MapleStory classes explained: families, job advancement, newest class
MapleStory sorts its characters into families, and each family has its own starting path. This guide lists the families Nexon names, explains job advancement, and records the newest class as of 30 October 2026.
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How MapleStory classes are organized
MapleStory is a 2D side-scrolling MMORPG from Nexon, and the MapleStory classes you can pick from are grouped into families. Nexon's official class pages on nexon.com show the Explorer jobs (Warrior, Magician, Bowman, Thief and Pirate lines) next to separate families for Cygnus Knights, Heroes and Resistance. Nexon's own patch notes for update v.265 name Explorer, Cygnus Knights, Heroes, Resistance, Nova, Flora and Anima together when they introduce a new skill system.
No single Nexon page I reviewed defines every family side by side, so the table below is assembled from the official class index, the Link Skills guide and the v.265 notes. If you are picking a character today, remember that MapleStory classes change with every update, so check the class selection screen in the game, because the roster changes with each update.
This site does not publish a class count or a tier ranking. Nexon gave no count in the pages reviewed, and rankings come from player opinion, which shifts with every balance patch.
The families Nexon names
Families and example classes, from Nexon's class pages and patch notes
Explorer
- Example classes listed by Nexon
- Hero and Paladin (Warrior line), Arch Mage (Magician), Bow Master (Bowman), Night Lord (Thief)
- Official source
- nexon.com class pages
Cygnus Knights
- Example classes listed by Nexon
- Dawn Warrior, Blaze Wizard, Wind Archer, Night Walker, Thunder Breaker, Mihile
- Official source
- nexon.com class index; v.237 notes
Heroes
- Example classes listed by Nexon
- Aran, Evan, Mercedes, Phantom, Shade
- Official source
- nexon.com class index
Resistance
- Example classes listed by Nexon
- Blaster, Battle Mage, Wild Hunter, Xenon, Mechanic
- Official source
- nexon.com class index
Nova, Flora, Anima
- Example classes listed by Nexon
- Named as families; individual classes not checked on an official index
- Official source
- Nexon v.265 patch notes
As of 30 October 2026. Lists show examples named in the sources, not a complete roster.
What job advancement means
Job advancement is the step where a character leaves its starting state and commits to a specialized class line. Explorers start as Beginners and advance into one of five lines, and each later advancement deepens the chosen line. Nexon's v.269 notes and support pages still use the term today: a known-issues entry for Erel Light mentions a quest that blocks progress after the 6th Job Advancement, so the system has grown well past the first choice, and a character that reached it has spent a long time in one class line.
The Link Skills guide on nexon.com adds a second layer. It lists Cygnus Knights and Resistance as separate link-skill families, so a character you level in one family can support characters in the same family.
What to check before you pick
Look at the playstyle description on the official class page, not only the name. Hero builds combos with Combo Orbs, according to its Nexon page, while other Warrior lines play differently. Reading a few of these pages for different MapleStory classes before you commit saves a restart, because moving to another family means leveling a new character. Check whether the class you like belongs to a family with link skills, since that shapes how useful a second character becomes.
Newest class additions
Dated additions that could be confirmed, newest first.
Erel Light
Nexon's v.269 Ride the Lightning patch notes list Erel Light as the newest job, built around summoned Shining Sentinels. MassivelyOP reported on 5 June 2026 that the class would deploy on 17 June and be exclusive to Global MapleStory, and a later MassivelyOP article of 18 June covered the launch. A community roadmap lists another new class for November 2026, so Erel Light is the newest class only as of 30 October 2026.
Source: Nexon v.269 patch notes; MassivelyOP, 18 June 2026Kinesis rework
MassivelyOP's May 2026 coverage of the producer update named a Kinesis remaster as part of the summer plans. No official patch note with an exact date was found, so none is given here.
Source: MassivelyOP, May 2026Adele
A Nexon press release on Business Wire said Adele would arrive in Global MapleStory on 24 June 2020 after her launch on the Korean server.
Source: Business Wire, Nexon press release
Where this fits if you like 2D MMORPGs
MapleStory is the best-known name in this genre, and its classes are a large part of the appeal. The games in this archive came from the same wave of 2D and Korean free-to-play titles. If the class system is what you enjoy, and you want alternatives to MapleStory classes, our games like MapleStory list covers similar picks, and best free MMORPGs casts a wider net.
For the games this site tracks in depth, start at the games archive. WonderKing, for example, was a 2D side-scroller published in North America by Ndoors Interactive in 2010; its archive page has the dates.
Two 2D side-scrollers from the archive
If the class system is what you like, these archive games share the 2D side-scrolling look.
Image: wondersoft / Dreamidea Soft, from the WonderKing Steam page (2026), the current relaunch. Shown to identify the game; the image belongs to its owners. WonderKing
A 2D side-scrolling MMORPG that reached North American players on 28 January 2010 under Ndoors Interactive, according to Gaming Nexus.
Image: Ignited Games Inc., press screenshot from the 2011 closed beta, via DSOGaming (4 November 2011). These images belong to their owners and are shown to identify the game. WindSlayer 2
A free-to-play 2D side-scrolling MMORPG whose North American closed beta went live on 20 October 2011 (DSOGaming) and open beta on 4 November 2011 (MMOBomb).
Common questions
What are the MapleStory class families?
Nexon's pages name Explorer, Cygnus Knights, Heroes and Resistance, and its v.265 notes also name Nova, Flora and Anima. The table above shows the examples each source lists.
What is the newest MapleStory class?
As of 30 October 2026, the newest class I could confirm is Erel Light, added in Nexon's v.269 update on 17 June 2026.
How many MapleStory classes are there?
This page gives no number. No Nexon page reviewed states a current count with a date.
Which class is the strongest?
No official source ranks classes. Rankings are player opinion and change with balance patches.
What is job advancement?
It is the step where a character commits to a class line. Nexon's notes for Erel Light still refer to a 6th Job Advancement.