Hola all,
Quick update.
Over the past few months, we've gained a lot of feedback from the community via surveys, focus groups, the Feedback Threads, etc. Well, as you may have noticed, we've implemented a lot of changes both in and out of game. We're in transition to a bigger and better MapleStory, and we're going to do this with your help. There'll be some bumps along the way, but we'll work through them. =)
So, many of you have noticed that there's sort of a "What Now?" lingering feeling at the end of the CWKPQ, and that's because there are a few storyline quests that we had to delay for deadline purposes. Needless to say, we'll be addressing this, not necessarily in the next patch, but they're coming. Of course, we have to fit all of this into our already bursting at the seams schedule. So sit tight. The future of Masteria is quite bright, or dark depending on how you see things...there is a lot of story left, and you'll see for yourselves.
Also, raise your hand if you like goggles. 
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Hey everyone,
Apologies for not being available the last week or so, had quite a bit to do. As we're patching right now, and some of the info is out there, looks like everyone is excited/scared/OMG/LOL/etc--always a good thing. Remember: high risk for high rewards. Details about the Guild-related events for Masteria and MV's Party Quest will be posted a little later =).
So, back to work, and good luck. Time waits for no one....
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Anyone else hear that noise?
Probably just me, almost felt like somthing had changed rather drastically...like a brand new PQ and some dedicated spawn maps.
So, the next chapter in the tale of Masteria is nearly here: "The Battle of Crimsonwood Keep". We've pulled out plenty of tricks, and simply cannot wait to have the community experience it.
GM Blog should be up by now, and I'll (hopefully) have some time on Friday to answer a few questions. However, we've got new maps, new Bosses, new stages, new music and new rewards for your party, should you actually complete the numerous, never-before-seen challenges within...
Until then, feel free to speculate on how many bosses you'll fight. And how you'll get there...if you haven't finished your Masteria quests, I highly, highly recommend you do.
And remember, No Mercy. Which of course, doesn't mean "unfair". 
Some details are coming soon...
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Ok, so let's get this party started.
So, shortly after NLC launched, we all were discussing the concept for the next area of Masteria. Many directions to choose from, along with the exact path we wanted the stories to take. Eventually, we agreed that one area would be the best starting point for the epic tale you're about to experience. You've had a fair bit of story to go along with the debut of NLC, and now we're taking it to the next level. As many of you are aware, Masteria is lightly themed around Hollywood. In this tradition, it's mainly meant by focused storylines--the overall story of Masteria, the NPC origins, the Haunted House, the iTCG extra info, etc. A lot of what's been seen over the past few months has been build-up, now you'll get some payoff.
...when you do the quests of course. All 100+ pages of them. =)
We've examined NLC, culled the feedback, and went through a fairly lengthy process to design the best possible expansion we could think of. So, we're proud to welcome you to the first expansion in the Chronicles of Masteria, Crimsonwood Keep. The symbol you're looking at up there is the official seal. This should give a few indications as well...
Of course there's more to it than meets the eye...
Let's peel back the curtain a bit more, here's one of the new NPCs:
“This is me being nice. If I were being rude, I’d greet you with something much sharper than my tongue.”
And that's all for now...
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"...we’ve received plenty of reports of a very weird…thing…out there in the forest...tough enough to stomp 160 Heros, 100 Nightlords, 80 Arch Mages, 190 Paladins, 90 Bowmasters, 110 Marksmen, 50 Shadowers...pretty much everyone we sent after it..."
- Lita Lawless
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"“You’ll have to pass a lot of tests, a lot of running and climbing ropes and jumping on posts, and then some more running! Hoof! Just thinking about all that makes me sweat!”
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"The second thing you’ll need is an ancient, mystic Shadowknight artifact called a Tao. The method for their creation has been lost to time, but we Raven Ninjas still know how to use their power." - Fiona, Raven Ninja Weaponsmith
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"I taught countless mages during my heyday—from talented ones like Rafael, master of the mind; not so talented ones, like that bunch of ruffians who thought a staff was a walking stick; and the odd, most notably LeFay, who was in touch with a kind of chaos magic..." - Ridley
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"In his last letter, Jack wrote that after weeks of wandering in circles in the haunted Phantom Forest, he’d made it to the base of Crimsonwood Mountain, and was standing in the fabled Valley of Heroes! But this last letter was dated a few months ago, and frankly, I’m beginning to get a little worried..." - John Barricade
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Ok, so while this isn't a direct update with pics, etc, I have a few minutes to talk a little. So, consider this an extended commentary on bosses.
Now, MapleStory has a wide, wide range of bosses. As a gamer myself, I always thought that several boss fights stood out:
1) 3rd Job Advancement Dark Side Fight
2) Papulatus
3) Black Crow
4) Horntail
And let me confess, I LOVE boss fights. Part of the reason why the Evil Dead map in the Phantom Forest spawns both Headless Horseman and Bigfoot is because it's there as a sort of personal challenge. No quests, or anything, just a basic challenge of "Can I do this?"
The last game I played had some rather interesting bosses, but I think the best boss fights are ones where you have to constantly adapt to only only the boss, but other factors. Mega Man 3 is my favorite out of the series, due to the challenge variety/stage layout of the bosses in Wily's Fortress. Shinobi 3, the stage prior to the last boss is one of pure platforming, where the stage itself is your enemy. Stuff like that stays with you years later.
So when seeing speculation about just what is behind the gate at the apex of Crimsonwood Mountain, I've read plenty of comments that say "Can you just give the Geist Balrog more attack/HP?" Sure, we could, but you guys deserve more. In fact, waaaay back when we first tested the Amorian Challenge, he was a lot stronger (close to a one-hit KO), but with all of his skills intact. Too hard. Even for an Onyx Apple. So we tweaked it a bit so it'd be a lot more fun, while still challenging. Because in the end, that's really what its about. Of course, since then, quite a few of you have leveled substantially, so we can show a great deal less mercy.
That said, enjoy the holiday events and Magatia, and get ready for 2009. We're gonna have some fun
Nothing is impossible with Knowledge as Power.
