After 2.5+ long years of playing this game.. it has changed a lot.

..I finally admit, this game has become more NX-dependant than it should have been. The majority of the players out there resorts to using NX to:

-Get more Use inven slots for stars (NLs) or for potions (Mages/Bishops)
-Double EXP (everyone that has access to NX)
-NX clothing is waaaay more expensive than I remembered it as when I started..

I'm glad to say, this game is completely meaningless unless you either:

a) Spend money
b) Put an unnecessary amount of concentration of 'time' into this game.

Most of my friends quit over the past 2 years, only a few close ones have remained to play. Now that I'm no longer a hardcore player, I'll play around during holidays, can proudly say that!

What about you guys. How has MS changed in your eyes? No bashing or discussing of leeching, please.

..I finally admit, this game has become more NX-dependant than it should have been. The majority of the players out there resorts to using NX to:

-Get more Use inven slots for stars (NLs) or for potions (Mages/Bishops)
-Double EXP (everyone that has access to NX)
-NX clothing is waaaay more expensive than I remembered it as when I started..

I'm glad to say, this game is completely meaningless unless you either:

a) Spend money
b) Put an unnecessary amount of concentration of 'time' into this game.

Most of my friends quit over the past 2 years, only a few close ones have remained to play. Now that I'm no longer a hardcore player, I'll play around during holidays, can proudly say that!

What about you guys. How has MS changed in your eyes? No bashing or discussing of leeching, please.

All of my friends who weren't drama llamas/level whores quit. Maybe 1 or 2 still linger here or there.

Spending money = priority for half the players. It's inevitable that people will buy something from the cash shop.

I completely agree here. It's gotten too ridiculous, I'm on the verge of quitting....again.

It's making me broke both inside the game, and in the real world.

I waste money, and then make no profit from the items I get.

It's a lose/lose. I seem to be the unluckiest person in this game.

Only 2.5? Try 5.

Join me on Mabinogi.

I don't mind the monthly output necessary to get a decent inventory expansion + pet, as it comes to under $10 per month it's pretty reasonable, considering amount of time I spent on MS. At this point my Night Lord has 52 Use, and my Paladin has 36-40 of equip/use/etc. so as long as I don't hoard, I'm ok. They're permanent, just like face/hair tickets, so I don't mind spending the cash.

Of course, now that Cygnus has their own inventories, I have 3 different places to buy a pet or clothes.... that's the real killer for me. And the reason I don't have NX clothes anymore. The only way I'll start buying them again is if they're permanent, or tradeable.

I don't buy 2x so that's a non-issue, my Paladin has never used 2x and my Night Lord spent MTS cash to get a couple 4hr cards (one at level 119, one during a long 2x exp event)


2nd/early 3rd job is massively easier than when I started playing, consider: there were no PQs above level 30. Now there are 6 or 7 just in 2nd job. The NLC/World Tour mobs also have far better exp/hr rates than anything I remember.

It got less fun. Then more fun. Then fun in certain places. Then it got boring. Then it was a little bit more fun. Now it's decently fun if you have nothing better to do.

Only 2.5? Try 5.

Join me on Mabinogi.

I dont see much hope considering its another nexon's game. Probably not yet But it might fall INTO the same mistakes MS has got in a future. For that reason, it think is not worth the risk IMO.

theyve been goofing around with the economy too much to turn a quick buck
nlc pots are kind of a disaster in retrospect; kms is closer to what the game should be

There are threads like this every week/month, and all I can say is-

No pineappleing pomegranate...

Play a pay to play game that is only like 15 bucks a month, and you get everything for free, and a company that actually cares (GMs actually exist).

Like WoW for example. Only 5 years late, but you know-

1. Doesn't take years to hit the level cap.
2. Not always poor.
3. Almost instant/cheaper Name Change, Server Transfer, Re-Customization.
4. All Classes are balanced.
5. Player vs Player Servers.
6. Role Playing Servers- for those super cool people who get all the chicks.
7. Questing actually helps you. (You don't have to spend 15 hours looking for crap and just end up getting EXP that would give you 50% at lvl 3, and 100 mesos.)

Haha, Khoi.

I personally only enjoy the game when I have good friends to play with. Once I realized Scania was no longer filled with friends who played (like you Khoi), I moved back to Mardia.

MapleStory has become very money-centered, I'll admit that. I've spent a couple hundred on this game since its beta days. Something keeps me playing...probably because like any game you want to just see whats up. The summer was different and considering I run a website dedicated to the game, its just something thats always in my face.

As MapleStory grew, Nexon exploited it. The money aspect of the game has totally screwed it up and is the reason why private servers exist. MapleStory Korea and Japan...even MapleSEA never had this issue because it was handled differently.

To me, Nexon America needs someone new to head the company if we want to see any change anytime soon. The best thing I can say is just to play for fun...if its not fun...then don't.

Yes it changed alot.

I wouldn't comment on if the changes were good or bad, since everyone will come up with a different answer.

But I do agree it's too much NX dependant now. Actually, it started when they broke their promise by introducing pet loot(I think that's the first CS item that affects game play?). And then it just gets worse and worse by introducing stuffs like 2x card, gachpwn, auto pot and crap.

I play once in a while.
At Night
When I have seriousy nothing to do.
At Night
When a dream or thunderstorm woke me up.
At Night
During the day there are better RPGs that are more strategic and require more thinking.

With all the NX based content, It's good they released the MTS.

Just do a few quests that give 60% glove scrolls and MTS them. Buy a 2x drop card and use all of them at a boss like Kimera (Works better in uncrowded servers, I still managed in Scania) and you can easily make enough NX for a pet and even maybe a few 2x exp cards.

I killed around 1000 Kimeras and made over 250m. It's not hard to make money if you know where to go.

It's like the relatively old saying:

"Maplestory is free to play, pay to enjoy"

Harsh, but somewhat true in a sense. Don't bother arguing over this stuff. It's just stupid, and will lead to a locked thread.

During the day there are better RPGs that are more strategic and require more thinking.

This is very true.

It may not seem like it when you play MapleStory. But I know for a fact, if you find a new game to play, and look back at MapleStory, it looks like ABC123 Kindergarten stuff.

One button, spam spam spam spam spam, press a couple other buttons for buffs every 10 minutes. Spam spam spam spam spam more.

So easy you can watch TV and level for hours not even knowing it.

This is the reason I no longer enjoy MapleStory, it's pay2enjoy and free2play. >_>; Now that I have my PSP, and college + work occupies my 'life', I find MS a pretty casual game to go on, and not so much as an obligation to train.. I am glad to see so many responses in such a short time, regardless of whether some of you agree or not.

..I finally admit, this game has become more NX-dependant than it should have been. The majority of the players out there resorts to using NX to:

-Get more Use inven slots for stars (NLs) or for potions (Mages/Bishops)
-Double EXP (everyone that has access to NX)
-NX clothing is waaaay more expensive than I remembered it as when I started..

I'm glad to say, this game is completely meaningless unless you either:

a) Spend money
b) Put an unnecessary amount of concentration of 'time' into this game.

Most of my friends quit over the past 2 years, only a few close ones have remained to play. Now that I'm no longer a hardcore player, I'll play around during holidays, can proudly say that!

What about you guys. How has MS changed in your eyes? No bashing or discussing of leeching, please.

i do remember nx clothing never expiring when it first came out. do correct me if i am wrong. i also thought that cashshop would sell pots so i didnt have to go back to town to repot.

the game changes as we become more aware of our surroundings, ignorance is bliss.

I'm one of the very few people left that are in the very high lvls and has never purchased NX or MTSed. I'd have the say there were a lot of dramatic moments in the game, and a few things that changed the landscape forever such as Mark of Naricain.

Quite a ride when I look back through those years...

Its not all about NX. Altthough I'd say it's the main reason for which the game has gone downhill.

My best moments in MS were back when the highest place to train was gobies. Back then I could grind for hours and not get bored. Then when leafre and 4th job was released, the party system was changed drastically to a 2 people party in which one had to be a mage or it wouldnt work well. You still could party the old way, but it became much harder.

Another thing that may not bother me as much as the NX or the party issue, but i sure didn't like was allowing guilds to grow up to 100 members and the addtion of the alliance system/chat. I find it hard to fit in a guild when i cant remember most people's names. It makes you choose between being in a small guild in which you will know every one and chat with them, or a big guild in which you wont talk to any one but you can boss and ddo PQ's.

To finish, as every one has mentioned, there's also the NX issue. I miss the days in which i only needed 30k nx every 3 months to revive my pet and get a new NX outfit. Now that's been changed to like 50k nx a month so you can get some 2exp cards, 2 drop cards for hunting, do some gachapon, buy a store, and of course, use SUPERMEGAS .

I know there are solutions for every one of these. Maybe I should have addapted to the game as it evolved but I just I don't like the way it did.

i do remember nx clothing never expiring when it first came out. do correct me if i am wrong. i also thought that cashshop would sell pots so i didnt have to go back to town to repot.

the game changes as we become more aware of our surroundings, ignorance is bliss.

They always expired.

And they do have a feature in cash shop to buy potions without leaving your training spot. The Miu Miu Potion Shop thing... (a few years later)