MapleStory Training & Leveling Guide 2023 (Reboot & Normal)

Last Updated on January 3, 2023 by Samuel Franklin

MapleStory Training & Leveling Guide 2023 (Reboot & Normal)

Read our detailed MapleStory training and leveling guide to take your character to level 275 in the most efficient way possible. Whether you’re on Reboot, Normal (regular) servers, an experienced MapleStory player or a beginner this guide is an invaluable reference to your account progression as you learn where to train in MapleStory.

This MapleStory training guide is applicable for your main character or training mules for Link Skills and Legion. It is designed with choice and variation in mind giving players multiple options at most stages of progression given different classes excel on different map layouts. This guide also covers some general training tips to maximise your gains for time invested into acquiring experience from the various MapleStory monsters of the broader world map and make the overall grinding experience streamlined.

MapleStory Training/Leveling Tips

MMO games like MapleStory often involve a large amount of training and if you’re wondering how to level up fast in MapleStory you’ll want to maximise your MapleStory training experience with the following tips:

• Maple Guide: For the vast majority of locations listed below they can be accessed directly or indirectly by using the invaluable Maple Guide within MapleStory. If you’re ever in doubt of what area you should be considering for training this can also serve as a good default option.
  
• Damage Buffs: Sometimes a small increase to your damage can give you a dramatic increase in leveling speed if you move from 2 hit killing a monster to a 1 hit position. One of the best options for this is the Monster Park Blue, Green and Red potions that are easily obtainable and give you a solid 30 minutes of buffs to your damage.
  
• Runes: Activating runes as they appear provide an experience multiplier and an effect that may help you defeat monsters. These start from level 30 onwards and can make the difference between a level 29 monster and 30 monster map dramatically different and runes themselves remain relevant until max level. Note that the Evan link skill improves the duration of these.
• Burning Maps: Players should also be on the look out for burning maps that appear from level 100 and beyond that add additional experience. These slowly decrease while you (or others) kill mobs on the map and regenerate over time when nobody is using the map. This can sometimes make an alternative map with high burning stronger than the popular known training locations. Before starting a training session I recommend changing channels a few times to find high burning maps and noting a few so you can change channels as the burning decreases.
• Special Portals: Opening up on your map randomly as you train there are two variants here with Pollo and Fritto and the Inferno Wolf that can give you a large chunk of experience and rare items. These are generally always worth doing for both the rewards and injection of experience as you progress. However, at higher levels where maps are popular be aware that you may lose your map to another player.
• Hyper Teleport Rock: More applicable for Reboot players who can obtain these with Mesos rather than NX a hyper teleport rock can significantly help you in the early levels where you are constantly moving between locations that might be outside of the Maple Guide. Without a rock available sometimes it can be more efficient to avoid non Maple Guide content due to the time it takes to move to a particular map.
  
• Other Maple World Travel: If you don’t have a teleport rock then your best option for travelling around the Maple World is after level 60 from the Sleepywood completion stamp for killing 250 Copper Drakes. Once this is done you can teleport back to Sleepywood at any point, take the left most portal to the Six Path Crossway and click the Interdimensional Portal (Pantheon Portal) near the top left of the map. On this map click the Interdimensional Portal (Move to Maple World) on the right hand side of the screen and you can pick any major Maple World town to teleport your character.
• Battle Analysis: For the mid to late game progression of level 150-250 the in built battle analysis tool allows you to compare different maps for experience gains to determine what setup is giving you the best return for your time. Running this for 15 minute intervals and comparing against other maps for experience gained can quickly determine which map is the better option.
  
• Experience Boosts: To help the leveling process MapleStory has a large number of experience gain boost items and you will want to have as many of these active as possible. This includes EXP coupons from events, Legion coin shop or Monster Park Sundays, Link Skills (Mercedes, Evan and Aran), Legion EXP grid, EXP Accumulation potions (alchemy or auction house), MVP Buff and Monster Park gold potions. Hyper stat points can also provide a boost but generally not worth the investment and only available after level 140.

MapleStory Training/Leveling Guide Summary

This grinding guide is intended as a general list of suggestions that you can use to find where to level and will be applicable to most classes on Reboot and Normal game servers. For most players unless they are rushing a character with preselected gear and potion buffs you’ll want to stay strictly to the level guide provided and not attempt to train against monsters more than 5 levels above your character level. This is because you’ll deal reduced damage in these situations and is particularly deadly on Reboot servers where this damage penalty is harsher. It is not uncommon for Reboot players following this as a MapleStory Reboot training guide to be fighting monsters a level range behind that recommended here especially for early characters you create due to the lack of account wide bonuses (Link Skills and Legion).

You will always be the best judge of your own progression, if you are killing slow consider returning to a previous location, if enemies are vanishing quickly off the map then try push a little further. In this training guide for MapleStory additional weight has been given to locations that provide useful items, are easy to reach or are important quests for other reasons to give your account great progression alongside training.

The below is a summary table of training options featured here for quick reference, for more detail click on the hyperlinked level range or scroll to the bottom of this article. The detailed section includes discussion of why the selections have been chosen, some alternative maps in the area and notes several key potential boss milestones in your progression. Each option in both sections is presented as follows (either monsters/bosses or quests chains):

Monster/Boss [Monster Level] (Star Force/Arcane Power Required*) – Map Name (World Location)
Quest Name [Level Unlocked] – How To Start Quest

MapleStory Training/Leveling Guide Detailed

Below is the detailed section of our training guide with detail on every location.

Level 1 – 10

The easiest levels of your MapleStory journey where you’ll simply want to follow along with whatever your class tutorial is and for some classes this may even take you all the way to level 30 by following the available questlines that they have.

Level 10 – 20

Another fast 10 levels that you can honestly complete just about anywhere at a reasonable pace so don’t overthink it at this stage. Check the world map for your current class location and search around for monsters between levels 10 and 20 to fight with your new first job skills. The majority of MapleStory character classes will end up on Victoria Island, Edelstein or Grandis though which is the basis for the recommendations below.

• Golem [15] – Golem’s Temple: Golem’s Temple Entrance (Victoria Island)
  At level 15 fighting Golems in this small map is a popular option and most class skills can easily attack multiple ledges thanks to the large size of this monster.
• Flaming Mixed Golem [19] – Golem’s Temple: Golem’s Temple 3 (Victoria Island)
  As you approach the later teen levels of your MapleStory adventure you can enter one of the portals in the previous Golem map to fight the fire variant which are the highest level Golem option in this area. Similar to above it’s a tight map with multiple platforms that make it easy to chain kills together. Staying here until you reach the low 20s is a good option.

Level 20 – 30

Similar to above this level range will depend on your current location, if you aren’t near any of the maps listed below then staying in your current area is fine provided it has a mob between level 20 and 30 to fight.

• Streetlight [25] – Concrete Road: Streetlight Row (Edelstein)
  A simple two platform map that some classes can possible hit both platforms at the same time that makes it highly efficient and thus included in this MapleStory leveling guide. I would only choose this location though if you started in Edelstein and opted to stay in this area.
• Evil Eye [26] – North Forest: Giant Tree (Victoria Island)
  Your best Victoria Island option is the giant tree and the various other maps beyond where you can find other eye variants (Curse, Cold and Surgeon) that go up to monster level 29. Move through these maps as you feel comfortable or stay on a particular map that suits your MapleStory class strengths.

Level 30 – 40

Level 30 and onwards is where players can start to experience the theme dungeon content that MapleStory has to offer and one of the better methods to levelling your character. Not only do each of these offer instanced monsters (they align themselves to your current level) they also reward Mesos and other useful items in most cases. Completing all 3 of these recommended below can easily take players to level 60 and all of them can be accessed through the Maple Guide so you can visit them regardless of your starting location. Keep in mind that even if you don’t want to do the quests the monsters in these areas level up with you and make efficient grinding maps. If taking this path I would personally go to Gold Beach or Ellinel Fairy Academy as the first few maps there are all great for leveling and accessed without doing any or minimal quest content.

• Ellinel Fairy Academy [30] – Maple Guide
  A theme dungeon based around missing children of the Fairy Academy you’ll defeat various magical themed enemies and fight a Mole King. Completing this rewards players with a starting cape, eye accessory, title and glove with basic stats.
• Gold Beach [30] – Maple Guide
  Set at the Gold Beach resort you’ll fight through beach themed enemies as you help the employees with quests. For completing you’ll earn a title (same stats as Fairy Academy) and some defence earrings that aren’t particularly useful.
• Riena Strait [30] – Maple Guide
  A sea based adventure that is a little slower as you go back and forth between locations to solve the mystery of rising tides. For your trouble you’ll get a belt, face accessory and title which can be useful given these are rare item slots to fill although are hardly game breaking in terms of power. You can work on your Mariner familiar badge while you are here though.

Level 40 – 50

Continue completing the theme dungeons noted above during this stage, if you don’t want to do these then your alternative options that are easy to reach are limited. There are some good maps in Savage Terminal for this level range if you don’t mind moving there through the Six Path Crossway shortcut detailed under the leveling guide tips section of this article or have a Hyper Teleport Rock available.

• Jr. Necki [45] – Swamp Region: The Swamp of Despair (Victoria Island)
  Accessible through the Maple Guide (level 40 circle) this is a map with high spawn and easy to move between the available ledges. The small size of the monsters can be difficult for some class skills though so keep that in mind.
• Hazard’s Mean Crony/Hazard’s Rotten Crony [42/40] – Abandoned Offices: Mr Hazard’s Lair 2 (Savage Terminal)
  A high experience map due to both density and high experience per mob compared to similar zones this is a possible option even before level 40. While the map does seem large at first glance a consistent clockwise or anti-clockwise pattern is a good start. This does require some moving around the Maple World if you don’t start near this area for your class tutorial though so keep that in mind.

Level 50 – 60

Continue completing the theme dungeons noted above during this stage, if you are still not at level 60 and have completed all 3 you can consider training at one of the theme dungeon maps.

• Wild Boar [55] – Burnt Land: Wild Boar Land (Victoria Island)
  Accessing this map can be done through the level 50 circle of the Maple Guide and then moving two maps to the right. Players can gain a few levels here and then slowly move to the portals to the left up to Fire Boars which are a level 58 monster. Note that each of these maps has some NPC quests that require you to kill the monster on that map so are a source of additional experience and Mesos.

Level 60 – 70

If you enjoy the theme dungeon style content then this level range offers another dungeon although its alternative is one of the best training maps in all of MapleStory so most players will want to not go the theme dungeon route.

• Mushroom Castle [60] – Maple Guide
  A story about saving Princess Violetta from a deadly plot and in turn finding a partner for the beautiful mushroom. This quest does offer a pendant, cape and title along with a few million Meso although this items are likely to be replaced quickly. There are a few monsters for both monster collection and your familiar badges that you can pick up along the way here.
• Skeledog/Mummydog [62] – Excavation Site: Military Camp 1 (Victoria Island)
  Hiding in a hidden portal players can reach this by using the Maple Guide to go to the Excavation Site and then past the camp to the Intermission Area where you’ll find a hidden portal along the ground floor near the tower like ruins. This map is a simple flat platform map with a hidden portal at the bottom (the knight) that lets you go from top to bottom with ease.
• Copper Drake [65] – Swamp: Silent Swamp (Victoria Island)
  Another location listed on the Maple Guide (level 60 circle) this is a popular training map and a well known one that can make finding a free channel on populated servers such as Reboot difficult so those reading this as a MapleStory Reboot leveling guide will need to factor that in. It’s popularity is driven by the flat platforms that players can move between and then take the hidden portal back to the top to repeat the cycle. If all channels are full you can try an alternative listed here or move one map to the right which is still a decent spot to train. Note that Ilji is just outside of this map portal in Sleepywood with a quest to kill drakes for some extra experience. You should complete the stamp requirements for the Maple Guide (250 Copper Drakes) on every single character you play in MapleStory as this permanent teleport to Sleepywood is extremely powerful for world navigation for your entire account progression.

Level 70 – 80

A level range with limited options that are easily accessible to travel to but does have an important theme dungeon for your characters growth that should be strongly considered.

• Cellion, Grupin, Lioner [71] – Orbis: Stairway To The Sky 1 (El Nath)
  Another well known map in the MapleStory community that has a familiar layout to other popular training locations with multiple platforms and an easy way to reach the top of the map (with a spring) before killing enemies on your way to the bottom of the map and repeating. Getting to this location can be done through the Maple Guide (level 70 bubble) for Orbis Garden and then moving a few maps.
• The Afterlands [75] – Maple Guide
  Available from level 75 this is a highly recommended theme dungeon accessible from the Maple Guide as it provides permanent totems that are also considered to be one of the best totems in MapleStory. In addition to boosting your strength on your main character or mules for easier levelling you can easily earn around 10 levels for completing this content that takes around an hour. Given the complexity of this content and some bugs I recommend you follow a MapleStory Afterlands walkthrough guide.

Level 80 – 90

The Afterlands option above is still applicable at this level range given its a theme dungeon so the level of the monsters within are linked to your level. For training options players start to explore more of the Maple World with locations based in Edelstein and El Nath.

• White Fang [81] – El Nath Ice Valley II (El Nath)
  A solid training map that you can catch the danger zone taxi from El Nath to reach directly for 45k Mesos. This option excels for characters with large attack ranges and jump heights that allows them to stick to the bottom of the map while attacking the two bottom platforms where the majority of the mob spawn is. Bonus on this map is the trader at the top that you can use to sell drops, purchase potions or refresh your usable ammo such as throwing stars.
• Raco [83] – Verne Mine: Dangerous Raccoon Nest (Edelstein)
  There are several maps around this location that are viable with monsters from level 81 to 85 which all belong to a familiar badge set. Players can also accept various quests in this area tied to hunting these monsters if they want some additional variety during the training process with each rewarding around 20% of a level up. Reaching these maps is once again based on using the Maple Guide (level 80) to visit the Verne mine. If you’d rather sit on a single map though I recommend Racos as it’s one of the smaller maps in the area. Shaft 4 is also an alternative option which spawns the level 84 Guard Robot L.

Level 90 – 100

For strong characters you can move to the Nihal Desert around the mid to late 80s but your average character and particularly first time characters without Legion or Link Skills will likely only want to come here at 90. This is the main training spot in this level and viable all the way until level 100 or players can move into the Magatia lab area for a change of scenery. There are multiple viable options in the Magatia lab for those willing to explore the area with many high spawning maps with flat areas.

• Sand Rat/Scorpion [89/90] – Sunset Road: Sahel 2 (Nihal Desert)
  A flat small map with high monster spawn makes this an obvious popular pick for training and viable until level 100 for those players that want to stay in a single location. This map can be reached through the Maple Guide (level 80 and 90) with ease.
• D. Roy/Neo Huroid [95] – Alcadno Research Institute: Lab – Area C-3 (Nihal Desert)
  As noted above there are various good maps in this lab area although I prefer to move here in the mid to late 90s to take a break from the Sunset Road and find C-3 one of the best although it is split over two levels. There are some single platform areas around here so don’t be afraid to experiment for your class. Reaching this location requires players to move several maps to the right from the above mentioned training area so is easy to reach.
• Elin Forest [95] – Maple Guide
  An alternative to grinding away in the desert map above for those that appreciate theme dungeon content which also rewards a title and chance for a decent ring (Ephenia’s Ring) from the boss. This is not an end game ring but can help fill up your ring equipment slots for a small damage boost.

Level 100 – 110

An interesting level range that introduces many first opportunities with a daily boss with high experience, Monster Park training grounds and Star Force maps. Your first opportunity to acquire substantial experience from a boss in MapleStory comes from the multi arm Zakum and recommended you do this as soon as you hit level 100. From 105 players also unlock the useful Monster Park and Maple Tour daily tasks (although only the Monster Park offers experience for leveling) that can be accessed through the Maple Guide Special Content tab.

• Beetle [103] – Minar Forest Leafre: East Forest (Minar Forest)
  A fantastic overlooked map on many MapleStory training guide articles and one of my favourites. The simple map design, large platforms and hidden portal to the top of the map is a familiar formula for a high quality map. It’s also the first time you’ll encounter burning maps as this is an over 100 level area and it is easy to find a maximum level 10 burning (100% experience gain) here. The level 100 Maple Guide allows you to get near Leafre easily through the Minar Forest option or you can make your way to Leafre as this is only 1 map to the right.
• Monster Park [105] – Maple Guide (Special Content Tab)
  Your first adventure into Monster Park which is an instanced and fixed map design that players can complete 2 times a day for free and purchase 5 further entries for a total of 7 per account. This remains an effective training option throughout your MapleStory career (particularly up to level 200) so you should be doing this daily for vast leveling gains. It’s also an important activity given it offers a best in slot medal and the Monster Park Coins earned from this activity can be spent on powerful potions.
• Blood Harpy [107] (5*) – Minar Forest: Sky Nest II (Minar Forest)
  The first time you’ll be exploring a Star Force map that requires a minimum amount of Star Force before you can train here. These Star Force maps will generally feature tougher mobs but reward increased experience for your efforts. Given this though it’s likely weak characters will be unable to train here effectively and I wouldn’t rush here before level 107 either (stick to beetles above).
• Zakum (Normal) [110] – Final Mission: Zakum’s Alter (El Nath)
  Given Zakum’s level doing this at level 100 is usually the earliest opportunity. If done properly players can even obtain multiple levels from this fight by activating a rune from a map and any other available experience boosts beforehand. If you are leveling a character to serve as only a Link or Legion mule then I strongly recommend leaving them at the Zakum entrance and fighting this boss daily for highly efficient experience with little effort. Other daily bosses will start creeping into your daily activities from this point onwards based on your MapleStory damage range.

Level 110 – 120

Continue with Zakum and Monster Park as noted above as they are still highly effective for this level range and beyond. In addition to these you’ve got a strong map in the toy town of Ludibrium (Ludi) and some theme dungeon quests with decent rewards to consider depending on your intentions for your character (can be skipped for solely Legion/Link Skill mules).

• Robo/Master Robo [113/114] – Ludibrium: Toy Factory <Apparatus Room> (Ludus Lake)
  The best grinding map for this level range that can be accessed easily through the Maple Guide (Ludibrium Castle) and then moving a few maps to the right. Like all popular training maps you’ve got a small number of platforms with high robot spawns here to battle.
• Lion King’s Castle [115] – Maple Guide
  A quest that you’ll want to complete if you intend this to be a bossing character as it unlocks your ability to fight Von Leon and provides some decent rewards and experience along the way. Finishing this quest will require you to fight monsters up to level 129 though so there is no harm at starting this in your 120s and you’ll still get okay experience. This can be accessed from the Maple Guide (level 110 and 120).
• Monad [115] – Maple Guide (Special Content Tab)
  Another potentially useful quest as it offers one of the best MapleStory titles and also gives plenty of experience. The content itself leaves a lot to be desired though as it’s slow paced and full of bugs so only complete this on a character that you think needs the title reward such as a bossing mule or your main account. Similar to Lion King’s Castle you might struggle to complete this at level 115 depending on your gear so leave and return as necessary. To access this content you’ll want to visit the special content tab of the Maple Guide and use the down area on the story section. Keep in mind that this content scales well past this level and completing it at level 190 or later to help you make the final level push to fifth job (200) is a viable tactic that some MapleStory players use.
• Dual Ghost Pirate [119] (26*) – Hidden Street: Unbalanced Time (Ludus Lake)
  As you reach the end of this level range you can consider taking the fight to a Dual Ghost Pirate Star Force map if you are on a strong character and can meet the 26 Star Force requirement. You’ll be unlikely to succeed here without decent Legion or Link Skills already available and solid gear to support it but if you tick these boxes it can be a high experience map up to your mid 120s. This map is located on Warped Path of Time 3 towards the bottom of the Clock Tower Bottom and then taking the top right portal. While the map seems large at first its actually easy to start from the top and work your way through the platforms before taking a hidden portal on the right side of the screen back up to the top floor.

Level 120 – 130

Continuing with a mixture of theme dungeons and training maps your decisions here will depend on your preferences to content and if you can meet Star Force requirements. Don’t forget to continue using Zakum and Monster Park for daily experience gains.

• Fantasy Theme World [120] – Maple Guide
  A fun smaller in length dungeon set at an amusement park as you help a NPC with his love troubles and accessed through the level 120 Maple Guide bubble. Following the storyline will earn you several levels and even if you don’t want to complete the full dungeon content there are many great training maps here.
• Korean Folk Town [125] – Maple Guide
  Another theme dungeon style piece of content which will progressively challenge you to head deeper and deeper into the training maps and one that I strongly recommend all players complete given its healthy experience and Meso gains. Along the way you’ll also encounter various side quests from the Wanted signs that should also be accepted for additional experience and Meso rewards. Similar to Fantasy Theme World this can be accessed from the Maple Guide directly and has a large number of good training maps at this location for those that don’t want to bother following a quest line.
• Moon Bunny [130] – Black Mountain: Entrance (Korean Folk Town)
  The first map of the Korean Folk Town that surrounds you with cute Moon Bunny monsters. This map is a fantastic training location and easily reached through the Maple Guide described above and an alternative for those that just want to grind away rather than completing the quests in this area.

Level 130 – 140

Korean Folk Town above remains viable all the way up to level 140 as you either do the quest or move between the various maps in this location. Outside of this players have another powerful Star Force map with high requirements so your decisions here will depend on your preferences to content and if you can meet Star Force requirements. This can also be a good level to add Easy Horntail and Normal Hilla based on your damage into your daily training mix for experience and items.

• Cerebes/Bain [134/136] (55*) – El Nath: The Cave of Trials II (El Nath)
  With the highest Star Force requirement yet this is going to be out of reach for most characters unless you are investing heavily in their gear upgrades (such as a main character or bossing mule). If you meet the Star Force though this is a fast fire themed map with strong spawns and can be accessed through the Maple Guide.
• Yellow Goblin [140] – Korean Folk Town: Goblin House (Korean Folk Town)
  While there are many great maps in this MapleStory location as highlighted above this map (along with Moon Bunny) are definitely the top tier options. If you’ve followed the Korean Folk Town quest line you’ll end up here anyway.

Level 140 – 150

Yellow Goblin above absolutely remain viable at this leveling range as they are a level 140 mob. During this stage you’ll unlock a rush of theme dungeons with good items or serve as important pre-quests as well to prioritise although most will carry over to level 150 and above. If you don’t need these pre-quests or items on your character though then stick to training on a specific map at Three Doors. During this stage you can also look to upgrade your Horntail bossing to Normal mode if your damage is high enough or wait until you reach level 150-160.

• Three Doors [140] – Maple Guide
  Serving as an important pre-quest to fighting Pink Bean who drops one of the best pocket items in MapleStory this is a key quest you’ll want to focus on. This quest primarily revolves around visiting each of the maps in the Temple of Time and killing hundreds of each monster which range from level 140 to 155. If you hit a wall when trying to complete any of these either swap to one of the other options in this level range or train at one of the maps at this location that is most efficient for your class (use battle analysis). For those players wanting to just grind away at a location and not do any quests I recommend you find a map at this location.
• Heizen Temple [140] – Maple Guide
  An important pre-quest to unlocking the Princess No fight and giving you access to Princess No secondary items and the Kanna, Ayame or Hayato Treasure drops. While you are unlikely to be able to kill Princess No at this stage having this quest on your radar is important and it provides decent experience for your troubles and you’ll want this unlocked later.
• Commercial Republic [140] – Maple Guide
  Another key theme dungeon as it gives you access to Commerci Voyages for end game face and eye accessory. This is a more difficult challenge compared to the other dungeons in this level range so starting at 143-145 is preferred.

Level 150 – 160

You can expect the difficulty of training to slowly ramp up here as you are close to exiting the early game of MapleStory. During this level range you can continue completing any of the dungeon content from the level range above and fighting any 150+ monster you feel comfortable with from that content (Three Doors has some of the best options). If you are on a fresh MapleStory account or a low geared mule you may find from this point onwards you need to stick to previous areas recommended in this training guide. This is particularly the case for Reboot players as from here onwards the HP curve of monsters increases rapidly.

• Kerning Tower [145] – Maple Guide
  While available in the 140 Maple Guide section (and the 150) waiting until 150 to tackle the Kerning Tower quest content is often a good approach. This is because the levels of monsters you need to fight quickly tip over the 150 mark and they start to hit hard from here on that adds another challenge to weak MapleStory classes. Similar to other level ranges if you don’t want to follow along with the entire quest line then find a map that you feel comfortable on with your class (two suggestions below). Note that there are several Star Force maps here as well to consider if you meet the requirements.
• Enraged Espresso Machine [155] (80*) – Kerning Tower 2F: Cafe <4> (Kerning Tower)
  With a high Star Force requirement this might be out of reach for many that aren’t gearing up their characters as you progress in levels as you’ll effectively need most of your equipment slots at 10/11 stars each. If can hit this requirement though this map has high density and fantastic experience returns. For those that can’t train here going one map o the left (Kerning Tower 2F Cafe <3>) is a viable alternative which features Enraged Espresso Machines at a lower monster level of 149 and includes Grape Jelly Juice (level 148).
• Deadly Dressing Table [155] – Kerning Tower 5F: Cosmetics Shops <3> (Kerning Tower)
  An alternative option for those that can’t hit the Star Force requirements to fight against the level 155 Enraged Espresso Machines. This map is one of the smaller variants in the Kerning Tower with good mob grouping and size that makes it one to level your characters on even beyond level 160.

Level 160 – 170

For the powerful MapleStory classes and accounts you’ve got a range of boss options that start to become simple affairs as your Hyper Skills start to come online. This can include previously difficult challenges such as Normal Root Abyss, Horntail and Von Leon. Don’t forget to continue to use Monster Park diligently each day while tackling the leveling guide areas below. Prior to level 162 and unlocking Future Henesys you should stay at the previous training locations and if you are on Reboot you can expect to stay in the previous locations even longer for most players.

• Future Henesys [162] – Maple Guide
  Available through the Maple Guide this will transport players to a future version of Henesys, it can also be accessed through the Temple of Time at any point from thereon. Following this quest line can give you plenty of experience although it’s equally viable to sit at one of the training maps here with some locations all the way up to level 200.
• Mutant Orange Mushroom [164] – Singing Mushroom Forest Ruins: Dark Spore Hill (Gate of Future)
  One of the better early maps available in the Future Henesys location this is one map outside of the Henesys Ruins. It has a simple 3 platform area that is not spaced too far apart and gives you plenty of space to try minimise damage taken as they can hit weaker characters hard. Players can also try out the maps right of Future Henesys that have Mutant Slime and Ribbon Pigs although these enemies are tougher at level 166 and 168 while having slightly higher map complexity.
• Omega Sector [165] – Maple Guide
  Accessed through the Maple Guide this is the start of a lengthy alien themed quest line that again can be done if you’d rather not sit in a single map and does take you through areas of the Mothership that are great training spots. With monsters going all the way up to 179 in this area you’ll likely have to stop and level up a number of times anyway as you progress through Omega Sector.
• Mateon/Plateon [165/167] – Omega Sector: Boswell Field IV (Omega Sector)
  Moving 4 maps to the left of Omega Sector Base (despite the world map visual showing these to the right) you’ll find this field of Mateon and Plateon aliens for training. The majority of mob spawn is on the ground with one small ledge to the left of the map that most characters should be able to reach to clear some of the monsters. There are some awkward hills on this map though so if you find this unsuitable to your class you can try Boswell Field III or II instead that are flatter in design but slightly more spaced out.

Level 170 – 180

For those following this MapleStory training guide you’ll find this level range is mostly a repeat of the above with locations of Future Henesys and Omega Sector, albeit different maps and monsters. Level 170 does bring some new themed locations that have their own unique rewards though so shouldn’t be passed over.

• Kritias [170] – Maple Guide
  While unlocked at level 170 this is not an area you’ll complete overnight and can easily take to late 180s and even 190 depending on your character strength. The completion stamp is great though as there are MapleStory dailies here that allow you to purchase boss reset tickets to fight more bosses each week for Mesos and items and does require some pre-quest content to be completed. There are a multitude of decent training maps here as well so don’t be afraid to stay in one spot if you find one that works for you while questing here. Even the first few maps here are surprisingly effectively as a leveling location.
• Ninja Castle [170] – Maple Guide
  An absolute must complete as you can earn a 30 day toad pet from the boss here with 3 attempts each day that makes the completion stamp extremely useful. If you’re on Reboot or Normal servers looking for an easy to acquire a MapleStory pet outside of Hard Hilla then this is the free option to pursue. Note that this content includes a maze phase so using a Ninja Castle guide is recommended.
• Gray Commuter Saucer [173] – Inside the Mothership: Corridor 204 (Omega Sector)
  If you’ve been confidentially fighting the aliens outside of the mothership players can click on the Intergalactic Transmitter on Boswell Field IV to move into the mothership itself. One of the first potential maps here is Corridor 204 and characters with high jumping attacks will perform the best here by moving along the bottom floor for the most part. Corridor 202 is also another great map here but you’ll be fighting Gray Luxury Saucer instead that are a higher level of 175.
• Advanced Knight A [177] – Knight Stronghold: Knights’ Chamber 1 (Gate of Future)
  As you start pushing 180 this is a viable map for classes that have a vertical jump or can hit the top platform from below as there are just two platforms of high density knights although they have some serious space between them so not ideal for everyone. This area can be reached from exploring out from Future Henesys using the World Map.

Level 180 – 190

A level range that offers much of the same and a good opportunity to revisit content from level 160 onwards that you were previously unable to complete if you want the completions stamps or rewards for your character you are training.

• Gray Commuter Saucer/Gray Luxury Saucer [178/180] (140*) – Inside The Mothership: Corridor H02 (Omega Sector)
  Offering the best experience at this stage it comes at a steep Star Force requirement of 140. For most this will be out of reach but if it’s possible for your character you’ll have no problem clearing this map quickly at that high Star Force level.
• Advanced Knight A/B/C/D/E [177/179/180/182/184] – Knight Stronghold: Hall of Honor (Gate of Future)
  A map that combines all of the Advanced Knights and offers a suitable map with 3 platforms and hidden portal at the bottom to return players to the top platform and is accessible through Future Henesys Maple Guide or a direct Maple Guide option (170 and 180 Knight Stronghold Entrance). The issue with this map though is that due to the level range of enemies you can have an awkward kill speed. For example you might be able to kill Knight A in two hits but Knight E might take 3 or 4 so test this out for yourself to see if its appropriate.

Level 190 – 200

The final push to level 200 and your fifth job advancement which will then allow you to unlock the Arcane River. Continue completing any content discussed above that you consider a priority and fight monsters as high as you can realistically do on this guide. For Reboot this might mean staying in the 180-190 section for a while or focusing on gearing up through bossing before continuing. If you didn’t complete Monad earlier (from the 110 – 120 range of this training guide) now is a good opportunity to return to that as you’ll earn a few levels.

• Twilight Perion [180] – Maple Guide
  Another location in the Gate of Future that takes players to Perion this time around and a place you’ll visit regularly all the way up to level 200 and sometimes beyond. While originally available in the level 180 bubble of the Maple Guide I would not bother coming here before 190. Either follow the quest lines here or focus solely on training at the maps listed below for faster leveling.
• Haven [190] – Maple Guide
  The Haven Maple Guide option is unlocked at level 190 but to be clear this should be avoided until you are in your early 200s and even level 210. It is included here though as the introductory quest can provide around 50% experience of an entire level and requires players to only perform some basic actions. For this reason it’s popular for players to reach level 199 and 50% before completing this quest for the final push to 200.
• Swollen Stump [190] – Twilight Period: Deserted Southern Ridge (Gate of Future)
  If you can fight the stumps effectively this is a surprisingly effective map for its size as the mob destiny is top tier. For optimal training stay on the top three of the four platforms and use the hidden map portal on the left rocky mountain to move up while jumping down the ledges. Desolate Hills can be an alternative map with less platforms although a wider spawn area. Depending on your characters strength you might be staying at one of these all the way until level 200.
• Sinister Rocky Mask [195] – Twilight Period: Forsaken Excavation Site 2 (Gate of Future)
  One of the most popular maps in all of this MapleStory training guide and commonly referred to in the community as FES2. Like most of the strong experience maps this features three platforms of high spawn and a hidden portal towards the bottom right to take you to the top left of the map as required. Given its popularity it can be difficult to obtain a high burning map so sometimes Deserted Southern Ridge at higher burning levels can actually be faster.

Level 200 – 210

You’ve finally made it to level 200 and your fifth job advancement where the real MapleStory game begins through Arcane Dailies and party quests. You should aim to complete these for all Arcane River content you can access from here and these in themselves can provide double digit percentage points of experience in the process. Players now also need to factor in Arcane Force requirements into their training regime both meeting the initial requirement and if you can reach 150% of the requirement you’ll do bonus damage.

• Happy Erda [200] (30*) – Lake of Oblivion: Weathered Land of Happiness (Vanishing Journey)
  Realistically on a fresh level 200 you are unlikely to have much success beyond the first map to the right of Vanishing Journey. This map has decent layout with a hidden portal to take you back to the top while you alternate between left and right sides and features the weakest mob in this area at level 200 and only requires 30 Arcane Power. As you get stronger you can also look to fight Raging Erda (level 201) at the Weathered Land of Rage and Sad Erda (level 202) at the Weathered Land of Sorrow that have similarly decent maps and the same low 30 Arcane Force.
• Blazing Erda [205] (40*) – Extinction Zone: Fire Zone (Vanishing Journey)
  When you reach the minimum 40 Arcane Force required and provided you have the damage I recommend moving to this map, while larger it has fantastic spawn and a simple layout that lets you go from top to bottom killing mobs and use a hidden portal on the bottom to go straight up again. If you can meet the high Arcane Power requirement of Below The Cave (60) then you can also consider that.
• Reverse City [205] – Maple Guide
  Reverse City is a worthwhile dungeon piece of content that is available from level 205 and unlocks a wealth of better training locations for your character that you should move to as soon as available. The quest line will take around an hour of your time and provides okay experience in its own right.
• Erda Rat [205] (40*) – Reverse City: Subway Tunnel 1 (Reverse City)
  The introductory map of Reverse City alone blows your Vanishing Journey options out of the water and should be transitioned to when possible. With 3 reasonably tight platforms many classes can jump attack their way through this map and hit everything comfortably. Don’t expect to be here for long though as you should move along to the Reverse City map below when your damage allows it given the Arcane Power requirement is the same.
• Seeker T-Drone Model A [206] (40*) – Reverse City: T-Boy’s Research Train 1 (Reverse City)
  Another fantastic Reverse City map that is mostly concentrated around two platforms in reach of even more characters and why its a top pick for rapidly clearing the map. While there is one third platform this can be reached by some classes or a vital location for your summons to handle any mob spawns there.
• Strong Seeker T-Drone Model A/B [210/210] (100*) – Reverse City: Hidden Research Train (Reverse City)
  A viable map all the way up to 220 for some classes and allows you to skip the mediocre maps offered by Chu Chu Island (do your own battle analysis though). The only thing that will stop you reaching this point is the 100 Arcane requirement that can take some time to build up depending how fast you’ve progressed through the Arcane River thus far, the higher level of these monsters at 210 also means you’ll probably want to hold out until 150 Arcane for that bonus damage.

Level 210 – 220

Continuing your Arcane River journey players can spend these levels staying in Reverse City without major issue and layering it with your new daily tasks and party quest. For those that want some alternative maps though there are a few potential options that offer comparable experience gains.

• Angry Flyon/Ripe Wolfruit [213/213] (100*) – Slurpy Forest: Slurpy Forest Depths (Chu Chu Island)
  The best available map for this area sits at the end of a long path but worth the journey given it’s simple vertical layout and standard hidden portal that makes vertical movement easy. If you can’t find an available map on your server then Dealie-Bobber Forest 1 and Bitty-Bobble Forest 1 are viable alternatives as they have a similar level of enemy and the exact same Arcane Power requirement.
• Yum Yum Island [215] – Maple Guide
  Following a similar formula to the previous level range after 5 levels in the area you’ll unlock additional dungeon content that gives you an hour long quest to follow and unlock some juicy experience maps (one in particular that is recommended and noted below).
• Potent Lytone/Potent Stonepy [220/220] (190*) – Yum Yum Island Hidden Illiard Field (Yum Yum Island)
  Pushing the Arcane required to 190 players ability to train here effectively will depend on your speed of progression. Outside of events that give you level boosting methods though most players should have accumulated this amount if doing dailies diligently. Like all the other popular training maps to this point you have a tight three platform setup supported by a hidden portal in the bottom right corner to reset your rotation or move back and forth instead as you stay in the middle of the platform depending on your class.

Level 220 – 230

In this level range players transition to Lachelein The Dreaming City although staying on Yum Yum Island can often be fruitful as the maps there are regularly overlooked which means they can have high burning in comparison to Lachelein maps. This is also one of the last level ranges of interesting training locations with your post level 230 being generally limited to a small number of maps or very class specific maps on the grind to level 275.

• Gallus [222] (210*) – Lachelein Night Market: Chicken Festival 2 (Lachelein)
  The entry level map for this new area and a good alternative for some classes to the community meta maps as you’ll find good burning here. The trade off for this map is the high second platform that means only classes with effective summons, up movement options or large hitbox attacks can train here effectively. If you’re aren’t one of these classes then stick with Hidden Illiard Field or try push to Revelation Place 3 if your damage allows it.
• Insane Masquerade Citizen/Angry Masquerade Citizen [224/223] (210*) – Lachelein Ballroom: Revelation Place 3 (Lachelein)
  The most popular map in this area with players setting up any available summon on the left awkwardly sized platform to deal with that completely. Otherwise this map features a tight platform layout horizontally and vertically that means little movement as you clear the map.
• Dreamkeeper [226] (210*) – Lachelein Clocktower: Nightmare Clocktower 2F (Lachelein)
  An overlooked option due to awkward maps in the clocktower but this one comes with several flat platforms as you work your way vertically down through the map. A hidden portal to the bottom right corner is key to making this workable although this is a class dependant map based on your movement options and main attacking skills.

Level 230 – 240

From here on there are many variables to finding a great map which includes competing against the player base to find a high burning map or if you’re on normal servers paying for your own frenzy service. Layering this with your class, key powerful progression points (like Night Lord reaching a 1 hit on their Assassin Marks). For this reason from here on you’ll need to use the MapleStory experience you’ve gained so far and battle analysis to find what is most efficient for you but these maps are a good starting point.

• Snow Cloud Spirit/Thunder Cloud Spirit [233/234] (320*) – Arcana: Between Frost and Thunder 2 (Arcana)
• Befuddled Spirit [237] (360*) – Arcana: Cavern Lower Path (Arcana)
• Befuddled Spirit/Mournful Spirit [237/239] (360*) – Arcana: Deep in the Cavern – Lower Path 1 (Arcana)
• Mournful Spirit/Discordant Spirit [239/240] (360*) – Arcana: Labyrinthine Cavern – Upper Path (Arcana)

Level 240 – 250

Morass is generally ignored in terms of training maps as it lacks anything that can outpace those noted above in the 230-240 zone due to the poor map designs. That being said players do unlock Esfera at level 235 in the maple Guide that provides some useful hunting grounds although most players prefer not to move here until level 240 and if not 245 to bolster their Arcane Power to meet the ever increasing requirements and because the best maps have a minimum monster level of 244.

• Aranya [244] (600*) – Esfera: Mirror-touched Sea 2 (Esfera)
• Aranya/Aranea [244/245] (600*) – Esfera: Mirror-touched Sea 3 (Esfera)
• Deeper of Darkness [247] (600*) – Esfera: Mirror-touched Sea 7 (Esfera)

Level 250 – 275

With players unlocking Limina at level 255 this is your primary goal to start the grind towards level 275 and is likely to be your training home for a while. In order to bridge the gap between 250 and 255 you’ll either want to stick to Esfera or spend some time in Tenebris based on the best experience rates factoring in your class and character power level.

While you will eventually unlock Cernium (260), Burning Cernium (265) and Hotel Arcus (270) in Grandis you’ll have to contend with building up your Authentic Force symbols (**) to progress through these zones and the large jump in damage requirements before they become effective options. Players also need to weigh up the differences in the drops (familiars and droplets) that can obtained between Liminia and the post 260 zones currently that may also influence your decision if you favour these drops over higher experience rates.

Several good Cernium training maps are included below that have low Authentic Force requirements to start your training regime in these high level regions and can comfortably bring players to level 270. As players move into Burning Cernium and Hotel Arcus your location choice will be mostly limited by your accumulated Authentic Force which will slowly grow with dedication over time. As a general rule beyond Cernium players will want to find a balance between fighting on the highest Authentic Force requirement map they can reach provided they can maintain a fast monster kill rate given your damage and class specific abilities (movement and attack range).

• Dark Miscreation/Dark Construct [256/256] (760*) – Tenebris: Labyrinth of Suffering Interior 5 (Tenebris)
• Ascendion/Foreberion [262/263] (880*) – Limina: End of the World 1-5(Limina)
• Monster Gull [261] (50**) – Cernium Western City Ramparts 1 (Cernium)
• Fire Spirit [262] (50**) – Cernium Eastern City Ramparts 3 (Cernium)
• Wandering Scholar Ghost [263] (50**) – Royal Library Section 2 (Cernium)

Written by

Samuel Franklin

Samuel Franklin is the founder and lead editor of the Games Finder team and enjoys video games across all genres and platforms.

Sam has played MapleStory since beta with thousands of Steam hours played and regularly returns to the game for the MMO progression curve, boss challenges and community it offers. His favourite class is his level 226 Night Lord for its fast ranged attacks and solo boss potential who is currently exploring the ends of the Arcane River while building up Legion characters on the Scania server.