Often, players will ask about the features of MapleSaga, and just like many private servers, we do list these features out wherever possible. However, every once in a while, rather clever players will ask the more important question - "Why does MapleSaga exist as a private server?" From day one, MapleSaga has challenged the status quo. We want to be the first nostalgic server to do things a little differently. There's a need for nostalgia, being a nostalgic server, but we don't let nostalgia ever limit us in the content we provide. Our goal in designing features is keeping things simple, and not necessarily implementing the exact design that v62 originally had. Our perspective is that other nostalgic private servers are broken in their game design. Not everything that existed in 2008 was as simple as they could have been, so we believe it is our duty to redesign the game in a way that's clean and original, while maintaining nostalgia where it counts. Boss Raid Rebalance Bossing should be inclusive Although the feat of soloing bosses is an exciting challenge, players should be encouraged to party up whenever possible. An example of this is how we've designed raid prizes. When a boss is slain, it drops one-of-a-kind badges (can only be picked up once per player) that can be redeemed for prizes. This serves two purposes: Loot-stealing or ninja looting is not possible. Because the badges are reserved to one per player, there is no confusion about who gets what. It promotes larger parties, including as many players as possible. The math is simple - more players, more redeemable rewards. For further emphasis, here are some data points for the month of September 2016. Please note that the maximum amount of players that can enter a raid is 12. As of this post's writing: The average Pianus raid had 7.52 players. The average Papulatus raid had 7.20 players. The average Zakum raid had 10.97 players. The average The Boss raid had 11.78 players. The average Castellan raid had 12.0 players (raiding with the maximum amount of players possible every time). The average Horntail raid had 11.35 players. The average Chaos Zakum raid had 11.83 players. Why do these numbers matter? On most v62 private servers, especially servers that are saturated with Onyx Apples or Heartstoppers (potions that give players upwards to +100 weapon attack), players will be reluctant to raid with more than 4 - 5 in a party, in order to get the most profit out of the raid as possible. This is incredibly dangerous to the game, because you end up with parties that ONLY include the strongest attacker classes. This means that weaker classes, such as Paladins, end up excluded from boss raiding altogether. It's no wonder that you see the following quotes on other servers: What's the bossing situation like on MapleSaga? Meet cadence @cadence . cadence was MapleSaga's first ever Level 200 Paladin. She is also, at the time of this writing, the player who fought the most amount of bosses before hitting Level 200 among 21 Level 200 players (including Night Lords and Heroes, the traditional bossing classes). Although it might be too early to tell, I believe it's fair to say that MapleSaga's redesign of the original bossing system has led to a fairer inclusion of all of MapleStory's classes, because players are encouraged to fill their raids with a full 12 player squad. Whereas Paladins or Marksmen have been excluded from bossing on other servers (which is a disappointment, because the majority of MapleStory's later gameplay revolves around bossing), they have been welcomed on MapleSaga. I would encourage new players to check out these less popular classes without worrying about being included in raids later on. HP Washing Removal HP washing is one of the worst mechanics found in v62 MapleStory, frustrating veteran players and confusing new ones. To define HP washing (thanks to @Ditsy for the definition) HP washing is a method which people use to increase their base HP. The main reason they do this is because they want to be able to tank bosses at a lower level, and this in turn will allow them to boss as soon as they are able to get leech exp. Unfortunately, this definition doesn't do HP washing enough justice. On a normal v62 server, if a player chooses not to HP wash, they may have to get to Level 180 or higher before they can reasonably fight powerful bosses such as Horntail. HP washing is not needed on MapleSaga. Instead, players gain HP from fighting bosses. Click here for an explanation on how the system works. Skill Rebalance The skills in v62 are far from balanced. Nexon identified this themselves by revising the skill table in future versions. On a normal v62 server, the following classes are left in the dust (in terms of bossing damage) by superior attacker classes: Paladins Mages Marksmen Shadowers Buccaneers We've made careful buffs to each of these classes to keep the game relatively balanced including: Enforcing a 199,999 damage cap to benefit single-line skills such as Paladin's Blast, Shadower's Assassinate, Marksman's Snipe or Buccaneer's Barrage. Adding 2 lines of damage to Magicians' single-line skills such as Paralyze, Chain Lightning and Angel Ray. Adding a 15% attack boost to knuckles, globally, to improve Buccaneer range and damage. It's worth nothing however, that a perfect balance is idealistic and in some ways, harmful to gameplay. The primary goal behind skill balances should revolve around giving every class a role on the server and in raids. If all classes were perfectly balanced for damage, we'd end up with no discernible difference or novelty across class choices, making the game dry. A comprehensive list of our skill rebalances may be viewed by clicking here. Helpful Links Register for MapleSaga Download MapleSaga Frequently Asked Questions Getting Started