to Reboot because I didn't want to start over, I didn't have it in me (and I still kinda think I don't have it in me...) to rebuild all the mules and stuff and I won't have there many of the things I have in Windia, most notably the permanent pet which is a must for me since my hands can't stand picking up manually all the drops when grinding. :P
BUT!
Now that I've been learning about all the many things people do and get with real life money in the regular servers; now that I've learned that part of the reason why I can't solo bosses or train properly after level 200 (aside from being a mainly supportive class like Bishop) is that I don't have money to invest in getting those insane potentials and stuff; now that I also discovered that some of those unattainable-for-me things could be attainable-for-me if I played on Reboot and made mesos and stuff... NOW that resolve has been a little bit shaken.
I'm the first to admit that I still play this game because of the emotional bond I have with it and with my characters. I started this game (the first MMORPG that I ever played) with my little sister and we shared many years of playing together and having fun with each other and with friends. When she quit for good, I made the character that's my main now, my dear Bishop, and tried to fend for myself, because I didn't want to leave the game even in spite of being alone now. I stayed and carried on with the guild my sister and I had made in the server where be both started and that is my GMS home. In spite of the many times I've felt tempted to quit for good for various reasons, I always end up coming back because I get sad thinking that my character will be left to rot there, doing nothing, not having a single success under her belt or anything. It is that feeling of "wanting to see this through" with my character that has brought me back time and time again, in spite of problems and changes that I haven't liked or whatever. So, I'm the first to admit that I can't really fathom myself leaving Windia and focusing on a different server, to try and succeed there where I couldn't with my Windian character.
Still, at the same time, sometimes I feel like, if I were to create a character in Reboot and were to try and work on it there (making the damned mules again and trying to get enough money to do stuff and whatnot, even if I had to keep spending money that I don't really have on pets, for instance, if there aren't any permanent pets to be bought there), maybe I'd be spending my time on this game more wisely, because there I would have more of a fighting chance since I wouldn't really depend that much on real life money and I could work hard to get mesos and use them to improve that new character and maybe actually do something if I could get to 200 again there and all.
So, I've been thinking about whether it'd be worth it to try and create a new character on Reboot and try to progress there, even if it meant to leave my Windian character alone for a while, or maybe even for good, if I ended up liking Reboot more than Windia. But, I don't really know. I don't really know what cons are there in Reboot and what are other pros besides the fact that you can use mesos for some stuff that require NX in Windia. I do love Windia and, as much as I sometimes wish I could have some friends/active guild to go bossing or to be able to do what a cleric is supposed to do (support and heal others), I also like the independence of playing alone, at my own pace, at my own time and convenience, without having to explain myself if I log in or log out or having to share a small but good map or whatever. I like the perks of being in a "dead server", like some call it, and I like my peace and quiet. I don't miss the days when Windia was one of the overpopulated worlds and you couldn't find a map to be left alone in peace, couldn't even play because of the lag and stuff, so I don't really like the idea of going to a server that, according to some, is the only one truly "alive" currently (and, from what I've seen when I tried to check it out, Reboot's channels are always halfway full, like Windia used to be, which doesn't bode well for me). But, on the other hand, I do feel useless and failed and frustrated seeing how weak all my characters are, how good are some stats and things that are supposedly out there and that I'll never really get to see or use and whatnot.
And, so, my dilemma continues and I thought I'd ask here to gain some input and see what you guys think.
If you were someone like me (with a very strong emotional bond to your characters and your world, which keeps you playing the game; an old player who's been here from the beginning and who's also older than the average age of GMS players; someone who's completely unfunded and barely has a little bit of money every now and then to invest on a pet; someone who's worked for years on her character in Windia but who hasn't managed to become a "pro" in spite of the many years she's been around; etc.), would you stick to Windia or try your luck in Reboot?
Could I really accomplish more stuff in Reboot than I've accomplished in Windia?
Would it be worth it to leave Windia and my dear character to try Reboot, with all the work it would require to build a new Legion and Link Skills and whatnot from scratch?
I would really appreciate your sincere input.
tl;dr: Misanthropist old Mapler who's been playing in Windia since 2005, who hasn't accomplished much in spite of that because she can't afford NX, and who's having doubts on whether or not would it be worth her while to try and start over from scratch on Reboot, even if it meant rebuilding her Link Skills and Legion and leaving her beloved character and server aside for a while (and, possibly, for good). Would it be worth it to try starting from scratch on Reboot?
Thank you in advance!
Comments
p.s - in reboot, farming mesos takes quite some time as well. However, when you do make a character in reboot, as long as it is your first, they give you boxes with mesos and cubes/epic and maybe unique scrolls to use up to 150 I believe. but other than that farming takes patience, it's more you have to do in reboot basically.
Thanks for your insightful input regarding Reboot. That's what I want, some "insider" opinions to see if it's really worth trying to switch, though I know I can always TRY and then, if I don't like it or I don't get used to it, I just go back to Windia and that's it, right?
Thank you, I'll take your words into consideration when making my decision.
Take care.
Only thing in Reboot, you will bump into bots and sometimes there's no place to train, especially with burning events or new character releases.
I had heard about Reboot being very full during events and stuff and that's definitely something that worries me a little, though there's a chance my time zone differs enough from everyone else's so I don't have to endure rush hours, hahaha. But that's definitely a concern and a con for me.
If you can't afford NX, reboot is for you. F2P in normal servers is just too much work.
Well, I intend to listen to all the opinions I can get, keeping in mind that they are all subjective and none of them holds absolute truths. I want inputs to make my own mind based on what people share with me, so it's certainly worthwhile to listen to everyone's opinions.
As for the type of people I would find if I went to Reboot, I don't think that being "supportive" of new players necessarily excludes being "childish and immature", and I have found that most people even inf Windia are, in fact, childish and immature (which is another reason why I've had a hard time making new friends in these past years; I don't find many people I can stand or that share my views or preferences). They may be nice and may be willing to help out and to be supportive, but they may be immature and childish all the same. xD
I don't consider Windia a "dead" server and I don't really have a problem with it being less populated than before, that's not why I'm considering to try Reboot. In fact, that's one of my main concerns regarding Reboot: that there are way too much people active there for my taste. ^_^U But I agree that being free to play in normal servers seems to be very hard work too, which is why I'm thinking maybe Reboot is worth it. On the other hand, starting over doesn't sound too appealing even if it's for the "greater good" of being in a more free-to-play server. :P
In any case, I appreciate your opinion and will take it into consideration whenever I actually make my decision.
- You can't trade anything with people.
- You can't send equipment through storage.
- You can't scroll/spell trace equipment.
I haven't personally done Reboot although I thought about it upon my most recent return. I started in '04 but as a super casual player, I only recently got to "end game" never having wanted to pour money into any free to play game (besides Wildstar anyway). But as I got older, I realized that I was basically trading my real world time for an in game second job and the idea of paying money for keeping up with the joneses started making more sense. I make a remarkable living considering the area I live in, and I can "fund" a character for only an hour or two of pay from the real world, which means that as a super casual, I still get to have fun and largely dodge the grind. Perfectly scrolled gear for cash? Yes please. Buying meso's had a significant impact on my in game quality of life (and therefore out of game as I can get more done in less time!) and I find that Maplestory has again taken it's seat as my number one go to game as a result. I genuinely appreciate the fact that my game time doesn't come down to kneeling before RNGeesus and supplicating myself now.
For me the decision to not reboot was based upon the realization that reboot is an endless grind with no shortcuts where a person's achievements mean more (much respect to the reboot players out there!) but it is stilted towards people with many fewer obligations and much more time on their hands to genuinely progress. I suppose you could buy gold from one of those scammy gold selling sites, but for legit folks like myself that option will be forever off the table as our accounts are far too valuable to us.
TLDR: Reboot is for people with infinite time and few obligations while Windia will allow you to "shortcut" should your financial situation improve and as long as you keep your shoulder to the wheel as they say, your life and economic situation should improve in a free market capitalist society and therefore your position on Windia.