MapleStory/FAQs

This page contains a listing of some Frequently Asked Questions. If you have a question that is not answered anywhere else in this guide, please add it to the relevant section here and you should receive a reply within a few days. Questions may be removed at the discretion of the authors and editors. (For example, price checks and questions that only pertain to a very small group of Maplers do not belong here.)

New Questions
If you have a question, please ask it here. It will be answered as soon as possible.

Q: Why don't you add HKMS again?? I really want to see the advance of all version MS.
 * HKMS closed and merged with TaiwanMS. It no longer exists as a separate version.

Q: How much str equals 1 w.att and how much int equals 1 m.att ?

Q: can you guys make a guide for pure luck sin? i searched for one all around google and they all tell me how to make one not how to raise one.

Q: In Magita, what are the quest items that the monsters drop there? I don't have any quest that i need them for.

Q: 12-09-08  How do you summon Capt. Latanica in Global MS?

Q: How do you make chocolate? I got a basket, tools, white & dark chocolate.

Q: I'm starting as a pirate (Brawler) and they get the skill "Improving Max HP Increase" at second job, can i save my AP points form the first job to max my HP? (I'm plan to leech to that point obviously)

Q: When i am on the boats people play games and these blue boxes appear above their head and it says in progress when someone joins. How can i make one of those appear above my head?
 * Please see MapleStory/Quests/Mini-Games.

What are the damage calculations for meso explosion like if I drop 10 mesos how much damage would that do with a maxed meso explosion?
'''Originally Posted by Xaile of Sleepywood

I took some samples of 10 meso coin explosions (1 coin), so it should give a small starting point i'll post more data as i figure it out

but so far it seems the constant is not a simple table lookup alone

These were recorded at level 12 ME (72% Mastery) 10: (22621 Damage), 123 Entries, AVG: 183.9, L: 123, H: 245 -220-227-183-163-142-230-237-176-174-198-229-169-182-228-159-231-130-215-232-202-128-232-174-176-219 -167-141-227-205-167-200-127-211-128-201-217-144-191-177-217-124-133-144-127-200-230-237-220-162-204 -169-145-231-173-134-166-227-220-160-213-196-124-142-135-194-226-182-243-154-190-127-220-162-138-163 -150-137-134-146-157-234-139-213-223-140-173-123-176-233-150-208-245-135-150-236-235-229-210-152-204 -224-239-130-139-156-242-166-208-216-156-188-148-240-201-157-175-237-147-197-185-174-216-157

100: (46261 Damage), 82 Entries, AVG: 564.2, L: 381, H: 736 -602-583-452-519-703-671-690-415-670-436-593-603-645-396-660-520-555-495-610-727-724-659-395-608-423 -478-633-666-465-392-691-625-665-514-574-714-735-462-469-542-443-396-478-642-424-399-562-550-558-381 -651-533-594-434-704-581-637-685-691-529-736-682-507-434-644-555-612-539-528-650-528-599-495-615-527 -649-512-466-497-635-430-580

1000: (392488 Damage), 88 Entries, AVG: 4460.1, L: 2907, H: 5758 -2928-3122-3060-4463-5442-5095-4363-3791-5379-5667-4821-5438-4966-3280-5505-4465-5464-3887-5758-3795 -5496-2907-4152-5456-3031-4917-4886-2986-5357-5434-5285-5396-4255-3577-4520-3959-4170-5096-4464-4580 -4414-4928-5195-4247-5513-5017-3851-4899-4137-4105-4168-3223-4813-5640-4351-4358-3834-4502-3175-3662 -4484-4315-5321-4187-3345-3698-5662-5022-4549-3726-4410-4796-5259-4870-4268-3611-5052-4271-4195-3623 -3672-5632-5242-4451-4968-4310-3459-3445

According to this data the formulae for damage is (excluding Meso curve) 10 meso coins Max Damage: 34.2 * 10 * .72 (Mastery) Min Damage: 34.2 * 10 * .72 (Mastery) * .5 (Min damage Constant)

100 meso coins (confirmed 377 explosion and 753) Max Damage: 10.46 * 100 * .72 (Mastery) Min Damage: 10.46 * 100 * .72 (Mastery) * .5 (Min damage Constant)

1000 meso coins Max Damage: 8 * 1000 * .72 (Mastery) Min Damage: 8 * 1000 * .72 (Mastery) * .5 (Min damage Constant)'''

What's the best/fastest way to make money in Yellonde? Or what items sells the best?

What is the formula for avoidability? For example, since Slimes have 35 accuracy, how much avoidability is needed to avoid them 100%?

 * The formula for Avoidability is not known at this time.

What are the Minimum system requirements, and where can I find them?
The most accurate requirements for MapleStory can be found at the download page of the new MapleEurope website.

CPU: Celeron 1GHz

RAM: 256MB

HDD: HDD 950MB - 1000MB Space Needed(*)

OS: Window 98/ME/2K/XP (#)

VGA: Acceleration Card

Sound: -

Network: 56K MODEM

Please note these are MINIMUM requirements, not recommended.

(*)The original "HDD"-value given on the websites is "1.5GB", but it is just wrong:

The most recent version of EMS needs 1000MB, the one of GMS 950MB.

(#)Maplestory also does run on Vista, although it is not supported entirely with

flickering graphics

Can I choose another character without quitting the game and logging in again?
No. You must go to "Quit Game" and then log in again to change characters/servers.

What should I do about disconnections?
You should:
 * 1) Restart MS or computer
 * 2) Stop any P2P programs or downloads
 * 3) Wait a while and try again.
 * 4) Check your internet connection.

There are some areas in the game where hackers have actually been able to force anyone who logs in to immediately disconnect from the game. This happened once in the Sauna area in Sleepywood*. The best way to escape the map in this situation is to cause as much lag on purpose; and then walk out of the portal while you are in the lag.

For example, start downloading 20 YouTube videos at once, or turn on BitTorrent at a max upload rate, or do both. Then hold down the quest button as you walk out of the Sauna. Another possible solution is to connect using an old modem, or a dial-up modem. You should disconnect one last time, and you'll be able to play again.

The Sleepywood Sauna is the only verified place where this has occurred. There is no known solutions for any other area in MapleStory.


 * A hacker used a special sort of vac-hack to pull all of the NPC's in the game to that location, so that when a user walked in, they disconnected, or DC'ed. This hacker also did it in other areas, too. He announced what areas would be "disconnection hotspots". These places are usually small, and were places that sold items like weapon shops.

Resetting when you crash helps clear the RAM so you won't disconnect again as soon.

Is MapleStory appropriate for young children?
MapleStory is a game suitable for all ages. The game EULA restricts play to 18 years old, and as young as 13 with parental permission. This change occurred recently. However, the players may not be. There is a very strict "curse word filter" that blocks certain curse words, even if the curse word is separated by a space. For example, the phrase "Cash items" is blocked, even with the space in the middle.

Also, the ESRB has rated Maplestory as E 10+ as seen on the Pirate Intro page, which may or may not be available at this time.

Nonetheless, there are always users bringing in immature jokes and trying to bypass the curse word filter; but this is to be expected in any community-based game.

There is no suggestive artwork; everything is done in "Chibi-style", also called Super Deformed, a popular anime/manga style in which characters have large heads to show off facial features, and the overall style is very cute. There is no blood or gore; the violence level is equivalent to early SNES/Genesis games (enemies fall over and disappear). Death in the game is rather comical: a little ghost-shape replaces your avatar, and your chat bubble becomes a thought bubble.

In terms of difficulty, the basic gameplay is easy enough for a 5-year-old to learn. In fact, there has been videos on Youtube and such of people as young as 2 playing (albeit with parental supervision). However, some advanced stuff such as marketing, or avoiding scammers, may be over the head of a young child.

~Be warned that regular users also swear, insult, harass... there's quite a few who seem to be on Maple only to harass people for fun. The main problem with online games is, quite simply, the fact that you cannot control what other people do. No amount of swear filtering stops people from being racist, for example, and it does happen from time to time. The game itself is very well built considering all that.

How do you save?
In most single-player games, you must save the game otherwise your progress will be lost. As this game is online, progress does not need to be saved. If you leave the game or get disconnected, you will be back in the same location (map that you were in) when you reconnect with all the stuff you found before.

What are these different versions of MapleStory?
MapleStory is different in different parts of the world. Therefore, each of the versions are given a name based on where they are.
 * Official MapleStory South Korea [MapleKR/KoreaMS/KMS] (in Korean)
 * Official MapleStory Japan [MapleJP/JapanMS/JMS] (in Japanese)
 * Official MapleStory China [MapleCN/ChinaMS/CMS] (in Simplified Chinese)
 * Official MapleStory Taiwan [MapleTW/TaiwanMS/TMS] (in Traditional Chinese)
 * Official MapleStory Hong Kong [MapleHK/HongKongMS/HKMS] (in Traditional Chinese)
 * Official MapleStory Thailand [MapleTH/ThailandMS/ThaiMS] (in Thai)
 * Official MapleStory Global [MapleGL/GlobalMS/GMS] (in English)
 * Official MapleStory South East Asia (for Singapore and Malaysia) [MapleSEA/MSEA] (in English)
 * Official MapleStory Europe (in Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish) [MapleEU/EuropeMS/EMS]
 * Official MapleStory Brazil [MapleBR/BrazilMS/BMS] (in Brazilian)
 * Official MapleStory Vietnam [MapleVN/VietnamMS/VMS] (in Vietnamese)
 * Tester MapleStory South Korea [MapleKRt/KoreaMSt/KMSt] (in Korean)
 * Tester MapleStory Japan [MapleJPt/JapanMSt/JMSt] (in Japanese)
 * Tester MapleStory China [MapleCNt/ChinaMSt/CMSt] (in Simplified Chinese)
 * Tester MapleStory Taiwan [MapleTWt/TaiwanMSt/TMSt] (in Traditional Chinese)
 * Tester MapleStory Global [MapleGLt/GlobalMSt/GMSt] (in English)

Thailand residents can play both MapleStory SEA and MapleStory Thailand. Many versions feature IP blocking, like MapleEurope encouraging people to play their localized version.

How do I access the MapleStory website without using Internet Explorer?
The MapleStory Global website checks to see if the browser you are using is Internet Explorer or not. If it isn't, it will block you from accessing the website. This check is done using Javascript, so to access the website you need to disable Javascript. You will need to enable Javascript again once you are done to continue browsing other websites as some may not work properly without Javascript.

Disabling Javascript varies between browsers. If using Firefox, click on the "Tools" menu, then select "Options". Click the "Content" button and there should be a number of checkboxes to enable/disable certain features. Clear the checkbox beside Javascript, and select "OK". Now, when you visit the website it should allow you in.

Another option is to download the IE Tab extension from the Mozilla website. Once downloaded, select the Sites Filter tab from the top, then add http://*.nexon.net/* (the * acts as a wildcard) to the URL list. Make sure that the box at the top of the window is checked.

You can use any browser to visit nexon.net now.

Taxes? Why taxes?
Taxes in MapleStory sounds like quite a bad idea. However, looking at the economic structure of the MapleStory community, we have a source of infinite income (killing monsters) and at the same time, few sources of taking money out of the economy, which only consists of NPC shops and Quests.

Just as the federal government raises interest rates to control inflation, Wizet decided to implement a tax system to curb inflation. Inflation occurs because as the general population gets wealthier, item prices rise, making it difficult for new players to get started.

Having a tax system is a smart way to make everyone in the world more poor, to counteract this inflation. If the world went from 2,000,000 Mesos to 1,000,000 Mesos, then work gloves will drop in price. Additionally, this gives an edge to the lower-level characters in MapleStory. As players reach higher levels, they earn more money faster. Thus, we don't have a case where everyone has 2,000,000 Mesos, we have a case where 30 people have 20,000,000 Mesos who can buy that +10 ATK work glove, while the rest of the community can't. By making the taxes higher for more expensive purchases, this serves to even the playing field out a little between high level players, and low level players.

The main disadvantage of taxes comes when pure Meso transactions are involved, i.e. lending a friend 2 million Mesos. Mesos will be lost although no actual sale took place.

Taxes are usually circumvented in MapleStory by dropping Mesos in isolated locations or paying in rates lower than the tax rate. This applies to all players that have trustworthy trade partners. It can be quite risky as hackers may come in and suck all the money away.

Maple Story Doesn't Work/Doesn't Run Smoothly...

 * Check the system requirements.
 * The system requirements listed are minimum requirements. Minimum requirements are only enough to get the program running. For better performance, get a system that at least doubles the requirements.
 * Close all other programs.
 * Run virus scans and check for spyware, adware, and other programs that secretly run in the background.
 * Occasionally, Maple Story is updated. This means download the latest version or patch, and wait for the update to finish.

~One more thing... though it has already been mentioned. After a while your RAM memory fills with loaded screens, character info etc... if you find yourself disconnecting or lagging heavily try shutting down the computer to empty the RAM, then reboot it. That usually helps.

Will all the versions of MapleStory eventually have the same features?
Eventually they should have very comparable features. For example, they should all eventually get most of the same content like fourth jobs, the party/guild quests, and the new locations. However, some things will remain specific to a few versions, like Pachinko in JMS or Premium Road. It's just a matter of waiting to see what comes out.

Sometime when i click on the maple story icon on my comp it automatically restarts my computer how can i fix this problem?
Try reinstalling Maple, and if the problem persists, contact Nexon. That's all I can really say. 8D

Since you can't gift NX anymore, is there ANY way to have someone give you NX?
Not unless you sell an ordinary etc. item in the Maple Trading System and the giver buys it.

Can I play MapleStory with Windows Vista? Because After I download MapleStory it says "Failed In Finding Proper Screem Mode For Gr2D" What should I do?
Run setup.exe and follow the on screen directions from there.

===What should I do, because this message appeared to me: due to the high population, character creation has temporarily been disabled in this world. Please choose another world. It then asked me to restart the game or end game. And when I choose my character lv55, the game take me off. I think I have been playing like a good members, good aptitude and like a nice person. What do I do. Please tell me! I don't want to start again.=== No one said you have to restart. What it meant was that the world was overpopulated, so it didn’t want you to make a new character. Then it wanted to know if you wanted to go back to the beginning of the program, or turn off the program. You don’t have to restart your character.

How do you know what will be in the next patch? Ex: you say that in the next patch, in GMS, monster books will arrive, but how do you know?
It's possible to extract the data from the game and see if additional (unused) files have been added; such as monster images. For news, we look at what the official sites say.

Why does wizet update maplestory differently instead of updating all the versions with the same content?
There are many reasons. One of the most obvious is that the text and data associated with new content would require translation into each version's native language, and this takes time. The various versions of MapleStory also use slightly different structures, so updates will have to be re-done into the structure of the version for which it is to be added. Additionally, the local developer (Nexon America, Nexon Europe, Asiasoft, etc.) must decide what is best for their version's population. It wouldn't make very much sense to release Leafre, the strongest town on Ossyria, if there are only a handful of people who can kill the monsters there. The publishers attempt to match the quality of the update to the demands of the players at that time.

Why do some servers have a letter above their name? For example, Khaini has an E, and one server has an N.
the "E" stands for Event, and usually appears only when a server event is occurring, like Double EXP or Double Drops. N means "New", and only appears on the two newest servers. Occasionally, an "H", which stands for "Hot", can be seen, and this is used to attract users to a less populated server.

A lot of people say you need to kill the fairies in mushmom place to get mushmom to spawn.Is this true?
No, however it is necessary to kill a monster to allow for a boss to spawn, because maps have a limit as to how many monsters can be there at one time. Killing a monster will empty a space and allow the boss monster to spawn, however it doesn't matter whether it is an Iron Hog or Fierry.

How do you activate a skill?
Open your skills window (usually by pressing the "K" key) and you can see the list of your skills. These are sorted by job. Now, open the key settings window (usually by pressing the "\" key) and click on the skill icon you want to assign to the key on your keyboard. The cursor will "pick up" the skill after clicking on the skill icon. Move your mouse over to the key on the key settings window that you want to assign that skill to, and click. The skill icon should now be visible on that key. Close the key settings by clicking save, and now any time you want to activate the skill, just press the key you have assigned it to. Another way is to double click the skill in the skill book, although this is very slow.

What is the difference between weapon attack and magic attack?
Weapon attack (Abbreviated Att or ATT) affects physical damage from a warrior, thief, archer, or (but not as much) a magician. and magic attack (Abbreviated M Atk or M ATT) affects the magical damage from a magician's skills. M. Atk does not affect damage for skills in any other class. Additionally, weapon attack plays a MAJOR part in calculating damage, especially for Assassins. This causes the overpricing of Work Gloves or other gloves that have been scrolled for Attack.

Can I use first job points for second job skills? What about the third job?
No. Any skill points you gain in the first job (before level 30) MUST be used before the second job. The same is true of second job points (before level 70) on Third job skills, and so on. It is okay to use second job points for the first job, but this is generally not recommended. Beginner skill points can only be assigned to beginner skills. Some skills, such as monster rider or Legendary Spirit, are automatically maxed when the player receives them.

What are some good ways to make money, both in general and class specific?
The best way to make money is to train on something that you can kill in 2 or less hits consecutively. For Warriors, this shouldn't be too much of a problem before 2nd job. Warriors tend to make money very easily early on, due to low touch damage.

Thieves should train on whatever suits best, during levels 21-30 it is recommended NOT to PQ all of the time if unfunded. It can consume a lot in potions that, if poor prizes are received, cannot be replaced.

For magicians to save money, they should only buy red and blue potions until level 30. At level 25 magicians will entirely destroy the Kerning PQ so you should be able to get potions and ores from there easily.

Also, when magicians reach second job, if they become a cleric, they no longer need to buy HP potions once they have upped their Heal skill a few levels. All it eats up is MP, and it is cheaper if you don't have to buy HP potions anymore.

For archers, As a new bowman you should find or buy a melee weapon (metal axe, for example, drops from slimes, and wooden swords from Orange Mushrooms) until level 15, and only then buy the level 15 bow. Save up on stiff feathers, tree branches, and firewood to make arrows for free.

In addition, remember Mana Potions cost about twice what Health ones do, and using Skills can rapidly burn money throughout the course of a level.

When buying Armor and weapons focus on only the next set of body armor and weaponry. Check the actual bonus offered for the price... 10,000 isn't worth 2 more defense when 2 defense barely changes the damage taken. The recommended order for upgrading equipment is as follows: It is recommended to not buy every equip that is coming up to your level. Some equips can be obtained through quests or party quests. Most equipments can be synthesized by item creators in towns.
 * 1) Weapon
 * 2) Top/Bottom
 * Hat
 * 1) Gloves
 * 2) Shoes

Pick up everything that drops. Everything. Even the stuff that sells for 1 meso (Monster Cards) adds up. If you find something that requires level 20 or greater, or a scroll, check a fan site and see if the item is worth an appreciable amount. If not, sell it back to an NPC store.

Only buy potions that heal you half of your HP and MP when you can. That way you can get the full affect of each potion, saving mesos.

As a mage, master Max MP the earliest. After max MP Recovery. Mages can't make do without magic attacks and MP Recovery rapidly starts to heal 50 MP every 10 seconds while walking or attacking. That means 300 MP every minute. That's a lot of free MP, so most mages tend to buy hp potions five times more often than mp potions, maybe even seven to ten times if they obtain lots of mana elixirs(or other mp potions) through quests or pqs.

Quests and Party quests that allow players to make money: Kerning City party quest, Ludibrium maze party quest, Ludibrium pq, The Lost Guard, The Monster Carnival (If you can get the maple coins quick enough)

In the Monster Carnival, you can use the maple coins to exchange for weapons, usually priced at upwards to 300k mesos. This is a good plan unless you are saving your maple coins, in which you can still get weapons later.

Ludibrium maze pq(lvls 50-70) is a great way to make money. All of the usable items you receive can be sold to npcs(in this case, the non-player characters who sells stuff) for a lot. After about five party quests, the party leader might tell you to npc.

What happens if I don't use up all the points before advancing?
Your job instructor simply won't let you advance to the next job advancement.

Why should I max skills?
The argument usually goes: Skills cost more when they are at a higher level, and most of the time, they don't give the same mana/damage efficiency as lower levels. So why max skills at all?

The simple answer is when at a higher level, players generally make much more money. At level 10, 10,000 Mesos is doing well. At level 60, weapons may cost as much as 15 million Mesos.

The money "wasted" from maxing out skills is minuscule when compared to the money used on equipments, scrolls, and so forth. You will always make more money, but you cannot always do more damage.

And this goes for 'all mana- or HP-based skills, including Slash Blast, Double Shot, Magic Claw, Lucky 7, etc.

More importantly, when maxing out a damage skill, you save time. 2 level 10 Slash Blasts may do more damage than a level 20 Slash Blast, but a level 20 Slash Blast saves time, especially since that level 20 Slash Blast has a much better chance of a one-hit kill than a level 10 Slash Blast, and costs less MP.

Is xxx skill good?
Check out the Jobs section with your specific job for the answer. A number of skills are considered useless irrespective of the build used and are only necessary if they are prerequisites for other, more powerful skills. Those skills are listed here.

Mage
 * Magic Armor (not to be confused with the skill "Magic Guard")
 * Magic Armor removes at most 30 or so damage. If fighting Yetis at level 50, It won't matter that they do 470 damage to you instead of 500. It is generally not recommended to add points into Magic Armor.


 * Energy Bolt
 * Energy Bolt is good if you want a skill to knockback enemies. Magic Claw out damages Energy Bolt any time, but doesn't knockback most of the time, due to the fact that the damage is split into two hits.
 * Note that most monsters that you'll be fighting with Energy Bolt will have a KB of 1, making Magic Claw more effective in about every case imaginable.


 * Poison Brace (second job, Fire/Poison Wizard)
 * It is weak, and the poison doesn't last long enough to warrant use. However, there are poison mages that like going against the crowd. Given the fact that Poison Mist and Magic Composition (both third-job skills) are more effective Poison-based spells, one would wonder why Poison Brace even exists. A maxed Poison Brace can do around 347 to 578 damage  plus, if poisoned, 70 HP or 1/40 HP damage, whichever is greater. If the enemy has roughly 3000+ HP the Poison will hit for 1/40 HP doing 75+ damage over time. This can allow Fire Wizards to hunt fire creatures they normally would not be able to, such as Fire Boars or other Fire-based monsters. Some creatures that are weak to poison give good EXP. It is recommended, however, that only advanced Fire Wizards should consider maxing Poison Brace after Fire Arrow has been maxed.

Bowman
 * Blessing of Amazon
 * Bowmen have the best accuracy in the game, and can generally hit monsters before they can even break that monster's armor. The only exception is Jr. Neckis in the beginning of the game. However, getting a skill for a single monster is a bad plan, especially when you gain enough accuracy to kill Jr. Neckis efficiently by level 28 or so.

Warrior


 * Improving Hp Recovery
 * Due to the chair that recovers 50 Hp per 10 seconds, this should either be left at 5 or maxed


 * Endure
 * Recover while hanging on a rope. Quite useless since you'll be using potions to get HP. With 4000 HP at Level 60 it would take a long time to recover your total health. Besides, the best option to recover health while being idle is to sit down somewhere. Only put the required 3 points into endure so you can put some points into Iron Body.


 * Iron Body
 * This skill can be handy at lower levels but around Level 60 it loses its value because of the much more powerful power guard skill. The main and only reason to have Iron body is to negate the weapon defense penalty of Rage. Theoretically you could do with only 1 point in Iron body to undo the -10 wdef effect of Rage. There are some builds online that suggest maxing Iron body and only putting 6 points into sword/axe booster. This isn't really recommended as with a duration of 60 seconds the recasting can become really annoying. Instead, maxing booster and maxing out Rage is better, since Rage and Iron body are casted at the same time this will make recasting easier and less annoying. Also consider this: having 16 versus 40 weapon defense doesn't really do a lot for the damage you take. A tauromaci touch would be around for example 450 versus 500 damages. However if you have maxed Power Guard (which is very likely) it will reflect 40 % of the damage so you only take 300 out of a total of 500.

Third job Crusader and Page skills, warriors already have huge weapon defense, and Shield Mastery barely increases it. Also it limits the player to one handed weapons.
 * Shield Mastery

Warriors still get some of these skills because there are too many first job points. It is recommended you get at least 1 SP in Endure and some HP Recovery to help at areas such as El Nath or Underwater maps where the area slowly drains your HP, but there are not enough points to max any of these skills.

Thief
 * Disorder
 * It has been quite a debate between many maplers about the "Which is better, disorder or dark sight?". Disorder will not be often used when you are training and mostly only when fighting boss monsters and such. Dark sight, however, is used when you want to pass a map without being disturbed by monsters or when you ran out of potions and only have a little bit of hp left, you will die easily. This is where dark sight comes in to prevent yourself from dying. I feel that both skills are useful and you will have to choose one to add in 1st job advancement and maybe the other in the late 2nd job advancement. Dark sight is also required for the Ludibrium Party Quest, where only a thief with Dark Sight can get past two certain invincible monsters.


 * Shield Mastery 3rd job, Bandit. Gets you about 10 extra weapon defense points assuming the best shield for a Thief, which will block about 4 damage from the enemy. Fairly worthless.
 * Steal
 * Steal is more of a "fun" ability as it’s not to be used seriously. It CAN help to get something good, but it doesn't happen often. It may be useful in the Ludibrium PQ so you can get extra passes, however this glitch was patched.

-For assasins, 3 points are required in this before you are allowed to aquire Drain, but higher than 3 points is useless. For one, not many people spend time healing, when you could instead use a potion, or *gasp* drain, the very skill you needed 3 points in endure for. Why would you max a skill that requires you to wait to recover HP, when you can instead max a skill that heals you and damages a monster at the same time?
 * Endure

Why am I training so slow?
You will only train at a reasonable pace if you consistently use your skills. Never use a "regular" attack for any class after level 25, and if you're an assassin or mage you will probably need to use skills WAY before that. To keep up the pace of your mana-consumption, you must buy potions to consistently up your mana. By level 35 mages should hold AT LEAST 60 mana potions so they don't have to go back and forth to buy more. However, smarter players save mp by using they regular attack on monsters that have very low health.

Additionally, players must always have HP potions ready. Sitting still for 10 minutes every time when hit is not a fast way to train. By level 35, any class should have 50 ORANGE potions.

Upon reaching level 40, start scrolling weapons, on top of using your skills, to keep a reasonable pace of experience. 60% scrolls are the general recommendation, and if feeling lucky, buy 10% scrolls off of other people. 100% are a safe choice, but add less than 60%.

For assassins, get the best stars you can afford at all times. Kumbi tend to be the ones people get the most. Or, if funded, get icicles at early levels and kill much faster. If you have MapleStory iTCG, and play in MapleGlobal, AND are funded, you may want to try for Crystal Ilbi, which is +29attk.

Actually, getting a +7 100% claw is more important than getting stars, especially with Meba. Also, once in possession of Kumbis/Icicles, start spending money on work gloves scrolled with attack. Get 6 attack gloves before getting Tobi, 8 attack gloves before getting Steely, and 10 attack gloves before getting Ilbi. Also, starting from level 50, consider getting +5 or more 60% scrolled claws. Just look at the next upgrade cost for your claw, glove, star, and determine which one is cheaper. Don't go out thinking that getting a better star is the only option to raise your attack.

If you are low on money, here is the list of priorities if you want to continue training at a fast pace:


 * 1) HP potions and Mana potions
 * 2) Most powerful Weapon/stars money can buy
 * 3) Scrolls for weapon Attack, or intelligence/magic Attack if a Mage
 * 4) Best Top/Bottom/Overalls money can buy

For archers, starting with level 50, overalls are the main equipment. Overalls feature 10 slots, which can be scrolled easily for dex. Buy 100% dex scrolls from the various NPCs for 35,000 and get an easy 10 dex. This is also an option at level 30 with the sauna robe, or level 20 with the bath towel if your version has Showa town, but generally players at that low of a level don't have enough money to afford it. It is recommended that you don't waste money on gloves or shoes, unless they are upgraded with weapon attack, speed, or jump. The level 15 or 20 glove will suffice for a while for any class; in fact, most mid to higher levels (level 50+) use a level 10 work glove (upgraded with weapon Attack)!

So what does this list mean? It means, if poor, buy as many Health and Mana potions as you can. If you saved up enough money, then buy a more powerful weapon. If you still got money, then scroll your weapon. If you still got money, then buy your armor.

Parties are another good option, as mesos from other members' kills will go to everyone.

How do I get to (insert place here)
If it is a hidden street, you must find a secret location somewhere, and press "up" on it. They are scattered all around.

Or check the world map by pressing "w".

Where do you find (insert item here) item?
Refer to the in-depth item sections at Hidden-Street. They list all the enemies that drop a specific item.

Where do I find a good build for my Character?
Builds in general require a lot of thought and time to put together. There is simply not enough room in this page to describe all your builds. In your specific Job section however; you should be able to find a build for your specific character. Also keep in mind that a perfect build does not exist, every character is supposed to suit the player's style.

Why do people like to buy Solid Horns?
100 Solid horns can be exchanged at the Exchange Quest for 500 experience. While this is not much at higher levels, you can bring a level 10 player into the Exchange Quest and constantly get around 500 exp for every 100 horns. This is most likely the fastest way to level up at early levels, although it can be quite expensive if you do not gather the horns yourself.

Zombie's Lost Teeth, Jr. Yeti Skins, and Hector Tails are also popular choices, as they provide better rewards than Solid Horns. Though being more expensive, in these cases most people will hunt the items themselves. Zombie Teeth also have a relatively high supply due to the sheer number of players that train on Coolie Zombies for a large number of levels (60-80 for most classes).

Again, if you have a main, stronger character, use that to get the solid horns or any other exchange quest items. That way, you get exp for both of your characters.

What Job should I choose?
This has been answered in the Jobs section.

How do you jump and attack in the air with magicians and archers?
Assassins can do this much easier. For archers, this is answered in the Archer guides here. Magicians use the same technique, except with their spells. Magicians can also attack and teleport at the same time, and it is the same technique again, except using teleport instead of jump. But since they CANNOT jump and attack at the same time...it is possible to hit the JUMP and *insert special attack here* keys, it will make it look like that your character is "charging up" before he hits the ground. When doing an attack normally, your character is unable to move for a short period of time until the attack animation is complete. With the jump shot, you are able to move while performing the attack. However the arrow/spell acts as if it were shot/cast while on the ground. It should be noted that different keyboards have different responses to the jump-attack glitch. Some keyboards can do it very easily, while some keyboards require attack and then jump button, some keyboards require the reverse. So try doing it differently if it doesn't work the first time. Also, the internet connection of the user has an affect on the jump shot.

How do I open a shop in the Free Market?
To do this, a Store Permit must be purchased from in the Cash Shop. The Permit will last for 90 days, during which it may be used as often as liked within the numbered Free Market areas. Another option is to hire an "employee", an elf NPC that will vend items for the player. Buying an elf employee will only last 24 hours, or 7 days depending which version is bought. It will expire at the time purchased, whether it is used or not. You must buy Nexon Cash or get Maple Points to do this!

What Is Scrolling?
Scrolling is the process of buying (usually) expensive scrolls (70,000 mesos for cheap 100% scrolls, weapon attack for gloves can rise as high as several million mesos), and then using them on your items. Usually, a fully scrolled item is better than the next item. For example, a +7 Red Viper (level 35 bow) can have 68 weapon attack and 7 accuracy if scrolled with 60%s. An unscrolled Vaulter 2000 (level 40 bow) has up to 59 weapon attack if you are lucky.

Because of the level 40/50 gap, it is recommended that you start scrolling your weapons at level 40. 10 levels take a long time, and most level 50 weapons are rare (though they can be created in Ludibrium). So you may be using your level 40 weapon well into level 55 or even level 60! Scrolling allows you to make your weapon stronger without buying a new weapon.

10%s, 60%s and 100%s are three kinds of scrolls that are available. 10%s give the best stats, but only work 10% of the time. 60%s do best on average, but they are usually very very expensive. 100% scrolls are usually cheap, as most are available from NPCs scattered across the Maple Story world, and they always work. However, 100%s won't get you the best possible weapon. However, even when a scroll fails, an upgrade slot is still deducted from the item, so think carefully when scrolling.

From Gachapon, and certain Zipangu monsters, there are also "cursed" 30% and 70% scrolls available. These give the same benefits as 10% and 60% scrolls, except they may destroy the weapon in the process (50% chance if the scroll fails). these are typically only recommended on the first slot.

All items can be scrolled, even pet equipments! If you are a warrior, thief, or archer, weapon attack affects damage the most, usually 3 or 4 times more effective than increasing the primary stat. Mages should focus on getting intelligence on their items, usually on the earrings. 60% Jump scrolls on shoes are recommended for warriors, thieves, and archers, while if you go with 100%s, speed on shoes works out better.

For rich and funded level 50s, you may attempt to use the Legendary Spirit skill to scroll your level 60 weapons, because they are the first weapons to only be available from gachapon and monsters.

How long does it take for (name) to spawn?
The following are estimates:


 * Chief Gray: 10 minutes
 * Rombot: 15~20 minutes
 * MT-09: 30~45 minutes
 * Mushmom: 45~60 minutes
 * Jr. Balrog: 4~6 hours
 * Zombie Mushmom: 45~60 minutes
 * Blue Mushmom: 48 hours (23 in GlobalMS)
 * Pianus: 8~12 hours
 * Zakum: Summoned by Eye of Fire
 * Papulatus: Summoned with Piece of Cracked Dimension
 * Horned Tail: Summoned with Dragon Squad sheet

How long will it take to get [certain starting ability point allocation]?
In general, it is more likely to generate evenly distributed ability points (e.g. STR6 DEX6 INT7 LUK6) than skewed ability points (e.g. STR4 DEX13 INT4 LUK4). The total ability points is 25, and the minimum for any ability is 4. The maximum for an ability is 13, though that is rare (see below).

The way starting abilities are generated: (Not verified, though seems to be a good approximation)
 * 1) All abilities are set equal to 4.
 * 2) Randomly choose STR, DEX, INT, or LUK and add one point to that ability.
 * 3) Repeat until STR + DEX + INT + LUK = 25.

The table below shows approximately how long it will take to generate certain ability point distributions. These times are approximate and actual results may vary. One person may get a certain distribution within 1 minute whereas another person will take 10 minutes, depending on clicking speed and pure luck. The table shows how hard it is to get large numbers like 12 and 13, especially where you want them. Therefore, don't set your goal too high, unless you have time for 3 days of nonstop playing!

Remember that this is theoretical probability, meaning this is very different from experimental probability. In other words:


 * You may get 13, 4, 4, 4, on your first few clicks or 7, 6, 6, 6 in a few hours

What should I do to avoid being scammed?
Three important points:
 * 1) Learn how scammers scam. (Go to the Introduction.)
 * 2) Use common sense, be smart, and watch for suspicious offers.
 * 3) Report possible scams.

Common Scams:
 * "Drop Game": Someone dares you to drop a valuable item. That person picks it up before you can. (Don't do something because someone dares you to!) They often bring you to specific areas where another character can hid behind walls and run out to get your items when you drop them too.
 * "Tab Tab Space Enter": That key sequence accepts any trade that's going on. If you put something valuable up for trade, the other person can take it. (Don't press keys unless you know what they do.) It doesn't work any more, and causes the other person in the trade to be automatically reported.
 * Any Unsecured Trade: Don't do it. You never know if someone will keep their promise. (example: someone promises 20k mesos for fame. After you fame them, they immediately log off.)
 * "Middleman": A person is making a really good trade offer to you, but you don't have the specific thing they want. Luckily, you find someone who offers just that thing, but at a high price. You buy it, but when you go back to the first person to make the trade, they refuse. (This is a co-op scam between the two people.)
 * "Tax Evasion": Paying for an expensive item in parts is risky, because either the scammer gives only 49999 for your expensive item and doesn't pay up the rest, or the scammer makes you pay until you are short about 50000, then leaves without giving you anything.
 * "The Hold Enter, Keep Clicking Trick": This happens in the Free Market, the title usually says, "To Enter, Hold Enter and Click". When you actually enter, you would have clicked on something twice, and the pop up says 'You sure you want to buy ______ for ___ mesos" or something similar, while holding enter will trigger you to pressing 'OK' on that item, thus buying the item. The trick is you will not be able to see the pop-up since your holding enter which instantly presses 'OK'.  You could accidentally buy a useless item (eg.Snail Shell) for 1 million mesos even.
 * "Scroll Switch" You are about to purchase an expensive scroll, but the trade window closes. The person with the scroll re-trades apologizing that the window was closed by mistake and puts a scroll of the same % but is a worthless scroll and quickly trades. So you spend a large amount of mesos on a useless scroll if you do not check the item again.
 * "Drop Trade"*: This usually happens in the Hair Salon in Kerning. _____ would like to trade and tells you to meet him in the Kerning Hair Salon. They would then tell you to drop your item on the platform above near the left edge while _____ would drop his on the stairs. Then he would go up while you drop off the left edge. He would then collect his own item and then collect yours because you were too far away.
 * "Copy": A person offers to copy your items for you. He tells you to put it up in the trade window, click trade, and leave the little pop-up window with "Are you sure you want to trade?" open. Then, he tells you to type "copy". The "O" button automatically accepts the trade, so he can get away with your money/items.
 * "Fast Trade": A person is buying an item overpriced e.g. steely - 11 million meso / ilbi - 22million meso. When you trade them, they show you the money, tells you to put your item on, trades and cancels in a split-second. They trade you again over and over, until you get tired of looking at the screen, trading without thinking. Once they think that you have lost your 'sight', they would put only about 1,100,000 if the items was to be 11,000,000. NEVER buy anything that you know it is overpriced. This scam is all around fm in GMS (not sure for other versions), usually for items like PAC, SCG, gach items that includes the ATT stats.

Miscellaneous: If anyone has any more tips, feel free to add them here.
 * Always check the trade one last time before accepting. Carefully examine all items the other person is offering, and make sure you are putting up the correct items, too.
 * Beginners: learn the average prices of items on reliable websites or through browsing of shops before making expensive trades.
 * NEVER participate in drop games.

After your first job advancement, can you still get skill points after level 30, or does it stop giving you skill points?
You will always get skill points after your job advancement. You need to use all the skill points earned at level 30 and below before you can take the test. If you go over 30 before taking the test you still get the skill points and they do not have to be used. They can be held over until after the job advancement. You may use points obtained in 2nd job/3rd job on first job skills, to do that you click the skill book and apply, however, it is not recommended to do this.

How do you get to Sleepywood without the VIP cab?
You can get there from Henesys, Kerning, Ellnia, or Perion. In Henesys, take the top right portal, in Perion take the bottom right one that says dungeon over it and in Kerning, go through the sewers, and in Ellnia, go to the top left portal of the town and keep climbing up the trees until you get to the crest of the tree that grew, a sign says that the winds blow towards sleepywood, so you jump off and land there.

How do I get out of Ariant and go back in after I am level 30?
The same way you got in through the Orbis boat ride.

How often do GM events occur? How long do they last?
Whenever a GM decides to host one. They have a limited capacity, so very briefly.

How do you send a note to another person?
Notes exist to notify players if they are expelled from the guild or other occurrences happen while they are offline. There is no way to send a note with a message that isn't automated at this time.

What is the purpose of ores, jewels, cards and "omoks"?
Ores and Jewels are refined and used to synthesize equipment, usually gloves and boots. However, since most class gloves are not used and both gloves and boots are widely available in the free market, they are pretty much useless now. The only ores and jewels really worth keeping are Dark Crystal and Black Crystal. Other jewels have some purpose in quests, but for the most part you should just sell them to the shop NPCs. Cards and Omok pieces can be taken to the Game zone in Henesys (near Athena Pierce's tree) where you can trade them in for Minigame rooms. You can set these up in most places to play a game of Match Cards or Omok with people.

Do boss monsters(e.g. Mano) appear @ a set or random time at the designated location?
Yes, they spawn on the same map at a set time, but spawn spots might be different.

How do you get lots of mesos when you are below level 25?
There is no easy way to earn mesos at these levels, but the best way would be to do something that had very little cost and much reward, like Kerning PQ.

Where can you obtain the palm tree/tropical chair?
The Palm Tree chair can be obtained from King Abdullah in the bonus room of Ariant Coliseum.

Having how much meso is considered rich?
This varies from person to person and server to server, as well as by level.

However if you are a level 4 and you have 3,500,000 you are rich, but if you are a level 200 you are...sort of.

Where can I obtain certain materials? Like ores, screws, wooden boards etc. other than in free market? If they are only obtainable from monsters, can you give me a complete list of them?
Ores are dropped by various monsters. Wooden Boards can be made from Tree Branches and Firewood by Vicious of Henesys. Screws can be made from a steel plate and a bronze plate, also by Vicious.

Where's a good spot to hunt Turkey Commandos?
Unfortunately, there is no actual good place with a good spawn of turkeys. The best place to hunt them is in the map "A Hill West of Henesys" but only three turkeys spawn in this map. Worse still, there would be a lot of people ksing you there plus the monsters can get in your way even though they're weaker than the turkeys.

They do spawn rather nicely in the map "A Rainforest South-East of Henesys" now.

One good location, is the map that is directly accesible from Henesys! In the portal in the tree next to Cody's head (like you are going to mushmom.) This is the place to find the best turkey spawn.

Bad luck with the Amoria hair quest. Well, my hair got screwed up from the quest girl in Amoria, and now I'm really ugly... Is there any free way to fix it?
The only free way to "fix" this is to wear a hat, so the answer is no. You're going to have to buy a haircut coupon in the Cash Shop if you really want to fix your hair.

If my hair got screwed up from the quest girl in Amoria, is it possible to create anther account, repeat the quest, get a second Reg. Hair Coupon and re-do the hair?
You can only use the Hair Coupon on the new account then, because the Hair Coupons from the quest are untradeable.

Should I use my stat point on my HP and MP or i use it for STR, DEX, INT, and LUK?
For maximum damage, it's not advised to put Ability Points (AP) into HP or MP, however there are some that would advocate putting points into HP as an archer, but only at a high level.

Alternate builds for each class can be found on their respective Builds pages.

How do you get Mark of the Beta?
Mark of the Beta can only be obtained by having an account that was active during the Open Beta period.

You cannot get the Mark any more.

How do you get to New Leaf City from Ludibrium?
You can only get to NLC from Kerning. You must return to Victoria before you can visit New Leaf City.

What's with the weird black portal that you cant go though in forest of evil 1?
It is a portal to a quest area which is currently unusable. It can only be entered when on the quest to defeat Faust, which will be released with Area Boss set 3. It is now open to people who are doing the quest which requires you to kill Faust. A recent server check had patched the glitch inside where the NPC does not appear at all.

What's the max amount of mesos dropped by Brown Teddies? 
97 mesos

What is the point of a Hybrid Spearman?
Hybrid spearmen seem like a dumb idea at first; you don't get final attack and you max out a weapon that you think you won't use.

However, maxing out both weapons gives a massive advantage in 3rd job. In 3rd job, there are 2 main attacks for a Dragon Knight, and those are Spear Crusher, and Dragon Fury. Dragon Fury will always be stronger with a pole arm because it always swings, while Spear Crusher will always be stronger with a spear because it always stabs.

Additionally, since the fastest training is done with slashblast, final attack hinders Spearmen most, as they use the skill for the least amount of time (it no longer activates once a spearman uses 3rd job attacks) and slows down their mob capabilities in 2nd job. Why put points into something that isn't going to help?

The idea is not to switch weapons in the middle of battle, but to switch to another weapon when the map calls for it. For example, maps where the enemies mob together naturally, or where the mob is brought to you by a party member heavily favour Dragon Fury, since it strikes six enemies and generally knocks them back. With it you can kill faster. For maps where the enemies do not mob naturally or never mob in groups of more than 3-4, spear crusher is preferable as the attack is designed to only hit 3 enemies (compared to fury why is designed to hit 6).

Do I need Final Attack or Not?
Many warriors wonder, what's final attack, and why should I have it? Final Attack is much like an MP free Power Strike. When it is maxed it has a 60% chance of following any attack with a damage of 250%. Now the real question is "Do I need it?" Important in the thinking of whether to get final attack, is that the final attack animation is also faster than a regular attack.

Final Attack diffuses its damage with Slash Blast. With Slash Blast you'll find the damage divides with each successive enemy hit. With Slashblast+Final Attack each following monster will receive 50% of the damage(up to 6 monsters). ex. 130%, 60%, 30%, 15%.... The damage totals to around the 250% given, which means you will be seeing two digit damage even into your level 110's (for fighters and pages). It is important to note that 3 enemy slashblast-final attack is roughly equal to simply using slashblast over and over (compared over time)

With this knowledge, you can see that if you are doing training in an area that favours powerstrike, you will level faster if you have Final Attack. If however you are training with Slash Blast, you will probably be slowed down at mobs of 4 or more.

For fighters, Final Attack is required, but not because of the free power strike. Crusaders require Final Attack to charge orbs faster; since a crusader's damage is primarily from Panic and Coma, faster charging means overall greater damage output. Ideally, fighters should do a 30 point dump into the skill close to level 70.

For Pages/White Knights, Final attack is a mixed bag. Often the real decision comes as a personal choice, and the decision causes White Knights with final attack to train at different locations than those without. Those who have Final attack will train at enemies that do not create large mobs often and favour powerstrike (Dual Ghost Pirates, etc). Those without Final attack will train at maps that generate large mobs, such as kentaurauses. Once the two different types of White Knights merge training again at Wyverns, it really doesn't make a difference as the mobs are mostly groups of 3, where they will average the same damage output over time. Once they get their 4th job attacks, it no longer matters as Final Attack is not triggered. If you choose not to get Final attack, the important note is to not go hybrid. There's nothing you will be able to do with the second weapon, and you do not want to split your elemental charges onto separate weapons.

Final attack for Dragon Knights is not recommended. There is no mathematical reason to go with a pure build, as a hybrid can do everything both pure builds can do combined, since final attack is never triggered after 3rd job skills are acquired.

Fire/poison vs Ice/lightning vs Cleric
Also known as Fire wizards, Ice/Lightning wizards, or Clerics.

This is answered in the Magician Guide already.

How does MP eater work?
For any magic attack you do, you have a chance of draining a good amount of MP from the enemy. While it does nothing to the enemy, this basically means with max MP eater, you would only be able to drain so much MP from 1 foe. Every magic attack you do, there is a 30% chance that you would gain MP from the enemy. This includes magic claw, energy bolt, and even the cleric's "Heal" attack on undead monsters. MP Eater is especially effective with mob attacks such as Heal or Lightning, for obvious reasons.


 * Actually, it seems that if you drain all the mana from a magic casting monster, it can no longer cast its attack.

How do mages teleport backwards?
The Wizard's and Cleric's Teleport skill works by sending you a certain distance in the direction of whichever arrow key is pressed, given that there is a platform to stand on at that location and that you have enough MP. A magician teleports backwards by using an attack skill, and teleporting while holding down the back arrow key. This is called telecasting. Most mages use this technique for bosses etc. as the attacks miss them if they teleport at the right moment. You can also do this forward. Telecasting can also be done vertically.

Is Teleport faster than flash jump(both lv.1)?
Teleport can cover a farther distance in a shorter amount of time at level 1, so yes. But it also varies on the amount of points put on each skill.

When Ice demon makes the monster weak to fire, do they become strong to ice?
No

Does MP eater work on bosses?
No, it does not.

What is a Banditsin?
A Banditsin (also known as a Sindit) is a bandit that uses Lucky 7 in 1st job, and then turns into a Bandit 2nd job. Lucky 7 is a much better skill than Double Stab, as it is ranged, has innate mastery and does more damage. While this is more expensive than the typical Bandit build, it is much faster if you got the money to burn. But it may cause financial problems after you make the 2nd job advancement.

One problem with Sindits is that because they cannot use Double Stab, they have to waste more MP with Savage Blow or otherwise save MP using regular attack. Also, some Sindits choose to continue using claws regularly after their 2nd job advancement, though often on weaker monsters. Once there are enough points on Savage Blow and Dagger Mastery, sindits will usually make the switch to daggers. 3rd job sindits will usually be identical with regular Chief Bandits. The only difference between a Bandit and a Sindit is that the latter won't have Double Stab. Considering that Savage Blow will be more effective than Double Stab past Level 45, and that the AP build doesn't change, it can be concluded that Sindits are just as powerful as Bandits.

What is the damage calculations for luk in lucky seven for example if I have 10 luk how much damage would that do if I used lucky seven?
From hidden-street.net

It depends on the w. atk of your claw. But the calculations are


 * (Maximum Damage for 1 Throwing Star) - [((5.0*LUK)/100)*Weapon Attack)*Damage Percentage]


 * (Minimum Damage for 1 Throwing Star) - [((2.5*LUK)/100)*Weapon Attack)*Damage Percentage]

For Thieves: which equip should be obtained first (list in order)? ATK WG, DEX Snowshoes, DEX Sauna, DEX or LUK Cape, or +7 claw & stars?
Claw>Glove>Stars>Cape>Sauna>Snowshoes>Earring. You should actually get a LUK Sauna, if possible.

Double Shot or Arrow Blow?
This has been answered here in the Archer section completely.


 * Doubles Shot shoots 2 arrows. When maxed, uses more MP than Arrow Blow. This is chosen more often since it has two chances of getting critical.
 * Arrow Blow does more damage in one shot. It has a better chance of KBing a monster.

Final Attack or No Final Attack??
The debate of FA vs FAless is different for Archers than warriors, so warriors who want that answer should check out the Warrior specific questions. As for archers, it has been answered in the builds section of the Bowman Guide.

Crossbow or Bow?
Before changing classes to a Bowman or Crossbowman, the player can switch back and forth between bows and crossbows with no penalty. It is purely based on preference. In depth information about the advantages and disadvantages of both weapons can be found here.

Should I use SP on arrow rain or should I just wait until 4th job and max out Hurricane?
Arrow Rain has many uses all the way to level 200. It's an invaluable skill, so of course get it. The same is true of Strafe as well.

Pirate Specific
===I have a first job gunslinger and I use up pots like crazy. I am unfunded and on a new world where the economy doesn't even exist yet. What should I do to save pots, gain money, or gain more pots quickly?=== Don't spam Double Shot. If you can get to a safe platform, just use a normal attack. While it is a lot slower than double shot, you won't use up any MP. Also, don't use Dash unless you really need the speed/jump boost as that can burn MP as well. Doing the quests in Nautilus, especially the ones from Kyrin, will get you a heap of pots that will last you into late 1x. By then, you should be able to afford the potions you need, assuming you're training in the right places.