I thought about making a new character, and enjoy some nostalgia. Since I had to quit my hermit due to the recent changes, I never had a high enough level character on Royals to actually boss, yet. So as I was exploring about the different classes and other's experiences with them on this server, I kept noticing the same repeated condition, HP washing. Every single character that I looked into, even Dark Knights with their Hyper Body skill, it didn't matter because I'll either get 1 shot by every boss or most parties won't even take a chance with an unwashed/unheavily-funded character. And I've been thinking about it.. Theoretically, I'm going to use all my time to gather up billions of Mesos, use these Mesos to buy expensive INT items to gain MP as I level, use even more Mesos to get someone else to level me up, use all the Mesos to buy AP resets to wash my HP so I can finally boss and... and.. what, make Mesos? ? I'm not a veteran player, nor have I ever experienced old school bossing, so correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the point of bossing getting mesos/better equips in a challenging yet fun way? And if so, haven't I completely killed that goal by wasting those same billions of Mesos which I could fund my equips with, to allow me to do something which I don't need no more? I am clueless, hello(?). I've literally sat there at the character creation screen for 2 hours, thinking about all this, and I just alt f4'd. Has anyone else been through this same frustrating cycle? I've lost all feeling to enjoy what I wanted to on this server. How is HP washing such a blockade to bossing on a private server which was suppose to make it easier? Did bosses actually require this much HP and funding in the original old school Maplestory?
"I'm going to use all my time to gather up billions of Mesos, use these Mesos to buy expensive INT items to gain MP as I level, use even more Mesos to get someone else to level me up, use all the Mesos to buy AP resets to wash my HP so I can finally boss and... and.. what, make Mesos? ? Isn't the point of bossing getting mesos/better equips in a challenging yet fun way? And if so, haven't I completely killed that goal by wasting those same billions of Mesos which I could fund my equips with, to allow me to do something which I don't need no more?" It's a part of the 'competitiveness' of the game. Whether that be with others, or with yourself to improve your character. You want to see bigger numbers, whether that be damage range or visual damage on the screen, and also attain feats in less time - kill things faster than before. It's just an improvement thing. With funds you gain the ability to improve 'yourself' (character) further. Some players may just collect mesos for fun or whatever, and that's cool, I love that concept as well - pure merch no main. However others are seeking to improve their character rather than just 'make more money', that money is just used to enable further improvement. Outside of the outliers who are simply seeking to collect funds, what EXP is to levels, is what mesos are to damage output. It's another way of leveling up (your gear), that's all. "Did bosses actually require this much HP and funding in the original old school Maplestory?" Yes, they did, and funding for HP washing was entirely through real life money (NX Cash) until the MTS came along, and even then it was still a very hefty investment. The top players who were participating in the higher leveled (140+) content equivalent to the same content on here were often HP washing as well. Some did not, and some were only able to participate in the bosses designed for their classes to be viable at (HP washing exploited this and has allowed otherwise nonviable classes to participate in bosses they weren't designed to be able to) because of that. "How is HP washing such a blockade to bossing on a private server which was suppose to make it easier?" Not HP washing isn't actually as restrictive as you're misled to believe by these unknowing casual fearmongers. You can participate in every boss designed for your class (ranged or melee, some bosses both) without washing at some point. The one class that actually gets shafted the hardest by not washing are DrKs who are absolutely pathetic without max HP since they need to 'serk to merely provide mediocre DPS at best. It is much easier. On gMS you didn't get 3000 AP Resets for free each year by simply spinning a moose upright with the click of a mouse daily.
Mages and warriors are ideally what you want to play. To get max HP on a warrior you barely need any int gear, in fact a zakum helm generally is enough. Some thoughts: Dark knights offer a lot of utility, HB makes it so you can bring friends who also couldn't afford to HP wash to do things. Grandpa boss is another HB must have that you really can't mule through. Paladins, you have crash, that's huge. Hero is just a stack stick bruiser, its like being a drk with none of the good party skills. Mages give you leech potential which lets you fund your ideal wanted classes Honorable mentions: Shadowers don't need heavy washing because of meso guard, offer gear-less training with meso explosion, and are the ideal Seduce mule for HT. Buccaneers, much like shadowers have a low HP washing threshold, and have TL/SI which are big beneficial party skills. Your goal on your first characters aren't necessarily to be the strongest or optimal, they are to get you into boss runs so you can get consistent splits. Ap resets will come naturally since bosses drop NX cards, voting, and just in general meso gaining.
Personally I like to explore different classes, get them to lvl 200 and try all their skills/playstyle, get high range on them etc. Once I get them to 200 I start getting bored and try another class My main goal isn't getting meso but just trying new stuff, if you just want to make money you might as well not make an attacker and just a mage (cause leeching is more profitable)
I think it boils down to what you want to do in general. Do you want to get into bossing? Or are you more into farming and questing? Or are you a FM merchant who likes to scroll? In terms of nostalgia, I think it varies from person to person. Personally, when I first started this server, I was bombarded by HP washing mechanic and took a while to research what I wanna do before deciding a character, because I want to be able to boss and make mesos consistently as well as trying out new characters. I started last year in mid June, and currently, I have 2 main attackers washed and decently geared, as well as a stable meso income. There's no rush into it, after a while you might get bored and try a new class. HP washing isn't required but it just opens up more bossing potential. For example, bosses such as Big Foot and Anego hits 11k and 18k in close range, so ranged characters aren't required to wash, but just adds more safety if you do. Also, most commonly boss runs are basically Zakum and Krexel, and you don't need to wash at all for these bosses, because they're mostly stationary. In fact, there are unwashed Lv200 players in the server.
Some say its the feeling of getting gradually better, optimizing gear and dps. But yeah, that's what I feel as well. On top of that, I'm not a huge fan of bossing as it gets repetitive fast. Now, cause I feel mostly what you feel, I'm just gonna work on a character and focus on questing and filling my monster book instead of stressing myself over meso, hp and godly gear. I'm also against HP washing but we're too invested in that to make any changes. I like low level content and HP washing kills it.
Join a guild that suits your style of play. And boss with them. A lot of people on this server have a problem. And it is that they look to the super elites and feel that you shave to have 40+att gear and 15+k hp on ranges to be successful. Simply not true. Now it is something to strive towards, but don’t set unrealistic goals
