Link skills are buffs you can send to your other characters within the same server of your account.
You can send a link skill buff to only one other character at a time, for example, your main character.
Recommended Read: Maplestory – Familiar System Guide
Link skill buffs last until you link the buff to another character.
Most link skills are very powerful buffs, which is why most players train a bunch of classes they aren’t going to play for longer than getting their link skill for their main character or a specific level for the legion system.
As having multiple link skills linked to the same character can significantly increase its damage output, we recommend you train some classes with great link skills whenever there is a leveling or EXP event.
A character can receive a maximum of 12 link skill buffs from other characters at once and will get the buff from its own link skill.
Thus, you cannot link a character’s link skill to another character if they are the same class.
Table of contents
All link skills list
Every single class in Maplestory has and can give a link skill to a character within the same server on your account.
Most classes have a unique link skill, while others, like the Cygnus Knights, all have the same link skill, Cygnus Blessing.
Most link skills have a maximum level of 2 or 3, which unlocks when your character reaches the following levels.
- Character level 70 = Level 1 link skill*
- Character level 120 = Level 2 link skill
- Character level 210 = Level 3 link skill
*Characters unlock their level 1 link skill at level 10 but can’t give them to other characters before reaching level 70.
Certain classes have a different link skill level structure like the Zero link skill that has a maximum level of 5 reached at level 178 through campaign quests.
Link skills with a maximum level higher than 3 have the buff of their maximum level link skill displayed in the max level column.
Link skills grow stronger as they level up but give the same type of buff.
For example, if a link skill gives 3% damage at level 1, it might give 5% damage at level 2.
To give you an overview of the numerous link skills in the Maplestory, we’ve created the following chart with all link skills in the game.
| Class | Link Skill | Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Max Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adele | Noble Fire | +2% Boss Damage, +1% Damage per party member for your entire party, including yourself up to 4%. | +4% Boss Damage, +2% Damage per party member for your entire party, including yourself up to 8%. | - | +4% Boss Damage, +2% Damage per party member for your entire party, including yourself up to 8%. |
| Angelic Buster | Terms and Conditions | +60% Damage for 10 seconds. 90 sec cooldown. Skill effects are reduced to half when used with link skill. | +90% Damage for 10 seconds. 90 sec cooldown. Skill effects are reduced to half when used with link skill. | +120% Damage for 10 seconds. 90 sec cooldown. Skill effects are reduced to half when used with link skill. | +120% Damage for 10 seconds. 90 sec cooldown. Skill effects are reduced to half when used with link skill. |
| Aran | Combo Kill Advantage | +400% EXP from Combo Kill Orbs | +650% EXP from Combo Kill Orbs | +900% EXP from Combo Kill Orbs | +900% EXP from Combo Kill Orbs |
| Ark | Ecstasy | +1% Damage after 5 seconds in battle. +1% additional damage every 5 seconds after first stack. Stacks up to 5 times total. | +1% Damage after 5 seconds in battle. +2% additional damage every 5 seconds after first stack. Stacks up to 5 times total. | +1% Damage after 5 seconds in battle. +3% additional damage every 5 seconds after first stack. Stacks up to 5 times total. | +1% Damage after 5 seconds in battle. +3% additional damage every 5 seconds after first stack. Stacks up to 5 times total. |
| Beast Tamer | Focus Spirit | +4% Boss Damage, +4% Critical Rate, +3% Max HP & MP | +7% Boss Damage, +7% Critical Rate, +4% Max HP & MP | +10% Boss Damage, +10% Critical Rate, +5% Max HP & MP | +10% Boss Damage, +10% Critical Rate, +5% Max HP & MP |
| Cadena | Intensive Insult | +3% Damage against monsters lower level than you, +3% Damage against monsters affected by status effects. | +6% Damage against monsters lower level than you, +6% Damage against monsters affected by status effects. | - | +6% Damage against monsters lower level than you, +6% Damage against monsters affected by status effects. |
| Cygnus Knights1 | Cygnus Blessing | +7 ATT & Magic ATT, +1% Elemental Resistance, +1 Abnormal Status Resistance | +9 ATT & Magic ATT, +3% Elemental Resistance, +3 Abnormal Status Resistance | +11 ATT & Magic ATT, +4% Elemental Resistance, +4 Abnormal Status Resistance | +25 ATT & Magic ATT, +15% Elemental Resistance, +15 Abnormal Status Resistance |
| Demon Avenger | Wild Rage | +5% Damage | +10% Damage | +15% Damage | +15% Damage |
| Demon Slayer | Fury Unleashed | +10% Boss Damage | +15% Boss Damage | +20% Boss Damage | +20% Boss Damage |
| Evan | Rune Persistence | +30% Rune Buff Duration | +50% Rune Buff Duration | +70% Rune Buff Duration | +70% Rune Buff Duration |
| Explorer - Bowman2 | Adventurer's Curiosity | +3% Critical Rate, +10% Monster Collection Chance | +4% Critical Rate, +15% Monster Collection Chance | +6% Critical Rate, +20% Monster Collection Chance | +10% Critical Rate, +35% Monster Collection Chance |
| Explorer - Magician3 | Empirical Knowledge | 15% Chance to inflict curse mark for 10 seconds that increases damage and defense ignored against target by 1%. Stacks up to 3 times. | 17% Chance to inflict curse mark for 10 seconds that increases damage and defense ignored against target by 1%. Stacks up to 3 times. | 19% Chance to inflict curse mark for 10 seconds that increases damage and defense ignored against target by 2%. Stacks up to 3 times. | 25% Chance to inflict curse mark for 10 seconds that increases damage and defense ignored against target by 3%. Stacks up to 3 times. |
| Explorer - Pirate4 | Pirate Blessing | +20 STR, +20 DEX, +20 INT, +20 LUK, +350 HP & MP, -5% Damage Taken | +30 STR, +30 DEX, +30 INT, +30 LUK, +525 HP & MP, -7% Damage Taken | +40 STR, +40 DEX, +40 INT, +40 LUK, +700 HP & MP, -9% Damage Taken | +70 STR, +70 DEX, +70 INT, +70 LUK, +1225 HP & MP, -15% Damage Taken |
| Explorer - Thief5 | Thief's Cunning | +3% Damage for 10 seconds after debuffing an enemy. 20 sec cooldown. | +6% Damage for 10 seconds after debuffing an enemy. 20 sec cooldown. | +9% Damage for 10 seconds after debuffing an enemy. 20 sec cooldown. | +18% Damage for 10 seconds after debuffing an enemy. 20 sec cooldown. |
| Explorer - Warrior6 | Invincible Belief | Restores 20% of Max HP every 1 sec for 3 sec when HP falls below 15%. 410 sec cooldown. | Restores 23% of Max HP every 1 sec for 3 sec when HP falls below 15%. 370 sec cooldown. | Restores 26% of Max HP every 1 sec for 3 sec when HP falls below 15%. 330 sec cooldown. | Restores 35% of Max HP every 1 sec for 3 sec when HP falls below 15%. 210 sec cooldown. |
| Hayato | Keen Edge | +15 All stats, +10 Weapon & Magic ATT. | +25 All stats, +15 Weapon & Magic ATT. | - | +25 All stats, +15 Weapon & Magic ATT. |
| Hoyoung | Bravado | +5% Ignore Defense, +9% Damage to HP with full HP | +10% Ignore Defense, +14% Damage to HP with full HP | - | +10% Ignore Defense, +14% Damage to HP with full HP |
| Illium | Tide of Battle | +1% Damage for 5 sec per 500 pixels moved. 6 stacks maximum for 6% Damage. | +2% Damage for 5 sec per 500 pixels moved. 6 stacks maximum for 12% Damage. | - | +2% Damage for 5 sec per 500 pixels moved. 6 stacks maximum for 12% Damage. |
| Jett | Core Aura | +0-2 STR, DEX, LUK, INT, Weapon ATT, and Magic ATT when Jett is level 30-39. | +0-4 STR, DEX, LUK, INT, Weapon ATT, and Magic ATT when Jett is level 40-49. | +0-6 STR, DEX, LUK, INT, Weapon ATT, and Magic ATT when Jett is level 50-59. | +5-35 STR, DEX, LUK, INT, Weapon ATT, and Magic ATT when Jett is level 120+ and has tier 4 core. |
| Kain | Time to Prepare | After completing Time to Prepare at least 1 time, then upon either defeating 8 enemies or attacking a boss 5 times, damage increases by 9% for 20 sec, for every 5 times you’ve stacked Time to Prepare. 40 seconds cooldown. | After completing Time to Prepare at least 1 time, then upon either defeating 8 enemies or attacking a boss 5 times, damage increases by 17% for 20 sec, for every 5 times you’ve stacked Time to Prepare. 40 seconds cooldown. | - | After completing Time to Prepare at least 1 time, then upon either defeating 8 enemies or attacking a boss 5 times, damage increases by 17% for 20 sec, for every 5 times you’ve stacked Time to Prepare. 40 seconds cooldown. |
| Kaiser | Iron Will | +10% Max HP | +15% Max HP | +20% Max HP | +20% Max HP |
| Kanna | Elementalism | +5% Damage | +10% Damage | - | +10% Damage |
| Khali | Innate Gift | +3% Damage, Recovers 1% of Max HP & MP every second for 5 seconds - can be activated every 30 seconds. | +5% Damage, Recovers 2% of Max HP & MP every second for 5 seconds - can be activated every 30 seconds. | - | +5% Damage, Recovers 2% of Max HP & MP every second for 5 seconds - can be activated every 30 seconds. |
| Kinesis | Judgement | +2% Critical Damage | +4% Critical Damage | - | +4% Critical Damage |
| Lara | Nature's Friend | +3% Damage, +7% additional Damage against normal monsters for 30 seconds after defeating 20 normal monsters, 30 seconds cooldown. | +5% Damage, +11% additional Damage against normal monsters for 30 seconds after defeating 20 normal monsters, 30 seconds cooldown. | - | +5% Damage, +11% additional Damage against normal monsters for 30 seconds after defeating 20 normal monsters, 30 seconds cooldown. |
| Luminous | Light Wash | +10% Ignore Defense | +15% Ignore Defense | +20% Ignore Defense | +20% Ignore Defense |
| Mercedes | Elven Blessing | +10% EXP from monsters. Teleport to Elluel, 10 min cooldown. | +15% EXP from monsters. Teleport to Elluel, 10 min cooldown. | +20% EXP from monsters. Teleport to Elluel, 10 min cooldown. | +20% EXP from monsters. Teleport to Elluel, 10 min cooldown. |
| Mihile | Knight's Watch | 100% Knockback Resistance for 140 seconds. 180 seconds cooldown. | 100% Knockback Resistance for 180 seconds. 180 seconds cooldown. | 100% Knockback Resistance for 220 seconds. 180 seconds cooldown. | 100% Knockback Resistance for 220 seconds. 180 seconds cooldown. |
| Phantom | Phantom Instinct | +10% Critical Rate | +15% Critical Rate | +20% Critical Rate | +20% Critical Rate |
| Resistance7 | Spirit of Freedom | Invincibility for 1 sec upon revival. | Invincibility for 2 sec upon revival. | Invincibility for 3 sec upon revival. | Invincibility for 8 sec upon revival. |
| Shade | Close Call | +5% Fatal Attack Survival chance | +10% Fatal Attack Survival chance | - | +10% Fatal Attack Survival chance |
| Xenon | Hybrid Logic | +5% all stats | +10% all stats | - | +10% all stats |
| Zero | Rhinne Blessing | +2% Ignore Defense, -3% Damage Taken | +4% Ignore Defense, -6% Damage Taken | +6% Ignore Defense, -9% Damage Taken | +10% Ignore Defense, -15% Damage Taken |
1 Cygnus Knights = Blaze Wizard, Wind Archer, Dawn Warrior, Thunder Breaker, and Night Walker.
2 Explorer – Bowman = Bowmaster, Marksman, and Pathfinder.
3 Explorer – Magician = Ice Lightning Arch Mage, Fire Poison Arch Mage, and Bishop.
4 Explorer – Pirate = Corsair, Buccaneer, and Cannoneer.
5 Explorer – Thief = Night Lord, Shadower, and Dual Blade.
6 Explorer – Warrior = Hero, Dark Knight, and Paladin.
7 Resistance = Wild Hunter, Mechanic, Battle Mage, and Blaster.
Best link skills
There are numerous link skills in Maplestory, but you can only use 12 at once.
So which ones should you go for if you want to have the very best link skill setup?
We’ve created the following list ranking the 12 best link skills in Maplestory.
The list ranks link skills based on the premise that you want to optimize your link skills to improve your bossing capabilities and damage output.
Even though we are giving each of the following link skills a ranking, some of them may be similar in usefulness.
1 – Wild Rage +5%, +10%, +15% Damage (Demon Avenger)
Damage is the most important stat in Maplestory at the end of the day, making Wild Rage an incredible link skill.
2 – Elementalism +5%, +10% Damage (Kanna)
Similar to Wild Rage, Kanna’s link skill, Elementalism, gives a permanent damage boost but caps at level 2.
3 – Ecstasy +6%, +11%, 16% damage at max stacks (Ark)
By being engaged in battle for 5 seconds, you get a damage boost.
After the initial boost, you get another stack every 5 seconds, which boosts your damage as well.
You can get a total of 5 additional stacks on top of the initial boost.
In boss fights, you’ll easily obtain the maximum number of stacks, as these fights usually last a while.
4 – Tide of Battle +6%, +12% Damage at max stacks (Illium)
Illium’s link skill also gives a significant damage boost at maximum stacks.
You get stacks by moving around, making them easy to max out during a boss fight.
5 – Fury Unleashed +10%, +15%, +20% Boss Damage (Demon Slayer)
Boss Damage is another immensely important stat in the game, making Fury Unleashed the fifth-best link skill in the game.
6 – Focus Spirit +4%, +7%, +10% Boss Damage/+4%, +7%, +10% Critical Rate/+3%, +4%, +5% Max HP & MP (Beast Tamer)
Beast Tamer’s link skill is an all-around solid buff that boosts both damage against bosses, critical rate, and your max hp and mp.
7 – Light Wash +10%, +15%,+ 20% Ignore Defense (Luminous)
Ignore Defense is an important stat in Maplestory, especially when you reach late game.
Later on, monsters and bosses negate a lot of damage if you don’t have enough ignore enemy defense.
8 – Judgement +2%, +4% Critical Damage (Kinesis)
Though 4% might not seem like a lot, it makes a major difference as critical damage is already multiplied from your base damage, making Judgement a great link skill to have later on in the game as your critical rate increases.
9 – Noble Fire +2% Boss Damage & +1% Damage per party member up to 4%, +4% Boss Damage & +2% Damage per party member up to 8% (Adele)
Adele’s link skill, Noble Fire, is a great link skill to have, not only for yourself, but also for your party.
If you are soloing bosses, this link skill is obviously much less useful than when you’re bossing in a big party.
10 – Hybrid Logic +5%, +10% All Stats (Xenon)
Xenon’s link skill, Hybrid Logic, is a solid link skill that boosts both STR, DEX, INT, and LUK.
11 – Phantom Instinct +10%, +15%, +20% Critical Rate (Phantom)
Having a high critical rate is important to increase your damage output.
Phantom’s Phantom Instinct can help you achieve just that by giving a greater critical rate boost than any other link skill.
12 – Terms and Conditions +60%, +90%, +120% Damage for 10 seconds (Angelic Buster)
This link skill is great for bossing, especially for classes with a high level of burst if you time the use of Terms and Conditions.
Other excellent link skills that provide great utility in general throughout your adventures include Evan’s, Mercedes’, Aran’s, and Resistance’s.
The first three are great for leveling as they increase rune buff duration, EXP gained, and Combo Orb EXP.
Resistance’s link skill makes you invincible for a while after respawning, which is useful against bosses if you die a lot.
Link skill priority for new players
Training a bunch of characters to gain their link skills is a great method to improve your account and main character, as well as help you train other ones.
Here is our recommendation, as well as the reasoning for the priority of link skills you should go for in Maplestory.
- 1: Elven Blessing (Mercedes)
- 2: Combo Kill Advantage (Aran)
- 3: Rune Persistence (Evan)
- 4: Nature’s Friend (Lara)
- 5: Wild Rage (Demon Avenger)
- 6: Elementalism (Kanna)
- 7: Tide of Battle (Illium)
- 8: Ecstasy (Ark)
- 9: Hybrid Logic (Xenon)
- 10: Phantom Instinct (Phantom)
Even though Mercedes, Aran, and Evan aren’t included in our list of the best link skills in the game, they are extremely useful if you haven’t trained characters for link skills yet.
Mercedes gives a permanent 20% EXP bonus, which will help you train other characters for link skills. Therefore, you should train a Mercedes first.
Secondly, we recommend picking either Aran or Evan as they also help you train other characters quicker.
Aran gives bonus EXP when collecting Combo EXP Orbs, which spawn when you train.
Evan gives a boost to the duration of runes, which gives 2x EXP for 2 minutes when you pick them up.
We do recommend only training an Aran or an Evan, not both, as having two link skills that help you train should be sufficient. If you, however, plan to level up many to high levels for things like Legion, you might want to get all the link skills that help you train faster, which includes Lara’s link skill.
You can, of course, choose to go for all three if you want to.
After obtaining link skills that’ll help you train faster, it’s time to get the ones that you need for your main character late game.
We recommend you start with the ones that’ll help you early game, which means you should go for Demon Avenger and Kanna first.
Once you’ve trained those two, go for Illium and Ark for more damage buffs.
Xenon and Phantom are our last two recommendations on our priority list, as they both provide excellent buffs, which will have a significant impact on your performance while training.
Once you’ve trained all of these classes for their link skills, we recommend you finish train the remaining classes we’ve listed in our best link skills list above in any order.
Furthermore, we recommend you start by training all of these classes to level 120 only, not level 210 as your time is spent much more efficiently by starting a new class after getting level 2 link skills.
Later on, you can, if you want to, train classes that can get their link skill to level 3 to level 210.
That’s everything you need to know about link skills in Maplestory!
If you have any input or suggestions for this guide, you can share them with us in the comment section below.
Terms and Conditions is actually 30% / 45% / 60% damage as a link skill
As a new player, this info is a BIG help! Thank you
Thanks for the 2022 update. Sure do helps us to narrow down and prioritize. Appreciate it.
awesome info. truely helpful for new players like myself. thanks for compiling and willing to share your experience and knowledge.