Nexon America announced that MMORPG MapleStory 2 will launch on October 10. A standalone Battle Royale mode, called Mushking Royale, is available to play right now for free (A Fortnite-type Royale Pass is optionally available to purchase to earn rewards). The pre-season is open until October 1.

MapleStory 2 is a Korean-developed MMORPG and sequel to the 2D 2013 MMORPG MapleStory. The sequel goes full 3D within a blocky universe, but retains the chibi-characters and anime world of MapleStory. Players have a large amount of character customization options, as well as tools to help build and customize the world.

MapleStory 2 has been in closed beta all summer. When it launches in October, MapleStory 2 will add another class, the Runeblade, a dozen new dungeons, and an increased level cap from 50 to 60.

Like many companies, Nexon is also jumping on the Battle Royale band wagon. This week kicks off the Mushking Royale Pre-Season, a standalone version of MapleStory 2’s Battle Royale mode. If you’re planning on playing you’ll want to jump in as soon as possible, as name reservations carry over to the full game.

Mushking Royale features MapleStory’s RPG combat but within a last-person standing PvP mode and an ever-present shrinking circle. Everyone starts with the same abilities and stats regardless of class and level. The newly added Squad Mode allows up to four players to band together, and stats have been added to track players’ progress.

The top Mushking Royale’s players from each region will receive Founder’s Packs, including the top 10 players received Legendary Packs. Founder’s Packs are otherwise purchased for real money and include bundles of in-game goodies and advantages, as well as a head start early access to the full game on October 1.

MapleStory 2 launches on October 10 on PC. The Mushking Royale is available now via the Nexon launcher.


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Eric has been writing for over eight years with bylines in Dicebreaker, Pixelkin, Polygon, PC Gamer and Tabletop Gaming magazine, covering movies, TV shows, video games, tabletop games and tech. He reviews and live streams D&D adventures every week on YouTube. He also makes a mean tuna quesadilla.