MapleStory’s combat system in detail – That’s how complex the cute MMORPG is
The South Korean MMORPG MapleStory is far more complex than its cute looks suggest. You can find out here how the unusual 2D perspective works and how the various classes fare in the combat system.
What exactly is MapleStory? MapleStory looks like a 2D platform platformer, but it’s an MMORPG. It was released in South Korea in 2003 and is now played all over the world. Publisher is the company Nexon, the studio is called Wizet.
A feature of the game is the colorful and cute anime graphics. From this one could erroneously deduce that it is a simple little game without much depth, but far from it. In the following paragraphs you will learn how the combat system and gameplay work in MapleStory.
The basics of the combat system
How is all this controlled? MapleStory is played in a 2D side view. The controls are freely customizable and work with mouse and keyboard. The movement of your hero works via the keyboard. Use the arrow keys to move through the areas and jump onto the different platforms.
Vertical movement is important in the game to evade attacks and fight back. You can also trigger attacks or use your skills. You use the mouse to manage items or to interact with NPCs and players.
So it depends on the clever, tactical use of skills and attacks. But you also have to have good reflexes and avoid attacks, just like in a Jump&Run. Since there are particularly strong attacks and combos later in the game, the screen is sometimes full of extremely many damage numbers and effects. Therefore, you should also be good at keeping an overview in the turmoil.
Also interesting: If you die, you get a debuff that lowers your experience points and chances of fat loot. The debuff is initially short-lived, but after level 200 it can take up to 130 minutes to get rid of the penalty.
What about classes? MapleStory has over 40 classes, but not all of them are present at the start of the game. Rather, you start with one of 6 basic classes. In the course of your career you can then unlock further classes at certain levels.
For example, a hero starts out as “Adventurer.” At level 10 he can then choose a class like swordsman, mage or rogue, which in turn changes the gameplay.
The swordsman is traditionally specialized in close combat, the magician uses devastating magic powers and the rogue relies on nimble maneuvers that cause a lot of damage.
Even after that it goes on. For example, if you’ve now chosen Swordsman, you can again choose between Fighter, Page, or Spearman at the next level milestone.
If you choose the page, you can later become a white knight and ultimately a powerful paladin.
It can get that complex
How are the classes different? Each of the classes in the game has special abilities, which in turn are activated with mana or special resources. However, some classes differ fundamentally from this pattern.
The “Demon Avenger” uses its life energy to activate skills. The “Demon-Slayer”, on the other hand, builds up demonic rage as a resource in battle, which he then invests in particularly devastating attacks.
Each class uses active and passive skills. Above all, passive skills are valuable and useful because they give you or your friends bonuses or weaken your enemies. Since skills and their effect change when you switch to higher class variants, your character’s way of playing will also change in some cases.
What’s to come later? Each time you level up, you get more points in your four basic attributes. From level 140 you can then further optimize your hero, for example to increase damage against bosses or resistance to status effects.
Another important method to further improve your hero are items. The hunt for new items is an important element of the game, and if you equip your heroes well, their fighting power will increase significantly.
By the way, your skills have had a final 5th level since the update from 2020, with which you can really hit the endgame hard.
Those who prefer to get stronger through cute pets can also be happy. Because cute pets are not just cosmetic accessories in MapleStory, they can give you bonuses to your values.
Reference-mein-mmo.de
