AcornStory -- Leveling Up and Ability/Skill Points

http://maplestory.nexon.net/News/Events....ageIndex=1

Welcome to AcornStory, our ongoing feature where we help you get started in Maple World – everything from choosing a class to finding friends to understanding combat to tips for account security. MapleStory is easy to learn, but once you learn the basic game mechanics, where do you go and what do you do? That’s where AcornStory can help.

Leveling up and Skill/Ability Points!

Welcome to MapleStory! MapleStory is an "MMORPG" (sometimes called an "MMO" for short). That stands for "Massively Multiplayer Role-Playing Game." This means you will take on a "role" as a brave adventurer in Maple World where you will take on noble quests for people and fight monsters in order to acheive them. As you fight these monsters you will sometimes discover treasures -- money, objects, weapons, armor or other prizes -- that you can keep or trade with others in order to become more powerful and take on more difficult quests and fight stronger monsters

You've already made your first decision -- what kind of adventurer to be. Previous AcornStories have discussed how to choose what character type is right for you, what kind of an Explorer or what kind of Cygnus Knight you'd like to be. But whether you choose to be a sly Thief or a fiery Blaze Wizard or a mighty Aran or any other class available in the game, the goal is the same: Battle monsters and become a great hero!



All Explorer players begin the game as "Beginners" on Maple Island. Cygnus Knights start out as "Noblesse" on the Empress' Road. Evans and Arans have their own starter experiences that are a bit different. Regardless of the path you're following however, these beginning areas are a bit easier and let you learn the basics of the game, make some friends and kill some monsters.

The Stat Box

When you first appear in the world, you can take a look at some important information about your character by hitting the "Stat" key. (This is by default the "S" key on your keyboard).


Character Stat window

There's a lot of information in there and it can be a bit confusing for the beginner. If you select the green "Detail" button, even more will information will pop up. Don't do that now though. Right now, we're only oncerned with the three boxes highlighted by colored squares in the image above.

Name: This is the name you chose when you created your character. Your name is always visible above your character's head and can be seen by anyone you meet in the world.

Level: This number is a quick determination of your power. As a beginner, you will be level "one." As you kill monsters and complete quests, this number will go up. The highest level a player can acheive is 200 (125 for Cygnus Knights). Acheiving a new level is often called "levelling up."

When you reach level 10 as an Explorer (level 8 if you want to become a Magician) or a Cygnus Knight, you will have the opportunity to select your permanent class. To view the options available to you as an Explorer, take a look at AcornStory: Choosing the Explorer That's Right for You. To view the options available to you as a Cygnus Knight, take a look at AcornStory: Choosing the Cygnus Knight That's Right for You.

As you continue to "level up," you will occassionally be offered to advance in your selected class. This means you can gain more skills and powers and specializing in certain aspects of your class' abilities. This process is referred to as "job advancement." You will be offered job advancements when you reach levels 30, 70 and 120.



Pro Tip: Some Explorer players never choose a class and stay Beginners all the way to level 200. This isn’t easy and is considered a very advanced form of play.

Pro Tip II: Acheiving level 200 is not easy. It will take time and skill to reach that milestone. Players have been known to throw parties when they reach that magic number!

Experience Points (EXP): Experience Points (often abbreviated EXP) are the means by which you level up. Each monster you kill will award you with a certain number of experience points. When you have accumulated enough EXP, you will rise in level. The percentage total next to the number marks how close you are to having enough points.

Pro Tip: Once you have gone through your first job advancement, you will learn a certain percentage of your experience points every time you die and come back to life. This penalty can be quite severe as you rise in level. When in doubt, run away and live to fight another day!

Ability Points (AP)

Each time you level up in MapleStory, you will be given five "Ability Points" (often abbreviated as "AP"). These points must then be allocated to your character's "Base stats," which a fancy way of talking about your basic abilities. These are the characteristics that define how well or how poorly your character can perform the skills of their class. As such, allocating these points properly is one of the most important decisions you can make for your character.

Basic Abilities (Base Stats)

If you look once again at the Stat Box, you'll see six boxes highlighted in red. Of these, the four green boxes are the most important for your character.

From top to bottom, these boxes are:

Strength (STR): Strength measures how physcially strong your character is. The higher your STR, the more damage you'll do when hitting a monster with a handheld (melee) weapon. Certain weapons require a certain amount of STR before you can use them.

Dexterity (DEX): Dexterity is a measure of how nimble and agile your character is. A high Dex increases your accuracy (reducing the chance that you'll miss when using your weapon). It will greatly increase the damage done by ranged weapons and slightly increase the damage done by melee weapons. Certain weapons and equipment also require a certain amount of Dex in order to use.

Intelligence (INT): Intelligence isn't a measure of how smart your character is, but how well they're able to use magic. As such, this stat is most important for magic-wielding classes such as Magicians, Blaze Wizards and Evans. It's far less important for characters that use weaponry.

Luck (DEX): Luck determines how well random chance favors you in combat. Each point in LUK adds a small amount of accuracy and helps you avoid a monster's attacks. It also adds some damage to magical attacks and many pieces of Magician and Theif equipment require a certain amount of LUK to use. LUK can also reduce the amount of EXP you lose when you die.

There are also two other stats that can be increased by using Ability Points:

Maximum Hit Points (Max HP): Your Hit Points (HP) are the measure of your life. Each time you are struck by a monster, you lost a small amount of HP. If the total drops to zero, you die and have to rise from the dead at the cost of some of your EXP. Adding an Ability Point to this total will raise your number of HP.

Maximum Magic Points (Max MP): Magic Points (MP) are used each time you cast a magic spell or use a magical attack. Every magical skill costs a certain amount of MP. If you run out of MP, you cannot use magic until the regenerate. There are potions available in the world that will quickly replenish your MP. Adding an Ability Point to this total will raise your available MP, meaning you will have a larger magic pool to fuel abilities.

Pro Tip: Experienced MapleStory players will tell you to never put Ability Points into Max HP or Max MP. Depending on your class, other stats are far more important.

Where you put your Ability Points is completely up to you. Many players with long experience playing MapleStory however, have worked out various plans for how to properly allocate Ability Points at every level to maximize your powers and be able to take on the greatest challenges in the game, These plans are called "builds" by players and are the subject of much debate. If you'd like to get some advice on builds, join the discussion in our forums.

Pro Tip: If you make a mistake allocating your Ability Points, you can reallocate them by purchasing an AP/SP Reset Token in the Cash Shop.


Skill Points

Each time you level up in MapleStory, you will receive a certain allotment of "Skill Points" (SP). You'll recieve them one at a time as a Beginner. Once you attain your first Job Advancement, you'll get more every time you level.

Skill Points are not added to your stats. SP are used to purchase or increase the skills or powers you can acquire by virtue of your class. Skills are found in your "Skill Book." Thi can be viewed by pressing your "Skill Book key" on your keyboard. the default Skill Book key is "K."


Skill Book

One of the first skills available to a Beginner is "Three Snails."

Three Snails: This skill allows you to throw snail shells a long distance in order to attack monsters. Putting more SP into the skill increases the damage done by the shells.

Once you have selected what class you wish to play and go through your first job advancement, you will be able to purchase a variety of skills that are exclusively available to your class. A Thief, for example, can use SP to acquire the following:

Dark Sight: This skill allows you to use Magic Points to hide in the shadows. While using this, monsters cannot attack you, though you cannot attack either. At higher levels, this skill can be used in conjunction with other skills to strike from the shadows for great damage.

Like Ability Points, the proper allocation of Skill points is a hotly debated topic. Many MapleStory players have taken it upon themselves to write detailed guides that recommend various "builds" that recommend lists of skills and how many Skill Points should be used for a particular skill for every class. If you'd like to ask for advice on how best to build you class, join the discussion on the forums.

what's Darksight doing at the bottom? o_O

lol mistake of adding ap costs you more than $5 still =(

...The highest level a player can achieve is 200 (125 for Cygnus Knights). ...
...Luck (DEX):...

Oh so close to being perfect too...
ya know info wise

also...

Pro Tip: Some Explorer players never choose a class and stay Beginners all the way to level 200. This isn’t easy and is considered a very advanced form of play.

to who?

and

Pro Tip: Experienced MapleStory players will tell you to never put Ability Points into Max HP or Max MP. Depending on your class, other stats are far more important.

Well that's half right...

Oh so close to being perfect too...
ya know info wise

you ever think they deliberately post screwed up info to screw over their players later so that they go OSHT NAOZ I GOTA BUYZ ME SUM SP REZETSZ ON NOAZD

I love how they chose the Rage skill for the F/P path of Mage's and considered Dark Sight to be a beginner skill.

Erm, why do they have a Skill window from before Beginner skills? :f6:

13 LUK on a bowman? O_o

"Your name is always visible above your character's head"

What?

"The highest level a player can acheive is 200 (125 for Cygnus Knights). Acheiving a new level is often called "levelling up.""

I love the accuracy in Cygnus Knights and how they treat the phrase "leveling up" as song foreign new word.

"Pro Tip II: Acheiving level 200 is not easy. It will take time and skill to reach that milestone."

WAITWHAT?

"Pro Tip: Once you have gone through your first job advancement, you will learn a certain percentage of your experience points every time you die and come back to life."

F'uck yea, I just learned 10%.

"Pro Tip: Experienced MapleStory players will tell you to never put Ability Points into Max HP or Max MP. Depending on your class, other stats are far more important."

*facepalm*

" While using this, monsters cannot attack you"

Yea, except for every magic attack in the game and on Jump Quest maps. I'm looking at your, Balrog Ship.

This made me lmao.

Acheiving a new level is often called "levelling up."


get out.

WTB Proof Reader for the Maple Department, preferably a level 200.

WTB Proof Reader for the Maple Department, preferably a level 200. someone that's actually played the game.

there. better.
this is just getting ridiculous. intentions are good, but... lolworthy execution.

there. better.
this is just getting ridiculous. intentions are good, but... lolworthy execution.

WTB Proof Reader for the Maple Department, preferably a Southperrian.

How about now?

Those mistakes they made reminds me of this video.

[video=youtube;GFgfPAcYWT8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFgfPAcYWT8[/video]

If they make these kind of elementary mistakes it is no wonder that the GM's handling the Ticketing System are so inept and get things wrong.

13 LUK on a bowman? O_o

Because apparently LUK abbreviates for Dexterity.

I'm not kidding when I say 90% of SPers can whip up a better guide in thirty minutes, pictures and all.

Where you put your Ability Points is completely up to you. Many players with long experience playing MapleStory however, have worked out various plans for how to properly allocate Ability Points at every level to maximize your powers and be able to take on the greatest challenges in the game, These plans are called "builds" by players and are the subject of much debate. If you'd like to get some advice on builds, join the discussion in our forums.

Why are they screwing around. Just make a god damn simple list showing what two AP stats are used by what characters. There's absolutely no reason for a warrior to put points in luk or int etc.

Pro Tip: If you make a mistake allocating your Ability Points, you can reallocate them by purchasing an AP/SP Reset Token in the Cash Shop.

Oh.