MapleStory Classic Job Advancement Guide: 1st and 2nd Job Steps

Quick summary

• There are two advancements in Founder's Access: first job at Lv 10 and second job at Lv 30. The cap is 100, and there's no third job yet.
• First job: at Lv 10, talk to your job's instructor. Classic World has no stat requirement for first job (a 4-INT Beginner can become a Warrior), no quest and no fee, so put your Beginner AP into your job's main stat from level 1 anyway: AP is permanent.
• Second job is a four-quest chain: your job's Next Journey, Finding the Instructor, Test of Qualification (30 Dark Marbles in a test map), and Proof of Qualification (The Proof of a Hero). Then you pick your branch.
• There are 10 branches: Fighter, Page, Spearman, Fire/Poison Wizard, Ice/Lightning Wizard, Cleric, Hunter, Crossbowman, Assassin, and Bandit. The choice is permanent.
• Go into the test alone and with potions. Marbles only count for whoever loots them.

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.

See the full job tree

Beginner → first job (Lv 10)	Instructor (town)	Second job (Lv 30)	Weapons per branch (metaroad)
Warrior	Dances with Balrog (Perion)	Fighter	One- and two-handed swords and axes
Magician	Grendel the Really Old (Ellinia)	Fire/Poison Wizard	Wands and staves (fire and poison magic)
Bowman	Athena Pierce (Henesys)	Hunter	Bows
Thief	Dark Lord (Kerning City)	Assassin	Claws and throwing stars

That's 10 end-state jobs. There's no Pirate branch in Nexon's notes. To choose a branch, read our best class tier list before you hit 30.

Take first job at Lv 10

1. Finish Maple Island and plan your AP

You can't advance on Maple Island. Do the island quests (our quests worth doing guide lists the best ones), then sail to Lith Harbor. A Beginner gets AP from level 2. Put it into your job's stat:

Job	Reported stat needed	Level	Sources
Warrior	None	10	meowdb, mapleclassic.wiki
Bowman	None	10	meowdb, mapleclassic.wiki
Thief	None	10	meowdb, mapleclassic.wiki
Magician	None	10	mapleclassic.wiki (Classic World raised it from the original Lv 8 to match the other branches)

Safe plan: all Beginner AP into your job's main stat (Warrior STR, Magician INT, Bowman DEX, Thief LUK). Thieves add DEX only up to their claw's requirement.

2. Travel to your instructor

From Lith Harbor, go right through the Victoria Road fields to Henesys (metaroad's route). Henesys has a taxi to every job town.

Job	Where to go	How to get there
Warrior	Warriors' Sanctuary, at the top of Perion	West from Henesys, or the taxi. Climb to the top platform.
Magician	Magic Library, at the top of Ellinia	East through the forest maps, or the taxi. Climb the tree platforms.
Bowman	Bowman Instructional School, Henesys	You're there. It's on the right side of town.
Thief	Thieves' Hideout, Kerning City	Taxi to Kerning City, then the semi-hidden doorway near the shops

3. Advance

Talk to the instructor and confirm. Your job changes at once and you get your first skill point and job skills. There's no quest and no fee.

Example: a Lv 10 Beginner with 35 STR in Henesys takes the taxi to Perion, climbs to the Warriors' Sanctuary, and talks to Dances with Balrog. The whole trip takes a few minutes.

Spend first-job SP (Lv 10–30)

planet-helper counts 61 SP by Lv 30 for every job. Priorities from its first-job comparison:

Job	Main attack to max first	Notes
Warrior	Power Strike (single), Slash Blast (hits up to 6)	Max HP Increase is a % of max HP, so it doesn't need to come first.
Magician	Energy Bolt or Magic Claw (same total damage)	Energy Bolt costs less MP (16 vs 20). Magic Guard adds survival.
Bowman	Arrow Blow (single) or Double Shot (two targets)	Focus adds accuracy.
Thief	Lucky Seven (two stars)	Testers keep DEX at the weapon requirement and the rest in LUK.

For where to train while you spend it, see the training guide.

Pass the second-job questline at Lv 30

The chain is the same for every job. Only the NPCs and maps differ.

Step	Quest (mapleclassic.wiki, henesys.gg)	What you do
1	The [Job]'s Next Journey	Talk to your first-job instructor at Lv 30
2	Finding the Instructor	Get the instructor's letter and take it to your Job Instructor
3	Test of Qualification	Enter the hidden test map and collect 30 Dark Marbles
4	Proof of Qualification	Trade the marbles for The Proof of a Hero, take it back to your first-job instructor, and pick your branch

Where each Job Instructor and test map is

Job	First-job instructor	Job Instructor location	Test map
Warrior	Dances with Balrog, Perion	Hidden portal in West Rocky Mountain IV (metaroad)	Warrior's Rocky Mountain
Magician	Grendel the Really Old, Magic Library, Ellinia	The Forest North of Ellinia (henesys.gg)	Magician's Tree Dungeon
Bowman	Athena Pierce, Henesys	Near the Perion and Henesys border (metaroad calls it The Forest of Dead Trees, and other sources say Road to the Dungeon)	Ant Tunnel For Bowman
Thief	Dark Lord, Kerning City	Construction Site North of Kerning City (mapleclassic.wiki)	Thief test map

Rewards along the way: mapleclassic.wiki's quest table lists the same EXP for every job: 4,780 for each of the first two quests and 3,150 for each of the last two, so 15,860 EXP for the chain. henesys.gg gives 9,560 EXP for the Magician chain, which matches only the first two quests. Go by the wiki's per-quest figures.

Example: a Lv 30 Bandit-to-be talks to Dark Lord and gets the letter. They walk to the Construction Site north of Kerning City and give the letter to the Thief Job Instructor. Inside the test map they collect 30 Dark Marbles, trade them for The Proof of a Hero, and return to Dark Lord to pick Bandit.

Pre-test checklist

• A full slot of HP potions (and MP potions for Magicians). metaroad warns the Thief test monsters hit hard.
• Some test maps may be timed. metaroad mentions a time limit for the Bowman test, so don't go in under-leveled.
• Your branch decided. It's permanent.

Know what each branch gets at second job

Branch	Signature attack (planet-helper)	Plays as
Fighter	Final Attack: Axe, up to 3 targets	Fast melee mobber. Rage buffs the party.
Page	Final Attack: Blunt Weapon, 360% single target	Hardest warrior single hit. Threaten lowers defense.
Spearman	Final Attack: Polearm, with HP drain	Long reach and sustain
Fire/Poison Wizard	Fire Arrow, single target	Ranged burst, fire-weak maps
Ice/Lightning Wizard	Thunder Bolt, up to 6 targets	Top mobber
Cleric	Holy Arrow, Heal, Bless, Invincible	Party healer and Holy damage
Hunter	Arrow Bomb, up to 6 targets with a stun	Ranged control, no arrow cost with Soul Arrow
Crossbowman	Iron Arrow, piercing up to 6 in a line	Line-map mobber
Assassin	Lucky Seven, two stars	Safe ranged single target. Haste and Drain.
Bandit	Savage Blow, 6 hits on one target	Melee boss damage, Steal

Avoid the common mistakes

1. AP in the wrong stat. The instructor doesn't check your stats, but AP is permanent without a reset item, so put it into your job's main stat from level 1.
2. Talking to the Job Instructor before your own instructor. Nothing happens without the letter.
3. Doing the test in a party. It's slower, not faster.
4. Picking a branch for its shop weapon. Choose by playstyle and cost. Our tier list's goal table helps.

There's no NPC advancement after 30 in Founder's Access. Nexon hasn't dated it.

If you were powerleveled or are returning

• Check you actually advanced. A character powerleveled to 35 as a first job loses damage every minute. Do the questline at once.
• Check your AP and SP. Compare them with the tables above before training on harder maps.
• Returning players from old MapleStory: the steps are the same as the classic game, but Classic World's skill numbers were rebalanced, so recheck your build against current data.

If you play MapleStory's main version too, our MapleStory beginner guide explains how job progression differs there.

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather not grind this part yourself, 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.

Frequently asked questions

What level is job advancement in MapleStory Classic?

First job is at Lv 10 and second job at Lv 30, per Nexon's Founder's Access notes. Magicians advance at Lv 10 as well; Classic World raised it from the original Lv 8. There's no third job yet, and the cap is 100.

What are the stat requirements for first job?

None. First job advancement in Classic World has no stat check for any branch; the STR 35 / DEX 25 figures in older walkthroughs come from the closed tests.

How do I get second job in MapleStory Classic?

At Lv 30, talk to your instructor for a letter, take it to your Job Instructor, and collect 30 Dark Marbles in the test map. Trade them for The Proof of a Hero, then return to your instructor and choose your branch.

Where is the Warrior Job Instructor?

In a hidden portal on West Rocky Mountain IV, near Perion, according to metaroad.

Where is the Magician second job test?

The Magician Job Instructor is in The Forest North of Ellinia and sends you into the Magician's Tree Dungeon, per henesys.gg.

Can I do the second job test with a party?

You can enter with others, but marbles only count for whoever loots them, so it's slower. Go solo.

Can I change my second job later?

Nexon describes no job change option, and community guides treat the choice as permanent.

Is there a Pirate job in MapleStory Classic World?

No. Nexon lists only Warrior, Magician, Bowman, and Thief.