Should You Play Nexon’s V4 in 2022?
Maybe?
That was the best answer I could find when I attempted to answer the question early in my search on V4. While Nexon isn’t as recognized of a name globally, it’s been in the MMORPG business for over 25 years. That being said, their most better known titles here in the United States are Mabinogi and MapleStory. Both of these are likely best known for their long grinds, unreachable level caps and cash shops. V4 is no exception and it’s release was covered by most major gaming news outlets. I won’t bore you with those reviews (tldr; it’s a middling mobile title at best) but a lot has not changed release.
What has changed? There’s another hard thing to get information on. Nexon’s own official outlets for it are lacking. But, from what I can gather, here’s the changes from initial reviews:
- Official PC Support
- 6 additional classes added
- Addition of more zones and quests
- Improved itemization and more items
- Added systems to increase Combat Power (CP)
- Changes to leveling curve and addition of automation features
Personally, I had never heard of V4 before seeing it one day in my Nexon Launcher on PC (yes, I still play MapleStory) and figured, “Why not?”. Oh boy little did I know. I was quickly dropped into what was a very apparent ported mobile game with a lot at first and little explanation. Systems are still unlocked as you progress level wise or quest wise, and the tutorials for the new ones are typically 6 chat bubbles long. The most difficult of this all is the absence or clarity of information. But hey, instead of complaining about it, I figured I would write about it and provide the stuff I wish I knew when I started.
Let’s start off with my answer to the title. As someone who picked up V4 in 2022 I would still recommend it, but with suggestions.
- Approach V4 as an idle game and you’ll have a lot more fun. If you expect this to be an active input game then it’s probably not for you. Most of the game is played while you’re asleep or at work.
- Don’t be afraid to mess up, experiment! After figuring out the auto quest settings (No, you don’t need BlueStacks anymore to do this) you can get a level 70ish character overnight right now.
- Play on PC. If you want to take this game seriously, you have to leave it running to farm or level for you and the automation does not work while the game is closed or your phone is locked. Personally, the game runs in a corner on my iMac while I sleep or am at work.
- The official Game Guide is a tough read, but does cover somethings that are not covered in-game.
- Don’t be afraid of the community. Most will help out if you ask and all are friendly.
Now some of the tops questions I’ve seen asked lately are:
- Can I F2P this game?
- Yes, but don’t expect to be the best. Like any other Nexon game (Korean for that matter) the top players are also spending money. There’s none in the top 50 rankings who haven’t spend some money on it.
- What Class should I play?
- It does depend, but here’s what I’ve gathered from the official discord. Also the game allows you to change it from time to time so don’t feel stuck. A higher CP will outperform a lower CP class. There’s no real “counters”. Also, one thing I’ve noticed is that either the majority of players prefer and play female characters or the female ones actually better classes. Here’s some light info I’ve found:
- Enchantress – Ranged, PvP, has some self healing for sustain.
- Knight – All-arounder. Decent at most but not great at any.
- Reaper – AoE king, with little else. People are preaching its return.
- Boomblade – Good single target and 1v1
- Archer – Ranged, PvE, a lot of debuffs and conditions.
- It does depend, but here’s what I’ve gathered from the official discord. Also the game allows you to change it from time to time so don’t feel stuck. A higher CP will outperform a lower CP class. There’s no real “counters”. Also, one thing I’ve noticed is that either the majority of players prefer and play female characters or the female ones actually better classes. Here’s some light info I’ve found:
- What’s a good build for X?
- Great question and the hardest one to find out. Most players don’t share this it seems. A few on discord with DM you what they use. Here’s a rule of thumb that I’ve figured:
- AoE for skills while leveling. More dead = faster leveling
- Prioritize ACC, Crit and ATK stats. EVD > Parry unless you are a knight.
- Talent Resets are cheap, try out a few different paths once you’ve got your talents set.
- Great question and the hardest one to find out. Most players don’t share this it seems. A few on discord with DM you what they use. Here’s a rule of thumb that I’ve figured:
Hopefully this gives you some sort of idea on the current state of V4 and how to start out. Don’t be afraid to ask questions in-game or in the official Discord channel. I’ll link all the official resources below.
- V4 Official Website: https://www.nexon.com/v4/en/main
- V4 Official Facebook Page (Not Active): https://www.facebook.com/V4Global
- V4 Official Discord Server: https://discord.gg/v4global
- V4 Official Twitch (Only 3 videos): https://www.twitch.tv/v4global/
- V4 Official Twitter and Instagram don’t exist. Ignore the links in Discord for them.
