The first patch of the Cygnus Returns update has been released! It includes the newly reorganized Striker job (Thunder Breaker in GMS), an increased level cap, Chaos versions of the Root Abyss bosses, as well as the level 150 Root Abyss equipment set!
A new entry in Inkwell’s Secret Diary confirms some new content that we will be receiving February! Check the end of the post for more information~
Here are the world selection screens for this patch~
For the first time in 10 years of MapleStory, the level cap has been increased to level 250! This applies to all characters, except for the Knights of Cygnus who have not yet been reorganized (although once they are, they will also be able to reach 250).
However, after level 200, you will no longer gain AP or SP. Maximum level quests such as medals and the hall of fame will still be given to you at level 200. The rankings from before this change will be saved on the MapleStory homepage.
The meso cap has also been increased, to 9,999,999,999 mesos. This will apply to your inventory, storage, trades between characters, private and hired shops, Fredrick, and the Owl of Minerva.
Certain areas’ monster experience has been adjusted. This includes party quests, Evolving System, Dimension Invade, Lab – Area C-1 and C-2, Red Nosed Pirates’ Den, and Training Hall 1 and 2. They were all reductions, some being up to 50% of their original experience!
All party quests and Dimension Invade’s daily entry count have been changed to 5 times per day. I guess if they increased the experience it would sort of make sense, however I don’t know about you but I get the most experience in party quests from clearing it, not from the monsters inside.
For Evolving System, they added in Cores for the 5 Cygnus instructors. They also reduced the time limit from 30 minutes to 20 minutes.
The Chaos versions of the Seal Guardian bosses in Root Abyss have been released~ Join with your friends to fight the strengthened Bloody Queen, Pierre, Von Bon, and Vellum!
To be able to fight them, you must be over level 180 and have beaten the regular bosses 10 times. You can only defeat them once per week. Chaos Pierre has 84 billion HP, Von Bon has 105 billion, Bloody Queen has 147 billion, and Vellum has 200 billion HP.
If you complete all the quests in Root Abyss, a new hunting ground for levels 180 and overwill be available to you. You can access it by going to where Alicia used to be in the Colossal Root map.
The level 150 Root Abyss set has been added, and they drop from the new Chaos bosses! The naming scheme is as follows. Class can be replaced with Warrior for warriors, Ranger for bowmen, Dunwitch for mages, Assassin for thieves, and Wanderer for pirates.
- Hats are called Highness (class) [40 main stat and sub stat, 2 attack and magic attack, 10% defense ignore, 11 slots] – dropped by Bloody Queen
- Tops are called Eagle Eye (class) [30 main stat and sub stat, 2 attack and magic attack, 5% defense ignore, 7 slots] – dropped by Von Bon
- Bottoms are called Trickster (class) [30 main stat and sub stat, 2 attack and magic attack, 5% defense ignore, 7 slots] – dropped by Pierre
- Weapons are called Fafnir (class) [40% boss damage, 10% defense ignore, 8 slots] – dropped by Vellum
As you can see, the level 150 set consist only of 4 items, hats, tops, bottoms, and weapons. I guess it’s so it doesn’t overlap with the Tyrant set? The equipment all come with base defense ignore, hats and weapons with 10% and the other two with 5%.
They’re all tradeable until equipped, after which you’ll need Platinum Scissors of Karma to trade them.
The Fafnir weapons also come with 40% boss damage!
The set effects are 20 of your main and sub stat as well as 1000 HP and MP for wearing 2 equips, 10% HP and MP and 20 attack/magic attack for 3 equips, and 30 attack/magic attack and 9% total damage for 4 equips.
The Black Mage’s newest commander, Damian, attacked Ereb and killed Shinsoo. This caused Empress Cygnus to awaken, reviving Shinsoo and granting her new powers! Although incomplete, Empress Cygnus’ abilities have given the Knights of Cygnus a new strength!
Thanks to Spadow for the video~
There were common reorganizations for all Knights of Cygnus (well not really, but they’ll be applied to the future updated Cygnus when they come, currently it’s only for Strikers). They have received a Link Skill, they can reach level 250, their job advancements are at the same level as everyone else now (10, 30, 60, 100), and their summons will be turned into buffs.
They receive 4 SP when advancing (except for 4th where they get 3). Knights of Cygnus do not require mastery books for their fourth job skills. The Noble Mind skill which increased the level of Empress’ Blessing has been changed to be levelled up when you reach level 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, and 150. Non-Striker Cygnus can still fight Akairum in order to level up this skill.
Empress’ Cry and Empress’ Prayer have been deleted, as well as the extra 10% experience when levelling and the quests that give SP/skills. For the time being, creation of Ultimate Adventurers has been closed.
The creation for Knights of Cygnus has been renewed! You can now choose between male and female, each with their own unique hair (which you can choose any colour for, like Phantom). They also updated the beginner outfit.
The Knights of Cygnus tutorial was renewed as well. Here’s a video of it (thanks to skycombat)!
For existing Strikers, their SP and AP have been reset, as well as their HP and MP, which will be determined by their job advancement and level. Strikers can not do certain Knights of Cygnus quests.
Strikers are now able to move around a map quickly using their new skill Flash!
They also use a really interesting chain system! Every single skill can be chained to another, which will decrease their delays as well as increase your damage. You’ll even gain a Stance effect if you chain your skills!
The new first job skill Element: Lightning will give your attacks a chance to buff yourself, giving you increased defense ignore. Using the different Thunder skills, you’ll be able to increase the maximum stacks of this buff (up to 5 at fourth job), and strengthen your attacks through multiple skills!
Striker’s character card gives 2/3/4/5 damage per character level.
Striker Skills
Beginner
Elemental Slash: Strike up to 3 enemies in front of you with a slash of unrefined elemental power dealing 190% damage.
Journey Home: Borrow Shinsoo’s aura to return to the side of the Empress. There is a cooldown of 30 minutes.
Elemental Harmony: Learn the harmony between the elements and increase your affinity for them, increasing your STR by 1 for every 2 character levels.
Elemental Expert: Your mastery over the elements decreases all your attacking skills’ elemental properties by 100%. This skill is unlocked after your fourth job advancement.
Elemental Shift: Jump once again while in the air by pressing the jump key with an arrow key.
Cygnus Blessing: The awakened Empress’ blessing protects you from enemies’ attacks, increasing your resistance to states and elements by 5% (10% for level 2). If other Cygnus jobs exist within your account, you can stack this Link Skill up to 5 times. If linked, this skill’s effects will be reduced to 2% (5% for level 2). (Link Skill)
First Job
Shark Tooth: Attack up to 4 enemies in front of you with your fist imbued with the power of lightning, dealing 160% damage two times. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder and itself. (max level: 20)
Flash: By concentrating your strength, instantly attack up to 4 enemies for 310% damage. You move instantly to the farthest enemy within range. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder, Thunderbolt, and itself. (max level: 15)
Element: Lightning: Summon the blue Lightning element to gain power, for 180 seconds, you will have a 10% chance when attacking to gain a buff that allows you to ignore 5% of their defence for 30 seconds. This effect does not stack more than once. (max level: 10)
Thunder I: The power of lightning enhances your body, giving you a 20% increase in the chance to gain a buff from Element: Lightning, as well as increasing the maximum stack of a buff by 1. Your speed is increased by 40%, jump by 20%, and maximum speed by 20%. (max level: 20)
Second Job
Shark Kick: Wash away up to 6 enemies around you with the aura of a powerful shark, dealing 155% damage four times. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder and itself. (max level: 20)
Water Wave: Flow through monsters like the sea, dealing 255% damage two times on up to 8 enemies while moving forward. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder and itself. (max level: 20)
Knuckle Booster: Increase your attack speed by 2 stages for 200 seconds. (required skill: level 5 Knuckle Mastery) (max level: 10)
Knuckle Mastery: Your mastery over the knuckle is increased by 50%, and your accuracy is increased by 120. (max level: 10)
Tempered: Through relentless training, your STR is increased by 60. (max level: 15)
Thunder II: Become more adept with the power of lightning, giving you a 20% increase in the chance to gain a buff from Element: Lightning, as well as increasing the maximum stack of a buff by 1. Your attack is increased by 20. (max level: 20)
Third Job
Ascend: Using the power of lightning, attack up to 6 enemies for 175% damage five times, soaring into the air. Thunder can be used afterwards. (max level: 20)
Thunder: Move like lightning while rushing down from the air, dealing 150% damage four times on up to 6 enemies. Can only be used while jumping or after using Ascend. Can be chained to any skill except itself. (max level: 20)
Tornado: Emit a tornado using the accumulated power from your continuously chained attacks, dealing 381% damage three times on up to 6 enemies. Can only be used when you have 3 or more buff stacks. When used, receive a buff that gives you 3% damage for each stacked buff you have for 60 seconds, which does not stack more than once. However, this skill will not activate Element: Lightning. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder and itself. There is a cooldown of 20 seconds. (max level: 20)
Vortex: Strong torrents are called to protect your body from attacks, increasing your resistance to states and elements by 30% for 180 seconds. (max level: 20)
Needle Carapace: Summon sharp, solid armor for 180 seconds, increasing your damage by 5% and decreasing damage taken by 10%. (max level: 10)
Chain: Masters of chained attacks will have their damage increased by 15% if they link their attacks together. (max level: 20)
Thunder III: Use the power of lightning more actively, giving you a 30% increase in the chance to gain a buff from Element: Lightning, as well as increasing the maximum stack of a buff by 1. Your attack is increased by 30. (max level: 20)
Fourth Job
Cygnus Knights: Receive the blessing of the awakened Empress, increasing the stats of all party members by 15% for 900 seconds. (max level: 30)
Annihilate: Give form to the power of lightning, dealing 250% damage two times on one monster in front of you. For each buff stack you have, increase the number of attacks of this skill by 1. The maximum number of hits is 7. However, this skill will not activate Element: Lightning. (max level: 30)
Thunderbolt: Use the power of the thunderbolt to annihilate up to 8 enemies in front of you, dealing 280% damage five times. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder and itself. (max level: 30)
Typhoon: Emit turbulent wind using the accumulated power from your continuously chained attacks, dealing 390% damage five times on up to 8 enemies. Can only be used when you have 2 or more buff stacks. When used, receive a buff that gives you 7% damage for each stacked buff you have for 60 second, which does not stack more than once. However, this skill will not activate Element: Lightning. Passive skill that upgrades Tornado. Can be chained to any skill except Thunder and itself. There is a cooldown of 10 seconds. (required skill: level 20 Tornado) (max level: 30)
Electric Charge: The power of lightning floats around you, causing your attacks to be doubled, with the extra attacks doing 40% of your original damage for 180 seconds. There is a cooldown of 180 seconds. (max level: 30)
Wind Booster: Use HP and MP to temporarily improve your party members’ attack speed by 2 for 300 seconds. Can be used with other Boosters. (required skill: level 10 Knuckle Booster) (max level: 20)
Knuckle Expert: Your mastery over the knuckle is increased to 70%, your attack is increased by 30 and your minimum critical damage is increased by 15%. (required skill: level 10 Knuckle Mastery) (max level: 30)
Stimulation: Your nerves are electrically stimulated, giving you a tough body, increasing your HP and evasion rate by 20% while decreasing damage taken by 20%. (max level: 10)
Thunder God: Completely master the power of lightning, acquiring its essence, increasing the chance to gain a buff from Element: Lightning, critical chance, and maximum critical damage by 30%, and the maximum stack of a buff by 1. (max level: 30)
Hyper
Tornado – Reinforce: Tornado’s damage is increased by 20%. [required level: 143]
Tornado – Extra Target: Tornado’s number of monsters hit is increased by 2. [required level: 162]
Tornado – Bonus Attack: Tornado’s number of hits is increased by 1. [required level: 183]
Thunderbolt – Reinforce: Thunderbolt’s damage is increased by 20%. [required level: 149]
Thunderbolt – Extra Target: Thunderbolt’s number of monsters hit is increased by 2. [required level: 168]
Thunderbolt – Bonus Attack: Thunderbolt’s number of hits is increased by 1. [required level: 189]
Annihilate – Reinforce: Annihilate’s damage is increased by 20%. [required level: 155]
Annihilate – Ignore Guard: Annihilate’s monsters’ defense ignored is increased by 20%. [required level: 177]
Annihilate – Boss Killer: Annihilate’s damage to bosses is increased by 20%. [required level: 195]
Heaven and Earth: The cooldown and buff requirement of Tornado is removed, Element: Lightning’s debuff effect is increased to 9% defense ignore, and your damage is increased by 25% for 180 seconds. [required level: 150]
God of the Sea: Summon the god of the sea to surge through up to 15 enemies, dealing 400% damage 15 times. There is a cooldown of 90 seconds. [required level: 170]
Glory of Guardians: The knights who swore to protect Empress Cygnus undergo a sense of honor, increasing their damage by 10% and maximum damage by 5,000,000 for 60 seconds. This effect only applies to Knights of Cygnus in the party. There is a cooldown of 120 seconds. [required level: 200]
Thanks to Fiel of Southperry for skill icons and animations!
The February Maple Attendance Check King event (season 1) will run from now until February 13. Each day you’ll have to kill 250 monsters in order to be accounted for~ On certain days, you’ll receive prizes!
- 2 days: 20% Miraculous Positive Chaos Scroll
- 5 days: Special Additional Potential Stamp
- 8 days: Lucky Day Scroll
- 11 days: 5 Star Equipment Enhancement Scroll
- 14 days: 50% Unique Potential Scroll
The Returning Striker Hot Time on February 2 will give the Inception Striker hat (10 to all stats, 150 HP and MP, 10 slots, 5% critical, 5 STR and DEX, 5 attack if you’re a 3rd or 4th job Striker) as well as the Cygnus Returns medal (6 to all stats, 6 attack and magic attack, expires).
You’ll also get equipment boxes for your Striker at levels 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 50, 60, and 70!
The MapleStory New Year’s event has begun and will run until February 20. There are four parts to this event, but the last isn’t available at the moment so I’ll just go over the others.
The first event is pretty fun haha, every hour at XX:30 you’ll be invited to a special map where you’ll be grouped with others. You’ll then be strung onto a kite and you’ll have to fly around, collecting points while avoiding obstacles and fulfilling certain conditions~
After you’re done, based on your rank in your group, you’ll receive a certain number of Giant Money Bags, which you can open for prizes~
- Chaos Scroll
- Additional Potential Scroll
- Riding Cushion
- Riding Lunar New Year Coin
- 2013 Cloth Bits Box (Blue)
- buffs
The next part is the Legend of the Yagwanggwi (it’s like a Korean folktale or something). Basically, you can collect bells from monsters that will summon it, and you have to defeat it for its bag, which can be opened for 2013 Cloth Bits Boxes, 40% First Class scrolls, or the Money Bag Chair.
Cassandra will also ask you to hold her New Shoes for 30 minutes, for which she’ll give you a buff. Collecting 30 items from monsters around your level for her will get you some experience and a 2013 Cloth Bits Box (Green).
Finally, from February 9 to 11, if you log in, you’ll receive 5 Yutnori Lunar New Year Coisn and 5 Riding Lunar New Year Coins for free, as well as a Glow in the Dark Nose!
Based on if you have the previous nose in your inventory or not, you’ll receive one of the above 3 noses.
The Lunar New Year shop is now open! It sells certain equipment, ore, herb and coin bags, flying mounts, chairs, and Bits cases~
The Winter Limit coin shop has been updated with a new One Day tab, where they will sell random items and a lowered cost for a single day. There’s also the new Pirate tab, which sells the Maple knuckles, as well as the ring and Hot Time hat from the pirate reorganization in the Justice patch.
There were also new Lunar New Year achievements, which have to do with the quests they added~
For the first four achievements, you’ll get a Lunar New Year Achievement Box (can give various scrolls and 50% Hammers) as well as a 3 attack and magic attack title. For the fifth, you’ll get the Yay Lunar New Year chair as well as a 5 attack and magic attack title. For the sixth achievement, you’ll get a 7 attack and magic attack medal! It expires though…
And last but not least, the New Year Happy Time event! On each of the following dates, you just need to log in on the homepage from 2pm to 11pm to claim your prizes!
- February 4: 2013 Cloth Bits Box (Red), 3 Miracle Cubes, 2 Monster Life Gem Tickets, 70% Weapon Attack Scroll, 2 Riding Lunar New Year Coins and Yutnori Lunar New Year Coins
- February 7: 4 Slot Use Expansion Coupon, 90% Weapon Attack Scroll, 2 Riding Lunar New Year Coins and Yutnori Lunar New Year Coins
- February 11: 2013 Cloth Bits Box (Blue), 3 Owls of Tote, 70% Weapon for Attack Scroll, 2 Riding Lunar New Year Coins and Yutnori Lunar New Year Coins
- February 14: 4 Slot Etc Expansion Coupon, 90% Weapon Attack Scroll, 2 Riding Lunar New Year Coins and Yutnori Lunar New Year Coins
- February 18: 2013 Cloth Bits Box (Green), 1 Platinum Scissors of Karma, 2 Monster Life Gem Tickets, 70% Weapon Attack Scroll, 2 Riding Lunar New Year Coins and Yutnori Lunar New Year Coins
Three new pets, Angel Noelle, Rielle, and Mielle, were released! I think they’re a bit ugly, haha.
This new entry titled Inkwell’s New Year’s Greetings confirms that on February 21, we will be receiving the reorganized Wind Breaker, world merges, as well as a Door to the Future expansion in the Temple of Time! I bet this is some of the high levelled content they were talking about!
