Jobs For All-Development Manager Talks Maplestory Jobs

MapleStory Story – Jobs for all

In the second of a series of insider articles, Dean D. Cho, Development
Manager of MapleStory Europe at NEXON, talks about the multitude of
character classes on offer to gamers in this incredible, free to play
MMORPG.


The biggest decision any avid MapleStory player
must face – or ‘Mapler’, as we prefer to be called! – beyond deciding on
what pair of sunglasses to buy in the Cash shop, is which of the four
profession paths is right for their character. And the truth is, it’s not
an easy choice to make!

There are four main character classes in – Warrior, Magician,
Thief and Bowman – all familiar and instantly recognisable archetypes.
While this helps to ease less experienced players into the game, each
profession has several different paths of progression to explore, many
we’ve still yet to reveal, thereby ensuring plenty of choice for the
committed player. It’s another example of how we designed MapleStory to be
instantly playable, and yet still maintain the depth expected from today’s
best MMORPG’s

We’ve worked hard to make every profession as balanced and as entertaining
to play as possible; ultimately it’s a matter of personal preference.
Swords or wits, accuracy or stealth: which job will you choose?

Begin as the Beginner

Rather than forcing players to choose their character class from the start,
every new player in MapleStory starts as a Beginner. A sort of ‘Jack of NO
trades’, Beginners have access to a limited number of weapons, armour
set-ups and skills, but there’s good reason for this. With only a few
options to worry about from the outset, players can concentrate on picking
up and enjoying MapleStory straight away. Only when players have moved on
from the initial training island and reached a suitable level do they need
to worry about which career path to progress down.

Of course, you don’t have to choose a job class for your Beginner – some
people even relish the challenge of staying as a Beginner – but it’s not
something we’d advise. With many of the game’s quests and more powerful
items requiring one of the more advanced professions, you might be
considered a glutton for punishment if you stay in your training pants for
life.

Warrior

Warriors are the archetypal tanks. Big, strong, monster-bashing machines,
Warriors are the preferred class for those who enjoy conversing with their
enemies, fist-first. Not surprisingly, Strength is the prime-requisite for
Warriors.

There are currently two levels of Warrior progression available in
MapleStory. Beginners that reach level 10 are able to become Swordsmen in
the mountain town of Perion. At level 30, they have the choice of upgrading
to either Spearman, Fighter or Page. Naturally, Warriors have access to the
strongest weapons and armour in the game, along with powerful skills such
as improved recovery and the devastating Final Attack, but this is offset
by a lack of natural accuracy.

Because of the sheer amount of damage Warriors can do at early levels they
accumulate experience points much more quickly than other classes, making
them an ideal choice for players who want to progress as swiftly as
possible.

Magician

Masters of the arcane, what Magicians lack in might they make up for in
supernatural firepower. This is definitely the class for those who are into
blowing things up or showering people with ice shards!

Beginners get to upgrade to Magicians at level 8, earlier than any other
class, which makes them very powerful at early levels. At level 30, they
get to specialise: Fire/Poison Wizards and Ice/Lightning Wizards both focus
on damaging elemental attacks, while Clerics specialise in powerful
restorative spells and destroying undead monsters.

While it’s tempting for players to automatically opt for the fire and
lightning throwers, it shouldn’t be forgotten that no party is complete
without the healing powers of a Cleric. They might not appear to be the
most dynamic of classes, but everybody wants a cleric on the party, and
parties mean one thing: shared experience!

Thief

Contrary to popular belief, Thieves in MapleStory don’t do a lot of
stealing (although they can grab items and money from monster at higher
levels). Instead, they use their high dexterity and luck to become
lightning fast attackers who, while not as powerful as Warriors, can
certainly hold their own in a scrap.

The first step on the Thief path is the Rogue, which Beginners can take on
once they reach level 10. As their second progression, Rogues can then
specialise as either Bandits or Assassins, the former focusing on close up
dagger attacks, and the latter concentrating on longer ranged, throwing
star attacks.

Thieves specialise in accumulating cash quickly. That, and the fact that
their equipment makes them look like hardened ninjas, makes them an
extremely popular profession with new players.

Bowman

The final character class, the bowman, concentrates on long-range attacks
that are both swift and accurate. Although not seen to be as popular as the
other classes, Bowmen that stick it out can look forward to plenty of
powerful abilities at higher levels.

Bowmen start their career at level 10 as an Archer. How they proceed
depends on whether they decide to specialise in bows (fast, but
less-powerful) or crossbows (more powerful, but slower), the next job step
being Hunter and Crossbowman respectively. While both have similar powers,
their differences require players to approach combat differently, once
again demonstrating the subtle depth that runs through MapleStory’s
gameplay.

Of course, we don’t expect the bowman’s tendency to stay out of a fight to
be everybody’s cup of tea, but there’s nothing like being able to take a
monster out from a distance, right before the warrior next to it can
deliver the killing blow!


We hope this gives you a quick introduction to the job paths available in
MapleStory. And don’t forget this is just for starters! We’re looking
forward to revealing new levels of progression for every available job
soon! Happy Mapling!