Quest Sanctuary

Many quests exist in MapleStory. It's a staple aspect in the game, and it starts when you create your character; technically, it begins as soon as you move into the Mushroom Town Training Camp.



This beautiful customised icon can be found on the MapleLegends homepage. It provides a way to count the amount of quests all players have completed over the course of their character's journey.



Stories are abundant in the Maple World (including World Tour). Different places introduce us to NPCs who share their own experiences with us, primarily in writing. Some stories, when read, become "complete"; others, however, are less developed, or, in some instances, unfinished. It goes without saying that new stories are yet to be discovered, or re-discovered, and perhaps even re-imagined.

Regardless of how, or if whether you choose to engage with quests, there's no denying it adds depth to the experience; especially to this game, which would otherwise be hollow without it.



So, I invite to join this space to talk about any or all things quest-related: EXP, items, stories, potential theories; and anything classified beyond, or in between versions of MapleStory.

 

Some of us might know about two Omega Sector-based quests: "Lost in the Ocean" and "The Missing Dropship".



"The Missing Dropship" storyline (at Level 50) involves Porter and Kay, while the "Lost in the Ocean" quests (at Level 35) involve Kay and Robinson instead.

Here, you cannot complete both quests. If you start "Lost in the Ocean", you won't be able to do "The Missing Dropship" and vice versa. However, both quests ultimately deal with the same question of finding out whether the pilot of the Dropship is alive. Clearly, Robinson is, if you pick up the SOS Letter.



So players who get to do and complete "Lost in the Ocean" will get to know the answer to the question. But everyone else — anyone who completes "The Missing Dropship" — won't. Because the answer to that question is simply left to "hang in the air".

I guess what I'm trying to say is that I find it odd that the two quests remain separate. Because, judging by the reading, I would think the two stories were connected to each other, when in reality, they aren't.

In my opinion, I think the quests would best be changed to follow each other. That is, "The Missing Dropship" → "Lost in the Ocean".

I also think the level requirement for "The Missing Dropship" should be lowered as well (say to Level 35, or even 30). Because at Level 37, you're already asked to collect Tiger Stamp and Tough Rope from Hodori, which is a Level 50 mob, in order to complete the Storybook quests.

 

Sophia's Snack has a reputation in MapleStory for being a tedious quest. It was first introduced to JMS, before being imported into GMS.



At level 18, if you visit Sophia in Perion, she'll ask you to collect no more than 20 items (i.e. Sap of Ancient Tree) in exchange for Honey.



The same item is requested by Estelle in exchange for Syrup and Jane's Final Challenge, which are quests available at Level 40. So, it's a recurring item, something you might come across time to time again.



Even though Dark Axe Stump is present in many maps around Perion, the drop rate set for Sap of Ancient Tree is fairly low, relative to other USE items (e.g. Blue Potion). On one hand, it seems justified to keep the rate unchanged, because you can get the same item through a different means. For example, it was added to the drop table for Stumpy; provided you get to kill it, of course; and you do get 10 from Ardin's Sand Bandits, which is available at Level 29.

. . .

Every server customises the drop table for mobs and certain items. Sap of Ancient Tree may have been intended to drop less often here, at least that's how it was in GMS. But there's no way of knowing if JMS had wanted for it to be kept in the same way. In other words, because the drop rate was not known, it's possible that things might have been different.

JMS-imported quests are "unique" in that they gave interesting rewards, e.g. 30% Dark Scrolls. Not many other quests in the game do that. And the same can be said for Honey, which is not available through the usual means (e.g. a shop). But even if it was, and say Sap of Ancient Tree became a common drop — meaning you could get it quickly — I still think getting it as a reward in exchange for Honey is fair.

tl;dr I do not think Sophia's Snack deserves to be remembered as a "tedious" and largely "unrewarding" quest. I don't believe the problem is with the quest itself, but rather the drop rate set for the Saps themselves.

 

Heena and Sera, a Maple Island quest, is one of the most canon aspects of the Maple Island tutorial experience.



The only thing that you're asked to do is to deliver a mirror to a friend; that is, to take the mirror given by Heena to Sera.



Despite the many versions of MapleStory, their characters have almost always stayed in the one spot: Mushroom Town. But here, Heena and Sera, effectively, are the bookends for the current Maple Island tutorial camp experience.

They, too, had a story, only for it not to be realised in this version of the game. It is just one example of the many forgotten stories.

 

The Chief Stan Hat is given to you after you complete the Find the Maple History Book quest, which is available at Level 25.



Your character must be level 35 in order to wear it.



I think it's one of the few items in the game that have been labelled as a "Quest Item". I sometimes wonder how it was planned to be used.

 

I'm surprised that NPCs in Showa Town like Sakura, Tsuri, and Poni Chai, weren't moved to Ludibrium or Korean Folk Town in GMS.



For example, they ask for items that can be found elsewhere, but mostly only in Ludibrium / Aqua Road:

Spoiler: USE/ETC items and their associated quests

• Teddy's Cotton (Sakura and the Teddy Bear)
• Toy Baby Seal (Sakura and the Seal)
• Pet Food (The Scarred Kitty)
• Fried Chicken (Dealing with Boss Kitty)
• Seal Meat (Tsuri & the Gourmet Dish)
• Snorkle (Tsuri's Special Seafood 1)
• Sealed Teddy Bear (Freed from Darkness)
• Binding Bridle (Freed from Darkness)
• Toy Trojan Sword (War of Pang Pang)

I'm also surprised that Fraidy Cat and Boss Kitty weren't moved to the Ludibrium Pet Walkway, or put somewhere else (e.g. Ludibrium Village).



. . .

Given that there was a Pachinko Parlor in Ludibrium — much like the one in Showa Town — it seems, to me, that the two areas were deliberately made to connect with each other, at least in JMS. But clearly here, it isn't. (In JMS, Zipangu was a part of the Maple World.)

 

Arwen the Fairy is an NPC who can be found in Ellinia. In KMS (pre-BB), she was remembered for one quest: "Arwen and the Glass Shoe".

Spoiler: Sprite upgrade in MapleStory 2

credit

By design, this quest is repeatable. It is one of the few ways you can get Fairy's Honey (in KMS), Fairy Wing and Piece of Ice. Francois, an Item Creator in Ellinia, specifically creates wands and staffs, and will ask for the two ETC items. However, since crafting isn't popular, the items quickly become filler junk and something that you either sell or drop.

Using the EXP table, we determine that completing this quest (with the 3x quest multiplier) at Level 25 will yield you 25% EXP. In my opinion, I think the EXP reward is fair; it's not too much, nor too little. In MapleStory 2, however, the EXP reward was boosted tremendously.

. . .

Here, Arwen's Glass Shoes also drops from other mobs (e.g. Nospeed). Ligator and Bubbling (in KMS) were also once made to drop it as well. Regardless, none of these mobs bear any relevance to the quest whatsoever, as Arwen clearly says:

Logically, if need be, Fire Boar should be the only mob made to drop it. However, make no mistake when I say the quest was as tedious as it was back then. Hunting for Arwen's Glass Shoes, which was given a very low drop rate, is not easy; even with the Burning Zone allowing for you to hunt for it across five maps (i.e. The Burnt Land).

. . .

Despite that, I've always wondered why, by design, Arwen's Glass Shoes is made to be found from only hunting Fire Boar. Early on, I showed Arwen's sprites. In both, she looks different, especially the differences shown in the color of her clothes. It probably doesn't mean much, but I will say this: the original sprite, combined with the context of the Glass Shoes, does make me think of Arwen being a "Cinderella".

Following this same train of thought, you could easily make it so that you collect the shoes, say from an NPC, rather than to hunt for it. For example, you could give Mike an option: Perhaps, you came across a pair of Glass Shoes...". Of course, he's no Prince Charming, but that's hardly relevant now is it? Accessibility is key.

More seriously, even though it is a repeatable quest, personally, I don't think I'd go out of my way to hunt for the same item again. It already takes too long to get it, and the rewards given by her are lackluster, to put it mildly. I believe any quest that has been made repeatable should at least be made interesting. Otherwise, it'd be better to have it left as a single completion.

 

I don't get why VIP Ticket to Florina Beach is still a "Quest Item". It's what you get after completing Recovering VIP Ticket to Florina Beach.



It's ironic that I can't drop it, at least not without fearing that I'll lose it. Shuri once said:

 

At level 31, you can go to Roly-Poly 5 at Eos Tower to complete two quests: "The Drumming Bunny" and "Eliminating the Drumming Bunny".



The Drumming Bunny is a Level 30 mob who appears on many floors in the Eos Tower. They have also been given their own mini dungeon — Drummer Bunny's Lair — which can be accessed from going to Eos Tower 76th ~ 90th Floor.



Drumming Bunnies drop Toy Drum which is asked for by Roly-Poly 5 in surplus:

To complete both quests, you need to give Roly-Poly 5 a total of 1100 drums. Toy Drum stacks up to 200 per inventory slot. That means, to complete the "Eliminating the Drumming Bunny" quest, you would need to have this item in 5 inventory slots (200*5=1000). As it currently stands, Roly-Poly 5 is also the only NPC in the game who asks for this item.

. . .

I want to compare the requirements set out in "Eliminating the Drumming Bunny" to another quest available in Omega Sector at Level 41: "Eliminating Plateon" and "Eliminating Plateon and Mecateon".

Like "The Drumming Bunny", you're asked to collect 100 ETC items for "Eliminating Plateon"; specifically, Plateon Helmets. However, upon finishing that, for "Eliminating Plateon and Mecateon", you're asked once again to kill Plateon, but not for their helmets. Instead, you're given a kill counter for Plateon.

Unlike Roly-Poly 5, Green Mesoranger doesn't seem to want any Plateon Helmets. Instead, they ask for Mecateon's Laser Gun, and gives a short reason to explain why:

. . .

I feel the "Eliminating the Drumming Bunny" quest is tedious. Perhaps it's just me but I find it somewhat unnecessary to collect 1000 Toy Drum. Hypothetically, you could complete the quest without having killed Drumming Bunny yourself. To do that, you'd just have to buy the items from another player who has. And, personally, I don't think that that would align with the "Eliminating" aspect expected from the quest.

At this point, I've probably killed more than enough Drumming Bunny to satisfy the quest requirement. However, I am unable to complete it, only because I did not pick up the necessary amount of Toy Drum. So in that respect, I don't have "evidence" to say that I did.

 

Technically, there are no major bugs for the "Blocktopus is an Alien?" quest, aside from the quest spelling "Bloctopus" as "Blocktopus", and a small issue concerning the Mana Elixir Pill which I previously reported.

However, I do wish to point out a small difference in the way the quest was done in KMS to the way it is done here. In KMS (in 2009), you were asked, I presume, to either collect 1 Bloctopus Key Chain or the Bloctopus Blueprint, or even both. (The Bloctopus Blueprint shares the same sprite as the Blueprint Machine, which is the main item of interest in the "Dr. Kim's Comments" quest.)



Here, the Bloctopus Blueprint is an unused "one of a kind item" that drops (regularly) from Bloctopus.



The rewards were also different. That is, in KMS, you got a Scroll for Shoes for Speed 60%. Here, as I previously mentioned, you get 50 Mana Elixir Pill instead.



I think this is also a quest that is missing dialogue. Specifically, in KMS, Dr. Kim shares final words to the player; mostly to thank them for finding the Blueprint.



I personally prefer the way KMS organised the quest. I think it is more logically presented. And because also the "Manual", according to the original translation, is referring actually to the Blueprint itself. I personally would also change the Bloctopus Blueprint into a "Quest Item" — and make it only drop when the quest is active — rather than keeping it as a "one of a kind item" as it is now.

 

I think most can guess what I will say about the quest at Level 40 where Alfonse Green asks you to collect Sap of Ancient Tree, Nependeath's Honey, and Pig's Head. (I'll rant about it some other time.)



I will say that I think it's interesting that Alfonse Green is a "he", only because I used to think Alfonse was a girl. That being said, I feel like the game designers had taken inspiration from looking at Tinkerbell and applied elements of her look to Alfonse.

Spoiler: Tinkerbell

 

I share briefly in this post about my thoughts for some job-restricted quests that become available at Level 50 (55) in MapleLegends.

General information



At Level 50 or 55, jobbed characters (excluding Pirate) have the opportunity to complete job-restricted quests that are designed to be like scavenger hunts. These quests were available before the introduction of Pirates in v0.62, and they include:

• Luke the Security Man's Wish to Travel (Warrior)
• Collecting for Maya (Bowman)
• Ronnie & the Fairies Building a New House (Magician)
• Pia's Present for a Friend (Thief)

Spoiler: Basic story

The basic premise for these quests are as follows:

• Luke has been told by Mr. Smith (in Perion) that he needs materials to make a glove. Luke can't do this, so he asks the player to collect the items for him instead.
• Maya loves collecting items, and she says that she can "make something new out of them".
• Ronnie has been told by a fairy in Ellinia that they need materials to build new homes for the baby fairies.
• Pia wants to give "something special" to her friend in Ellinia (who wants to be a thief). She meets JM from tha Streetz, who agrees to make a claw if she brings him the materials, which you are asked to collect. Pia also wants to give the Red Cape (she "lent" to Rina) to her friend.

To do these quests, you must first complete other quests involving the same NPCs involved, namely:

• Luke the Security Guy
• Maya and the Weird Medicine
• Mr. Wetbottom's Secret Book
• Pia and the Blue Mushroom

All of these quests, however — unlike the job-restricted quests — are regular quests, which means they can be completed by any player.

Other job-restricted quests



There are other quests in MapleLegends that have been restricted for certain classes. For example, Olaf gives you options to complete "The Path of ..." after you do "A Lesson on Job Advancement". All characters then receive a lightbulb over their character after doing the job advancement to do "training". However, this lightbulb exists only until you exceed a certain level; for example, Level 16 for Warrior; after which the quests become no longer available for you to do.

Quest rewards



Because the quests are job-restricted, the rewards, in turn, are job-relevant. Specifically:

• Luke: Old Bronze Nordic Helm (Warrior)
• Ronnie: A choice of Goldrunners (Pink, Green, Orange, Blue) (Magician)
• Maya: A choice of Gore Boots (Red, Blue, Green) (Bowman)
• Pia: A set of:
  • [ 1 | 2 ] Dark Scorpio (M) (Thief)
  • [ 1 | 2 ] Umber Mantis (F) (Thief)

These are all armor that can be worn either at Level 55 or 60. In the case of Old Nordic Bronze Helm, you can upgrade it via. Mr Thunder, either to Old Steel Nordic Helm or Old Mithril Nordic Helm, provided you also bring other materials to him.

Each of these quests also reward players with EXP. However, the amounts you receive from each become somewhat inconsistent. For example, with Luke, he will give you 22,000 EXP; on the other hand, Pia will give you only 10,000.

My thoughts

I am willing to support a decision to introduce more job-restricted quests into the game, especially if they have been tailored specifically for each class. (In my opinion, that's probably what the Challenges system is setting itself out to do; to have players use certain skills on "newly-created" mobs whose properties allow for them to take damage from only these skills. Of course, it's just a theory: a prediction and nothing more. I am prepared to be surprised, especially if it's nothing like what I've otherwise described.)

However, putting aside the rewards, I don't think any of these quests make a strong case to have them restricted to and enjoyed only by one class of players. The point stands that I think all of these quests could have been integrated into the game, as they are, but for all players. I don't think Pirates will have their own quest anytime soon; nor will I recommend it, if it's going to end up looking like these quests.

What's common among these quests is that they encourage players to visit the Deep Sleepywood Dungeon to get Tauromacis Horn or Taurospear Horn. Personally, I don't get why these NPCs would want to have these items. In any case, as much as I appreciate seeing these items used, I would prefer to see more quests in the Sleepywood area, especially if they can explain the importance behind wanting these items. Additionally, as for Maya and Ronnie, I don't get why they need so many items? Yes, Maya does love to collect items, but exactly where, in her house, would she find space to store these items? For Maya, especially, I would've thought she had wanted to collect stamps instead. Similarly, I don't think Ronnie has a real reason for needing that many items, because how exactly will those items help him to build these new homes?

From what I understand, Luke and Pia ask for items from players which they take to other people for the intention of making weapons or armor. Maya also said she was able to "make something new", but it's never been said clearly about what she can actually make. I don't know what the true intention of these quests were, but I speculate they were designed to encourage players to get involved with crafting. If that's the case, I think the intention was good; even if much hasn't changed.

Finally, I'll say that while these specific scavenger hunt-based quests work well in theory, they don't seem to extend well in practice. Yes, they do give you a reason to explore different places and to take a "break", especially if you've been playing in the same map(s). But when your inventory is full of other items, it's not really "fun", and instead becomes rather a chore. It produces a similar feeling of dread, much like the need to store 1000 Toy Drum so you can finish the Drumming Bunny quest.

 

I hold the opinion that many of the current level requirements for quests could be lowered or lifted altogether.



For example, Shumi's Lost Coin could be lowered to Level 15, instead of made to start at Level 20. The only monster inside the B1 <Subway Depot> is Bubbling, which is a level 15 mob. Unless there's a good reason to keep the level requirement as is, which I don't think there is — at level 20 — I think it'd best be changed.

Quest EXP could certainly increase; some quests really could use a boost. But it also matters when you do the quest; that is, how much EXP you get from doing it at that particular level. For example, the difference between of doing Fixing Blackbull's House at Level 10, rather than at 15, would be the same as doing The Reason Behind the Mushroom Studies, which gives the same amount of EXP: 300 (base).

Lowering quest requirements could probably entice more players, especially in the early parts of the game, to do their quests. And even if it's to get ahead, you'd still be playing the game but in a different way (and, potentially, relying less on low-level leech or doing the Orbis Exchange).

 

This post is about the Orbis Party Quest (OPQ) and its associated quests.

General information



Orbis was an area introduced to MapleStory as early as 2004 in KMS. However, it was not until two years later before Orbis was given their own party quest: Tower of the Goddess; which is at The Unknown Tower.

To do Orbis Party Quest, all characters must be at any level between 51 and 70. Then, you gather in a party with 4 or 5 other players. After you gather as a party of 5 or 6, speak to Wonky the Fairy who then will help you to start the PQ.

Spoiler: Trivia

• Patch differences: In GMS, Orbis Party Quest was introduced before Leafre; however, in KMS, it was introduced alongside it.
• Wonky the Fairy is not based off a storybook character, but rather is the name of an employee who eventually became the Director of the official game: Wonki Kang.

Alongside this party quest, you also get three quests, namely:

• The record of Goddess Minerva
• Spiruna's concern
• The legend of Papa Pixie (pre-req. Spiruna's concern)

Of those quests, Spiruna's concern can be completed outside the PQ, as she only asks you to hunt and gather items from the three Pixies in the Cloud Park.



For the rest, they involve OPQ in some capacity. Specifically, for "The legend of Papa Pixie", you must defeat Papa Pixie, who is found only there; and for "The record of Goddess Minerva", you give back to Wiz the Librarian the Diary of the Goddess, which is made after you give Minerva the Goddess — who is inside the PQ — 10 pages (i.e. 10 items) in order to collate the Diary.



Those pages drop at different rates from Jr. Cellion in Tower of Goddess, Jr. Lioner in Tower of Goddess, and Jr. Grupin in Tower of Goddess. These items cannot be stacked as they are separate items. However, they can be traded outside the PQ, which is handy for those are wanting to complete the quests quickly but whom are missing pages.

Rewards



MapleLegends Staff have previously applied changes to OPQ. Specifically, they have increased the stats on the item itself and decreased the number of completions needed (from 40 to 20) to obtain an "untradeable" PQ-exclusive reward: Goddess Wristband.

And, as with all other PQs, you get EXP as a reward for completing it.

Other observations



Level-restricted quests are also found in other PQs around the game; specifically, Pirate Party Quest (PPQ) (Lv. 55–100) and Romeo and Juliet Party Quest, better known as Magatia Party Quest (MPQ) (Lv. 71–85). They are designed to function in a similar way to these OPQ-based quests. Like OPQ, they also have their own "untradeable" rewards, namely the Horus' Eye (MPQ) and Lord Pirate's Hat (PPQ); and they, too, have had their stats increased.

My thoughts

The story of Minerva the Goddess provides entertainment value, because Minerva, herself, is based off the same character we read in Roman mythology. It makes sense to me that Wiz the Librarian wants to preserve her diary so that it can be studied by the next generation of readers (or players, should I say).

OPQ, however, was introduced to encourage returning players to come back to game and to have them re-experience "new" aspects of the game. By design, you are made to do OPQ in order to complete the quests. It's intended to be "missable" content. If it was meant to be a part of the main game, it would have been integrated. That is to say, there would be no level restrictions applied, and the quests could be done outside the PQ itself, which it currently isn't.

In the official servers, it worked because it gave players reasons to come back. The intent of having quests associated with the PQ itself is good. Theoretically, it should entice more players to do the PQ. But realistically, and perhaps ironically — and I can't speak for everyone when I say this — but I think some see it as more of a reason to not do it at all. Even if it's true that some players here would prefer to "not miss out on anything", it forces you to choose between doing or not doing the quests; and many would rather opt for the latter instead.

If "The legend of Papa Pixie" was turned into a regular quest, Papa Pixie would spawn instead as an area boss in the Cloud Park. For example, it would be placed in Cloud Park VI or given their own map instead in that same area. And, similarly, for "The record of Goddess Minerva", the Diary pages would drop from these 10 mobs in Cloud Park and the Orbis Tower:

Spoiler: 10 mobs

• Sentinel
• Ice Sentinel
• Fire Sentinel
• Star Pixie
• Lunar Pixie
• Luster Pixie
• Cellion
• Lioner
• Grupin
• Lucida

Some of the Diary pages could also be made to be obtained from trading items that Staff Sergeant Charlie accepts at the Orbis Exchange. The point is to show that you could make it work even as a regular quest, but that you'd obviously have to tweak aspects of it to make it work.

Of course, since Minerva is inside the PQ, it makes sense to move her out to The Unknown Tower instead, since she will be needed to collate those pages together. And, by extension, you could transfer the duties to initiate Orbis PQ from Wonky the Fairy to Minerva instead, since the party quest is ultimately based off on her and her story. (Wonky isn't relevant to the narrative.)

Another thing I have gripes with "The record of Goddess Minerva" is how you have to have 10 pages in your inventory in order to get the Diary. I honestly don't believe Minerva needs all of the pages all at once just to make the Diary. Surely she can hold on to any one or all of the pages herself? Besides, as I've mentioned, inventory space is precious; and forcing players to free slots just to complete the one quest is frustrating.

 

Korean Folk Town (KFT) was introduced to KMS at the end of 2005. Not only does the town connect Aqua Road to Ludibrium (by way of the well and the Helios Tower (elevator) respectively), it's also a place where you can complete "Storybook" quests; the first one starts at level 35 with many more being offered at level 37.



These "storybook" quests are unique. The source material for these stories are drawn from stories that come directly from Korean culture; for example, Shim Chung. I find that inspiring, even when the quests are not nearly as detailed as the stories from which they have been based.

The maps on the outskirts of the town are also home to various mobs, many of whom you will need to kill in order to complete the quests.



There are two repeatable quests where you can exchange ETC items for USE items: Roasted pork and Buckwheat paste. However, more often than not, they're held in the inventory for the purposes of questing. That also partly explains why they're not given to players in excess.

Otherwise, outside of quests, activity in the town itself is fairly quiet. Although, it does serve its main purpose: it becomes an area that you can explore. Even though much attention has been given to adding quests to this area, I feel KFT has more to give. Specifically, I feel this area shows lots of potential to be transformed into a more desirable area, especially for training.



I believe many stories can come from this town. They just haven't been written into the game. For example, I didn't realise at first that Bung's Mama was based off Bbaengdeok's mother, whom was described to be:

She doesn't play a major role in the story for Shim Chung, but was a character that was mentioned regardless. Some repeatable quests in the game have NPCs reward players with potions; and I feel something similar to that could be done for her too, at least to capitalise on her greed.