Meso Farming From Level 1 to 30 in Old Maple

The first thirty levels of old Maple were not about getting rich. They were about not being broke at 30, which is a different and more achievable goal. If MapleStory Classic follows the pre-Big Bang drop tables, the meso income between level 1 and 30 is small, the potion bill is real, and the difference between a careful player and a careless one at level 30 is somewhere between 50k and 200k mesos. That gap decides whether you can afford the things that matter in the 30s.

Here is how we did it, and how we plan to do it again.

The most important habit: sell everything to NPCs

Early mesos come from the NPC shop, not from the monsters. Most low-level monsters drop a few mesos each, but they also drop etc items and the occasional equip, and both have a shop sell price. Vendoring a full inventory of drops every time you go back to town is worth more than the meso drops in the same session, at least until the mid-20s.

Etc items that sold reasonably to NPCs in the old game included Slime Bubbles, Green Mushroom Caps, Orange Mushroom Caps, Pig Ribbons, Stump pieces and Octopus legs. None of them are worth much individually, but they stack to 100, and a full stack from the Henesys Hunting Ground is a meaningful sum at level 15.

The rule we use: NPC etc drops by default, and keep one stack of whatever a Henesys or Kerning quest asks for. One stack, not a tab full. A quest stack is worth something to the player whose level is blocked on it; a second one is just a full slot.

Equip drops sell better per item. Low-level armour and weapons that monsters drop, the Leather Shoes and Wooden Clubs and cheap Bandanas, sell to any NPC for more than a whole stack of etc. Pick up every equip, even the ones you cannot use, and sell them. If one has a good stat bonus for its level, hold it, because someone in Henesys Market will pay for a clean drop.

Two exceptions. Never NPC a scroll, and never NPC ores. Both go to other players.

Henesys route, levels 8 to 20

Henesys Hunting Ground is the crowded default and for good reason. Snails and Slimes at the bottom, Green Mushrooms and Orange Mushrooms as you climb, Ribbon Pigs down the road. The etc drops are all sellable and the map is a two-minute walk from the shop and the storage. Pig Beach, east of Henesys, takes over from about 15 to 20, and Ribbon Pigs drop the occasional scroll. Where to go when every channel is full is covered in our 1 to 30 route.

Go back to town when your inventory is full, not when you feel like it. That is the whole trick.

Kerning route, levels 15 to 25

Kerning City is where we actually made our first real money, in the swamp. Bubblings and Octopuses on the construction site and subway maps drop etc that vendors decently and, more importantly, they drop equips at a good rate. From about level 20, the Ligators in the swamp are the best early meso drop on Victoria Island: they hit hard, but they drop more mesos per kill than anything else you can handle at that level, and Ligator drops include some early scrolls.

The swamp is also next to Kerning's Nella and the shops, so selling is quick. And Kerning has the party quest, which brings us to the next section.

Ellinia route, levels 12 to 25

Ellinia is quieter. Tree-top maps with Slimes and Green Mushrooms early, then Horny Mushrooms and Zombie Mushrooms as you go higher. Zombie Mushrooms drop Zombie Mushroom Caps, which were one of the better early etc items for NPC sale, and the maps see fewer people than Henesys because they are awkward to move around in.

Slightly lower income per hour than Henesys, and a lot less time spent waiting for a spawn.

When to start KPQ

Kerning Party Quest ran from level 21 to 30, and it was the best exp in the game for that range. It was not the best meso income. You spend the run killing a handful of Ligators and working through the rope and platform stages, and the rewards were items, exp, and a few mesos that did not come close to a session in the swamp. Our KPQ guide has the stages.

So our advice is to start KPQ at 21 for the exp and the social side, and keep grinding the swamp between runs for the mesos. The two go together well: KPQ parties form in Kerning, the swamp is next door, and the potions you use on Ligators are covered by what you vendored.

One of us still remembers the first Ligator that dropped a 60% scroll, at about level 22, and walking it all the way to the Free Market entrance because selling it to the NPC felt like a crime. It paid for a week of potions.

Should you buy anything before 30?

Almost nothing. The shop gear at level 10, 15, 20 and 25 is enough to grind with, and the exp gain from a slightly better weapon is not worth the mesos at this stage. Skip fame purchases. Skip vanity. Skip the Taxi in Henesys, even though it is only a thousand mesos, because a thousand mesos is a real amount at level 15.

The one thing worth spending on is potions, and the trick is to buy the cheap ones in bulk and use them properly. Red Potions and Blue Potions from the Henesys or Kerning shops, White Potions if you are a warrior and need the bigger heal. A Magician should barely touch potions before 30 with Magic Guard running. A Warrior will spend the most of any class here, which is why our class guide warns you about that particular start.

If you are a Thief, do not buy stars yet. Subis from the shop are fine until well past 30, and the good stars are a mid-game purchase. The people trying to sell you Ilbis at level 25 are hoping you have not read this.

By 30, with the NPC habit and a few hundred Ligators behind you, you should have enough to scroll your first proper weapon and have some left over for the 30s. Take that money to the 30 to 70 spots and start the actual game.