Every MapleStory veteran has a mule graveyard, a pile of half-leveled characters started for one reason: link skills. The problem is most players unlock them in the wrong order.
MapleStory Link Skill Priority is one of the most searched topics in the community, and for good reason. Getting the order wrong wastes weeks of grinding on skills that barely help.
So which link skills should come first? In general, prioritize experience-boosting link skills early to speed up leveling every other character, then shift toward damage and bossing skills once your main is strong.
This guide breaks down the full priority order, the reasoning behind it, and how to structure your roster so every hour of grinding actually counts toward power.
Understanding MapleStory Link Skill Priority From The Start
Link skills are permanent bonuses tied to specific classes, unlocked by leveling that character and then equipped on your main. You can equip up to twelve at once.
Each link skill has three tiers, unlocked at level 70, level 120, and level 210 or 285 depending on the class, with each tier providing a stronger bonus.
Because of that structure, MapleStory Link Skill Priority really comes down to answering one question: which bonuses give you the most value per hour invested in leveling?
Keep these factors in mind when planning your order:
- Experience-boosting link skills reduce the time needed for every future mule.
- Damage-focused link skills matter more once your main character is already strong.
- Some skills only reach their best tier at very high levels, requiring long-term investment.
- Your twelve equipped slots should mix both experience and damage skills over time.
Why Does Order Matter So Much In This Game?
Leveling every class to unlock its link skill takes real time, sometimes weeks per character. Choosing badly means grinding a mule that barely improves your main.
Therefore, the smartest players front-load the skills that make future leveling faster, then use that saved time to chase the harder, damage-focused unlocks.
What Level Do You Need To Unlock Each Tier?
Most link skills follow a similar pattern. You gain the first tier around level 70, the second around level 120, and the strongest tier much later, often around level 210 to 285.
Consequently, early investment in a link skill only pays off in full once that character reaches the higher brackets, so patience matters as much as choosing the right class.
Best Link Skill Tier List For Leveling And Bossing
A proper Link Skill Tier List separates skills into two buckets: ones that help you level faster, and ones that help you deal more damage once you are already strong.
Top Experience Boosting Link Skills
Start with these classes if your priority is speeding up your roster of mules:
- Mercedes, whose link skill grants a strong permanent experience bonus.
- Evan, offering another significant boost to experience gain.
- Aran, rounding out the trio most commonly recommended first for new accounts.
Unlocking these three early means every character leveled afterward benefits from faster grinding, which compounds across your entire roster over time.
Top Bossing And Damage Link Skills
Once your main is established, shift focus toward damage output for harder content:
- Kanna, valued for utility and damage support in party content.
- Demon Avenger, offering strong personal damage bonuses.
- Hoyoung, contributing solid boss damage scaling at higher tiers.
- Kinesis, rounding out common bossing-focused link skill picks.
These are typically slotted in once the experience-boosting skills are already secured, since bossing content rewards raw damage more than leveling speed.
How Do You Plan A Full Legion Board Around Link Skills?
The Legion Board system layers on top of link skills, letting placement and character stats add further passive bonuses to your main character.
Planning both systems together avoids wasted effort, since some characters are worth leveling for their Legion Board contribution even if their link skill itself is not top priority.
Balancing Legion Board Stats With Link Skill Leveling
Consider these points when deciding which mule to level next:
- A character with a strong link skill and solid Legion Board stats is worth prioritizing first.
- Classes with weaker link skills can still be worth leveling purely for Legion Board bonuses.
- Rotating which mule you level keeps progress varied instead of grinding one class for too long.
Comparing Link Skill Categories At A Glance
| Category | Example Classes | Best Used For |
|---|---|---|
| Experience Boost | Mercedes, Evan, Aran | Speeding up leveling for every future mule |
| Boss Damage | Kanna, Demon Avenger, Hoyoung, Kinesis | Increasing output in boss fights |
| Utility Support | Various explorer and magician classes | Party support and quality of life bonuses |
| Late Game Scaling | High tier unlocks near level 210+ | Long term investment for endgame mains |
Is It Worth Leveling Every Link Skill To Max Rank?
Not always. Reaching the highest tier of every link skill takes an enormous time investment, and your twelve equipped slots have a hard limit regardless.
Instead, focus on maxing the link skills you will actually equip long term, and treat lower priority ones as optional extras for later.
When Should You Stop Chasing New Link Skills?
Once your twelve slots are filled with a strong mix of experience and damage bonuses, additional link skills offer diminishing returns unless you plan to swap setups.
However, keeping one or two flexible slots open lets you adjust your Experience Boost Skills versus damage split depending on whether you are leveling or bossing that week.
Pro Tips: Optimizing MapleStory Link Skill Priority
- Unlock experience skills first: This shortens every future leveling session, making the investment compound across your entire roster over time.
- Track your twelve equipped slots carefully: Swapping in and out costs nothing, so review your setup whenever your goals shift between leveling and bossing.
- Combine link skill planning with your Legion Board: Characters that help both systems at once are more efficient than single-purpose mules.
- Prioritize your main class’s synergy: Some link skills pair especially well with specific mains, so check compatibility before committing weeks of grinding.
Common Mistakes MapleStory Link Skill Priority Players Make
- Leveling damage skills before experience skills: This slows down every future mule unnecessarily. Fix: unlock Mercedes, Evan, and Aran style experience boosts first.
- Ignoring the Legion Board entirely: Some players only think about link skills and skip stat placement. Fix: plan both systems together for maximum efficiency.
- Spreading effort too thin across too many mules: Half-leveled characters waste time without delivering a usable link skill. Fix: fully commit to one mule at a time until its skill is unlocked.
Playing MapleStory Smoothly While Chasing Link Skill Priority
Grinding toward the right MapleStory Link Skill Priority often means long farming sessions, party quests, and boss runs where a stable connection genuinely matters.
Lag spikes during a boss run can cost you a clear, and disconnects during a long grinding session waste hours of progress. That is where ExitLag fits naturally into the routine.
ExitLag is not a VPN. It is a game connection optimizer that analyzes multiple network paths in real time and automatically selects the fastest, most stable route to the game server.
It does not encrypt traffic, does not mask your IP, and does not affect any application outside the games it supports. ExitLag currently covers 4,000+ titles across PC and Mobile, running on 1,500+ servers in 190+ countries, trusted by over 30 million users completing 18 million optimizations every week.
For long farming and bossing sessions, a few features are especially relevant:
- Real-time Optimization, cutting delay and packet loss so skill inputs land exactly when you press them during boss patterns.
- Multipath Technology, keeping your connection stable even if one route degrades mid-session.
- PC Boost, cleaning RAM and background processes for smoother performance during long grinding sessions.
- AI-powered routing, automatically picking the fastest stable path with manual customization still available if needed.
ExitLag does not modify game files, does not inject code, and does not interact with anti-cheat systems, making it safe to run alongside MapleStory and other major online titles. Avoid combining it with a VPN, since that pairing reduces routing effectiveness.
If unstable connections keep interrupting your grind toward the ideal Link Skill Tier List setup, grabbing the ExitLag Download is a smart next step for smoother, longer play sessions.
All game images and references used in this blog post belong to Nexon, the publisher and developer of MapleStory. They are used for informational and educational purposes only and do not imply endorsement or affiliation with the rights holders.
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