After reading this guide you will know what a party quest is in MapleStory Classic World, what the one launch party quest asks of a party of four, which stage is most likely to stall a run, and which classic party quests are not in the game. The short answer to the search is that First Time Together, the Kerning City party quest, is the only party quest at launch, and it is built for levels 21 to 30.
What a party quest is, and why it matters in Classic World
A party quest (PQ) is an instanced run where a small group works through a chain of stages on a timer. The design intent is simple: most of the early game can be done alone, and a PQ is the place where the game asks you to coordinate. Each stage has a task that one player cannot finish unaided, and the reward comes only if the whole party clears it before the clock ends.
Per mapleclassic.wiki, party quests are part of the launch feature list, alongside crafting with six professions, a Citizenship system, guilds and the Free Market. The wiki is also where the in-game numbers in this guide come from. Nexon, by contrast, is the authority on dates, prices and policy. For timing, Nexon's FAQ states that Founder's Access begins October 6, 2026, with Grand Launch on October 21, 2026, and that progress made in Founder's Access carries into Grand Launch. That means a party quest you clear in Founder's Access is not wiped when the full launch opens.
Only one PQ has a full entry on the wiki that we can work from: First Time Together. It is also known as the Kerning City Party Quest, or KPQ, and the wiki lists it as the 1st Accompaniment. It is described as the lowest-level party quest on Victoria Island and the standard entry point to party play.
First Time Together at a glance
The table below collects the headline numbers for the run, all per mapleclassic.wiki.
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Level range | 21 to 30 |
| Party size | 4 (leader plus three) |
| Time limit | 30 minutes |
| Start NPC | Lakelis, in Kerning City |
| Other NPCs | Cloto, Nella |
| Boss | King Slime, level 32, 16820 HP |
Read the table in this order: the level range tells you who should queue, the party size tells you how many friends you need, and the time limit tells you how much slack you have. King Slime's level of 32 sits above the top of the 30 level band, so the boss is a small step up from what a party at the cap of the range would normally fight. The wiki does not say how that gap changes the difficulty in practice.
The story is straightforward. Lakelis poured an experimental growth potion down the drain, a Slime drank it and became King Slime, and the three sisters want it dealt with. You start by talking to Lakelis in Kerning City, Victoria Island.
How parties and stage order work
A run needs a party of four: one leader plus three other members. The leader has a special role in nearly every stage. In the stages that test combinations, the leader does not stand on the puzzle; the leader talks to Cloto and reports the result while the other three members do the moving. The wiki's wording is that stages 2 to 4 need exactly three non-leaders, so a party that is short a member will not have enough people to test a full combination. We read that as a practical requirement, though the wiki does not describe what the game does if you try with fewer.
Stage order is fixed. You clear stage 1, then 2, then 3, then 4, then 5, and the last room is an optional bonus stage. There is no choosing a different order, so the first stage you cannot finish is the one that ends your run.
Some practical points about parties, based on the stage design:
- Choose the leader before you enter. The leader collects Passes and does all the talking to Cloto, so pick someone who is comfortable with chat and quick with the keyboard.
- Agree on callouts in advance. The puzzle stages go faster when everyone uses the same names for positions.
- Keep the party inside the level range. The wiki lists the quest as for levels 21 to 30, and a level 21 character is the entry point.
Stage by stage: what the party actually does
The table is taken from the wiki's stage list. After it, I walk through the order as numbered steps.
| # | Stage | Goal | Monsters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stage 1: Coupons | Every member except the leader talks to Cloto, gets a riddle, hunts Ligators for exactly that many Coupons, then trades them for a Pass. The leader collects all Passes and gives them to Cloto. | Ligator |
| 2 | Stage 2: Vines | Four vines, two on top and two on the bottom; three are correct. Three members climb different vines while the leader talks to Cloto. | None listed |
| 3 | Stage 3: Cat platforms | Five platforms marked by the number of cats in logs; three are correct. Three members stand on different platforms while the leader talks to Cloto. | None listed |
| 4 | Stage 4: Barrels | Six numbered barrels at the top of the map; three are correct. Three members stand on different barrels while the leader talks to Cloto. | None listed |
| 5 | Stage 5: King Slime | Three sections separated by portals: 3 Curse Eyes, then 6 Jr. Neckis, then King Slime. Every monster drops a Pass, and all Passes go to the leader, who gives them to Cloto. | Curse Eye, Jr. Necki, King Slime |
| 6 | Bonus stage | Hunt Green Mushrooms and Horny Mushrooms for the rest of the timer, or leave by talking to Nella. | Green Mushroom, Horny Mushroom |
The pattern is worth noticing. Stage 1 is a gathering task, stages 2 to 4 are three variations of the same guessing puzzle, stage 5 is the fight, and stage 6 is a reward-farming tail. If you learn the method for one of the guessing stages, you have learned all three.
- Form the party. Meet Lakelis in Kerning City with four members, all within levels 21 to 30, and start the quest.
- Stage 1. Each non-leader takes a riddle from Cloto and hunts Ligators for the Coupon count the answer gives. Trade the Coupons for a Pass, and the leader hands all Passes to Cloto.
- Stages 2 to 4. Three members test a combination while the leader checks with Cloto. Change one position per attempt so the party learns something from every answer.
- Stage 5. Clear the Curse Eyes, then the Jr. Neckis, then King Slime, and collect every Pass.
- Claim the box. After stage 5, each member may take a Companion's Magic Box from Cloto before leaving.
- Decide on the bonus. Stay and hunt until the 30 minute timer ends, or talk to Nella to leave.
Stage 1: the riddle answers
Stage 1 is where most parties lose time, because the Coupon count has to be exact. The wiki lists five riddle answers, which I have set out below so you can confirm the number before you start hunting.
| Riddle asks for | Coupons needed |
|---|---|
| Level to become a Warrior, Magician, Bowman or Thief | 10 |
| EXP to reach level 2 | 15 |
| Level to enter this party quest | 21 |
| Total AP gained from level 1 to level 6 | 25 |
| Level to complete the 2nd job advancement | 30 |
The riddles are really a quiz on early game facts, and the answer to each is also the Coupon count. The wiki warns that extra Coupons block the hand-in, so drop any surplus before you talk to Cloto. A party that overshoots by a few Ligator drops and then cannot hand in is a common way for a run to burn the clock.
A memory, and what is true in Classic World
In the 2007-era Global MapleStory (GMS) client, I remember a party standing around outside the first room for far too long because one member was holding a spare Coupon and nobody could work out why Cloto kept refusing the Passes. I cannot tell you from memory that the hand-in rules were identical to today's. What I can tell you is what the wiki records for Classic World: extra Coupons block the hand-in, so drop any surplus before talking to Cloto. Treat that as the rule for this game, and check the stage text when you are inside.
King Slime and the rewards
The fight itself is the part everyone remembers. Per the wiki, King Slime is level 32 with 16820 HP. When its HP reaches 50%, it summons regular Slimes. When it dies, 11 Slimes spawn in its place, and clearing them is optional. It can drop Squishy Shoes, but the wiki does not list a drop rate.
The reward structure has three parts:
- EXP after each cleared stage. The wiki confirms EXP is awarded per stage, but the amounts are not yet listed.
- A Companion's Magic Box, one per member, from Cloto after stage 5.
- The bonus stage, with Green Mushrooms and Horny Mushrooms until the 30 minute timer ends.
The box contents are listed in full. Equipment: Blue Bamboo Hat, Brown Bamboo Hat, Green Bamboo Hat, Yellow Square, Red Cross Earrings, Gold Earrings, Star Earrings and Emerald Earrings. Scrolls: Earring LUK Scroll: Intermediate, Earring Crit. Damage Scroll: Intermediate and Overall Armor STR Scroll: Greater. Supplies: Orange Potion x 10, Blue Potion x 10, Unagi x 10 and Screw x 10. Ores: Bronze Ore x 5, Gold Ore x 5, Iron Ore x 8, Orihalcon Ore x 8, Amethyst Ore x 8 and Opal Ore x 8. There is also one Fragment of Magic.
The ores are a useful hint at where crafting fits in, since Classic World launches with six crafting professions. The wiki does not tell us which recipes use which ores, so I will not guess.
Which classic party quests are held back
Two well-known party quests are confirmed as not at launch. The Ludibrium Party Quest (LPQ) is out because Ludibrium is not part of the launch game. The Orbis Party Quest (OPQ) is out because Orbis is held back with the rest of Ossyria; per the wiki, those areas are to be reworked and introduced gradually after launch. No dates are given for that.
The same boundary applies more widely. Third job advancement is not available at launch, and nothing from after the Big Bang update is part of Classic World. That means no Pirates, Cygnus Knights, Aran or Evan, and no later continents. If you see a PQ guide that assumes a third job or a later town, it is describing something this game does not have.
What the data does not tell us
- The EXP awarded per stage is not listed on the wiki yet.
- The drop rate for Squishy Shoes is not listed.
- No spawn counts are recorded for Ligators, Green Mushrooms or Horny Mushrooms, so we cannot say how fast a bonus stage fills a bag.
- The wiki lists what a Companion's Magic Box can contain, but not how the items are chosen or their chances.
- The wiki lists no other launch party quest, and we will not guess at one.
If you plan around First Time Together, the safe approach is to build a party of four in the 21 to 30 range, agree on callouts and the leader's role, and check the wiki again once the data fills in after Founder's Access opens on October 6, 2026.
Last verified 2026-10-01 against mapleclassic.wiki data synced 2026-10-01 and Nexon's Classic World FAQ.
Frequently asked
- How many party quests are there in MapleStory Classic World at launch?
- Only one has an entry on mapleclassic.wiki that we can work from: First Time Together, the Kerning City party quest. The Ludibrium Party Quest and Orbis Party Quest are not at launch.
- What level do you need for First Time Together?
- The wiki lists it as a party quest for levels 21 to 30. One of the stage 1 riddles also confirms that 21 is the level to enter.
- How many players do you need for the Kerning City party quest?
- A full party is 4 members: a leader plus three. Stages 2 to 4 need exactly three non-leaders, so a full party is what the stage design expects.
- How long does First Time Together take?
- The time limit is 30 minutes. The bonus stage runs until that 30 minute timer ends, unless the party leaves early by talking to Nella.
- What do you get from First Time Together?
- EXP is awarded after each cleared stage, though the amounts are not yet listed. Each member can also take one Companion's Magic Box from Cloto after stage 5.
- Is the Ludibrium Party Quest in Classic World?
- No. Ludibrium is not part of the launch game, and the Orbis Party Quest is also held back along with the rest of Ossyria.
