When starting a new character, or just starting anew in Maplestory, many people have a hard time deciding which character is "the best.
" Truth is, this is a very subjective decision.
What might be "the best" for one person might feel awkward or "the worst" to another.
A person's opinion may very well change as they get more familiar with the game or as new content is released.
This article was written in order to help others in choosing what class might best suit them.
There are currently 3 main groups to choose from.
This article will look mainly at the Knights of Cygnus.
Other articles will be written for the other classes.
Here a simple explanation and some of the pros and cons of each general class.
Knights of Cygnus, also known as Kocs, are a special class set of characters with a unique storyline built around them in Maplestory.
Each of the 5 sub-classes of KoCs represents one of the major job classes of adventurers.
The story around these special classes involves an ancient "terror" known as the black mage.
At the same level and equipment, Knights of Cygnus are stronger than their adventurer counterparts due to getting extra ap (ability points) every level for the first several levels.
The biggest downside of this class set, in general, is the level 120 level cap.
There is an added bonus to making a Knight of Cygnus.
That is the Blessing of the Spirit skill.
In many versions of Maplestory where KoCs are available each KoC is tied to a parent adventurer character in the same account.
Both the KoC and its Parent affects the other's level of this skill.
every 10 levels one character gets the other gets 1 point added to the skill.
note: In some versions of Maplestory, the blessing skill comes from the highest character on the account who is not the character being used.
Every KoC, with the exception of the Noblesse/Nobless, also get a summon skill to use during first job which can make some training easier early on.
Every class mentioned here also shows 2 names as they are the 2 most common names used for each class and are dependent on the version of Maplestory being played.
Noblesse/Nobless is the KoC version of the beginner, like the beginner, they get cheaper travel around maple island and do not loose exp when dying.
Noblesse/Nobless: Pros: -Cheap to move around Victoria Island -No exp loss upon dying -Decent challenge to get to high levels (for those who like challenges) Cons: -No flashy skills (only 4 main skills in total and 2 of which can be maxed) -Low survivability -No desirable party skills -Decent challenge to get to high levels (for those who dislike challenges) -Short distance attacks -Poor damage Blaze Wizards/Flame Wizards Are the KoC magician class.
The sub-class they resemble the most are the fire/poison mages of the adventurers, though all their attacks are solely fire based.
Like all mages, they have some good mob skills later on in their profession and are fairly mobile.
Blaze Wizards/Flame Wizards: Pros: -Due to attack calculations, strongest low level summon later on -Fast leveling (especially in 3rd job advancement) -Good group attacking skills starting in 2nd job advancement -high survivability.
(thanks to the magic guard skill) -High maneuverability in flat areas -Flashy skills -Fire based skills Cons: -Poor single target damage over time -Rarely wanted for major bosses -Little to no desired party skills -Good equipment is marginally expensive Thunder Breakers/Strikers are the KoC pirate class.
The sub-class they most resemble is the brawler.
Unlike brawlers, thunder breakers get a lightning charge skill in the 2nd job advancement, meaning potentially a huge extra damage bonus to lightning weak monsters.
Thunder Breakers/Strikers Pros: -Above average hp -Attack speed booster party skill in third job -Good at mobbing -Hits hard in one attack -Lightning charge -Invincibility Frames -Criticals during third job Cons: -Bad at one vs.
one -Delay after certain moves, must alternate attacks -Low accuracy early on Dawn Warriors/Soul Masters are the KoC warrior class.
Unlike most other KoC classes, Dawn warriors do not resemble just one of the sub-classes of the class type, but resemble multiple classes.
they are sort of a mix of hero, paladin with a touch of nightlord.
The biggest pro, to some, that they have over adventurer warriors is a ranged attack in the 2nd job advancement.
Dawn Warriors/Soul Masters pros: -High natural hit points in the game meaning high survivability -High damage with good equipment and stat allocation for both single and multiple target -Early level multi-target attacks -Soul leap skill (similar to a bandit's flash jump) -Only warrior with a spammable ranged attack -rush skill (used to "push" monsters around and group them together) Cons: -Low natural accuracy and avoidability.
some potential damage may need to be sacrificed to compensate -Still have to "chase your prey," as in run after them -No power guard -Lower hit points than other warriors Night Walkers are the KoC thief class.
They resemble the assassin sub-class route.
The damage formula for night walkers is the same as assassin, meaning they have good single target damage.
one really nice skill Night Walkers do get is vampire.
With no minimum distance range, multi-target damage and hp absorption, this is an awesome skill for the class.
Night walkers: Pros: -High single target damage -Highest maneuverability of the KoCs -Vampire skill is great for mob training -Great for bossing if you have the hit points to survive -Highly desired where single target damage is needed -Far distance ranged attacks Cons: -Low survivability (vampire helps lots, but it can't save you if they can 1 hit kill you) -No shadow stars, meaning shorter training before needing to head to town -Few flashy skills (most which are usually aren't useful) Wind Archers/Wind Breakers are the KoC bowman class.
They have a mix of the marksman and bowmaster skills as well as their own specialty skills.
Like the adventurer equivalent, they have good single target damage, but they do not get the most desired bowman party skill which is sharp eyes.
Wind Archers/Wind Breakers Pros: -Ranged attack (for those who do not like chasing their prey) -Stable damage, more so after third job -Critical attack -Gets strafe, hurricane and puppet skills from both bowman adventurer classes.
-Very high single target damage -High accuracy cons: -Minimum attack distance (no attack skills other than knock back skills it they're too close to a monster) -Low maneuverability (almost on par with warriors for speed) -No sharp eyes -Low survivability.
similar hp to thieves with a lot less avoid -Few flashy skills Should you choose to make a Knight of Cygnus, hopefully this will help you decide which is the right one for you.