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For a lot of people, MapleStory was their first MMO adventure. It was free to download and play and depending on how old you were, had an anime aesthetic that appealed. Now that we have grown up and tried other games, MapleStory 2 is on the scene.
As Korean game studio Nexon continues to grow, so too does their ambition and direction for MapleStory 2. It’s a big, wide 3D world out there packed to the brim with assorted quests and tasks for players to complete.
It really seems that this is an MMO that you can play your own way. With XP and character advancement available through a variety of means, you aren’t forced to play any single way.
I was fortunate enough to have a brief catch up via messenger for a chat with Miyoung Oh, MapleStory 2’s Lead Game Designer to ask a few questions about their vision for the game and major changes from the original MapleStory title.
PowerUp! – Whilst the MapleWorld 2 feels the same, the change from a 2D side-scrolling game to a 3D world is a big change. Was this always your vision for MapleStory?
Lead Game Designer, Miyoung Oh – There are many things that can be distinct features from MapleStory, but we wanted to further develop character customization as we thought of the sequel.
We wanted to try out various things that can only be done in 3D because there’s a limit to character customization in 2D; Maple Workshop, various dance emotes, hairstyles and hats where you can change the position or length, etc. Once we decided on it, changing it to 3D was decided immediately.
PowerUp! – The housing is an exciting feature of MapleStory 2. What made you implement it and what plans do you have to attract players to build their own houses?
Lead Game Designer, Miyoung Oh – Since the map itself is in block form, map creation was very easy for the planners and other members working on maps, not just for designers.
Then we thought this would be easy and fun for players as well and they should try it out since it’s made up of blocks. We are in talks with Nexon America about amazing ideas on how to develop the housing content further. Please look forward to it as it will be revealed at the right time.
PowerUp! – Any plans to add class changing in the future? For those of us who can’t make up our minds.
Lead Game Designer, Miyoung Oh – There are no plans yet. Since you can gain experience and level up through various ways in MapleStory 2, we recommend that players create a secondary character.
PowerUp! – The professions were fun content in MapleStory, but it was hard for new players to level up anything other than gathering. What’s the plan to make professions more important in MapleStory 2?
Lead Game Designer, Miyoung Oh – MapleStory 2 has four types of gathering life skills and four types of craft life skills.
With enough playtime, anyone can reach maximum life skill levels which allow players to make various items through crafting. Once you reach Rank 5 of certain life skills (foraging, alchemy), you can visit new regions like Alkimi Island/Berg Island. The life skill system is also tied with housing where you can visit other player’s houses to aid in ranching and farming activities.
We’re always researching to find new ways to build ties between existing content and life skills in organic ways and will continue this direction.
PowerUp! – We are glad to see the arena back in MapleStory 2, is PvP here to stay? Is there any chance we could get Team Arena Battles? Such as 2v2, 3v3 or 4v4?
Lead Game Designer, Miyoung Oh – It was a very difficult task for the dev team to balance both PvE and PvP at the same time. We wanted to carefully review the addition of Maple Arena. Additional things on Maple Arena will be revealed soon.
We will think of many things to make this as enjoyable as possible for the players. There are no plans to add modes such as 2v2 yet.
As games keep moving in a micro-transaction direction, MapleStory 2 is no exception. Whilst the purchases seem to be purely cosmetic at this point in time, it would be foolish to assume that gear and XP boosts aren’t a possibility.
Nexon has cut some of the ‘pay-to-win’ features in the Global release, understanding that the cultural difference in the western market doesn’t look favorably on these features. So far the only in-game bonuses outside of cosmetics seem to be utility and convenience pieces such as quick travel items.
Interestingly there is a marketplace where players can sell gear for real-world cash, that gives cash-shop currency to the seller. A bold concept and not one that Blizzard could make work with Diablo 3, so I’m keen to see how Nexon makes it work.
If you can get past the cutesy bobble-head weeaboo aesthetic then MapleStory 2 is a pretty decent RPG at its core. With an overwhelmingly positive review on the steam store, it appears that players have taken to the new 3D direction as well as mechanics rather well.
How long will it last in the face of new upcoming content for goliath MMORPG World of Warcraft? Well, we will see. For now, it appears both fans and new recruits are thoroughly enjoying the MapleStory 2.
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[Updated November 16 at 6:45 PM PST] We were able to make an additional fix for players who have stuck in the Maple Alliance Outpost due to trying to exit the portal that would take you back to the Maple Alliance Outpost. If you are caught in this state you should be able to use the portal and be able to exit to Henesys.
[Updated November 16 at 6:07 PM PST] The compensation items have been awarded. You may pick up your rewards from the gift box notifier on the left side of the screen.
[Complete] The maintenance has been completed as of 3:00 PM PST (6:00 PM EST / 12:00 AM CET November 17 / 10:00 AM AEDT November 17). Cash items in your inventory have been extended to cover the amount of time the game was unavailable. We will provide the compensation items later today, and will update here when that has been done.
[Updated November 16 at 2:52 PM PST] Information about compensation for the extended maintenances on November 14 has been added.
We will be performing an unscheduled minor patch on Friday, November 16, 2018, at 1:00 PM PST (4:00 PM EST / 10:00 PM CET / 8:00 AM AEDT November 17). We anticipate the maintenance to last approximately 2 hours, concluding around 3:00 PM PST (6:00 PM EST / 12:00 AM CET November 17 / 10:00 AM AEDT November 17).
Please note that the estimated length of time for each maintenance is subject to change without notification.
Thanks for your patience!
Time:
Friday, November 16, 2018
PST (UTC -8): 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
EST (UTC -5): 4:00 PM – 6:00 PM
CET (UTC +1): 10:00 PM – 12:00 AM (November 17)
AEDT (UTC +11): 8:00 AM (November 17) – 10:00 AM (November 17)
Thanksgiving arrives in the United States next week, and we have a lot of thanks to giving for all of the amazing support we've seen from all of our players. We're launching a special series of giveaways to help you get geared for Chaos Raids and enjoy Thanksgiving!
Event Details
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MapleStory, the iconic global MMORPG from Nexon America, is bringing the first phase of its long-awaited battle with the sinister villain, the Black Mage. Between November 14 through November 28, players can take part in the “Gathering of Heroes” event to join the Maple Alliance and prepare their armies to soon combat the Black Mage.
The Black Mage has long been the main antagonist behind MapleStory. His story originated with the role of bringing balance to Maple World but turned dark as he realized the only way to save Maple World was to destroy it. Now that his seal has been broken, players will need to work together to defeat the legendary boss.
The Gathering of Heroes event adds the Maple Alliance outpost, where players can hone their skills and prepare to level up in preparation of for their battle against the Black Mage, as well as adds various leveling updates. The main goal of the Alliance is to gather “Determination” and power up the holy light in the outpost to be able to fight the Black Mage. Rewards include the Gathering of Heroes exclusive Pet Box, Item Box, Beauty Box, and Money Box.
Starting today, players can reach level 200 by participating in the Tera Burning Project event to prepare to meet the level requirements for battle against the Black Mage. During this event, players will be able to create and assign their new character as their Tera Burning character, which will receive a Snail pet and have the ability to gain two extra levels each time it levels up until reaching level 200.
Additionally, characters level 61 and higher can move to the Maple Alliance outpost by accepting the Destiny Awaits quest and start the Journey of Destiny to unlock new areas and new enemies to defeat. In addition, players who deal the most damage when defeating Elite Monsters will receive Alliance Support for 30 seconds, which can include troop support, bombardment support, or airship support.
Lastly, the first area in Tenebris to unlock is Moonbridge. Players level 200 and above will have to navigate areas filled with hordes of monsters while shrouded in dark fog to ultimately defeat a powerful monster guarding the path forward.
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The original MapleStory has been incredibly successful, particularly in Asia, over the course of the 15 years it's been in service. The sequel, MapleStory 2, originally launched in South Korea back in 2015, but had its Western (global) launch last month and is now available via Steam. With that being the case, we reached out to Miyoung Oh, lead game designer at Nexon Korea, to learn more about the game, its launch, and the road ahead.
Give us the elevator pitch — what is MapleStory 2?
MapleStory 2 is an all-new game in the popular MapleStory franchise in full 3D and provides a unique experience that both hardcore and casual MMORPG players can enjoy. Like the original, MapleStory 2 boasts a rich variety of content: from immersive epic quests to difficult dungeons and raids for players looking for a greater challenge. Additionally, MapleStory 2 features all-new creative features for casual players to enjoy. Players can customize and design their own outfits, construct their dream homes, improve their instrument skills, play fun mini-games, and so much more! Regardless of your playstyle, MapleStory 2 has you covered with its passionate community of fellow Maplers!
What has the feedback been like from players since launch?
We have received a lot of positive feedback regarding the game since launch. Starting with our very stable launch (especially for an MMORPG), many players praised the various customization aspects and casual activities found within the game. What sets MapleStory 2 apart from other MMORPGs is the sheer variety of different activities players can enjoy within the game. In addition to going on adventures, fighting monsters, and completing quests, players can become a fashion designer by designing their own clothes, an architect by constructing their dream houses, or even become a musician while composing their own music scores. Casual players who are not into dungeons and raids have been enjoying playing mini-games, exploring the world, and excitedly posting creative designs within the MapleStory 2 community. There are so many activities that players will almost never run out of things to do. One of the best pieces of feedback we have received was regarding our team's stance on having no "pay to win" items in the global version of our game. As part of our effort to give players the best MapleStory 2 experience, we have removed every bit of possible pay-to-win content from the game. Players definitely loved the change, which we also feel is important to the long-term success of the game. Since then, we have also been communicating with our players frequently to provide a level of transparency with our community and to introduce more features and improvements based on our players' direct feedback.
What have you learned from the previous game and what have you taken from that into the second?
MapleStory has been in live service for quite some time, and we have definitely learned and experienced much throughout the years. When preparing to launch MapleStory 2, we wanted to focus mainly on three key things: stability, communication, and content. First, we had made sure we were confident in the global servers' stability before launching the game to the public. Throughout our two closed betas, we have done numerous testing to secure stable servers where all our players can play without running into any critical issues. Secondly, we made sure to pay close attention to our players' feedback. We have been communicating directly to our players through various social channels, and have been providing detailed information frequently through our Producer Blogs as well. We believe that part of MapleStory 2's successful launch is from the valuable feedback we have discussed and received from our players. Lastly, we have prepared and are continuing to plan many engaging events and content updates for the future to ensure players have the best experience possible. Although MapleStory and MapleStory 2 are two different games, we have tried our best to combine all of the successful elements of MapleStory with MapleStory 2's new and unique gameplay to create an all-new MMORPG experience for our community.
How do you approach both character building and progression?
In a character building perspective, you get a sense of growth as you gradually learn skills in the process of leveling up each time. You learn the basic skills of the relevant job once you reach Lv. 50, and you can freely change the skills based on the content you play. We approached this in a direction where there's not [many hurdles] in testing out various builds. Spec-wise, there are attribute points and skill points in the leveling up of the character, progress from gears, and progress from additional content such as pets or gemstones that are provided in stages for you to constantly have things to do, and enjoy and progress through various methods.
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Maplers unite!
My middle name is Contest. Enter for your chance to win a MapleStory 2Founder's Pack Explorer Package.
The folks over at MapleStory 2 really seem to have taken a liking to you guys! They hooked us up with some early release keys a few weeks ago, and now, they want to make their hugely successful free-to-play MMORPG even free-to-play for you guys!
Let's give away 30 Founder's Pack Explorer Packages to get you guys some awesome in-game items!
Today marks a milestone for the worldwide phenomenon MapleStory 2 as the new Chaos Rising Update drops a ton of new and seasonal features to the game.
Starting today, Maplers can now join Chaos Raids in their two favorite dungeons, Shadow Altar and Moonlight Fortress, followed by the the Ludibrium Clock Tower Chaos Raid on November 30th. Chaos Raids are challenging, straight-to-boss 10-player dungeons with satisfying difficulty and incredible rewards for players such as weapons and Legendary gear including: Extreme, Rare, and Panic.
Between today and Dec. 6, the Turkey Terror limited-time event is available to all players Lv. 10+. During this event, an enormous wild turkey is leading an invasion of Maple World. Players can accept the "Defeat the Wild Turkey" daily quest from Ruby in Queenstown and complete to earn the exclusive "Dashing Turkey Mount."
There will also be a Maple Harvest event during the same time frame where players can earn "Maple Leaf" coins to purchase items from NPC Bobby's shop. There are also unique titles to earn from various in-event quests.
To celebrate the new content, Nexon is giving out 30 Founder's Pack Explorer Packages, which includes:
- 30-Day Premium Club Membership
- Mark of the Founder Hat
- Founder's Regalia Name Tag
- Prismatic Harmony Unicorn
- 2,000 Blue Merets
That's a $40 value that they bundle for $25, and you're getting for $0. That math definitely works to your favor!
To enter to win, tell us how you plan to roast the wild turkey and end the Turkey Terror. I'm going to strap it to a chair and make it watch a TED Talk on the history of the cardboard box. It'll die of boredom within 20 minutes, which I think is the most humane way to put it down.
We've got 30 keys to give away. Winners will be drawn on Monday, November 12. Please make sure you comment using a Dtoid account that has your current email address on file. If you don't, I'll make you watch the cardboard box talk, too.
MapleStory 2 is available to play for free now. Head over to PC Invasion for more chances to win!
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Nexon has announced that MapleStory 2 has been updated with the Chaos Rising content expansion. Players can look forward to more than a few quality of life improvements, the Turkey Terror limited time event, the Maple Harvest and Chaos Raids in a pair of fan-favorite dungeons.
Turkey Terror sends players on a chase after "an enormous wild turkey" that is terrorizing the world. Taking the Defeat the Wild Turkey daily quest and completing it successfully will possibly be able to earn the Dashing Turkey Mount.
Maple Harvest will run simultaneously with players able to earn Maple Leaf coins that can be traded for items from a special vendor.
Starting today, Maplers can now join Chaos Raids in their two favorite dungeons, Shadow Altar and Moonlight Fortress, followed by the the Ludibrium Clock Tower Chaos Raid on November 30th. Chaos Raids are challenging, straight-to-boss 10-player dungeons with satisfying difficulty and incredible rewards for players such as weapons and Legendary gear including: Extreme, Rare, and Panic.
Lots of QoL improvements are coming too including a Wardrobe feature, House Size Reduction, Check Party feature, Weapon Templates and more.
Check out the trailer below or head to the MapleStory 2 site to learn more.
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Nexon reported increased revenue and profit in the third quarter, largely thanks to the performance of its evergreen titles Dungeon & Fighter and Maple Story.
In the three month period ended September 30, 2018, Nexon earned ¥69.3 billion in revenue, up 15% over the same quarter last year. Net profit for the quarter was ¥22.3 billion, up 14% year-on-year.
In a presentation for investors, Nexon highlighted the impact of Dungeon & Fighter's National Day Update in China, and the long-running MapleStory's continued popularity in Korea. Collectively, China and Korea represented 79% of the company's Q3 revenue - 45% from China, and 34% from Korea.
MapleStory's revenue increased 129% year-on-year, in fact, while a mobile version, MapleStory M, hit three million downloads in one week after its global launch this August.
In addition to its results, Nexon also announced a strategic investment in Patrick Söderlund's new studio, Embark, which will give it 33% of the voting rights in the new venture.
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MMORPG.com has been giving 20 Explorer Pack keys for MapleStory 2 on Steam! These keys are valued at $29.99 each and will give players 30-Day Premium Club Membership, Mark of the Founder Hat, Founder's Name Regalia Tag and more! Enter for a chance to win one of these great prizes now!
NOTE: These sweepstakes will run from November 8, 2018 @ 3:30PM EST until November 15, 2018 @ 9:00 PM EST. As with all sweepstakes at MMORPG.com the more days you login during this event the better your odds of winning!
The MapleStory 2 Explorer Pack will give players the following: