Magician Skill Build Levels 8 to 30: What to Max First

After reading this you will have a spend order for every first-job Magician skill in MapleStory Classic World, a way to place your starting AP so you clear the INT 20 gate, and a clear view of how each skill choice feeds the level 30 jump to Fire/Poison Wizard, Ice/Lightning Wizard or Cleric. Classic World is Nexon's recreation of pre-Big Bang MapleStory, running inside the Global MapleStory (GMS) client. Nexon's FAQ states that Founder's Access opens October 6, 2026 and Grand Launch is October 21, 2026, and that progress made in Founder's Access carries into Grand Launch.

Assumptions, and what the data does not tell us

Every recommendation below assumes a solo Magician between levels 8 and 30, INT as the primary stat, and a wand or staff (the two weapon types listed for the class). I have no potion budget figure, so I do not model one. MP cost per cast is the only resource number I can quote.

Here is what the fact sheet does not list, and so what this guide will not invent:

• How many skill points (SP) you earn per level. A strict level-by-level count is therefore not possible; the plan below is ordered by priority, and you spend as points arrive.
• Damage percentages for any skill. The skill table has a blank damage column, so I cannot give hits-to-kill for any monster.
• The effect values of Magic Guard, Magic Armor, Improved MP Recovery and Max MP Increase.
• Drop rates and respawn timers for the monsters below. Only the number of monsters recorded on each map is listed.

Skill names, max levels and MP costs are per mapleclassic.wiki. Dates are per Nexon.

Before level 8: placing AP for the INT 20 gate

Per mapleclassic.wiki, the first job advancement gate for the Magician is INT 20, and the advancement happens at level 8 in Ellinia. The instructor is Grendel the Really Old, in the Magic Library in Ellinia. There is no dice roll in Classic World: every stat starts at 4 and you place 9 AP yourself at creation.

The table shows one thing: put all 9 creation AP into INT. The gate is 20 and INT tops out at 13 after creation, which leaves a shortfall of 7. Any AP placed elsewhere makes that shortfall larger, and the gate is a hard requirement, not a suggestion. Each level grants 5 AP, so level-up points can cover the gap, but the sheet has a wrinkle you should check yourself.

The sheet says AP is auto-allocated to the Beginner's primary stats until level 11, and manual from level 11. It also places the Magician advancement at level 8. It does not say how those two facts interact, or which stats auto-allocation favors. Before you walk to Grendel the Really Old, open the stat window and confirm INT reads 20 or more. The sheet also mentions a small one-time AP bonus on first job advancement, but the amount is not listed.

From level 11, every one of the 5 AP per level is yours to place. The sheet lists no secondary stat requirement for any Magician skill, so I will not claim a split. At level 30 as a Magician, the only gate I can verify is INT, so INT is where the points go. AP is permanent without a rare reset item, so do not experiment.

The first-job skill list at a glance

The Magician has six skills. This is the whole list, with max levels and MP costs from mapleclassic.wiki.

Two attacks, two defensive skills, two MP skills. Both attacks hit one target, so there is no area attack in the first job. Magic Claw hits twice per cast against Energy Bolt's one, and its cost runs from 10 to 20 MP against Energy Bolt's 6 to 14. Because damage percentages are not listed, I cannot tell you whether the extra MP buys more damage per MP. What I can say is that Magic Claw is the only attack with a second hit, and it is the skill the build is organized around.

The three prerequisites matter for ordering: Magic Claw needs Energy Bolt Lv 1, Magic Armor needs Magic Guard Lv 3, and Max MP Increase needs Improved MP Recovery Lv 3. Everything else is open from the start.

SP order, step by step

This order assumes solo grinding at levels 8 to 30 as a Magician with INT as the primary stat. Spend as SP arrives; the sheet does not say how many points you get per level, so each step ends when you run out.

1. Energy Bolt to level 1. It costs one point and opens Magic Claw. It is the only attack you have before Magic Claw exists.
2. Magic Claw, all the way toward 20. This is the main damage skill for the whole first job. Its MP cost climbs from 10 to 20 as it levels, so MP management becomes the next problem.
3. Improved MP Recovery to level 3. This opens Max MP Increase and starts easing the MP pressure that Magic Claw creates.
4. Max MP Increase. A bigger pool lets you cast Magic Claw more times between rests. Its effect values are not listed, so treat it as a condition-based pick: it is worth the points if you find yourself out of MP before the monster dies.
5. Magic Guard to level 3, then keep going. It costs 8 to 12 MP per use, per mapleclassic.wiki. It is the first defensive skill and it unlocks Magic Armor. Its max level is 15.
6. Magic Armor, only after Magic Guard Lv 3. Max level is 20 with a cost of 8 to 16 MP. I rank it last because it carries an MP cost with no attack value, and because I cannot quote its effect.
7. Remaining points: finish Magic Claw first, then Improved MP Recovery and Max MP Increase toward 15, then Magic Guard toward 15. Energy Bolt beyond level 1 is the lowest priority, because Magic Claw replaces it.

The reasoning is simple. Magic Claw is the only multi-hit option and it unlocks nothing else, so it is a safe place to concentrate points. The MP skills come before the defensive pair because a Magician that runs out of MP stops killing, and killing is the source of all EXP. If you are in a party at level 30 as a Magician, a party member may cover your defense; that is why Magic Armor sits last, not because it is useless.

Where to level while you spend

The table below lists the 10 highest-ranked monsters in the level 8 to 30 band, ranked by EXP per HP point (our derived ranking, not a game stat). Figures are per mapleclassic.wiki. EXP is per kill; I have no per-hour figures because no spawn timers or kill speeds are recorded.

The point of the table: EXP per HP varies only from 0.102 to 0.143 across these ten, so the ranking is tight and the monster's level should drive your choice more than the ratio. At level 8 as a Magician, Orange Mushroom (level 8, HP 142, EXP 15 per kill) is the natural match. Ribbon Pig, Octopus, Green Mushroom and Bubbling follow as your levels climb, at monster levels 10, 12, 14 and 15.

Ranking by EXP per HP says nothing about danger, drop value or how long a map takes to refill. Where the sheet records monsters on a map, it helps to know that Orange Mushroom has 11 recorded on Henesys Hunting Ground III, Ribbon Pig has 21 on L Forest I, and Slime has 30 on The Tree That Grew II. Bubbling has 64 on Line 1 (Area 1), the largest count for any of these monsters in the table. Zombie Mushroom has 61 on Ant Tunnel III. Stirge has 38 each on Dangerous Steam and Transfer Area, and Jr. Necki has 27 on Dangerous Croko I. These are counts on the map, not spawn rates.

One comparison with both inputs shown: Jr. Necki gives 39 EXP per kill at 272 HP, while Zombie Mushroom gives 45 EXP per kill at 436 HP. The Zombie Mushroom pays more per kill but has more HP to chew through, and without damage percentages I cannot turn that into a per-hour figure.

The weakness column links to your later skills. Slime, Octopus and Bubbling are weak to Lightning, which is the element of Thunder Bolt for the Ice/Lightning Wizard. Zombie Mushroom is weak to Holy, the element of the Cleric's Holy Arrow. Magic Claw has no element listed, so it gets no weakness bonus either way.

How the build feeds Wizard or Cleric

All three second jobs unlock at level 30 in Ellinia, per mapleclassic.wiki, and all use wand or staff with INT as the primary stat. No stat gate for second job is listed, so I will not give one. Third job is not available at launch, so level 30 is the end of the road for these skill lists.

Compare this with the first job. Magic Claw starts at 10 MP and ends at 20 MP per cast. Thunder Bolt and Poison Breath already start at 20 MP, which is Magic Claw's max-level cost, and their cost rises further as they level. Fire Arrow and Holy Arrow start at 14 and Cold Beam at 11, and all three climb with level too. That is why the MP skills come early in the plan: the second job asks for a bigger pool and faster recovery than the first, and the first-job points you spend on Improved MP Recovery and Max MP Increase are the only MP investment the first job offers. Whether those first-job points carry any bonus into the second job is not stated on the sheet, so I do not claim it.

Each branch also has a shared set. The Fire/Poison Wizard and Ice/Lightning Wizard both have MP Eater (max 20), Meditation (max 20, needs MP Eater Lv 3), Teleport (max 20, cost falls as it levels and ends at 15 MP) and Slow (max 20, needs Teleport Lv 5). The Cleric has MP Eater and Teleport as well, with Invincible needing Heal Lv 5 and Bless needing Invincible Lv 5. MP Eater and Teleport appear in all three, so those are the safest picks if you are undecided at level 30.

Which branch is right depends on your situation. Solo, with Slime, Octopus and Bubbling as your targets, the Ice/Lightning Wizard's Thunder Bolt hits 6 targets in the element those three are weak to. In a party, the Cleric's Heal and Holy Arrow (3 targets) serve others. The Fire/Poison Wizard offers two single-target attacks, Fire Arrow and Poison Breath. None of these is a best class without a condition; the sheet has no damage figures that would let me rank them.

Checklist before you advance

1. Confirm INT is at least 20 in the stat window.
2. Reach level 8 and find Grendel the Really Old in the Magic Library, Ellinia.
3. Spend your first SP on Energy Bolt 1, then Magic Claw.
4. From level 11, place all 5 AP per level into INT.
5. At level 30, return to Ellinia and pick Fire/Poison Wizard, Ice/Lightning Wizard or Cleric.

Last verified 2026-10-01 against mapleclassic.wiki data synced 2026-10-01 and Nexon's Classic World FAQ.

Frequently asked

What should a Magician max first in Classic World?

Take Energy Bolt to level 1 to unlock Magic Claw, then put points into Magic Claw, whose max level is 20. After that, take Improved MP Recovery to level 3 to open Max MP Increase. This assumes solo play at levels 8 to 30.

How much INT do I need to become a Magician?

Per mapleclassic.wiki, the Magician first job gate is INT 20, and the advancement happens at level 8 in Ellinia. Putting all 9 creation AP into INT only reaches 13, so level-up AP has to cover the rest.

Is there a dice roll for stats in Classic World?

No. Every stat starts at 4 and you place 9 AP directly at character creation. Putting all 9 into one stat takes it to 13.

Where does a Magician get the first job advancement?

From Grendel the Really Old in the Magic Library, Ellinia. He is the instructor for both the Magician first and second job, and the first advancement is at level 8.

Which second job can a Magician choose at level 30?

Fire/Poison Wizard, Ice/Lightning Wizard or Cleric, all in Ellinia. Third job is not available at launch, so level 30 is as far as the skill lists go.

Does Magic Claw hit more than once?

Per mapleclassic.wiki, Magic Claw hits 2 times on 1 target, and its MP cost runs from 10 to 20. Damage percentages are not listed, so I cannot give a damage per MP comparison with Energy Bolt.