AcornStory -- Making the Most of Gachapo

http://maplestory.nexon.net/FunStuff/GMB...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.

Having Fun with Gachapon

It’s really easy to get into MapleStory. Simply create a character, choose your play style (if you’re a novice, you might want to begin with an Explorer type), and begin discovering the wonders of Maple World. As you travel around the world and learn more and more about the world though, you’ll discover more about the things you want to do, be, fight, or acquire. Often this means going through chains of quests, fighting lots of monsters, and joining together with others to battle the game’s biggest monsters in the hope of getting some of the best items in the game to drop. In every major city and area of Maple World though, there’s a device that can randomly throw your game in unexpected and wonderful directions. It’s called a Gachapon.

Gash-A-What?

"Gachapon” (pronounced “Gach-a-pahn” are MapleStory versions of classic gumball machines known worldwide. In North America you may have seen them in grocery stores or convenience marts. They dispense cheap, low quality plastic toys in small plastic capsules. The word “Gachapon” comes from Japan and is named for the sounds the machines make when they’re used – “gacha” for the turning crank and “pon” for the capsule dropping into the dispenser. In Japan, these vending machines cost the equivalent of one to six US dollars and dispense much higher quality products. Many Japanese Gachapon are considered collector’s items.

MapleStory’s Gachapon follow the Japanese model. For the cost of NX 1,000, you can buy a Gachapon ticket that you can insert into Gachapon machines scattered all over Maple World. When you use the ticket, the machine gives you a randomized item from a specified list. These can range from common food and potion items to some of the rarest weapons and armor in the game! Imagine being able to jump into a high level area without having to do the associated quests. Imagine walking around in style with a sword that it takes most adventurers months to get. Imagine almost anything and it might come out of a Gachapon. You never know what you’re going to get and that anticipation is half the fun.

How Does It Work?

You’ll find a Gachapon machine in almost every major city in Maple World. Usually they resemble a mushroom-topped gumball machines, although they may look a bit different in order to fit in with local décor (in New Leaf City for example, they look like a modern snack vending machine). To use one, you’ll have to purchase a Gachapon ticket in the Cash Shop.

The standard appearance for Gachapon machines

Buying Your Ticket

You may open the Cash Shop at any time by clicking the red “Cash Shop” button on the lower right hand side of your screen.

The Cash Shop shopping screen is separated by tabs that divide items available for purchase by category. Each tab may also be subdivided into subcategories that help you find the types of items you need. The Gachapon tickets can be found under the “Etc.” tab.

There are two kinds of Gachapon tickets:

Gachapon Ticket: This is the basic Gachapon Ticket. In order to use it, you’ll have to travel to the town where the Gachapon machine you want to use is located.

Prices:

• Single Ticket: NX 1,000 NX
• 11 tickets: NX 10,000 NX
• 35 tickets: NX 30,000 NX

Remote Gachapon Ticket: This works the same as the basic Gachapon Ticket, but you need not travel to the town where the Gachapon machine you want to use is located. This kind of Gachapon ticket is best used by those who are looking for multiple items from different machines.

Prices:

• Single Ticket: NX 1,050
• 11 tickets: NX 10,500
• 35 tickets: NX 31,500

Picking Your Machine

Now of course, comes the fun part – which machine should you pick? That depends on what you want. Every Gachapon machine has a list of items it can dispense along with a percentage chance of dispensing that particular item. Say for example, the Henesys machine has in it a Golden Crow (a crossbow) listed at 3%. This means that every time you use a Gachapon ticket on the Henesys machine, you have a 3% chance of receiving that item.

Every Gachapon machine has a different list of items and percentages though, and even when items exist in both machines, the percentage chance of them dropping might be different. If the Perion machine also has the Golden Crow, it might be listed at 1%. Obviously then, it’s better to use the Henesys machine. Of course, no one actually knows the percentage chances of any Gachapon machine – that’s part of the fun!

So how do you best use Gachapon to enhance your MapleStory experience? Here are some tips:

• Know your locations! Certain machines have a higher percentage chance of dropping certain items. This is often related to theme of the city where the machine is located. If you’re looking for Warrior items, try the machine in Perion. If you’re a Magician, try Ellinia. Note that all Gachapon machines will drop items for every class, but the percentage is slightly higher for the class that claims that town as home.

o Gachapon Locations:
- Henesys
- Ellinia
- Perion
- Sleepywood
- The Nautilus
- New Leaf City
- Kerning City
- Mushroom Shrine
- Showa Spa (M)
- Showa Spa (F)

• Watch for events on the official MapleStory Website! Gachapon item lists are often updated to take advantage of recent events. Just after the “Visitors” event, for example, the ultra-cool OS3A Machine mount was added to Gachapon. After the Peanut Machine event, some of the event-exclusive items found their way to Gachapon. Since many of these items are only in Gachapon for a limited time, plan your Gachapon purchases for when the largest number of cool items you want can be found.

• Watch for permanent Gachapon changes. The items list for Gachapon change all the time. Sometimes older items are retired and new items are put in. Sometimes things that were only available for purchase in the Cash Shop find their way to Gachapon and sometimes things you thought were in there have left. Always check the official MapleStory Website for updates and announcements.

• Always examine what you get! If you’re hoping for a specific item and don’t get it, always be sure to examine what you do get and know its value. Often the most unexpected Gachapon item can lead to amazing things. Say for example, you get a “Mushmom Eraser.” Did you know that the Mushmom Eraser can be used to get a “Time Traveler’s Pass” that allows you to access Neo City without doing the quests? That can save you tremendous time if you’re looking to get a particular drop from the final boss in that area – and if you’ve never been there before, you’ve got a shortcut to lots of experience points! You might be looking for one item only to get something better!

• Talk to other Maplers! Tracking and documenting Gachapon item lists is almost an obsession with some Maplers. Check out some of the bigger fan sites and forums to get advice on getting the most out of Gachapon.


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Yesssss let's promote! Let's make it sound like it won't spit out a million crap items before you hit gold! I suppose a guide on it is years over due though, so it's all good.

Also, nice that they actually ask the players to check out the fan forums, and not to just use the official one. Go SP?

Saw it coming. Goddamn.

Yesssss let's promote! Let's make it sound like it won't spit out a million crap items before you hit gold! I suppose a guide on it is years over due though, so it's all good.

http://maplestory.nexon.net/Guide/CashSh...ageIndex=1

They have a standard one btw.
AcornStories are lame.

http://maplestory.nexon.net/Guide/CashSh...ageIndex=1

They have a standard one btw.
AcornStories are lame.

Dated 6 days ago. Excuse me for not checking out the Newbie sections at the official site weekley. XP

Dated 6 days ago. Excuse me for not checking out the Newbie sections at the official site weekley. XP

Oh.. I guess they update it.
It used to be there forever ago xD
I like how it tells people to gach at mushroom shrine or gach for chairs.