Become a Master Assassin on Maple Story

The Explorer Assassins are some of the most popular classes on MapleStory. They throw stars and can use MP to increase the Speed and Jump of their party members. Here is how to make your character a master assassin.

Steps

  1. An Assassin is a class of Thief that uses throwing stars with a claw. They can deal quite high amounts of damage very early on, and are one of the best classes both early and late in levels.
  2. There are two class groups that have assassins available - Explorers and Cygnus Knights. Cygnus Knights are much faster to level (they gain 10% of their EXP bar each level up for free and get +6 ability points per level instead of +5), but they are limited to level 120. Normal Explorers, however, have a limit of level 200, and are a bit more flexible.
  3. When you begin, simply follow the instructions and complete each quest given. For Explorers, this should get you near enough to level 10 (remember to talk to Olaf at Lith Harbour), at which point you can catch the cab to Kerning City and talk to the Dark Lord to become a thief (found inside the thieves' hideout, in the middle of the city). For Cygnus, stop as soon as you reach level 10 and make the job advancement with Eckhart.
  4. At this point, you have a choice of your AP (ability point) build. There are three types: Dexless, Low-dex and Regular dex. The more DEX you put in, the less money you will have to spend on equips, but the less powerful you will be. If you are starting fresh with no money, just go for regular dex. The rest of your AP goes into LUK.
    • Regular Dex just auto-assigns DEX until you reach your cap (most players choose to cap around 80-110)
    • Low-Dex thieves cap their dex much lower, around 40-60 usually. This is more of a balance between power and practicality.
    • Dexless thieves add no dex whatsoever to the starting 25 DEX. This means you need more money as you will have to buy special equips that don't require DEX. The trade-off is that you have much higher damage, as your damage is mostly influenced by LUK.
  5. This is a recommended Skill Build for 1st Job. Put one point into Lucky Seven to start training (you should ALWAYS use it for everything, never normal attack). Next you max Keen Eyes so that you can act like a proper ranged class, before pumping L7. Nimble Body is very helpful, and Dark Sight is huge later on but not that useful yet, so it comes last. The extra 3 points arbitrarily go into Double Stab, as they must all be spent before advancing. Night Walkers should replace Double Stab with Night.
    • Level 10: +1 Lucky Seven (1)
    • Level 11: +3 Nimble Body (3)
    • Level 12: +3 Keen Eyes (3)
    • Level 13: +2 Keen Eyes (MAX), +1 Lucky Seven (2)
    • Level 14: +3 Lucky Seven (5)
    • Level 15: +3 Lucky Seven (8)
    • Level 16: +3 Lucky Seven (11)
    • Level 17: +3 Lucky Seven (14)
    • Level 18: +3 Lucky Seven (17)
    • Level 19: +3 Lucky Seven (MAX)
    • Level 20: +3 Nimble Body (6)
    • Level 21: +3 Nimble Body (9)
    • Level 22: +3 Nimble Body (12)
    • Level 23: +3 Nimble Body (15)
    • Level 24: +3 Nimble Body (18)
    • Level 25: +2 Nimble Body (MAX), +1 Disorder (1)
    • Level 26: +2 Disorder (3), +1 Dark Sight (1)
    • Level 27: +3 Dark Sight (4)
    • Level 28: +3 Dark Sight (7)
    • Level 29: +3 Dark Sight (MAX)
    • Level 30: +3 Double Stab (3)
  6. At the end, you should have:
    • Nimble Body: 20 (Max)
    • Lucky Seven: 20 (Max)
    • Keen Eyes: 5 (Max)
    • Dark Sight: 10 (Max)
    • Disorder: 3
    • Double Stab: 3
    • Total SP Spent: 61
  7. Go back to the Dark Lord/Eckhart. They will give you a task so you can get your second job advancement. You are now an Assassin!
  8. Second Job Skill Build: First off you want to max Critical Throw, as high criticals will give a huge boost to damage. Next you max Haste for its insane mobility - you will fly through maps. Put 5 points into Booster so it lasts for nearly a minute and it's not such a pain to activate. Then Mastery to stabilise your damage (mastery boosts your minimum damage, which increases your average damage and makes it swing less wildly), followed by Drain - you'll never need HP pots again! - and Booster winds up at 11. While Booster is good, it's only a minor pain to reactivate and none of the other skills can be sacrificed (including Shadow Resistance - 10% HP Boost plus Elemental resistance is really good)
    • Level 30: +1 Claw Mastery (1)
    • Level 31: +2 Claw Mastery (3), +1 Critical Throw (1)
    • Level 32: +3 Critical Throw (4)
    • Level 33: +3 Critical Throw (7)
    • Level 34: +3 Critical Throw (10)
    • Level 35: +3 Critical Throw (13)
    • Level 36: +3 Critical Throw (16)
    • Level 37: +3 Critical Throw (19)
    • Level 38: +3 Critical Throw (22)
    • Level 39: +3 Critical Throw (25)
    • Level 40: +3 Critical Throw (28)
    • Level 41: +2 Critical Throw (MAX), +1 Claw Mastery (4)
    • Level 42: +1 Claw Mastery (5), +2 Claw Booster (2)
    • Level 43: +3 Claw Booster (5)
    • Level 44: +3 Haste (3)
    • Level 45: +3 Haste (6)
    • Level 46: +3 Haste (9)
    • Level 47: +3 Haste (12)
    • Level 48: +3 Haste (15)
    • Level 49: +3 Haste (18)
    • Level 50: +2 Haste (MAX), +1 Claw Mastery (6)
    • Level 51: +3 Claw Mastery (9)
    • Level 52: +3 Claw Mastery (12)
    • Level 53: +3 Claw Mastery (15)
    • Level 54: +3 Claw Mastery (18)
    • Level 55: +2 Claw Mastery (MAX), +1 Drain (1)
    • Level 56: +3 Drain/Vampire (4)
    • Level 57: +3 Drain/Vampire (7)
    • Level 58: +3 Drain/Vampire(10)
    • Level 59: +3 Drain/Vampire (13)
    • Level 60: +3 Drain/Vampire (16)
    • Level 61: +3 Drain/Vampire (19)
    • Level 62: +1 Drain/Vampire (MAX), +2 Claw Booster (7)
    • Level 63: +3 Claw Booster (10)
    • Level 64: +1 Claw Booster (11), +2 Shadow Resistance (2)
    • Level 65: +3 Shadow Resistance (5)
    • Level 66: +3 Shadow Resistance (8)
    • Level 67: +3 Shadow Resistance (11)
    • Level 68: +3 Shadow Resistance (14)
    • Level 69: +3 Shadow Resistance (17)
    • Level 70: +3 Shadow Resistance (20)

Equipment

      • Hat: Valefor Hat (Level 18 Quest from Dark Lord), Zakum Helmet (Level 50), Scarlion Hat (DEX, level 70), Targa Hat (LUK, level 70), New World Bandana (Quest from Cassandra, reach level 70 in a new world in less than a month), Chaos Zakum Helmet (Level 100)
    • Clothes: For Regular DEX, just get the thief clothes for your level, purchasable from the shop in Kerning City. For all others, make a 10 DEX bathrobe. Go to Mushroom Shrine through Spinel, the World Tour guide, and keep going right until you get to Showa Town. Go inside the bathhouse, and buy a Bathrobe. Then, go into the Kerning city swamp (deep inside the subway) and find Tulcus. Buy ten 100% Overall Armour for DEX scrolls and use them all. Voila! That will last you until around level 70.
    • Attack Work Gloves - 6att is around 25m, 8att around 150m, 10att around 300m, so pick whatever suits your budget. Buy from the Free Market, or buy one with NX from the MTS.
    • 1-4 Zombie Army Rings - around 5-8m each. Buy from the Free Market. These are most useful for Low-dex, but good for three types. If you know Accessory crafting, equip some DEX or LUK rings. You can do the Silent Crusade quests for rings with weapon attack.
    • Weapon: For Dexless, you need to get specific Maple Weapons for your claw, as these don't require any DEX. Use the beginner Claw until you get to the respective level for Maple Claw (35), Chaos Adamantium Guards (35), Maple Kandayo (43), 1st Unwelcome Guest Claw (47) Shinobi Bracer (55), Maple Skanda (64), 2nd Unwelcome Guest Claw (67) Maple Pyrope Skanda (77), 3rd Unwelcome Guest Claw (87), Last Unwelcome Guest Claw (107), VIP Claw (127). Note that you don't always need to upgrade your claw every time, that would be too expensive.
    • Weapon: For Reg/Low DEX, just get the level appropriate claw. Don't worry too much about upgrading every 10 levels, you can afford to skip quite a few. Most can't be bought in shops, so get them in the Free Market for cheap.
    • Stars: The basic stars are terrible (+15att), as are even the best ones you can buy in shops (+20att). As soon as you can, upgrade to Steely Throwing-Knives (+25att). They should be around 500k-1m in the Free Market, get at least 2-3 sets for cheap. Later on you will need around 5-6 sets, unless you want to be recharging every 10-15 minutes.

Training Locations

  1. These places have stood the test of time. While some other spots might look good at first, these have been shown as by far the best of the bunch, so don't try to deviate too much. Within these, you still have a lot of choice. Rating given out of 10.
    • Level 10-18: 8/10 Blue Ribbon Beach (Nautilus)
    • Level 18-30: 9/10 Rotting Skeletons (New Leaf City Haunted House, first map up chimney, hard to find so ask someone in-game)
    • Level 18-26: 7/10 Stone/Dark/Mixed Golems (Henesys)
    • Level 24-30: 8/10 Zombie Lupins (Ellinia)
    • Level 30-35: 10/10 Mushroom Kingdom Theme Dungeon (Henesys; you get teleported there when you start)
    • Level 35-45: 9/10 Kerning Square CDs (very top level of Kerning Square)
    • Level 45-60: 9/10 Dead Scarecrows (same as Rotting Skeletons, second map in chimney), PvP Ice Knight
    • Level 50-60 7/10 Drakes (Sleepywood), PvP Team Match (Dexless)
    • Level 55-60 8/10 Toy Trojans (Ludibrium)
    • Level 60-70 9/10 PvP Free for All (you are now good enough to compete)
    • Level 65-85 10/10 Twisted Jesters (same as Skeletons/Scarecrows, 3rd map at very top)
    • Level 85-105 9/10 MP3 (Mysterious Path 3), PvP
    • Level 95-110 10/10 Galloperas, PvP

Tips

  • Sell your fame for money. You can fame/defame only once per day, so fame becomes a valuable commodity to those who need it. Go up to people spamming S>FAME and sell it for 50-100k. Doing this every day will help get your wallet kick-started. Just try not to get scammed, as people can easily just walk off after you fame them and refuse to give you money. But if it works 2 out of 3 times, you're still making money.
  • Don't get scammed. Until you know what you're doing, only trade the 'official' way (items and money in ONE trade window at a time) - don't drop-trade, don't 'lend' stuff (you won't get it back), etc. Be very suspicious of people initially, unless it's a simple item-for-money trade.
  • When you reach Level 36, do the first Subani's Legacy Quest. It gives you a scroll worth 10-15m in the Free Market. Catch the subway from Kerning to New Leaf City, and once there, go inside the huge tower on the right hand side. At the bottom, talk to John Barricade. Kill the monsters and return for basically free money.
  • Don't change your claw often. Get an upgraded claw and change it every 15 levels.
  • Be nice to people - they will be nice in return. You can often get free money, free stuff, or good advice and in-game assistance from friends you make. Don't be a jerk, or everyone will simply defame you and you'll be the one red-faced and friendless at the end.
  • Don't upgrade your equipment at every opportunity. Save up your money for more valuable things.
  • Use your level 1 equip ( and Garnier) till level 15, then change armour at level 20. After level 30, change armour only every ten levels.
  • If you are regular DEX, learn Smithing. This is because you can save money on buying equipment. If you are low DEX or Dexless, learn Accessory Crafting or Alchemy so you can make accessories or potions with DEX or LUK to compromise for your low DEX.
  • Do not KS (kill steal - deliberately killing other players monsters to take their EXP gain). It is infuriating to other players and will only get you defamed and harassed (believe me, this is not a good thing in Maple AT ALL).
  • Join a good guild - you can get a lot of benefit from fellow guild members.

Warnings

  • Try to avoid dying. While this might seem obvious, keep an eye on your HP at all times and make sure you don't get caught out by lag - sometimes you can die before your potion takes effect. If you die a lot, it can really slow you down a lot (around 10%-5% depending on your Ambition level).
  • Always check prices on stuff before your buy or sell them. Many players are out there for personal gain, even if it rips others off at insane prices. As much as your first 100k, 1m or 10m might seem, consider that it might be worth ten times as much before you sell (or ten times less if you're buying), and price check at places like basilmarket.com.

Things You'll Need

  • MapleStory
  • A Nexon ID
  • NX (optional)
  • A PC or a Mac with Bootcamp
  • Internet connection

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

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