MapleStory Classic Attack Speed Guide: Weapon Tiers, Boosters

Quick summary

• Lower is faster: every weapon has a hidden speed tier from 0 to 12. A tier 4 weapon (Fast) attacks every 720 ms, about 83 times a minute. A tier 6 weapon (Normal) attacks every 810 ms, about 74 times a minute (NiaMeowDB, MapleClassic Wiki).
• Booster = 2 tiers: a matching Booster speeds your weapon up by 2 tiers from skill level 1. More levels only add duration (100 to 300 seconds) and lower the cost (NiaMeowDB, wiki).
• The fastest a player gets is tier 1 (570 ms), with a Faster (3) dagger or the Meba claw plus Booster (NiaMeowDB).
• Mages work differently: NiaMeowDB says every basic attack spell takes 810 ms no matter which wand or staff you hold. The wiki says a staff casts a little slower than a wand.
• Haste doesn't help: Haste, speed potions, pets, and outfits change movement only, not attack speed (wiki).

Checked against the Founder's Access build on October 13, 2026. Grand Launch is October 21, 2026; see the end of the guide for what may change.

Read the speed tiers

The tooltip shows one of seven words. Each word covers one or more numbered tiers, so two "Fast" weapons can attack at different rates (wiki).

Tier	Label	Ordinary attack (ms)	Attacks per minute	Who reaches it
0	Fastest	510	117	No player weapon
1	Fastest	570	105	Faster (3) dagger or Meba with Booster
2	Faster	600	100	Fast (4) one-handed weapons with Booster
3	Faster	660	90	Faster (3) daggers and Meba; Fast (5) weapons with Booster
4	Fast	720	83	Fast (4) weapons; Normal (6) weapons with Booster
5	Fast	750	80	Fast (5) weapons; Slow (7) with Booster
6	Normal	810	74	Normal (6) weapons; Magician spells
7	Slow	870	68	Slow (7) weapons
8	Slow	900	66	Slow (8) polearms, the slowest weapons

Why the numbers differ by attack: NiaMeowDB's formula page lists the base animations: a swing is 800 ms, a stab 800 ms, a spear or polearm stab 750 ms, a bow shot 800 ms, a crossbow shot 820 ms, and a crouched attack 700 ms. The tier then scales that base. So at tier 4, a two-handed stab takes 660 ms and a crossbow shot 720 ms (wiki, NiaMeowDB).

Know your weapon's range

Weapon	NiaMeowDB tiers	Wiki tiers	Quickest examples	Booster
Dagger	3–4	3–4	Cass, Golden River (NiaMeowDB)	Dagger Booster (Bandit)
Claw	3–5	3–5	Meba, "the only Faster (3) claw"	Claw Booster (Assassin)
One-handed sword	4–5	4–5	Long Sword, Sabre	Sword Booster (Fighter, Page)
One-handed axe	4–5	3–5	Wiki: Scythe	Axe Booster (Fighter)
One-handed blunt	4–5	2, 4–5	Wiki: Wizet Secret Agent Suitcase at 2	Blunt Weapon Booster (Page)
Two-handed sword	5–6	5–6	Wooden Sword, Broadsword	Sword Booster
Two-handed axe	5–6	6–7	NiaMeowDB: Metal Axe; wiki: Blue Axe	Axe Booster
Bow	5–6	5–6	Battle Bow, Red Viper	Bow Booster (Hunter)
Two-handed blunt	6–7	6–7	Mithril Maul	Blunt Weapon Booster
Spear	6–7	7–8	Fish Spear	Spear Booster (Spearman)
Crossbow	6–7	6–7	Balanche	Crossbow Booster (Crossbowman)
Polearm	7–8	7–8	Studded Polearm	Polearm Booster (Spearman)
Wand	6	6	Every wand	None in 1st or 2nd job
Staff	6 (spells)	7	Every staff	None in 1st or 2nd job

The wiki counts 162 weapons with a speed, and 54 of them sit at tier 4, so "there is no such thing as a small speed difference." The Wizet Secret Agent Suitcase is a GM item, NiaMeowDB says, so don't plan around it.

Use Booster the right way

• One point gives the full speed. Every level shifts the weapon 2 tiers. Higher levels last longer, from 100 seconds at level 1 to 300 at level 20, and cost less (NiaMeowDB, wiki). The wiki's Blunt Weapon Booster table shows the cost falling from 30 HP and 30 MP at level 1 to 10 each at level 20.
• It must match your weapon. Sword Booster does nothing for an axe. Fighters and Pages who switch weapon types need both Boosters.
• It needs its mastery first, so it arrives a few levels into second job (wiki). The wiki's Blunt Weapon Booster page lists Blunt Weapon Mastery level 5 as the prerequisite.
• It speeds up older skills too. A Bandit's Double Stab gets faster with Dagger Booster (NiaMeowDB).
• It can't fix everything. NiaMeowDB says Weapon Booster can't shorten Dragon Roar's self-stun.

Before Booster	With Booster	Time per attack	Attacks per minute
Faster (3) dagger or claw	Fastest (1)	660 → 570 ms	90 → 105 (+17%)
Fast (4) one-handed weapon	Faster (2)	720 → 600 ms	83 → 100 (+20%)
Fast (5) two-handed sword/axe, bow	Faster (3)	750 → 660 ms	80 → 90 (+13%)
Normal (6) spear, two-handed weapon	Fast (4)	810 → 720 ms	74 → 83 (+12%)
Slow (8) polearm	Normal (6)	900 → 810 ms	66 → 74 (+12%)

Check skill animation times

NiaMeowDB times each skill with the slowest and fastest weapon its class can use:

Skill	Weapon	Slowest weapon	Fastest weapon	Fastest + Booster
Rush (Fighter, Page, Spearman)	Warrior weapons	450 ms	360 ms	300 ms
Double Stab (Thief)	Dagger	720 ms	660 ms	570 ms
Lucky Seven (Thief)	Claw	750 ms	660 ms	570 ms
Power Strike, Slash Blast (Warrior)	One-handed	750 ms	720 ms	600 ms
Double Shot, Arrow Blow (Bowman)	Bow	810 ms	750 ms	660 ms
Double Shot, Arrow Blow (Bowman)	Crossbow	870 ms	840 ms	720 ms
Savage Blow (Bandit)	Dagger	840 ms	780 ms	660 ms
Magic Claw, Energy Bolt, Fire Arrow, Cold Beam, Holy Arrow	Wand or staff	810 ms	810 ms	No Booster at launch
Heal (Cleric)	Any	600 ms	600 ms	600 ms

The wiki agrees that Power Strike, Slash Blast, and Lucky Seven "fire on the same cast time" as a basic attack. It also says Savage Blow is about 20% slower per hit than Double Stab on the same weapon, "the trade for striking six times."

Decide between mage weapons

Question	NiaMeowDB	MapleClassic Wiki
Does a wand or staff change spell speed?	No. Every timed spell "uses the Normal (6) tier"	Yes, slightly: wands are tier 6 and staves tier 7, so "a staff casts a little slower"
What should I pick?	"Pick a mage weapon for its Magic Attack and stats"	A staff with stronger Magic Attack, INT, or slots "is usually the better pick despite the slower label"
Is there a mage Booster?	Spell Booster, for F/P and I/L Mages	None "in first and second job"

Both sources land on the same advice: pick the weapon with better Magic Attack. Spell Booster belongs to the F/P and I/L Mage jobs, which are third job. NiaMeowDB says third job "isn't available at launch" and won't be in Founder's Access or the Grand Launch, citing Nexon's August 21 report. Clerics never get it (NiaMeowDB). Heal casts faster than attack spells, at 600 ms (NiaMeowDB, wiki). For leveling a mage, see our Magician guide.

Compare speed against W.ATK

The wiki's method: multiply the damage of one attack by 3,600 divided by the cast time in seconds to get damage per hour. A Fast (4) weapon attacks every 720 ms, about 5,000 times an hour. Booster takes it to 600 ms, about 20% more attacks "for no extra damage per hit."

NiaMeowDB worked through two examples:

Case	Faster option	Stronger option	Result
Lv 30 Thief, claw, no Booster, Wolbi stars	Meba (Faster 3, 19 W.ATK), 660 ms	Adamantium Guards (Fast 4, 23 W.ATK), 720 ms	40,630 vs 41,671 damage per minute; one tier "almost cancels" a 4 W.ATK gap
Lv 70 Bandit, Booster on	Golden River (Faster 3), 90 Savage Blows a minute	Kandine, 83 a minute	About 7% more damage; about 1% ahead even after its 65 STR requirement

Our Hunter guide cites mscw-guidebook's version for bows: the Red Viper does about 4% more damage per arrow than the Ryden but about 14% more per second with Booster, because it's one stage faster.

Quick rule: from NiaMeowDB's attacks-per-minute column, one tier is worth between about 3% (tier 8 to 7, or 5 to 4) and about 11% (tier 3 to 2) more attacks. Booster's two tiers add 12–20%. If a slower weapon's extra W.ATK is smaller than that gap, the faster one usually wins. The full math is in our damage formula guide.

Attack while jumping

NiaMeowDB checked all 116 active skills. These first- and second-job skills can start mid-jump:

Class	Mid-jump skills
Warrior	Power Strike, Slash Blast (1st job)
Bowman	Power Knockback only
Magician	Heal (Cleric)
Thief	Lucky Seven, Double Stab, Disorder (1st job); Drain (Assassin); Savage Blow, Steal (Bandit)

NiaMeowDB's summary: "Every thief attack in MapleStory Classic World can be used mid-jump." Bowmen and Magicians mostly attack from the ground. Jumping attacks help most when you fight from ropes, ledges, or narrow platforms. Our jump quest guide covers the courses where you'll do the most jumping.

Avoid the common mistakes

• Reading old tables. The wiki says "older speed tables from earlier eras of MapleStory do not apply, since Classic World retuned several skills."
• Using modern MapleStory guides. Grandis Library's attack speed page is for modern MapleStory, where speed counts up to a cap of 10 and comes from potions and inner abilities. None of that applies here.
• Leveling Booster for speed. Level 1 already gives the full 2 tiers.
• Using the wrong Booster. It only works on its named weapon type.
• Buying Haste for damage. Haste speeds up movement, not attacks (wiki).
• Judging a weapon by its word. Fast (4) and Fast (5) differ by 30 ms per attack (NiaMeowDB).

Plan alts and returning characters

• Returning players: the speed words look the same as the old game's, but the wiki warns that retuned skills make old charts wrong. Use the tables above.
• Alts: NiaMeowDB says Faster (3) daggers and the Meba are the fastest weapons without Booster. A Thief alt reaches the top speed tier in second job. Check our leveling page and the MapleStory Classic hub for more guides.
• Weapon swaps: if an alt holds a sword and an axe, it needs both Boosters (wiki).

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather skip the grind that goes with this, MapleStory Classic powerleveling services are listed on FullBoosts. Read Nexon's Terms of Service before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

What may change at Grand Launch

This guide describes the Founder's Access build as it was on October 13, 2026. Re-check these against Nexon's Grand Launch notes on October 21: whether crafting still stops at craft level 8, whether Forgotten Hollow, Orbis and third jobs stay closed, KPQ channel limits, NPC shop stock, and any Founder's Access-only events or packages mentioned here. Nothing here assumes a closed area or feature will open.

FAQ

What is the fastest attack speed in MapleStory Classic? Tier 1, 570 ms per attack, with a Faster (3) dagger or the Meba plus Booster (NiaMeowDB).

Does Booster level matter? Only for duration and cost. Level 1 gives the full 2-tier boost (NiaMeowDB, wiki).

Does a staff cast slower than a wand? NiaMeowDB says no; spells take 810 ms with either. The wiki says a staff is a tier slower.

Does Haste increase attack speed? No. It only affects movement (wiki).

Can Magicians use Spell Booster at launch? No. It's a third-job skill, and third job isn't in Founder's Access or the Grand Launch (NiaMeowDB, citing Nexon).

Which attacks work mid-jump? All thief attacks, Power Strike, Slash Blast, Threaten, Power Knockback, and Heal.

Is a faster weapon always better? No. Compare damage per minute. NiaMeowDB's Lv 30 claw example shows one tier nearly canceling a 4 W.ATK gap.