MapleStory's Web3 version MapleStory N has finally launched, which also made me understand what a blockchain game is—simply put, transferring the economic system of traditional games onto the blockchain, allowing players' in-game assets to truly become their NFTs.

After waiting for 2 years, the server was fully packed on the launch day, with new players flooding in, causing verification codes to be unavailable, showing how popular it is. The in-game currency NXPC was simultaneously listed on several major exchanges at TGE, currently priced around $0.34.

I actually played a bit myself, and honestly, the early upgrade experience has been simplified quite a lot. The system randomly generates English character names, and you need to reach level 65 and defeat Balrog to mint it as an NFT and change its name. On launch day, the screen was full of players with English names fighting monsters, and it was impossible to compete...

The game professions follow the early version settings, with skill maps and such not much different from the Web2 version, but because the economic mechanism has changed, the overall experience is indeed different. Monster drops mainly include in-game gold $NESO and potions, while NFT item drop rates are shockingly low— I played for 4 hours and only got 2 lottery tickets.

Boss fights have also been changed to a lottery system; instead of dropping gear directly after defeat, you get a lottery ticket and roll together with all players on the server. This design is quite innovative, but it also tests luck.

The most heartbreaking part is the gold farming income. Currently, the exchange rate is 100k $NESO for 1 $NXPC, which is ridiculously high given the current drop rates. You need to reach level 200 to really generate income, and you also have to transfer $NESO to the blockchain to exchange, which is too high a threshold for ordinary players. Only players participating in early events and airdrops are making money.

This is a very contradictory situation. To attract gold farmers, either increase the drop rate or adjust the exchange rate—something has to change. Otherwise, the game might face significant challenges. After all, if the gold farming profit is close to zero, how can players be convinced to invest money?

Overall, being able to play MapleStory of my childhood now is truly touching, but there’s still a lot to improve, such as localization completeness, new player guidance, and so on. The game just launched, and I believe there will be gradual adjustments later. Judging from NEXON’s attitude and strategy, the development potential of this project is still worth looking forward to.