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MapleStory – Game Currencies And Cash Shop Explained

In the fourth of a series of insider articles, Dean D. Cho, Development Manager of MapleStory Europe at NEXON, reveals how MapleStory's unique currency system works in its hugely popular free to play MMORPG

Friday 28th September/...Finding and spending in-game currency is an integral and hugely enjoyable part of any Massively Multiplayer Online RPG and MapleStory is no different in that it allows players to collect and spend the spoils of their toil (in MapleStory they're known as Mesos) on a huge range of collectable items at any one of the game's stores. But where many games are happy to leave it at that, MapleStory takes things one step further by using a unique means of charging real money at the Cash Shop, which is then converted into another type of currency called NEXON Cash. Here myriad unique items and gizmos are made available to customize your character in a totally unique manner.

Mesos

There are three ways to harvest Mesos in MapleStory: Drops from the monsters you kill, taking on one of the many in-game quests (either on your own or as part of a party of friends), and buying/trading items. The dropping rate in MapleStory is fairly random and there's no way of getting around this - other than relying on your luck setting. Obviously if you're really lucky you'll be rewarded with more drops and opposite is true if your luck rating is low. It's worth noting that by taking on and defeating different monsters you'll improve the rate at which you stack up the Mesos. Getting involved in many of the game's quests is a fun way to pass the time in MapleStory and a sure-fire way of racking up even more of those precious Mesos as well as gaining lots of experience to level up quicker. Buying/trading items is a worthwhile and profitable skill that every Mapler should take time to learn that, if done correctly, will make you rich pretty quickly. The golden rule is to buy cheap and sell high! It's simple, really.

The Cash Shop - Spending NEXON Cash

MapleStory offers those players looking to stand out in the online crowd everything from the latest fashions in clothing, hair salon coupons to plastic surgery coupons and other appearance-altering items - all of which can be purchased from the Cash Shop. To do this, players need to click on the red 'CASH SHOP' button at the bottom of the screen to enter. Here you can recharge NEXON Cash through three, ultra-safe payment systems, those being: PayPal, Click&Buy and Paysafecard ,as well, using this button. If you run out of NEXON Cash, you can only purchase an item after recharging it. You can also check the amount of NEXON cash you have left in your account by clicking the green 'Check Cash' button, as well. Another neat feature of the Cash Shop is the ability to try before you buy. Double-click on the item you'd like to purchase to see your character try on the item at the top left corner - the perfect way to see if the item looks good or not! Most of the equipment you purchase is largely just decorative for your character. Put simply, these items go over whatever equipment you are currently wearing, masking your current equipment. You can also buy pets at the Cash Shop, and equipment for pets.

The process of buying new and desirable items from the Cash Shop couldn't be easier. In a nutshell, all Maplers need to do is press the 'Buy' button which is located below the item image. When this is done a confirmation window pops up and you simply click 'ok' to confirm. Any items bought are instantly transferred to their cash item inventory. Now double-click on the cash item that you've just purchased in the Cash Item inventory, which will transfer the item to whichever inventory it belongs. Note: You can only begin to use the purchased cash items after transferring them to the item inventory in the game. For a full breakdown of the processes necessary to spend NEXON Cash visit www.mapleeurope.com.

The latest MapleStory Europe Cash Shop update includes, for example, the hugely popular Red Hood, Lined Hip-Hop Pants, and Henesy's Cosmetic Lens Coupon. The Red Cape fits snuggly over any costume currently adorning your character and doesn't affect the Mapler's level of protection. The lined, hip and happening Hip-Hop Pants are the latest in a long line of fashionable clothes available in the Cash Shop, and the cosmetic lenses are the ultimate fashion expression in choosing the colour of your character's eyes.

If NEXON Cash is burning hole in your pocket, head over to the Cash Shop and transform your look into something that'll make you stand out among your fellow Maplers. And remember, if you're struggling to decide what to buy, why not check out what others are buying in the 'Best Selling' and 'GM Favourites' section of the Cash Shop to ensure that you fit in with the game's top trend setters!

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