Highlights

• Khali is a new class in Maplestory that excels in mobbing but struggles in boss fights due to its high execution requirements.
• The Pathfinder class is an Archer-type character that stands out for its creative gameplay mechanics and strong mobbing capabilities.
• Night Walker is a Thief class that shines in boss fights and has improved mobbing potential, making it a great pick for players who love the "shadowy edgy ninja" aesthetic.

When Maplestory initially launched back in 2003 (that's 20 years online, and counting), only four different classes were available. These classes, known as Explorers, were Warrior, Magician, Thief, and Archer. On top of that, there were different branches of jobs for advancement that essentially functioned as the players 'Job'. Warriors had Heroes, Paladins, and Dark Knight (with all the advancements in between). Each Job had a multitude of advancements between the starting class and the ending class. Originally there were only three 'Jobs' for players to advance to, but as time went on, new classes were added, the max level was raised, and more advancements were added. Currently, as of February 2023, most classes can reach a '5th Job'.

Now everyone knows that Maplestory is all about min-maxing just how quickly a player can completely wipe the screen of enemies. The quicker they can do this and the higher numbers of damage they inflict while doing this, the more bragging rights they earn. It's sort of a self-reliant cycle where players try to clear enemies quickly so they can grind levels to unlock new Jobs or Skills to clear enemies even quicker and so on. So, which Classes are the absolute best at this? Let's take a look.

Updated November 2nd, 2023 by Jacob Buchalter: Classes in Maplestory somehow feel like they jump up and down the 'meta tier list' so much more often than classes in other MMORPGs seem to. Whether it's the New Age update, the Savior update, or even one of the older big updates, class rankings are constantly rising and falling in this game, and that keeps things interesting. With that in mind, let's take another look at some of the best classes in this MMO as of November 2023 and see how they stack up against each other.

20 Khali

The Wind Of Vengeance

Despite how new Khali is, this class sadly hasn't received the typical 'new Maplestory class' buff where they're completely overpowered for a period after their launch. Khali isn't bad by any means, and it has fantastic mobbing potential, it just struggles in the bossing department a bit. Void Rush is Khali's standout Skill and it's a bit of a double-edged sword.

This skill is what enables Khali to be so incredibly mobile while mobbing and makes jumping around maps a lot of fun, but it's also their main tool against bosses, and that can be awkward. Essentially, Khali just has to work for their damage and it has a relatively high bar for execution, which puts it near the lower end of the rankings, at least for now.

19 Pathfinder

The Cursed Wanderer Of The Ancient Bow

Now typically, Archer-type characters are always relatively popular in games and anime, but they never rank among the top. There are many possible reasons for this, such as people not thinking that the bow is a 'cool' weapon, the fact that archers are often pigeonholed into certain types of skills, and the list goes on. But, in MapleStory, the Archers are absurdly strong, and the Pathfinder is a great example.

And, as far as archers go, the Pathfinder is really creative in its execution. Instead of constantly worrying about ammo, Pathfinders use a magical resource called 'Cardinal Force'. Instead of just having different types of shots that use extra or fewer arrows, many of Pathfinder's Skills have an Emblem attached to it that will change the symbol seen in the Pathfinder's Relic Gauge. Depending on the emblem, Pathfinder's Skills may work differently or have different effects. This creates a real 'mix-and-match' playstyle for the Pathfinder, and it works incredibly well, given that this class is one of the best mobbing options out there currently.

18 Night Walker

Summoner Of Umbra, The Spirit Of Darkness

Night Walkers are pretty diverse when it comes to dishing out damage. Being the 'thieves' of the Cygnus Knights, they're capable of attacking quickly and use throwing stars in a lot of their Skills to deal damage. Like a lot of Thief classes, this means players will be refilling on Throwing Stars quite often while grinding (which makes up most of MapleStory's gameplay loop).

While most Classes on here are ones that are great at mobbing, the Night Walker isn't, or at least wasn't until Cygnus Knights as a whole were buffed and Night Walkers in particular had a lot of small changes to make their mobbing better. In any case, the class is still one that shines in boss fights rather than in mobbing situations and is a great pick for anyone in love with the 'shadowy edgy ninja' aesthetic.

17 Ark

The Specter Of The Abyssal Path

Next up is a Pirate Class, believe it or not, compared to how it looks based on compared to other famous pirates. It's Ark, a class that has actually fallen a lot in popularity in 2022-2023 due to the Ignition Update improving a lot of classes more than it.

Still, Ark is a class with fantastic mobbing skills, absurdly large AoE attacks, a lot of edgy dark magic, and a lot of attacks that move it around a map. While its transformation is one of the shortest in the game, the Class is still good enough outside of that to warrant putting it on here.

16 Kanna

Oda Nobunaga's Number One Enemy

Yet another amazing mobbing class with a unique mana system, it's Kanna. Kannas are a class that's obviously inspired by the Onmyoji of Japanese Folklore based on the way Kanna dresses and the fact that they use Shikigami.

Kanna's Mana system passively recovers over time whenever it isn't topped off, but it also spawns these Mana Veins around each map when Kanna uses certain skills. When Kanna stands in these, their Mana recovery rate is massively increased. Overall, Kanna is just another more 'modern' Maplestory class with incredibly visually appealing Skills and amazing mobbing potential. Plus, it's one of the only classes with an ability that actually increases the Spawn Rate of nearby mobs (which of course means faster farming).

15 Illium

A Survivor Of The Verdant Flora & Wielder Of The Lucent Gauntlet

The Flora are one of the more recent races introduced into the MapleStory universe, and the Illium class is one of them. This is a Magician Class that uses all types of 'ancient' magic to fly or teleport all around, mobbing enemies with ease using their Radiant Orb and Radiant Javelin skills. The high-mobility playstyle takes a bit of getting used to (especially positioning his orb) and their bossing DPS is near the middle of the pack (though on the lower side) but overall this class is just very solid.

14 Thunder Breaker

A Storm Lover & Cygnus Knight Blessed By Lightning

The way that MapleStory handles the concept of a 'pirate' is one of the easiest things to point to and prove how unique this game's classes are. For players that want to dish out melee damage close up but also like the thrill of 'spellcasting', Thunder Breaker offers a great middle-ground. These storm-loving Pirates are capable of chaining together their weather-based attacks and abilities, giving them great maneuverability and damage output. Honestly, while grinding maps with them, it's very easy to lose track of the player character behind all of the gigantic electric effects and other visuals behind their Skills.

They require a bit more button presses during grinding than other classes and their bossing is mid-range at best, but Thunder Breakers have to be one of the smoothest classes to mob with since they move so fast, have so much maneuverability, and have Skills that cover so much screen space.

13 Dawn Warrior

A Soldier Of Truth, The Light In The Darkness

Those looking for a more 'traditional' warrior in the Cygnus Knights can opt for Dawn Warrior, a class with interchangeability on the battlefield. These powerful damage dealers can use one-handed or two-handed swords and have multiple mechanics revolving around their stance switching.

This is another Class that was massively improved with the Knights of Cygnus rework and the Dawn Warrior is better at mobbing now than ever before. With tons of maneuverability, a whole lot of large AoE (and visually appealing Skills), and way too many dashes with invincibility frames, the Dawn Warriors' DPS output is honestly absurd.

12 Hero

A True Warrior & Weapons Specialist

Heros are powerful 4th Job melee Warriors that use 'combos' to help increase their damage against enemies. Their attacks will generate special orbs that can be collected to increase their overall damage for a certain duration. They're also capable of consuming these orbs using certain Skills to debuff their enemies.

Their main ability is a specialized skill called Enrage, which lets them focus on fewer enemies but increases their damage. To put it bluntly, the Warrior is a great class for bossing due to Enrage but it also can clear maps incredibly well in the right hands thanks to the whole combo orbs system.

11 Zero

The Child Of The Goddess

Zero, or to be more accurate the combined class called Zero consisting of Alpha and Beta, has to be one of the more inventive things that MapleStory has ever done. This class breaks away from the norm in a myriad of ways. For one, they start at level 100. Two, players using Zero are actually controlling two characters with their own separate HP and TF meters (TF = Time Force, basically Zero's mana gauge).

And three, players have to constantly use specific skills that switch between Alpha and Beta to make the most of the Zero class, keeping an eye on their resources and health between both characters to maximize overall utility and DPS. Granted, if they can do all this, Zero is one of the best classes in the game, numbers-wise. If this switching mechanic doesn't sound fun, however, then Zero is not the right choice.

10 Aran

One Of The Six Sealed Heroes

While a lot of the more overpowered classes in MapleStory tend to be that way simply because they're not difficult to play, Aran is the perfect balance between ease of use and gameplay complexity. This Warrior class has a Combo Count system that is integral to every aspect of their general gameplay loop, but more recent updates have even simplified this mechanic once the player reaches more than a 100-hit combo.

Arans may be one of the earlier classes overall, but due to all the steady changes and buffs over the years, they're now a class with absurd natural DPS output, passive healing, great bossing damage, and more. The only aspect where Arans fall short is the actual range of their skills, but that's a small price to pay.

9 Demon Slayer

A Betrayed Commander Of The Dark Mage

The Demon Slayer (no, not the anime) class is a character job from the Resistance classification of characters who is about as edgy as they come. The Demon Slayer uses dark, demonic energy, has shadowy wings, dresses in all black, and is as pale as moonlight (as any Demon should be).

The Demon Slayer is a class that's fantastic at bossing but handles mobbing pretty well on their own as well, thanks to their Demon Fury system that replaces the MP Gauge. As this class uses Skills and attacks enemies, their Demon Fury will constantly be used and recharged, making it so that players will need to keep track of where it's at. Basically, the Demon Slayer is pretty good in all fields, fantastic as bossing, and has a lot of mobility and Skills with invincibility frames to get them out of most bad situations.

8 Kinesis

Friendstory's Local Hero

This is one of the classes in the game that uses some sort of special resource instead of MP, the Kinesis. The Kinesis is basically the Sora (of Kingdom Hearts) of MapleStory, as he's a magical boy from another world. But, instead of going from a magical world to Earth, it's the opposite. Kinesis actually comes from Earth and his powers of telekinesis are labeled as a type of 'magic' in the Maple World. Think of it like Sage's magic in Black Desert Online, as most of the Kinesis' Skills revolve around gravity, lifting, or throwing.

As a class, the Kinesis is a fantastic mobbing character. In fact, that's absolutely where he shines the most, this character can farm maps like no other. Using his Psychic Points system (AKA his PP gauge), the Kinesis constantly throws his enemies around, summons attacks or constructs with pure psychic energy, or can even throw a literal train at his foes. In terms of bossing, however, Kinesis falls pretty short unless it's a boss that doesn't move much at all, in which case he's decent.

7 Hoyoung

The Dashing Rogue Of Grandis & Liberator Of Taotie

This next class is probably one of the most mechanically involved on the list, and also one of the most adorable considering it's one of the two 'Anima' type characters, Hoyoung. Hoyoung is a class that has it all, great damage, bombastic skills, good mobbing, tons of evasive options, and high boss DPS. The only real cost of this, however, is that players need to expertly use Hoyoung's Talisman Energy and Scroll Energy system, and even a Dark Sight system in the 2nd Job and beyond.

this requires balancing the complicated gauge on Hoyoung's UI, with the three orbs (teal, orange, and purple) representing a different element of Hoyoung's Attribute Skills (Humanity, Earth, and Heaven). So, it takes a bit of getting used to and may feel like learning a complicated fighting game character, but once a player does manage to figure Hoyoung out, they're one of the more satisfying classes the game has.

6 Evan

Tamer Of The Onyx Dragon Mir

Evan is one of the six Heroes of MapleStory and is known as the Dragon Master class. Evan is a character/class entirely focused around using their dragon (not channeling them through some spell or communion), Mir, in combination with their own Skills to create greater and more powerful effects. Knowing when to activate these Fusion Skills or how to manage them takes a bit of getting used to, but once a player has it down using an Evan really does feel like playing a Mage and their dragon companion. Or, at the very least, it feels much less like a 'power of friendship' class than something like Beast Tamer does.

To list a few of Evan's Fusion Skill combinations, there are Skills like Wind Slash, Thunder Flash, Thunder Dive, Earth Dive, Wind Breath, Earth Breath, Wyrmking's Bread, and even Ludicrous Speed. This may all sound like a lot, but Evan really isn't that difficult to play, and that's probably why it's so fun as players can focus a bit more on just how cool they look clearing entire screens with ease. Again, this is one of the better mobbing classes, and while it does better against bosses than some of the other options, it's absolutely more about mobbing than bossing.

5 Bishop

Another Path For Elinnia's Most Famous Archmage

Bishop is one of the rare instances of a high-ranked class on this list that is primarily here due to its Support Skills. Holy Symbol, a 3rd Job Skill, was the main factor for this class for the longest time, and it still plays a large role in why they're popular nowadays. That said, in high-level parties, and especially for parties fighting bosses, the Bishop is also just great at keeping everyone alive. Where Bishops suffer most is in how slow they feel to level compared to other classes until around 4th Job when they get the Big Bang Skill.

Then again, Bishop has undergone some changes as of late, and with 5th Job Skills that increase the party's Final Damage, completely negate knockback, and more. Whereas Bishops have always been useful, in 2023 they've become one of the most highly sought-after classes in the game.

4 Cadena

The Nova Royal Family's Sole Survivor

The Cadena class is another Thief-type (finally) and is a glass cannon in all the ways one would expect from a Thief. They're incredibly powerful, very fast, can get around the map quickly, and are pretty squishy (especially early on). Due to one of their core Skills called Muscle Memory, Cadena will want to use their Skills in a specific order or at least in succession.

The reason for this is that every time Cadena uses a different weapon to attack (which happens with different Skills), Muscle Memory triggers and deals additional damage. Plus, a lot of Cadena's moves are mobile, so using them in a certain order can move Cadena around a map while also attacking. Their boss damage is certainly weaker than other Thief classes, but their mobbing is amazing and they're a lot more rewarding to play mechanically.

3 Blaster

The Resistance's Renowned Dynamo

A good Blaster is a sight to behold in MapleStory, as this Resistance class is probably the most mechanically complex to play in the entire game. And, while the damage they output doesn't always make up for the mechanical complexity, when they are used correctly the Blaster is on the higher end of DPS classes.

Basically, this class has an arm cannon that uses a revolver-style ammo gauge where players have to constantly manage their ammo with their Bobbing and Weaving Skills. Failure to do so will lead to some awkward gameplay while doing this well takes a ton of focus and inputs per minute. So, for all the players out there who feel the most satisfaction when they master the mechanics of a game, the Blaster is a good choice.

2 Fire/Poison Arch Mage

Ellinia's Most Famous Archmage

The 'Fire Poison Mage' is exactly what it sounds like, a magic user that has specced into a specialized tree for Fire and Poison. Usually, MMOs like to keep Mages in one element, but MapleStory lets people diversify a little bit. These powerful magic users attack enemies with Damage Over Time (DOT) spells and create multiple stacks to inflict massive amounts of damage over a few seconds on large groups of enemies.

Even better, they come equipped with an ability that allows them to do more damage based on the number of DOT stacks affecting an enemy. As time has gone on, and especially with the Destiny update, Fire Poison Mages have only received more utility to their moves, more actual Poison-type Skills (instead of just Fire), and are all around less one-note characters to play.

1 Adele

The High Flora's Most Honorable Knight

And for the last class on here, let's pick something thats good for MapleStory beginners. The Adele is a High Flora who, like their look would suggest, is almost too elegant to even wield a weapon. Instead, they use ancient magic to control their blades, making them a Blademaster.

As far as mechanics go, the Adele has an Aether Weaving gauge that manages their summoned Aether Swords. This gauge doesn't require a lot of focus to keep going, and for the most part, players will just have to keep track of their buff timers. Other than that, the Adele is just a pretty simplistic class that is very visually appealing as they constantly have magic blades flying around the screen, auto-targeting nearby enemies for them.