KMS balance preview: This article covers a Korean Test World proposal. It is not a GMS patch announcement. Check the linked final KMS notes for changes after testing.
A MapleStory balance patch is easier to understand when you look beyond damage percentages and ask when you can use a skill and how reliably it connects. A shorter cooldown can come with less damage per cast. Removing a channel can give you more freedom to react to boss mechanics. Both can change a rotation without a simple one-number answer.
This KMS follow-up focuses on fifth-job toggle persistence, Bishop's pre-boss setup, Phantom's attack flow, and Ren's cooldown management. Dark Knight, Wind Archer, Kain, and Hoyoung also need a closer look at how numerical changes affect their rotations.
This article records the Korean Test World proposal, rather than announcing a GMS patch. Final live-server values can differ. Check the released notes before rebuilding your nodes or equipment; KMS published its live follow-up on October 22. Unless stated otherwise, the values below are the proposal's listed master-level values.
Toggle fixes and Bishop setup improvements
Fewer toggles to recheck after reconnecting
The proposal fixes cases where fifth-job toggle skills did not retain their activation state after reconnecting. Loaded Dice also retains your selected roll after reconnecting.
For mages, Overload Mana gets a consistency fix: entering the KMS training measurement hall, preparing a test, or starting one should no longer turn it off. That helps avoid comparing runs where a missing buff quietly changed the result.
Shared fixes also address both charges of a double-use jump being consumed together and Dark Sight ending when certain movement skills are used. Examples include Night Lord's Shadow Blink, Phantom's Phantom Charge, and Kain's Dread Bolt. Check the actual skill list; a fix to these skills does not change every movement skill.
Bishop's Heaven's Door is easier to prepare
Heaven's Door and Heaven's Door VI are changed so that their cooldowns reset on entry to boss waiting rooms, Sharenian Culvert, and the KMS training measurement hall. That reduces setup delays caused by waiting for the skill to come back.
The caster's skill cooldown and a target's reapplication lockout are separate. This change does not mean you can receive Heaven's Door again without a limit.
Benediction gets a buff-icon display fix. The HEXA icons for the VI versions of Angelic Touch, the angel-fountain skill, and Bahamut also change. These are setup and presentation changes, not a blanket Bishop damage buff; the fountain name here describes the KMS skill rather than assigning it an unverified GMS VI name.
Phantom and Ren: review your skill order
Phantom's Tempest no longer requires channeling
Tempest is Phantom's biggest structural change. Both the regular and VI versions lose the hold-key channel: casting the skill creates a card storm instead. Their cooldowns increase at the same time.
| Phantom skill | Before | Test proposal | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tempest | 455% damage; 20-second cooldown | 1,768% damage; 35-second cooldown | Channel removed; attack behavior changes |
| Tempest VI | 746% damage; 20-second cooldown | 2,345% damage; 35-second cooldown | Relearn how it links into other attacks |
| Mille Aiguilles | 160% damage | 145% damage | Its contribution during sustained damage |
| Mille Aiguilles VI | 432% damage | 362% damage | Compare alongside the Tempest changes |
| Carte Noir | 1,210% damage | 1,150% damage | Its share of your overall damage |
Tempest's larger listed damage does not translate into the same percentage increase for Phantom's total output. Its attack behavior and cooldown change, while other attacks are adjusted too. Compare burst windows and sustained damage separately.
Carte Rose Finale loses the lingering attacks from cards embedded in the ground. The regular skill changes from 700% to 1,234%, while VI changes from 410% to 584%. Attack speed also affects VI under the proposal, so check its animation and hit structure alongside the percentage.
Ace in the Hole also moves within the rotation. You can no longer use it without a casting animation during Tempest; that interaction moves to Mille Aiguilles. Phantom's Mark has roughly 53% shorter trail/mark activation delay, while Rift Break's slash activation delay falls by roughly 63%.
Start by practicing the follow-up after Tempest and using Ace in the Hole during Mille Aiguilles, rather than repeating your old inputs automatically. The stolen version of Roll of the Dice also changes from a 180-second to a 60-second cooldown through the affected acquisition route, which matters for buff upkeep.
Ren: the conditions for extra casts matter
Ren's Jinan passive (the KMS name used in this proposal) has its Critical Damage bonus reduced from 10% to 7%. Sublimation is changed into a buff that allows four uses of Wish Unending while that skill is on cooldown. The buff must be active for those extra uses.
The conditions matter as much as the number four. Check that Sublimation is running, Wish Unending is on cooldown, and the boss will remain attackable long enough. Practice the connection between those two skills before judging the change.
The proposal also increases three components of Ren's Origin attack, Rising Azure Dragon: Divided Heavens: the falling-blossom component from 2,170% to 2,192%, the second component from 3,850% to 3,889%, and the heavenly-strike component from 2,590% to 2,616%. These are descriptive component labels for the KMS notes. With lower Critical Damage, small component increases, and a different Sublimation structure all in play, compare actual fights under the same conditions.
Read class buffs and nerfs in the context of attack structure
Cooldown changes alter the rhythm of a rotation
Dark Knight has a shorter Radiant Evil cooldown in this proposal: 60 seconds becomes 20 seconds. MP cost falls from 1,000 to 300, and the attack duration is approximately 82% shorter. In exchange, wave count falls from 11 to seven and damage from 745% to 380%.
Cross Surge's passive Final Damage falls from 50% to 48%, and Advanced Weapon Mastery's Critical Damage falls from 15% to 10%. The piercing and finishing components of the KMS Dark Helldoom skill increase. Consider those passive reductions alongside the more frequent Radiant Evil; the newer skill label is retained as a KMS reference.
Wind Archer has a longer Merciless Winds cooldown: 10 seconds becomes 20 seconds, while damage rises from 1,485% to 2,755%. It can be used without a casting animation during Vortex Sphere.
Vortex Sphere moves the other way, from a 30-second to a 20-second cooldown. Its attack interval is roughly 67% shorter, but its maximum hits on one enemy fall from 15 to 11 and damage falls from 1,045% to 868%. Trigger conditions for the wind-proc skills and Storm Bringer also change. Test how both active skills fit the new 20-second rhythm.
Shade During the KMS Hoju Gaesi buff, Cheongwi Yacham can be used three times while on cooldown. These romanized names identify the specific Korean skill entries, rather than assigning them to an older GMS skill with different behavior. Fox Spirits VI and related damage bonuses are reduced, so compare the extra uses with the lost proc contribution.
A large reduction to one skill is not the class's total damage loss
| Class | Main adjustment | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Blaster | Rocket Punch: 461% to 475%; Revolving Cannon VI: 522% to 596% | Damage increases to those attacks |
| Xenon | Orbital Cataclysm: 1,500% to 326%; VI: 2,571% to 377% | Additional damage against normal monsters is also added |
| Demon Slayer | Converts the conditional Final Damage of the affected torture passive into a permanent bonus; adjusts Demon Cry skills | Separate the relaxed condition from bossing and mobbing effects |
| Kaiser | An Attack Power bonus falls from 35 to 30; Critical Damage from 15% to 14%; Gigas Wave VI from 560% to 530% | Check passive reductions alongside the main attack |
| Kain | Attack Power bonuses fall from 40 to 21 and 40 to 20; Critical Damage from 20% to 16% | Read alongside damage redistribution among Annihilation's attacks |
| Ark | The primordial-torrent component rises from 2,674% to 4,832%; abyssal spikes from 1,523% to 1,649% | Trigger conditions for both components also change |
| Hoyoung | An Attack Power passive falls from 50 to 15; Critical Damage from 15% to 7%; the Heaven, Earth, and Humanity clone attack from 1,540% to 1,416% | Check the passive adjustments and the clone-trigger bug fix together |
A sharp drop to one Xenon skill is not an equal drop to the class's total output. Its impact depends on that skill's share of the full rotation. When an extra normal-monster modifier is added, test bossing and mobbing separately too.
Demon Cry's displayed percentage is also an incomplete picture for Demon Slayer. It gains an additional normal-monster effect. The KMS Nightmare skill loses excess Demon Fury generation and the associated Final Damage interaction while its individual attacks are retuned. Review farming and burst separately.
For Ark, a directly used attack hitting an enemy triggers the torrent. After two torrent activations, a directly used attack can trigger abyssal spikes on a hit enemy. Alongside the higher percentages, check whether your actual attack sequence consistently satisfies those triggers. These component descriptions explain the KMS interaction without claiming that identical tooltips are already live in GMS.
Check the utility and bug fixes for your own class
Here is a quick reference for the other class changes. Each entry applies to the specified skills; they are not all buffs of the same size. English labels use established GMS names where available, with descriptive labels for KMS-only components.
| Class | Change to know |
|---|---|
| Paladin | Fixes Holy Unity's linked manifestation disappearing when tagging in the Dragon Island activity |
| Arch Mage (Ice, Lightning) | Fixes abnormal MP consumption on Bolt Barrage |
| Bowmaster | Fixes Silhouette Mirage ending immediately after use and an Ascendant Shade effect-display issue |
| Night Lord | Throwing Star Barrage adjusts its angle to enemy positions and throws stars at all enemies the attack targets |
| Shadower | Fixes attacks from the Veil of Shadow skills after changing maps and animation cancellation when Trickblade fails |
| Corsair | Fixes sound effects for the bombardment-storm skills and the minimum interval for canceling Bullet Barrage's rapid fire |
| Mihile | Fixes Sword of Light sound effects |
| Blaze Wizard | Removes the character effect displayed while Burning Conduit is active |
| Night Walker | Shadow Stitch becomes instant; bind duration changes from 10 to 12 seconds; usable in midair |
| Thunder Breaker | Fixes movement links after Ascension and MP consumption when linking with Flash |
| Aran | Fixes Beyond Blade continuing during the Last Stand skills and missing damage on the final Beyond Blade component |
| Evan | Fixes Return-related recording and combo handling, Dragon Spark triggering, and a restriction on using Circle of Mana while stationary |
| Mechanic | Fixes unintended cross-triggering between Homing Beacon skills and Sol Janus: Dusk |
| Cadena | Chain Arts: Maelstrom no longer triggers Sol Janus: Dawn or Dusk |
| Angelic Buster | Fixes the KMS Energy Burst skill being reused immediately after activation; this refers to its energy-sphere attack |
| Zero | Using Burst Step during a channeled combination no longer interrupts the combination in progress |
| Kinesis | Fixes Psychic Board's king designation when multiple enemies have different maximum HP |
| Adele | Fixes resource/cooldown handling for hunting swords, damage from the territory skill, and the marker skill’s spawn locations (the KMS Order, Territory, and Marker entries) |
| Illium | Fixes Crystal and Glory Wings interactions, Harmony Wingbeat effects, and Deus tracking |
Before replacing gear, compare runs with the same buffs, consumables, and duration. Controlled training tests plus real boss clear records show how the numerical and input changes affect your own character.
Check eligibility and your upgrade plan before a HEXA reset
Eight classes are listed for reset-scroll support
The listed classes for a HEXA Matrix Reset Scroll are Dark Knight, Wind Archer, Phantom, Shade, Kain, Ark, Ren, and Hoyoung. Eligible characters must also be at least level 260 and have completed sixth-job advancement under the KMS support conditions.
The announced distribution route is Quick Move or the Maple Administrator NPC in major towns. Each character can receive one untradeable scroll. Distribution and item-use deadlines are separate; check the final support notice and the expiration displayed on the item.
Record your current node levels and available materials before resetting. Identify the attacks you will use after the changes, decide whether burst or sustained damage matters more for your target, and then plan how to redistribute the resources.
Training-record resets and HEXA resets have different class lists
The KMS training system's registered replays and recommendation privileges reset for 13 classes. Alongside the eight classes eligible for HEXA scroll support, the list includes Night Walker, Blaster, Xenon, Demon Slayer, and Kaiser. That is a broader set than the HEXA support list.
A training replay reset does not establish eligibility for a HEXA Reset Scroll. Clearing training records and supporting node redistribution are separate changes.
Should I use a reset scroll as soon as I get it?
Receiving the scroll and choosing to use it are separate decisions. Cooldown and structural changes may alter upgrade efficiency, but not every character needs a reset. First compare your current node levels, the balance between farming and bossing, and how much you use the changed attacks.
Should I change mains immediately after the patch?
Learn the changed inputs before deciding based on the patch percentages alone. Hit consistency and your response to boss mechanics can make the same class feel quite different between players.
Check your toggles and keybinds first. Then try the changed cooldowns in actual boss patterns. A comparison under the same conditions will give you a better basis for choosing your next node or equipment upgrade.
Regional and version notes
English localization reviewed October 23, 2026. Korean MapleStory (KMS) and Global MapleStory (GMS) have different schedules, class rosters, economies, and feature versions. Korean event times use KST (UTC+9), not North American local time. Use the GMS announcement and your current in-game tooltips for GMS participation and skill values. The main comparison preserves the source’s test-proposal snapshot; the linked October 22 live notes are the final KMS reference. Percentages apply to the listed attacks, not total class damage. Established English names are used where matched; newer KMS components use descriptive or romanized labels rather than invented official GMS names. HEXA scroll eligibility and training-record resets are separate lists. Some illustrations are retained from the Korean edition and may include Korean labels. Use the English article text for instructions.
Localization sources checked October 23, 2026 (Korea time):
- Nexon KMS: October 22, 2026 live update 1.2.420 (Korean)
- Nexon KMS: September 17, 2026 skill adjustments (Korean)
- MapleStory Wiki: Ren English skill terminology
- MapleStory Wiki: Phantom English skill terminology
- MapleStory Wiki: Blaster English skill terminology
- Nexon: Global MapleStory news and regional patch announcements