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Level three link skills permanent or temporary?
Good day GMS Nexon and fellow Maplestory players.
I was told to submit a new post here by the GMs after talking with a few of them since these posts are frequently moderated as well as viewed by the Maplestory game team; so here goes. I'm submitting a request today for Nexon to end the debate on level three link skills.
The reason this has become such a concerning topic (that I believe needs to be answered sooner rather than later) is because the new Ark class has a rather nice and shiny new level three link skill to obtain if you put the effort into getting the character to level 210. However shortly after Ark's initial release to GMS, people are reporting elsewhere that no other version of Maplestory has had that character's specific level three link skill and that yet another version of Maplestory has had their level three link skills removed from the game entirely.
So my question to the Nexon game team is very simple: Is GMS going to have their level three link skills removed or are they here to stay?
A lot of people (myself included) made a great deal of new characters for the Legion system and some of us even went the extra mile to make level 210 characters to achieve those class specific level three link skills. Speaking from my own experiences, it takes roughly a week to reach level 200 while it takes nearly a month to reach level 210. So to put it mildly, it would be rather heartbreaking to learn after the fact that many months worth of effort is being erased.
Myself aside, the fact that the Ark class has a level three link skill that players could obtain and then have erased right after they achieve their goal doesn't feel like something that should be a possibility. In any case I'm hoping that this finally gets resolved so the fear and/or concerns regarding spending your time and efforts making any of these 14 classes for their level three link skills is finally validated (which is my hope) or we're told that they're going away (which would be a terrible loss.)
Thank you all for you time today and I hope this matter finally can be finished soon.
Best of luck out there, happy mapling, have a wonderful day, and fare thee well,
7Chaotix
Comments
I mean I doubt it gets changed at any time but changing the requirements from 70 - 120 - 210 to 65 - 110 -175 would make them more comfortable for the majority to get these link skills on level three. Also getting a quick answer is unlikely because speculations were made with the 25* update to be consistent with JMS' Level 2 Link Skill policy, and you see it didn't happen. We however did not get any feedback regarding these speculations so don't count to get any for your question here.
I thank you for sharing your thoughts on this topic Enokumo; however I strongly disagree that the level three link skills are just "a nice bonus." Personally speaking, since the introduction of the Legion system and by extension making a lot of new characters I seem to be finding more and more ways that level three link skills have some serious advantages over just having the level two versions. Let's continue this discussion with everyone by going through each of them together and sharing our opinions. Since I started this post, I suppose I'll go first and share my perspective on these abilities.
For those new to link skills, level 1 is at level 70, level two is at 120, and level 3 is at level 210. I will be seperating the three levels like this below:
Class: <class name,> Link Skill: <link skill level one value>/<link skill level two value>/<link skill level three value>
Class: Mercedes, Link Skill: Exp + 10%/15%/20%
Perhaps 5% doesn't seem like much at first, but then when you try to do the same thing in the Legion grid you would require a ridiculous TWENTY squares to get that same 5% bonus exp. That would be five level 200 characters (or four level 250 ones,) to make up the difference between those two link skill levels.
Class: Cannoneer, Link Skill: All Stats + 15/25/35 and Max HP/MP + 5%/10%/15%
For all the new characters Legion wants you to make as well as for the "squishy" types out there, this link skill is great to have. I will admit the difference here between level two and three isn't as large as some of the others, but having that extra 5% of HP and MP means less time dealing with potions and more time dealing with your enemies. Also for Demon Avengers this skill and all the other skills that increase your maximum HP matter a great deal for your damage.
Class: Kaiser, Link Skill: HP + 10%/15%/20%
This skill is basically the savior to all the classes without a decent enough max HP value for the levels past 150 and beyond. Again the extra 5% isn't much over the level two link skill but at this point collectively we'd have 10% more max HP from having only the level two link skills so it does continue to add up.
Class: Angelic Burster, Link Skill: Damage + 30%/45%/60% for 10 seconds, cooldown 90 seconds
This link skill is basically a "turbo button" to push right before throwing everything you have at a boss while it's ensnared in a bind type skill. I don't think it's a coincidence that both this link skill has a 90 second cooldown and bosses may not be bound by a bind type skill again for 90 seconds after being freed as well. In this case, you gain a free extra 15% more damage by having the level three link skill (or an extra 33% more damage from the skill) than the level two version.
Class: Luminous, Link Skill: Ignore enemy defence + 10%/15%/20%
This one needs very little introduction I feel. In the ongoing battle against end game bosses that require more and more total IED while at the same time adding more sources of IED count for less and less each time, any and all ways to have more of it matters. Additionally, with new even more powerful bosses just announced, I feel that the extra 5% for the level three link skill may be enough for the rounding during calculation to give you the 1% difference needed.
Class: Demon Slayer, Link Skill Boss Damage + 10%/15%/20%
Same reasoning as above really, just only for bosses. If you happen to be bossing here's another 5% damage towards your enemies for the level three link skill. Also very useful against all of the elite monsters or bosses (elite pains in the rump is what I call them) little Legion chracters have to deal with while raising them up.
Class: Demon Avenger, Link Skill: Damage + 5%/10%/15%
Free extra damage to your range helps at any level really, more so the farther you get in the game. Here's another free extra 5% for a level three link skill over the level two version. Also worth noting, all damage link skills cannot be replicated by using the Legion grid so it makes them a bit more exclusive.
Class: Ark, Link Skill: (Complicated activation but basically) Damage + 6%/11%/16% if it works as intended; Damage + 5%/10%/15% if not
When the brand new Ark class came around players got a welcome surprise level three link skill. Both Cadena and Illium only had level two link skills (for additional damage as well,) so it's unclear why Ark was raised to level three. Regardless, having two classes with a level three link skill giving 15% damage each raises a new possibility for players to think about.
For example, if you only raised level two link skills for your characters you'd get + 10% damage from a Demon Avenger, Ark, and a Kanna totaling to 30% from three level two link skills. In this example if you instead go the extra mile for your Demon Avenger and Ark characters you'd also have the same 30% bonus to damage while requiring one less link skill slot to be used. At that point either use your Kanna's skill for + 40% damage or choose an extra link skill that you wouldn't have been able to use otherwise. That's a pretty huge advantage of having level three link skills over level two versions in my opinion.
Class: Phantom, Link Skill: Critical Rate + 10%/15%/20%
Critical rate also needs very little introduction. The chance given to deal more damage is always important and having an extra 5% from the level three skill is very useful to pretty much every class that isn't an archer. With critical damage also being important (as well as now far more accessable with the Legion grid,) I feel that having an extra 5% towards maxing your critcal rate at 100% is great at increasing your overall damage output. Also for mages that are wondering about giving up the free 3% critical rate you get from your mastery skill by using wands and instead going for staves with more magical attack, this level three link skill and the one below would cover that instantly.
Class: Beast Tamer, Link Skill: Boss Damage + Critical Rate + 4%/7%/10% and Max HP/MP + 3%/4%/5%
Literally the "Jack of all trades, master of none" link skill that I find perfectly fits the Beast Tamer class in general. Anyways, I'll be the first to admit the extra 1% to HP/MP pretty much won't matter unless you're a Demon Avenger who uses that hp for damage. However that extra 3% to boss damage always helps for end game bossing but the extra 3% critical is a different story.
Similar to the Demon Avenger and Ark combination above, Phantom and Beast Tamer both together at level three link skills are 8% critical rate above the same skills at level two. To replace that with the Legion grid, you'd have to use two level 200 characters, have a level 200 Marksman and Nightlord on your grid, or a level 200 of either class placed exclusively into the critical rate sectiion of your Legion grid. I believe that this is another case where having the level three link skills gives you many more options and in case you're playing a class with terrible base critical rate in some cases (the Hayato class comes to mind.)
Class: Aran, Link Skill: Combo Orb Exp + 400%/650%/900%
This skill is shockingly useful for raising little Legion characters in the low level and low max monster count maps. Basically, without the skill each orb is worth one monster's base exp at ideal level range (as if you're the same level as the monster regardless of what your level actually is currently.) While using the level three link skill each combo orb is worth ten monster's base exp instead (100% base exp + 900% from the link skill.) On top of this, if you're grinding a map for a while the base orb changes to purple at combo 350 (with a new total experience multiplier of 1.5 times,) red at 750 (2 times the total exp value,) and if you're there for a very long time gold at 2,000 (2.2 times the total exp I think.)
The reason I mention this is because the Aran link skill gets multiplied as well. So for example if your link skill is level three, a regular blue orb is 10 monsters, a purple orb is worth 15 monsters, and a red orb is worth 20 monsters. Again, I'm not sure what the exact multiplier is on gold orbs, but it's only a little higher than red ones so my guess is 2.2 - 2.3 times the total exp.
Class Evan, Link Skill: Rune Duration + 30%/50%/70%
If the Aran link skill was for little Legion characters, this one would be for anyone but especially those past level 200 or a rune + 100% exp event. Normally, runes only give +100% exp for three minutes and if they have secondary abilities (being a giant, extra mesos, thunder bolts, etc.) those last for only the first minute. This skill extends both of those durations by whichever link skill level you have. So the advantage of a level three link skill here is both an extra 36 seconds of bonus exp as well as an extra 12 seconds of being a giant for example. Also having the level three link skill means if you can always get a rune roughly every 15 minutes, you're on a rune every ten minutes because the exp portion of runes will now last five minutes and six seconds each.
Class Mihile, Link Skill: Stance + 100% Duration 90/110/130 seconds; cooldown 180 seconds
This link skill is very often overlooked as well as labelled for "quality of life" since it's not directly for adding damage or defences. The truth is this skill stops most mages, thieves, and archers from constantly being tossed around by enemies like you're a living pinball. That helps both for classes that need to be in certain places to be allowed to use their skills, (a.k.a never seeing the message "this skill cannot be used in the air" while your attack is cancelled,) as well as keeping monsters like Chaos Horntail from knocking you across the screen from a floating platform into a bad situation you'll die from.
The level three link skill lasting 130 seconds also means that for only 50 seconds you'll be able to be knocked around normally (boss super knockback isn't negated sadly,) while the level two leaves you in "pinball mode" for 70 seconds. However, if buff duration works on the level three link skill you could have permanent stance with just 39% buff duration from the Legion grid or other sources while that's not possible without 46% buff duration and the level two link skill. Once again, depending on your class having the level three link skill opens up some interesting options.
Class Zero, Link Skill (Has 5 levels and has special methods to level them) Damage Taken - 3%/6%/9%/12%/15% and IED + 2%/4%/6%/8%/10%
This class isn't in Reboot, so the damage taken portion is a mystery to me since that isn't something we have here; but the ignore enemy defence is the same as always. The more total ignore enemy defence you have while fighting end game monsters and bosses the better off you'll be.
Alrighty, I think that's a good idea of my perspective on link skills and how i believe that they're actually quite valuable to have. I will agree with you Enokumo that only a small portion of the Maplestory community even thinks about the level three links skills and even fewer decides to go after them; but I feel that's only because it's currently percieved as "a lot of work," "not really worth it," and "if they're just going to be removed, why bother?" Putting that all together the mentality became "it's too much work that's not really worth it if Nexon's going to remove them anyways."
Reading this and many versions of this phrase online became the reason I contacted the GMs to ask what was going on. Afterwards, I then made the original post above asking for Nexon themselves to set the record straight while the players voiced their opinions. I personally believe the level three link skills are not only immensely worthwhile, but may be a key decideding factor in addition to the Legion system going forward against these new bosses.
Anyways, your idea about lowering the level requirement for each tier of link skill is a nice one. I personally think dropping the level three link skill requirement to below level 200 is a bit much though. Most of the level three link skills do have some useful power behind them and I believe earning them through at least some effort is a fair request from GMS Nexon's game team. That aside, I have no idea if they will change levels required but I think Nexon lowering the exp required to level from 200 - 220 might be their answer to making level three link skills easier to obtain. My hope is still that level three link skills are permanent and that Nexon will finally end that debate; but as you have said above "getting a quick answer is unlikely" and has not very easy on this topic.
Well, even though it has gone unanswered before I'm hopeful Nexon and the GMS game team will find these posts and give us some good news. Until then, have a wonderful day everyone and fingers crossed we hear something soon.
Best of luck, happy mapling, and fare thee well,
7Chaotix
I don't really think "not a lot of people use it so we can remove it" is a good philosophy when it comes to game design. I feel like if you put in the effort to get there you should be rewarded. Granted I have a bit more investment in this since I have every lvl 3 link aside from Kaiser and Mihile, but my point stands.