MapleStory Classic World’s grand launch is today, October 21, and it isn’t live yet. Nexon’s launch maintenance takes the Classic World servers offline from 13:00 UTC (9 AM ET, 6 AM PT), and it expects them back around 18:00 UTC (2 PM ET, 11 AM PT), when anyone can play for free on Windows and macOS through the Nexon Launcher or Steam.
At launch you choose one of four classes, Warrior, Magician, Bowman or Thief, on a map limited to Maple Island and Victoria Island. Orbis, El Nath and 3rd job, all of which were in the summer test, are not in the launch build.
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MapleStory Classic World launch time in UTC, ET and PT
The times below come from Nexon’s Scheduled Grand Launch maintenance notice, which Nexon also posted on Steam. Nexon calls the 5-hour window an estimate (“approximately 5 hours”), so the end time can slip.
| Time zone | Servers go down | Servers expected back |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | 1:00 PM, Oct 21 | 6:00 PM, Oct 21 |
| ET (EDT) | 9:00 AM, Oct 21 | 2:00 PM, Oct 21 |
| PT (PDT) | 6:00 AM, Oct 21 | 11:00 AM, Oct 21 |
| UK (BST) | 2:00 PM, Oct 21 | 7:00 PM, Oct 21 |
| CEST | 3:00 PM, Oct 21 | 8:00 PM, Oct 21 |
| AEDT | 12:00 AM, Oct 22 | 5:00 AM, Oct 22 |
The maintenance updates Classic World to version 1.0.0 and takes down every Classic World server, so Founder’s Access players are locked out too. Nexon says it will add details to the notice once maintenance ends, and that notice is the place to check if the window gets extended. Status checked 12:59 UTC on October 21: the notice still gives the original times and no extension has been announced.
Is MapleStory Classic World free?
Yes. Nexon said in its August Ossyria Exploration Report that from the grand launch anyone can play “regardless of whether they purchased a Founder’s Package”. Founder’s Access players, who have been in since October 6, keep their characters and progress. On Steam, Classic World comes bundled with MapleStory (the same store page), so having the base game installed and updated before servers open makes the launch patch smaller, according to the release notes.
Victoria Island, the whole launch map beyond Maple Island. Each class starts its job in one of the four towns. Image: Nexon
What classes are in MapleStory Classic World?
Per the grand launch release notes, every character starts as a Beginner on Maple Island and takes the 1st job advancement at level 10 in a Victoria Island town. The 2nd job comes at level 30:
| Class | Town and instructor (Lv. 10) | 2nd job paths (Lv. 30) |
|---|---|---|
| Warrior | Perion, Dances with Balrog | Fighter, Page, Spearman |
| Magician | Ellinia, Grendel the Really Old | Wizard (Fire/Poison), Wizard (Ice/Lightning), Cleric |
| Bowman | Henesys, Athena Pierce | Hunter, Crossbowman |
| Thief | Kerning City, Dark Lord | Assassin, Bandit |
There’s no Pirate. Each account can hold 3 characters. On new accounts, trading unlocks 24 hours after one character reaches level 15.
What’s not in MapleStory Classic World at launch
The launch build is smaller than the August Closed Online Test #2. That test’s release notes opened the airship to Ossyria (Orbis, El Nath and Dead Mine) and offered 3rd job at level 70. The grand launch notes cover only Maple Island and Victoria Island and stop at 2nd job:
- No Orbis, El Nath or the rest of Ossyria. The launch notes list no area beyond Victoria Island.
- No 3rd job. 1st and 2nd job only, even though the level cap is 100.
- No Forgotten Hollow yet. This new Classic World area opens in November, Nexon says.
- Six bosses: Mano, Stumpy, Mushmom, Shade, Zombie Mushmom and Jr. Balrog.
Game director Inkwell explained the slow rollout in an October 2 interview: content “such as 3rd Job or certain regions may be introduced sequentially,” and the game won’t simply repeat MapleStory’s original update order. Nexon hasn’t published dates for 3rd job or Ossyria.
Players packed onto an airship during a Classic World online test. Ossyria, which was open in the August test, isn't in the launch build. Image: Nexon
What’s new at launch
Classic World adds systems the original game never had: crafting from level 10, Citizenship in Henesys and Kerning City from level 12, and Housing, which citizens can buy with mesos. It also adds a new Excavation Site area in Perion, the Kerning City party quest from level 21, and Modern Style keybindings with WASD movement. Xbox and PlayStation controllers work once you turn on controller support in the options. The language is English, with Spanish and Korean in beta.
What’s next
The launch events start right away. “The Journey Begins” daily check-in rewards run to November 18, a Halloween candy event starts October 28, and the first GM jump-quest event is set for October 22 at 00:00-02:00 UTC. For other launches this week, see our MW4 DMZ early access times, the Football Manager 27 free preview and the Steam Scream Fest deals. We’ll update this post if Nexon extends the maintenance.
Sources: Nexon maintenance notice, Grand Launch Release Notes, Ossyria Exploration Report, Closed Online Test #2 Release Notes, Inkwell interview, MapleStory on Steam.
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Featured image: Nexon
