The long-awaited MapleStory Challengers World Season 4 is finally here. With the addition of the new job 'Lete' and unprecedented benefits that were once unimaginable, some older guides are no longer relevant. The gameplay has become so smooth that players are flocking to the servers, even causing queues.

MapleStory has become easier, but if you are a complete beginner, you might still feel a bit lost. And sometimes... a small mistake can become a fatal, irreversible error. Today, I will guide you through the process from server selection to reaching level 260—the true starting line—efficiently and without mistakes.

If you are a beginner reading this guide, choose the Challengers server without hesitation. The benefits this season are excellent. The leveling difficulty is so much lower compared to regular servers that you don't need to worry. However, if you plan to invest significant capital into your character from the start, you might want to consider a regular server.

Be careful when choosing a Challengers server. Once you create a character, you cannot create another one on a different Challengers server. Choose wisely from the start. Challengers servers are divided into two groups: Servers 1–3 and Server 4. Servers within the same group can run Bosses together and share an Auction House. However, you cannot join the same Guild, form a party, or meet in-game if you are in different groups.

Server 1 is crowded, making it harder to find open Hunting grounds and benefit from Burning Fields. However, it has a larger supply of Items and you can acquire them without tariffs. Conversely, Servers 2–3 are relatively less crowded, making it easier to find Hunting grounds and benefit from Burning Fields. Choose based on your preferred playstyle.

Group 1 shares an Auction House with all servers except Eos and Helios, and the same criteria apply to future server transfers. In other words, if you want to move to an existing regular server like Scania or Luna, you must create your character on Servers 1–3. If you plan to move to Eos or Helios, you must create your character on Server 4. A mistake here could mean losing all the progress you made throughout the summer season.

Please be careful, as this is a choice that is difficult to reverse once made.

Once you've chosen your server, it's time to pick a job.

There is a lot of information out there regarding job recommendations. While suggestions may vary, most people agree on one thing: 'Play the job you want.'

This Challengers World is the perfect environment to play the job you truly enjoy. First, you are provided with Sol Janus level 30, so you don't need to worry much about a job's hunting ability. You can also obtain cooldown reduction options, making it less burdensome to choose jobs that are typically 'cooldown-dependent.' You won't be at a significant disadvantage in terms of stat-related Rewards if you don't play the new job, 'Lete.' To be precise, there are related rewards, but they can be obtained through other means later.

Still, for beginners, I recommend Bowmaster, Lynn, Ice/Lightning Mage, or Aran. Lete is also a great job, so feel free to choose it if you like it.

Note that this Hyper Burning event is set per account holder, not per Nexon ID, so choose your designated character carefully.

Now, whether you read or skipped the job story, the real journey begins at level 30.

Once you start, the 'Tera Blink' Quest opens. You can reach level 200 quickly without any special settings. It's essentially a Tutorial, so if you are new to MapleStory, I recommend reading through it slowly.

During Tera Blink, you will briefly need to step out of the hat for your job advancement. You can re-enter by clicking the star menu on the left.

When you finish Tera Blink, you will be automatically moved to the Observer. Talk to them a few times to complete your 5th Job Advancement. Then, move to the portal to the right of Vanishing Journey and defeat just one Joy Erda to finish your preparations.

Now, accept all remaining Quests and claim your items to set up. Simply accept and equip everything that appears when you click [☆]. For now, don't overthink it—just click everything you see.

Make sure to equip the Burning Armor and Accessory sets, and don't forget your Booster. These are essential items for your leveling journey.

Next, you need to enhance your 5th Job Skills. This is done via the V Matrix. It's not difficult and there's no room for error, so just follow along.

First, use all the [Gemstones] and [Experience Gemstones] in your inventory. Then, open the V Matrix in the 5th Job Skill window to enhance your skills. For faster leveling, prioritize [Decent Holy Symbol]. Once enhanced, equip it to your pet skill slot to have it activate automatically.

After that, if your job lacks attack speed, pick [Decent Wind Booster]; if you need an area-of-effect skill, pick [Erda Shower]. Invest remaining points into high-priority skills for your specific job.

Don't worry too much about V Matrix enhancement. You will have plenty of Gemstones later. Eventually, you will max out all your skills. They are cheap, so feel free to enhance them.

You are now ready to race to level 260. Honestly, even without this much preparation, reaching level 260 this season is quite easy because the EXP gain has been increased by a massive 5k%. Therefore, additional EXP coupons are less efficient, so you don't need to use them. I recommend saving them for later stages. Similarly, this EXP bonus does not apply to the Golden Strawberry Farm, so it's not very useful for early leveling.

You can level up even faster by using the VIP Boosters obtained from the New Mercenary Support. Leveling is so fast that you might still have time left on your VIP Booster even when it's time to move to a new Hunting ground. If you need to move to a new area, I recommend using up all your remaining VIP Booster time before moving.

If nothing else, make sure to equip the Arcane Symbols you receive as Hyper Burning Rewards whenever you move to a new Hunting ground. Equipping them on time makes hunting in the next area much easier.

[200] Vanishing Journey - Hidden Lakeside

[205] Reverse City - Hidden Research Train

[210] Chu Chu Island - Hidden Ene Forest

[215] Yum Yum Island - Hidden Iliard Field

[220] Lachelein - Occupied Dance Floor 2

[225] Arcana - Forest of Earth

[230] Morass - Shadow Dance Hall 2

[235] Esfera - Mirror-Touched Sea 2

[240] Sellas - Where Light Lasts 6

[245] Moonbridge - Void Current 3

[250] Labyrinth of Suffering - Labyrinth of Suffering Interior 2

[255] Limina - World's End 1-5

Once you reach level 260 and complete your 6th Job Advancement, immediately click [☆] to designate Burning Beyond. Burning Beyond applies a 1+1 Level up effect from level 260 to 280. If you delay and start at level 261, you will have to grind through the 279–280 range manually. Since the required EXP increases significantly at higher levels, this can be a major loss. Just designate Burning Beyond first.

Next, you can also claim the [Sprouting Sprout] Title from the Guide for faster leveling.

Invest in 6th Job Skills efficiently according to your job. It is common to unlock Mastery Cores first, but priorities vary by job. You don't need to level up Sol Janus right now, as you can use it at level 30 for free during the Challengers server period.

Your early setup is almost complete. Now, claim various events and Rewards like [Sol Janus Skill Support], [Challengers Pass], and [Genesis Pass], and then either take on Item Burning missions or continue hunting. It's best to prioritize daily content like Daily quests and Epic Dungeons.

If you've followed this far without issues, the early Tutorial is complete. You've now earned your Maple World citizenship!