In MapleStory, Link Skills are a crucial system for character progression, allowing you to significantly boost your characters’ power. These unique skills, specific to each class, can be shared with other characters within the same World, offering a strategic layer of customization and optimization. Among the most sought-after Link Skills is the Mercedes Link Skill, known as Elven Blessing, which is particularly valuable for leveling up your characters efficiently.
This guide will delve into the world of Link Skills, explaining how they work, highlighting top choices, and showcasing why the Mercedes Link Skill is a must-have for any serious MapleStory player looking to enhance their training and overall gameplay.
Understanding MapleStory Link Skills
Link Skills are primarily passive abilities, although some active ones exist, that become available when a character reaches Level 70. The beauty of the Link Skill system lies in its sharing capability. Once unlocked, a character can bestow their Link Skill upon another character on the same World. Both the source character and the recipient character then benefit from the Link Skill’s effect.
Link Skills evolve and become more potent as the originating character levels up. They typically upgrade at Level 120 (Skill Level 2) and again at Level 210 (Skill Level 3), amplifying their effects. For certain Link Skills, especially those from classes within the same group, stacking is possible. This means you can link multiple characters of different classes within the same group to a single character, further increasing the Link Skill’s strength. For example, using multiple Explorer class Link Skills can provide additive bonuses.
Managing your Link Skills is flexible and customizable. Each character can have up to three Presets, each capable of holding twelve Link Skills (or thirteen if you include the character’s own Link Skill). Each Link Skill can only be linked to one character at a time, but you have the freedom to reassign them. You can change Link Skill assignments up to ten times per day. The first four transfers are free, with subsequent changes costing Mesos.
For Link Skills that can stack, the system intelligently combines them when linked. However, remember that to stack Link Skills, the source characters must be from different classes, even within the same class group. You can’t stack two Dark Knight Link Skills, but you can stack a Dark Knight Link Skill with a Paladin or Hero Link Skill.
When choosing Link Skills, prioritize stats that complement your character’s needs and goals. For instance, if you’re aiming for 100% Critical Hit Rate, focus on Link Skills that boost Crit Rate. Other universally beneficial stats include %Damage, %Boss Damage, and %Ignore Enemy Defense (IED). For efficient leveling, EXP boosting Link Skills, like the Mercedes Link Skill, are invaluable.
Accessing the Link Manager
To manage your Link Skills, navigate to your Skills Tab UI in-game and select Beginner skills. You will find the “Link Manager” skill here. Activating this skill opens the Link Skill interface, allowing you to assign and manage your Link Skills.
Note: If the Link Skill doesn’t appear in your Link Manager, check the Lightbulb tab on the left side of your screen for a quest related to Link Skills. Accepting and completing this quest should unlock the Link Manager. If it’s still missing, try relogging into the game.
Link Skills by Class Group
Here’s a breakdown of Link Skills categorized by their class groups:
Explorers
- [Hero, Paladin, and Dark Knight]
- [Bishop, Arch Mage (Ice, Lightning), and Arch Mage (Fire, Poison)]
- [Bow Master, Marksman, and Pathfinder]
- [Shadower, Night Lord, and Dual Blade]
- [Corsair, Buccaneer, and Cannoneer]
Cygnus Knights
- [Dawn Warrior, Wind Archer, Thunder Breaker, Night Walker, and Blaze Wizard]
- [Mihile]
Heroes
- [Mercedes] – Elven Blessing: A key Link Skill for training, increasing EXP gain.
- [Aran]
- [Phantom]
- [Luminous]
- [Evan]
- [Shade]
Resistance
- [Wild Hunter, Battle Mage, Mechanic, and Blaster]
- [Demon Avenger]
- [Demon Slayer]
- [Xenon]
Nova
- [Angelic Buster]
Terms and Conditions (Angelic Buster Link Skill) – Buff
Master Level: 3
-
Useful for BOSSING for classes with BURST ATTACKS
-
Duration: 10 sec, Damage: +60%
-
Cooldown: 60 sec
-
[Cadena]
-
[Kaiser]
-
[Kain]
Sengoku
- [Hayato]
- [Kanna]
Flora
- [Ark]
- [Illium]
- [Adele]
- [Khali]
Anima
- [Hoyoung]
- [Lara]
Other
- [Lynn]
- [Kinesis]
- [Zero]
Notable Link Skills: Optimizing Your Build
Certain Link Skills stand out for their significant impact on character performance. Lynn’s Link Skill is a prime example, offering a blend of %Boss Damage, %Critical Rate, and %Max HP/MP, making it versatile for various situations.
Here’s a breakdown of notable Link Skills categorized by their primary benefit:
For Damage Enhancement:
- [Ark] – Solus: Provides a straightforward %Damage increase.
- [Demon Avenger] – Wild Rage: Another excellent source of %Damage.
- [Explorer Thieves] – Thief’s Cunning: %Damage boost, especially effective for classes that apply debuffs.
- [Explorer Pirates] – Pirate Blessing: Increases All Stats, which scales with %Stat bonuses.
- [Illium] – Tide of Battle: Offers a solid %Damage increase.
- [Kanna] – Elementalism: Provides a valuable %Damage boost.
- [Kinesis] – Judgment: Increases %Critical Damage.
- [Xenon] – Hybrid Logic: Boosts %All Stats, contributing to overall damage.
For Bossing and Ignoring Enemy Defense (IED):
- [Angelic Buster] – Terms and Conditions: Ideal for burst damage classes in bossing scenarios.
- [Adele] – Noble Fire: Increases %Boss Damage, crucial for end-game content.
- [Lynn] – Spirit Guide Blessing: Offers a balanced boost with %Boss Damage, %Crit Rate, and survivability.
- [Cygnus Knights] – Cygnus Blessing: Provides Abnormal Status Resistance and a minor damage increase, useful in boss fights.
- [Demon Slayer] – Fury Unleashed: Increases %Boss Damage, a must for bossing focused builds.
- [Explorer Mages] – Empirical Knowledge: Provides %Ignore DEF, essential for dealing with high-defense bosses.
- [Luminous] – Light Wash: Another source of valuable %Ignore DEF.
- [Mihile] – Knight’s Watch: Enhances Abnormal Status Resistance, improving survivability in boss battles.
- [Resistance] – Spirit of Freedom: Grants iFrames after reviving, offering a safety net in challenging fights.
- [Shade] – Close Call: Increases survivability with a chance to avoid death from fatal attacks.
- [Zero] – Rhinne’s Blessing: Provides %Ignore DEF, further aiding in bossing.
For Training and Leveling (Including Mercedes Link Skill):
- [Aran] – Combo Kill Blessing: Useful for faster leveling, particularly in the pre-200 range.
- [Cadena] – Unfair Advantage: Increases %Damage against lower-level enemies and those with Abnormal Statuses, beneficial for training.
- [Evan] – Rune Persistence: Extends Rune duration, boosting EXP gain at all levels, especially pre-200.
- [Hoyoung] – Bravado: Provides a damage boost that can help one-shot mobs during training.
- [Kaiser] – Iron Will: Reduces death penalty, helpful for players who frequently die while training pre-200.
- [Mercedes] – Elven Blessing: The premier Link Skill for training, significantly increasing EXP gain, especially effective for leveling from 200 and beyond. The Mercedes Link Skill is widely recognized as essential for efficient character progression.
For Addressing Low Critical Hit Rate:
- [Explorer Archers] – Adventurer’s Curiosity: Provides up to 10% Critical Hit Rate.
- [Lynn] – Spirit Guide Blessing: Offers up to 10% Critical Hit Rate in addition to other benefits.
- [Phantom] – Phantom Instinct: Provides a substantial boost of up to 20% Critical Hit Rate.
Example Link Skill Setups:
Here are example Link Skill setups to guide your choices, demonstrating how to combine different Link Skills for specific goals:
Training Focused Build:
(Aran, Ark, Cadena, Demon Avenger, Evan, Explorer Archer, Explorer Thief, Explorer Pirate, Hoyoung, Zero, Kanna, Mercedes)
Rationale: This setup prioritizes increased EXP gain through the Mercedes Link Skill (Elven Blessing) and Evan Link Skill, combined with damage boosts and some survivability if needed. If survivability isn’t a concern, you can swap out defensive Link Skills for more damage or Crit Rate. The Mercedes Link Skill is the cornerstone of any efficient training setup.
Other Options: (Crit Rate, Max HP/MP), (Damage), (Damage) (Lynn, Cygnus Knights, Hayato, Illium, Kaiser, Phantom, and Xenon).
Bossing Focused Build:
(Angelic Buster, Cygnus Knights, Lynn, Shade, Demon Slayer, Explorer Pirate, Explorer Mage, Explorer Thief, Resistance, Kinesis, Luminous, Phantom)
Rationale: This build emphasizes damage output, achieving close to 100% Critical Hit Rate if needed, and maximizing %Ignore DEF. Survivability Link Skills are also included for challenging boss encounters.
Other Options: (Damage), (Damage), (Damage), (Damage), (%Ignore DEF) (Explorer Archer, Ark, Demon Avenger, Explorer Warrior, Illium, Mihile, Xenon, and Zero).
For more detailed information on all Link Skills, refer to:
https://maplestorywiki.net/w/Link_Skill
For visual guidance on optimizing your Link Skills, check out this helpful video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT1jX_tnQjM
Credits:
Skill Icons + Info: MapleWiki
