[Self-Restricted] Cob's Clearing Maplestory Challenge

Good morning/afternoon/evening (?) friends.

I'm Cob. ign = Clearing

I want to share with you all an idea I've had for some time now! It's called Clearing Maplestory. I'll get to that in a bit. Before I explain, a short disclaimer: I'm not as experienced as most people when it comes to the knowledge of the Maple World. {That's actually part of the reason I'm making this post.} The purpose of this post is two-fold. One, to outline my self-restricted approach to playing Maplestory, in case anyone else is as dumb as I am and decides to take the challenge. Two, to document and share my journey. Parts of this post will resemble a guide. Just know it isn't necessarily informed from prior experience. This is more of me thinking "huh, this would be fun. OwO" And a bit of research.

Right. On to the explanation.

~Warning, this is not for the faint of heart, nor the smart of mind, only those with an iron will and a bit of masochism running in their veins~

Clearing Maplestory

...what is it? Well...

Clearing Maplestory is a restricted, self-imposed style of gameplay. It’s the act of advancing through the Maple World one adjacent map at a time by means of collecting drops from monsters specific to your current route. What does this mean? Below are some visual examples to help aid your understanding.

Let's take a look at this smol boi and his drop table, shall we?


(the monster book is such a godsend for this challenge! )​

A Clear Definition

Now, what is a clear? The above table represents any and all drops you have a chance to receive when killing (Green) Snails. To achieve a clear you must obtain all items listed under a monster’s drop table (so long that it is possible to do so). Not only that, but you must do so for every monster on your current route. Doing this allows you to proceed to the next map.

A route is defined by the maps strung together in order to connect two significant points. For example, Lith Harbor to Kerning City is its own route. Lith Harbor to Henesys is a separate route. You get the gist of it. Maple Island will be in itself a route, as there is hardly any variance to make a difference. This will help speed the process of getting to the mainland.

Important Exceptions

Should you complete a route and have the opportunity to move to the next map, here are a few things to keep in mind.

• You only have to collect item drops from a monster once in order to clear.
  • This means when you run into a monster you’ve already collected everything from, you are not required to re-collect its item drops in a different route.
  • Also, if another monster drops the same item(s) collected, they are not required in order to establish a clear.
  • For example: A (Green) Snail has a chance to drop a White Undershirt. A Blue Snail also has a chance to drop a White Undershirt. When it is time to clear a map with Blue Snails, you are not required to collect the White Undershirt from the Blue Snail as you have already acquired that item from the Green Snail.

• Fast travel methods such as Taxi Cabs, Return Scrolls and Quests* are permitted only if the intended map has been unlocked by means of a clear.
  • Don’t use the Taxi Cab or a Return Scroll to Ellinia in order to get to Ellinia if you’ve not made the necessary clears to reach the route from Henesys to Ellinia.
  • *Quests that teleport you to instance-based maps that are otherwise not accessible are exceptions.

• Event items (ie. Maple Equips/Holiday Equips or ETCs) are allowed to be collected from mobs and permitted for use. However, they are not required for a clear as this would prove impossible depending on the time of year you're playing.
  
• Maps that are not visible (and their respective mobs) via the World Map (Dungeons & Hidden Streets) are not mandatory for a clear. Instead, they function as opportunities to strengthen your character or to easily obtain item drops needed to clear another map.

• You may use this method to aid in clearing a map that is not directly adjacent to the Dungeon/Hidden Street. A great example is on Victoria Island, using Pig Beach to obtain items from both Pigs and Ribbon Pigs to clear maps that will follow later.
  • (SUBJECT TO CHANGE) AREA/THEME DUNGEON BOSSES
    • Maps that have bosses are cleared upon receiving ETC drops specific to said boss (for example, Mano’s Rainbow Shell ) in addition to all other map-specific mob drops.

• Shops are unlocked and permitted for use when their respective town maps have been accessed via clearing.

• Characters attempting a clear of the Maple World must make their own way. You are restricted to the use of items achieved by means of self-generated efforts such as monster drops* or purchases from unlocked NPC Shops. This means no funding from your main account, drop trading, or transferring by means of storage, MTS, or Free Market.

• If you are playing a private server that has implemented Gachapon tickets as a drop, you are permitted to use these if obtained on your clearing character. Congratulations on your spoils, go reap the benefits. You deserve it.
  • Gachapon tickets are not required in order to clear a map.

Classes & Job Advancement

***In order to advance, you must clear your way to your respective town.***

This is the underlying theme that persists throughout the entire challenge. It's the ugly truth. Stare at it.

Ah yes, this is an interesting topic. One that I'm still mulling over. Trust me, if you decide to do this, you will have the time to think about it. Personally, I love the idea of choosing Beginner class to complete my clear. It's an added challenge. However, there are obvious benefits to advancing that can't be ignored, such as mobbing abilities that will make your clears WAY faster. Something you'll have to come to terms with is your character's level prior to advancing. It's gonna be a janky one, folks. You ain't getting off Maple Island prior to level 10. Heck, you ain't leaving likely until level 30~.

*Until recently I had no clue that the SP is fully refunded upon advancing. This changes a lot! In all likelihood, I will choose to advance to a thief in order to gain access to a few great skills (imho). Haste for obvious reasons, Darksight is hecka cool & useful, but mostly for Steal!

I know this is a lot to take in! If there are obvious loopholes that I'm missing, that's okay! I will leave an edit log beneath here to clean things up as I progress. I'm also going to be treating this as a blog to update everyone on as I trudge through.

I am absolutely open to edits and constructive feedback and even welcome it!

So, what do you get from this? If anything hopefully a chuckle. For me? I am surprised at how entertained I am by this challenge. Buckling down and collecting a monster's entire item inventory gives the game a refreshing new take for me, all while educating me on parts of Maple I may have not encountered otherwise(?).

If you've made it this far, thanks. I've made a Shareable Google Doc on this in the past that I'll link below. It's more or less an exact replica of this post. I just wanted to remake here for ease of access.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/16PjHqmd48KKFueeAPNZ3tRljvuIvYzWPv6UIX73TpTc

Thanks for stopping by,
Cob

 

Edit Log:

12/12/19
***Map Clears to Route Clears (Significantly large update)***



Update in which players are free to roam specific pathways/routes* instead of being confined to one map when you encounter a new monster (ie. clearing Snails to then be able to move on to Blue Snails). Maple Island will itself be a ‘Route’ clear seeing as it is so small it's practically its own route. Yes, there's a fork at A Split Road, but meh. No longer will a player be confined to each individual map within the island itself. This allows players attempting a clear to not be confined by some of the more unforgiving maps with poor spawns. An added benefit to this, a player may decide they want a stronger weapon to increase clear efficiency. For example, traveling to the Slimes will allow the player a chance to receive a Gold Surfboard to equip and use at level 15. This change will bring about a welcomed level of variety to your clear while still retaining its original restrictive intent.


*routes will likely be defined as a sequence of maps connecting one major location to another. For example, on Victoria Island, the maps between Lith Harbor and Henesys could be considered a route. Similar to Lith Harbor to Kerning City. More to come on pre-defined routes later.

12/14/19

*Until recently I had no clue that the SP is fully refunded upon advancing. This changes a lot! In all likelihood, I will choose to advance to a thief in order to gain access to a few great skills (imho). Haste for obvious reasons, Darksight is hecka cool & useful.

***Victoria Island's routes***
(see progress log for in-depth explanation to these routes)

 

Progress Log:

Spoiler: Maple Island

Scrolls found on Maple Island

Spoiler: Green Snail

12/12/19


(I killed 10 snails, Samuel.)


I managed to finish collecting all items from Green Snails yesterday. Meanwhile, grabbing 14 levels. I ran the numbers and this means that I've killed, in total, 5,562 green snails.

Not too shabby! Now to work on Blue Snails!

Some things to look forward to:

Blue-Lined shirts: 13 w. def., Grey thicc sweat-pants: 11 w.def., and more shiny rocks of course.

Spoiler: Slime

12/13/19

In my mission to pocket a better weapon than my level 1 Sword (it had 19 w.atk, mind you) I moved to the Slime hunting grounds in search of a Golden Surfboard.

Found the surfboard. (-2 w.atk *cough*)



While farming for my surfboard, I pretty much had 3/4 of the loot needed to clear Slimes, so I stuck around and did just that


More clears to come soon. That's 2 down (Green Snail & Slime) and 6 to go.

Spoiler: Pig

12/16/19




Since my last update, I've managed to collect all drops from the pigs (brown skullcap twice since I dropped like a dingus) and quite a few from Red Snails as well as Orange Mushrooms. They will likely be the next mobs I clear. Oh, and I managed to nearly get to 2nd job too...so yeah that's a thing.

AND

I managed to score quite a few Gacha tickets while on the Island.

Spoiler: Blue Snail

12/19/19

Just finished Blue Snails! I only need to loot a Wooden Sword and I'll have Red Snails complete as well. That just leaves Stumps & Orange Mushies




You won't see the Red Striped T-Shirt here because I've already gotten it from Pigs!

Hopefully, I'll manage to get off the island this weekend! Wish me luck

Spoiler: Red Snail

12/19/19

Two clears in one day! Pretty sweet. Granted it was almost finished anyway. I'm getting super close! I fear Stumps will take longer than the others especially as they don't have a great spawn rate on the island.

P.S. - At the end of all of these clears, I will upload screenshots of all the scrolls so it doesn't come off as me using one 10%, 60%, & 100% for every screenshot

Spoiler: Orange Mushroom

12/21/19

Orange Mushroom is complete! Finally got that blasted scroll for shoes for jump

Now all I need is Stump and Shroom (forgot about Shrooms tbh) and I'll be on my way. Also, I managed to hit level 30 on Maple Island, so, I'll experience the fastest transition from 1st to 2nd job of my life once I make it to Kerning City. Til next time!

Spoiler: Stump

12/22/19

Stumps are finished! I'm 1 item away from 100% clearing Maple Island..
Field Dagger is the only thing that stands in my way!

Spoiler: Shroom

12/23/19

Shrooms are complete!

At long last, I've finished clearing the starting island! The journey has been fierce (time consuming) but here we are!

I will be creating a custom overlay to Victoria Island's world map to identify specific routes on the island. This will most definitely be a moving target as there could be some exceptions to my clearing rules that I've not taken into consideration. This is, after all, a for fun challenge. So bear with me as I navigate these cloud isles :>

The edit log should be getting some attention here soon as well. What I can tell you now, is a route will only include maps leading up to a town, not the town itself. To enter a town you will have to clear said route leading into the town. That said, there are multiple entrances to a town, so some routes will be easier than others. More on that later.

Spoiler: Victoria Island

12/23/19


I present to you, the (un)official route map for Victoria Island. What you see before you is not only a work of art but my reference sheet for the foreseeable future. I've color-coated the routes to help differentiate the routes on the map.

A couple of things to note:
First, to gain access to a town, the route must be cleared. (See OP for clear description)

Second, only pink routes are necessary to gain entry into towns.

Third, you may pass freely between unfinished routes. Meaning, once I land in Lith Harbor, I am free to go between Route 1A and 1B as I please. Another instance would be if I were to unlock Henesys & Kerning City, I could take cabs or walk (lol?) between each map.

Fourth, the blue routes mark entryways into Sleepywood. To gain access to Sleepy, any of these routes may be cleared. More on Sleepywood later...

Fifth, red routes are marked in order to note these are not necessary to obtain a clear, but rather, another method of farming drops should they be more beneficial to your grind.

Sikth, Florina Beach will not be necessary for any content on Victoria Island. (unless there are some wicked cool suggestions, idk.)

Also, in order to gain access to Orbis/Ludibrium, all I need do is clear a path to Ellinia.

So there you have it! Can't wait to clear my way through Vic and see what lies ahead. Again, I'm always up for some suggestions to make the challenge a bit more interesting. Leave any thoughts you might have below!

12/24/19

Route 1A & 1B mobs to clear

Spoiler: Ribbon Pig

Ribbon Pigs (Level 10)

There are plenty of these guys bouncing around on Route 1A & 1B. Most notably, the hidden street, Pig Beach. This is where I'll slave away to collect monster cards as well as mob-specific drops. Overall, not too worried about these. Ribbon Pigs will likely be the easiest clear on these routes.

4/6/20

After 5 days of Ribbon Pig genocide, I managed to finally get the Shield for DEF 10% to drop. I'll be moving on to Octos and Blue Mushrooms next to unlock Kerning City. There, I'll take my job advancement to Thief, then Bandit!

Spoiler: Octopus

Octopus (Level 12)

With some pretty cruddy spawn rates already, these guys will be a hassle to clear. I'm sure of it. There's only one map I can find these fellas on and they're at the top of a very large map. This means I'll have to rotate around this huge map and thin the other mobs out to replenish Octo's up top.

Spoiler: Green Mushroom

Green Mushrooms (Level 15)

Our hard-headed green fella here can be found both on Route 1A as well as 1B. Half of these mobs can be found on both (Octopus & Blue Mushrooms are only on Route 1A). After visiting HHG and realizing hardly anyone is there, along with a poor spawn rate, I think I'll be clearing these on Route 1A, closer to Kerning City.

Spoiler: Blue Mushroom

Blue Mushrooms (Level 20)

Blue Mushrooms are our highest level clear on Route 1A. These guys sport a whopping 350 HP + 10 W.Def. Not to mention, they hold 17 new drops I need to collect. Between these hulking bunker busters and Octopus, I'll be a whlie until I find myself in Kerning City or Henesys.

 

So the rules I laid for myself were strictly against any sort of influence regarding mesos or gear. As stated above,

Characters attempting a clear of the Maple World must make their own way. You are restricted to the use of items achieved by means of self-generated efforts such as monster drops* or purchases from unlocked NPC Shops. This means no funding from a main account, drop trading, or transferring by means of storage, MTS, or Free Market​

however you are free to do this challenge at your own leisure! i just prefer it to be an iron mode myself. it’s all about discovery!

 

ohhhh thank you, Ryae!

updates soon

 

Thank you! You should do it!

Here's a screenshot of my info.

 

Yeah I'm definitely going to be 30+. I'm 1 item away from finishing Blue Snail, Red Snail & Orange Mushroom and a few more items away from completing Stumps. I think it'll be just shy of level 35. Which, I'm not complaining because that means I'll have nearly maxed out haste :>

Oh you've peaked my curiosity! What kind of account was VicTheHobo, Vic Island only?

 

YES! Haha, while I do recognize this challenge is absurd, the idea of someone joining me is thrilling

That said, a challenge is a challenge for a reason - amirite? Feel free to add me in-game. ign=Clearing

 

I love this post so much. I'm tagging it to read and follow later. I expect you to be on and accept my friend request. kthx.

 

My exception to the rule of clearing.

It comes with a heavy heart, that I have to make an exception to this challenge, but I must. I recently decided to take a stroll back through Route 1A for no reason at all. Guess what I find? Go on guess.


On Victoria Road: L Forest II there is a spawn of 1 Lupin. Yep. Now based on the rules I set previously, I would have to kill this 1 Lupin repeatedly until I retrieve all obtainable drops. For the sake of my sanity, I don't believe I'll be doing this. This is something I think I'll have to forego, even though I don't like it. But I don't really see myself completing the Lupin, especially when there's only a spawn of 1 Lupin.

Here's a shot of what a Lupin drops.


So yeah, sorry if this troubles anyone following the challenge. I'll definitely clear the Lupin, just not on Route 1.

 

Yeah, I'll definitely be gunning for Henesys unlock first. Meaning, I need to only finish up Ribbon Pigs and Green Mushrooms (Route 1B specific mobs).

Again, I'll be clearing those stupid monkeys, just not as a req. to unlock Kerning City. Not sure if there are or aren't any others like this. Hope not, kinda lame that he's just sitting all by himself amongst the Mushrooms. Like, c'mon dude.

 

bumping~
Back from hiatus with Ribbon Pigs finished! Check out the progress log for more info