Amorian Party Quest Guide
Contents- Introduction
- Prep for APQ
- Individual Requirements
- Party Requirements
- Entering APQ
- Stage Guides
- Stage 1: Magik Mirror
- Stage 2: Heart Strings
- Stage 3: Twisted Switcher
- Stage 4: Last Man Standing
- Stage 5: Fluttering Hearts
- Stage 6: Love Hurts
- Couple Bonus Stage: Amos' Vault for Couples
- Bonus Stage: Amos' Vault
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Conclusions
- Credits / Revisions
#1: Introduction
What is the Amorian Party Quest, or APQ for short? Like other party quests, you get into a party and go through various stages that require strength and wisdom until you face the boss. Only after defeating the boss will you receive a nice reward for your teamwork.
Released in version 0.39 in GMS, this Party Quest is catered to "married couples" in the game, and is one of the more fun Party Quests to be a part of for higher levels, esp. those level 70 and above. Taking place in the bright settings of Amoria, the stages are designed so that both genders have to work as a team to get through all the way to the end... and the prizes there are worth the effort.
Whether you're newly married and want to get into this Party Quest right away or are still confused about Stage 3 after so many runs... this guide will walk you through step by step through this fun PQ in an easy and understandable manner.
#2: Prep for APQ
Now, before you even step foot into Amoria, there's a few things you have know beforehand. Like every Party Quest, there are certain requirements you must meet first.
Individual Requirements
- First and foremost... you have to be married. APQ is for married couples only, and you won't be able to get in unless you have a wedding ring with you. (Some perceive this as the "NX requirement" for APQ.)
- You have to be at least level 40. That doesn't exactly mean you can APQ at level 40 though... as some of these stages can be tough on your HP bar, especially on second to last stage of APQ. (There is no max level requirement though, so feel free to APQ even at level 200. ;P)
Party Requirements
- It is very important to have both genders in the party before you start APQ. You will not be able to get past the first stage with just one gender in the party, and you'll see why in a bit. You don't have to have the same number of each gender, but be sure that you have at least one person of each gender in the party.
- Just because you're married doesn't mean that your spouse have to be there with you to APQ. This is optional, though pretty fun if your spouse tags along.
- Going with the above point... if your party wishes to do the Couple Bonus Stage, you must have 3 couples in your party. Again, this is optional.
- Job diversity is kinda key. Though you don't have to have these people in the party (sometimes it is not possible to), it certainly helps to have some people with Haste, Hyper Body, Heal, Holy Symbol, Sharp Eyes, or Slow.
Entering APQ
- In the maps before Amos' Training Ground (the APQ waiting area map), you'll encounter Indigo Eyes and Crystal Boars. Kill these and collect 10 Liplock Keys from these monsters.Before going into APQ...
- Once you have 10 keys, go to the Amos' Training Ground and talk to Amos, shown below...Here's Amos.
The first time you talk with him, he'll ask you to get the keys for him. The second time around, you'll trade in your 10 keys for an APQ ticket.
NOTE: Don't lose/drop this ticket, because you won't be able to get another one for 6 hours. If you do drop it and pick it up again, the ticket becomes invalid, barring entry from APQ. Also, if you use the ticket before getting into a party, you'll be forced to get out of the area, wasting a ticket. - If you aren't in a party at this point, find a suitable party. You'll find many people recruiting over at channel 1. Just be polite and say "J> APQ." If you plan to lead, remember the party requirements when trying to recruit people!
- Once you're in a party of 6, head over to a channel that the leader says (or if your leading, switch to any channel you want and inform your party which channel) and talk to Amos again. You'll give your ticket and be warped to the final waiting area, shown below.The waiting area before APQ...
NOTE: If you're leading, be the last one to enter in just in case someone disconnects or can't enter the final waiting area for some reason. This way, you're still able to recruit someone if something happens. You can't do anything once you are in the final waiting area. - Once everyone is in the final waiting area, the leader will talk to Amos to start the APQ. If the channel is full, switch to another map. Don't worry... unlike other PQs, there's always an available channel to APQ. ;)
#3: Stage Guides
Ok, so you're managed to get this far. Now the real fun begins. You have an hour and fifteen minutes to complete the Amorian Party Quest... but you won't be needing that much to get through with this. :P You start off with the Magik Mirror stage...
Stage 1: Magik Mirror
In this first stage, your objective is to kill all the monsters in this map, summon and kill the Magik Fiarry (yes, that's the actual spelling), get the hammer that it drops and use it to break the mirror, grab a piece of the broken mirror and give it to The Glimmer Man. Once you do, you can progress to the next stage. Completing this stage nets you 2000 EXP. (All EXP earned after completing a stage is granted to each party member, not shared as a whole.)
Beginning of Stage 1
You start off at the top of the map in this stage. First, the leader talks to Amos, and then 3 green portals appear. (Don't go on the other two normal portals, as they would lead nowhere.) Once you see them, press up on any of the portals to see if it is the real one. If it is, you'll progress down the map. If it isn't, your chat will say that the portal is closed and that you'll have to try another one. Keep doing so until you warp down the map.
You'll arrive in an open space below the three green portals. You'll see The Glimmer Man, a portal next to him, and two rocks that are hidden portals - one on the left and one on the right. Now, this is where both genders are key... the monsters in this map are split into two areas, each area only allowing either male or female characters. You'll have to clear both areas before continuing.
If you are a guy, head to the rock on the right. If you are a girl, head to the left one. (Take note of where exactly you end up, as you'll have to return from the same spot afterward to warp back up.) Regardless of where you end up, clear the area of all the monsters, including the fairies. Be warned that if you don't kill the fairies quickly, they can stun you for a few seconds as well as use Attack Up to itself and any nearby monsters.
Navigating through the second part of Stage 1
Kill these quickly!
After double checking to make sure both the male and female side are clear, the leader talks to The Glimmer Man and a Magik Fiarry appears somewhere in the map. Kill the Magik Fiarry and grab the Wing Hammer (
) that it drops. (You'll know if it's killed when you see you got party EXP for it.) Whoever gets the hammer says "I got it" and everyone starts returning to the open area with The Glimmer Man.From there, use the portal near him to head to the Magik Mirror itself. If you have the hammer, drop it right at the mirror. If you don't have it or you already dropped it on the mirror, just jump up at the mirror to return to the top of the map. The leader sticks around at the mirror until the hammer disappears and the mirror breaks, dropping a Magik Mirror Shard (
). The leader gives that to The Glimmer Man, and you get a Stage Clear.Return to the top of the map, and speak to Amos to head to the next stage.
NOTE: Alternately, the leader can talk to The Glimmer Man again to have the whole party auto-warped to the top of the map to speak with Amos, though this could cause d/cing for some.
Stage 2: Heart Strings
This stage has the same objectives and mechanics to the Orbis Party Quest: Sealed Room. Simply find the right combination to move on... but fail 7 times and monsters will be summoned as punishment. Completing this stage earns you 4000 EXP.
Minimap of Stage 2
You see in the minimap 3 portals and what appears to be 3 balloons with ropes on them. To get on any of the ropes, go in one of the portals, then jump up, and then hold up just after warping to grab unto the rope. Once everyone is on a rope except the leader, the leader talks to Amos to see if your party is right or wrong.
Now, those ropes are the equivalent of the 3 platforms in OPQ Sealed. You have five people and three ropes... and your job is to find the right combination of people holding on to any of those ropes.
Sounds hard? Not really. Every time you get it wrong, Amos will give you a hint, saying "Same" or "Different." By same, he means that at least one of the ropes has the right amount of people on it. By different, he means that none of the ropes are holding the right amount of people. Be warned though... if you get it wrong 7 times, monsters will be summoned on you (though thankfully unlike OPQ, the combo doesn't reset).
Really, this stage just gets down to simple logic. MąriaCølette from MapleTip provides this convenient guide to help you pass this stage within 7 tries.
Stage 2 Logic Guide
Once you find the right combo, Amos will give you the Stage Clear. Head to the portal to the next... logic stage. Oh joy. :D
Stage 3: Twisted Switcher
This stage also involves finding the right combination, except this time there's 9 platforms. Getting through this complicated stage earns you 6000 EXP.
A tougher logic stage...
At first glance, this puzzle may seem really harrowing. In my opinion, this is the toughest stage for many people to understand / get through. You have 9 platforms, and only one person may be at one platform at a time. Your party needs to be standing on the correct 5 platforms out of those 9 in order to continue to the next stage. Obviously, there's much more combos to employ in this one, but there's one thing that might be able to help you.
Every time you get it wrong, monsters are summoned. DON'T KILL ANY MONSTERS YET though. In that sea of monsters are slimes, and they act as hints. The number of slimes that are summoned are equal to the correct number of platforms that people are standing on.
Here's how to go through with this stage (use the pic above as reference):
- Have each party member stand on all of the 4 top platforms [A, 2, B, 3] and the first platform to the left on the bottom row [C].
- Leader should click Amos to make monsters appear. (If you get the "It's right" message, consider yourself one heck of a lucky person XD)
- Before the party starts killing the summoned monsters, the party has to count the number of slimes that appeared and take a mental note of it.
- The person that is on [C] moves one platform to the right, and the party repeats step 2, 3, and 4.
- After going through all of the platforms on the bottom row, the ones that are correct on the bottom row are the ones that spawned a higher amount of slimes. Party members on the top move down to those correct platforms (party members should leave from right to left: 3, B, 2).
- Whoever is on the top platforms should move to the next platform to the right, or wherever it's empty.
- Leader clicks, and monsters spawn. Repeat step 6, again taking note of the number of slimes summoned as hints on where to go, and this step until Amos permits you to move on.
NOTE: Besides the Boss Stage, this stage can be one of the longest to do. Fortunately, I made a logic guide to this stage to help shave off seconds from this stage. Since it's too long to get into detail about it here, check out my guide here.
Stage 4: Last Man Standing
The objective here is simple. The leader has to have 50 Cupid Code Pieces to give to Amos in order to advance to the next stage. All you have to do to get the pieces is kill monsters. :) It's an easy 8000 EXP for you after completing this stage.
Just gather these...
Welcome to the easiest stage in APQ. :D The objectives are self-explanatory, and the monsters in this map are not hard to kill at all, so you should be able to breeze through this stage. Since you have 6 people in a party, the leader should just chill near Amos while everyone else gets 10 pieces each. Give your pieces to the leader, leader talks to Amos, and you get auto-warped to the next stage.
BUT... If you leading, before you give those 50 pieces to Amos, be extremely sure that everyone in the party is ready and not AFK. The next stage isn't tough, but it's a stage that can make or break your APQ run. If anyone needs to AFK for something quick, do it now and wait for them! If anyone is sorta lagging, tell them to lower the graphics settings to the lowest setting and mute music and sound to reduce any lag. Carelessness have lead people to die in the next stage, and of course... if anyone dies or disconnects from any stage, the whole APQ run is a failure, so be really sure that everyone is ready to go.
Oh, and one more thing... before going, have a fast wielding weapon equipped (claws don't count lol). You are going to need it.
Stage 5: Fluttering Hearts
The objective is simple too. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!!! Surviving this one nets you 9000 EXP and passage to the Boss Stage.
OMFG RUN D:
...now you see why I said to be sure that everyone is ready and not lagging? When you start this stage, you start at the left side of the map with bunches of invincible monsters coming your way. In that pack is a bunch of slow Ludi monsters consisting of Bloctopuses, Block Golems, King Block Golems, and Rombots that can kill you in one hit. Follow the advice that appears on your chat and run to the right as fast as possible to avoid them!
Along the way are lava geysers (or whatever they're supposed to be) that will hurt you and slightly impede your run, and gates that have to be knocked down before you proceed. Use your weapon and physically attack the gates, and keep moving to the right once they're down. Use the fast moving monsters like the rats and the Wraiths to get you past the lava geysers faster.
On the last stretch, you'll have to go uphill to the last stage portal. Just keep fighting through the lava geysers, healing when you can, until you reach the door.
All 6 members of your party must survive and be near the door to pass this stage. Once the leader talks to Amos, granting you the Stage Clear, everyone must talk with Amos to warp to the final stage. Oooooh.
Tip: Smokescreen works in this map, and it prevents you from being hit from those monsters as long as you stay in the smokescreen effect. Use this tip in case the monsters get too close for comfort and/or for AFK people. Thanks to CrazyNomad for this tip. :)
Stage 6: Love Hurts
Congratulations! You've finally arrived at the final stage, where you'll meet the big bad (ntrly) boss, Geist Balrog. Kill him, get Geist Fang, and give it to Amos to finish the Amorian Party Quest. 11000 EXP is granted after completing this stage.
Calm before the storm.
You first start up here. Use this time now to prepare everything, from your equips to your pots to your buffs. Once everyone in the party is in the map and ready (and not jumping), the leader talks to Amos, and the final battle commences.
ATTACK!!!
Honestly, the boss isn't too difficult. He may be quite a wuss, but if you know what you're doing, you can survive this one.
NOTE: It's recommended that those who are lagging quite considerably or cannot take more than 1.5k damage to sit this stage out. Just stay in a corner somewhere and stand on the thorns to avoid the boss's attacks.
The boss consists of three phases. First you have to deal with a regular Balrog, then he transforms into a Crimson Balrog, and finally transforms into Geist Balrog. Here are their stats...
The three boss forms
Dealing with the first two forms should not be too much of a hassle. It's at the final form that things get a little tough. Geist Balrog may be a bit weaker, but it makes up for that with defensive tactics like Teleport to evade and its Super Defense buffs, making this boss really annoying to kill. Add in Dispel, and you're really in for some bit of work.
Here's some tips that should make this boss fight a bit easier:
- Be sure you are standing on thorns whenever possible to ensure that you don't get hit by Geist's Claw attack. (For priests, buff when you're on thorns too, since there's no ropes to avoid Holy Symbol's delay.)
- If he Dispels, re-buff quickly. Especially Magic Guard for mages.
- If he starts flying away, get on the suspended platforms and press up. They're all hidden portals that let you travel along the map. Geist is pretty notorious for being a coward, thus you usually will have to chase him.
- Whenever possible, try and keep him pinned down on the bottom of the map to inflict as much damage as quickly as possible. If he does fly away, let someone lure him back down. You can also use Rush to pin him to a corner and fire away from there.
- If you have anyone that has Slow, use it on Geist to ensure that he does not get away so quickly.
- Holy attacks are useless against Geist, so clerics/priests/bishops should only attack with Magic Claw.
). If the leader does not have it, give it to the leader, in which then he/she takes it to Amos in order to finish the APQ and head to Bonus. Sometimes Geist might also drop a Balrog Claw (
) that's need to forge a Bosshunter equip. That anyone can pick up, but it's untradable.Again, once Geist dies, someone pick up the fang and give it to the leader, then after everyone follows the teleportation route below, have your fastest wielding weapons equipped and Haste re-buffed. The leader will talk to Amos, and depending on what your party consists of, you will either be warped to the Couple Bonus or the regular Bonus.
How to get to Amos after killing Geist...
NOTE: To leaders... When giving the fang to Amos... DO NOT PRESS THE END CHAT BUTTON OR PRESS ESCAPE AT ALL! As soon as you talk to Amos, the fang will be taken away from you, and if you press End Chat anytime during the dialogue with Amos, you can't advance to the Bonus stage.
Couple Bonus Stage: Amos' Vault for Couples
After completing the last stage, you'll arrive in this map if you have 3 couples in your party. You can also arrive here if you have an even amount of males and females in the party. If that is the case, just talk to Amos to head to the regular bonus. Otherwise, read on.
Now, not much couple-only parties are done these days, so doing this stage is a rare occurance. It's simply a variation of Stage 4 in which each couple compete to get 35 Cupid Code Pieces from monsters, summoned from boxes. Every couple that does achieve this gets 4000 EXP, but the first couple to do it gets another special prize... one of the rare APQ capes. Unfortunately, only one person can receive the prize, so someone has to give up their chance to get it.
If a guy gets the prize, he receives 1 of the three variations of the Legendary Elias Cape. If a girl gets the prize, she receives 1 of the three variations of the Cecelia Cloak. They're all untradable, have a Level 65 requirement, 35 Physical and Magic Defense, and 7 free slots.
Regardless of whether you do this stage or not, you'll end up in the regular Bonus Stage after this one.
Bonus Stage: Amos' Vault
This stage may be hectic and quick, but this can reap great rewards if you're lucky.
Feeling lucky?
Very simple to do this stage. You have one minute to open up as much boxes and grab whatever you can find as fast as you can. Most of the drops will consist of mesos, Gold bars, Diamonds, or ores. Sometimes unique Amoria Use items like Crystallized Pineapple Chew or the Victoria's Amorian Basket will also appear.
But the real prizes are the Amorian Relaxer, the Onyx Apple, and the various scrolls that can appear. These can fetch a good amount of mesos, and in the case of the Onyx Apple... could be extremely vital for bosses such as Zakum or Horntail.
Here's the complete list of rewards (from StrategyWiki):
- Amorian Relaxer
- Celestial Earrings
- Cecelia Earrings
- Moonstar Earrings
- Amos Royal Cape
- Amos Spirit Cape
- Onyx Apple
- Amorian Rice Cookie
- Crystallized Pineapple Chew
- Gold Plate
- Diamond
- Black Crystal Ore
- Power Elixir
- Victoria's Amorian Basket
- Grape Juice
- Reindeer Milk
- Mushroom Miso Ramen
- 60% Glove ATT
- 30% Cape LUK
- 30% Cape STR
- 30% Cape DEX
- 30% Cape INT
- 10% Helmet HP
That's it! You're done! Rejoice if you managed to get an Onyx Apple, or just sigh and move on if you did not. :P I recommend getting another 10 Liplock keys so that you don't have to hunt for them again when you decide to APQ again.
#4: Frequently Asked Questions
Here's a bit of FAQ for you in case something is a bit unclear. If you have another worthy question that isn't part of this, just post your question in this thread and hope that I see it. :P
Q: APQ is so much fun, and I want to do it again, but Amos won't let me. I have the keys and everything, so why won't he give me a ticket?
A: You can only get an APQ ticket every 6 hours, starting from the time you got your last ticket. So if you just got a ticket and used it for APQ, you'll have to wait 6 hours. Sorry.
...though, there is a workaround to this. Remember, it's 6 hours from the time you got your last ticket. Just because you get a ticket doesn't mean you have to use it right away. The tickets have no expiration, so you're free to use it anytime... thus if you want to go APQ twice in a row, you'd have to get a ticket first, wait 6 hours, then use the ticket and APQ. When you're done, you get the keys and hand them to Amos to get another ticket. Voila. :D However, some people may lag if they run twice in a row, in which case they just have to restart MapleStory prior to running again to fix the issue.
Q: Oh no... I accidentally used a ticket without getting a party, and now I'm stuck. What should I do?
A: To get out, just talk to Amos. If you kinda wanted to APQ... well unless you know people that can invite you remotely (or have someone scout channel 1 to see if anyone is recruiting), you are out of luck. Sorry.
Q: We finally got to beat Geist, but now we're in some place that isn't supposed to be the Bonus Stage. Where are we and how to we get to the real Bonus Stage?
A: You ended up in the Couple Bonus Stage. If you don't have any married couples in your party, the only other explanation for ending up in this stage is because you have 3 girls and 3 guys in your party. Because you don't have 3 couples, you can't do the stage, so to head to the regular Bonus Stage, just talk to Amos.
Q: This isn't fair! I've APQed for so many times and haven't gotten one single apple. What gives? D:
A: Onyx Apple drops are pretty random, so finding one is all purely luck. If you happen to be in a drought... blame it on bad luck. If you're pretty desperate... I suppose you can try having something lucky with you. :P
Q: Why are Onyx Apples so valuable?
A: Well, take a look at its description: "A rare, ripe apple imbued with power. Recovers 90% HP & MP, and provides +100 W.Att, +100 M.Att, +20 Def for 10 minutes." These apples can really increase your power greatly... thus these have become quite useful to get the edge in boss fights like Zakum or Horntail. For that, they are in high demand and can fetch quite a bit of mesos. How much depends on your server, but you can bet it's around from a million mesos to as high as 3 million or more.
Q: What if someone from our party d/cs or dies?
A: Techniquely, if someone poofs during an APQ, you can still continue on... but you won't get very far. Stage 5 requires 6 party members to be at the door in order to get to the boss. If you don't have 6 people alive by then, you cannot continue the APQ.
Once you get in the boss stage though, as long as all 6 members of your party is in the map regardless if they are alive or not, you can progress to Bonus after killing Geist. The only exception to this is if you have 3 guys and 3 girls in the party, in which case everyone must survive or you won't be able to get into Bonus.
Q: What's the usual time to complete an APQ, and what's the fastest time that a party managed to complete a run?
A: Hey that's two questions! lol.
In my experience in APQing in Windia, the usual time is around 10-14 mins. As for the second question, I don't know myself, though at one time I think I was in a party that managed to finish the APQ in around 7 minutes. I remember that in that party... I was the only priest in an almost all Thief party. xD
I have heard people getting as fast as 5 minutes though. Confirmations please?
Q: Is it possible to glitch/smuggle in APQ? *suspicious eyes*
A: Thankfully... no. There are measures in place to ensure that... not to mention that since we are all tired of having such things ruin our PQs that we will beat and defame anyone caught doing so.
...ok that was an exaggeration, but still. Don't glitch/smuggle or you're be sent to hell, ok?
Q: Is it possible avoid/survive those invincible Rombots in Stage 5?
A: That... hasn't been tested, though the theory is that it's doubtful. The monsters there output 50000 in touch damage (I think), so anyone that gets caught gets killed instantly. Maybe an HP Pure with Hyper Body could survive a hit, but not avoid them entirely.
There was one case that you could avoid them if you lagged long enough when you entered the stage. You start way up in the air in the beginning, and if you lag long enough, the monsters will pass under you before you finally have the map loaded and fall to the ground. I was in that particular party with a really laggy player... so laggy that he managed to avoid the monsters. Sadly, the lag got the best of him on the final stretch of Stage 5 and d/ced him. Oh well.
Q: What's the most APQs can you do in one day?
A: Humanly possible with one character... 3. Me, when I have college classes, I get my ticket at around 7 AM, then 1 or 2 PM, and finally at 8 or 9 PM.
Of course, if you have more than one married character, you can do more APQs in one day.
Q: What's the best way to approach the Bonus Stage?
A: Easy. Since you have a limited amount of time, it's best to have a weapon equipped that you can attack fast with, like a Pumpkin Spear or a Red Whip. It's also recommended to have a pet with all the bells and whistles... meaning everything that enables your pet to pick up everything in a wide range.
Also, try and pick up some of the unique Amorian Use items and earrings. The Use items make for great buffs for grinding, and the earrings NPC for good mesos.
Q: What does the ideal APQ party consist of?
A: That… is a difference of opinion. There is no “ideal” party per say, but there are some things that can make APQ easier and faster to complete.
For example, having people that can do the standard party buffs like Bless and Haste are always useful, especially for the Bonus Stage. Having 4th jobbers that can do Maple Warrior, Sharp Eyes, and Rush can ensure that the boss fight ends quickly. Having anyone that can kill mobs with ease like anyone that can shoot arrows can make Stage 1, 3, and 4 a breeze to go through.
If you’re leading, it is up to you to decide who to pick for your party. Be mindful that not everything will be there at your convenience all the time, so you have to work with whatever you got. You may not get the ideal party sometimes, but what’s really important is knowing how to lead an APQ and having fun with it no matter who you go with.
#5: Conclusions
Believe me. I've been in countless APQs, whether I'm just tagging along for the ride or leading a party through it all. I've had really bad APQs fail for the stupidest reasons, and have had the best APQ hauls ever (like 5 apples in 3 APQs in one day). In the end, I really do think that the Amorian Party Quest is a whole lot of fun. Though you'll still meet complete idiots in APQ, you will find that much of those that APQ are really decent people to party with.
I hope that this guide has made you understand APQ much better, and hopefully more confident in APQing if you haven't started already. Thank you for reading this absurdly long guide and enjoy APQing. :)
