MapleStory is a constantly evolving game, full of heroes, villains, and everything in between. But none of them are as important to us as you, our players who make Maple World what it is! The history of MapleStory is a long and winding one, but now we'd like to turn the attention to you, and hear more about your own journeys that you've taken as MapleStory has grown over the years. The question we'd like to ask you all is: What's Your MapleStory? If you'd like to submit your story, you can do so via this form.
For today's edition of What's Your MapleStory, we spoke to Skywired about their journey through MapleStory!
How were you first introduced to MapleStory?
I was first introduced to MapleStory by some friends in school! It was one of the first PC games I've ever played, and I was captivated by how cute everything was. I was curious about the story and liked the idea of forming parties to clear content together.
What is your favorite memory while playing MapleStory?
My favorite memory while playing MapleStory is when my party and I progressed through all the bosses. We were called "JJV" since there was already a party of friends before us who ran bosses. Whenever we attempted a more difficult boss for the first time, everyone came together to prepare for it. Friends would offer to door/wh, others would help us with timing for mechanics. It really felt like the quote, "It takes a village to raise a child." As we continued to get stronger, we started to solo bosses. A few of us are retired, while the rest are running Seren / pushing for Kalos - not that I miss them or anything like that. Now we have other friends who have started to progress through the bosses, and we're continuing the tradition of supporting them in the same way. Another distinct memory I have is how we're terrible influences on each other. Instead of saving for Star Force events, we have a tendency to scratch the itch and tap off-event. And of course, once one person taps and streams it in VC, suddenly everyone gets the itch and wants to tap as well. If you've heard of the Marshmallow Experiment & delayed gratification, you can most definitely classify us all as "marshmallow now" gamers. Despite being bad influences when it comes to meso management, I think we're "good" influences on each other when it comes to grinding the game. The classic, "If you wap, I'll wap // If you oz, I'll oz" quid pro quo. Reminding each other to take breaks and touch grass every now and then.
Which class do you main and what in particular do you like about it?
I main Hayato! I initially picked this class because I thought the animations were cool & wanted a change of pace from when I first played the game as a Bishop.
I like that there are so many options for adapting your playstyle. When I'm first learning a boss, or if it feels like a no-hands day, I save my iframe as a "get out of jail free" card. As I get more comfortable, I use it as a part of my burst instead. Back then we couldn't flash jump while in our bossing stance, but that was never really an issue since we had other options for mobility.
(Many many thanks to the Hayato Discord for being such a great community + providing resources/guides. It's always fun seeing another Hayato in game.)
What do you enjoy about MapleStory today?
These days, I enjoy being able to play casually and still progress in the game. Back then, I'd stress about having all my EXP buffs, charging the pendant, and then making sure I use all my totems every month. The changes to how dailies work and having Monster Park Extreme have helped a lot. I've started to work on other characters as boss mules too, and that's allowed me to explore classes I normally wouldn't have tried beyond level 200. I'm hyped for the Sixth Job announcements, and am hoping they bring back MapleMas or Maple Equips for anniversary.
