MapleStory Classic Crafting Guide: What to Keep for Every Profession
Six professions, 290 launch recipes, and one rule: stop vendoring the wrong drops. Pick your profession and see exactly which items to hold on to, and which monsters drop them.
✓ Checked Oct 19, 2026Launch recipes, crafting levels 1 to 8. Likely
🎒 Never sell these (every crafter needs them)
These show up across the most recipes and sell fast on the Free Market, so they're never wasted bag space.
- ScrewMade: Weaponcrafting Lv1: 1 Bronze Ingot + 1 Iron Ingot = 10 Screws (or 10 Iron Hog's Metal Hooves = 3)
- Iron Ore
From Stirge, Dark Stump, Fire Boar, Blue Snail
- Bronze Ore
From Horny Mushroom, Snail, Orange Mushroom, Stump
- Mithril Ore
From Bubbling, Jr. Necki, Ligator, Shroom
- Leather
From Fire Boar, Ribbon Pig, Pig, Wild Boar
- Animal Fur Bundle
From Stirge, Fire Boar, Lupin, Iron Hog
- Garnet Ore
From Stirge, Dark Stump, Fire Boar, Snail
- Topaz Ore
From Horny Mushroom, Curse Eye, Jr. Necki, Pig
📜 How crafting works in Classic
- Crafting opens at level 10. Each profession starts with a quest from its mentor; any character can learn all six.
- Crafting levels 2 to 8 need character level 5 × the crafting level (crafting 4 needs character 20, crafting 8 needs 40). Crafting is capped at level 8 at launch.
- At your cap the bar sits at 100% and extra crafting EXP is thrown away, so stop crafting until your character catches up.
- Refining is 5 to 1: five ore make one ingot (100 to 500 mesos per craft), ten Tree Branches make one Processed Wood, five Leather make one Processed Leather.
- Professions feed each other: Smithing makes the ingots, Weaponcrafting turns ingots into Screws, Woodcrafting makes Processed Wood, Tailoring turns Animal Fur Bundles into thread.
- Most recipes lose mesos at NPC prices. Craft for gear you can't buy, for the EXP, or for the Free Market.
| Crafting level | EXP to next | Character level needed |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 50 | 10 |
| 2 | 166 | 10 |
| 3 | 319 | 15 |
| 4 | 521 | 20 |
| 5 | 786 | 25 |
| 6 | 1,138 | 30 |
| 7 | 1,602 | 35 |
| 8 | max at launch | 40 |
⚒️ Smithing
Ingots, helmets, gloves, boots, shields and claws (Iron Knuckle). Every other metal recipe in the game starts here. Best for: Warriors and Thieves, and anyone who wants to sell ingots.
Leveling Smithing? Keep these
- Iron OreIron Ingots go into 22 Smithing recipes. The single most-used metal.
- Mithril Ore13 recipes, from Mithril Koif to Mithril Tower Shield.
- Gold Ore8 recipes, mostly level 5+ helms and boots.
From Zombie Mushroom, Blue Mushroom, Pig, Cold Eye
- Bronze OreBronze Ingots, and half of every Screw.
- LeatherProcessed Leather for gloves and boots (8 recipes).
- Adamantium OreAdamantium Tower Shield and Knuckle at level 8.
- Orihalcon OreOrihalcon Burgonet Helm, Missel and Jangoon Shoes.
From Dark Axe Stump, Slime, Curse Eye, Lorang
- Silver OreSilver War Boots and Battle Grieves.
From Green Mushroom, Evil Eye, Red Snail, Lupin
- Garnet OreBlood Battle Grieves, Great Red Helmet.
- Topaz OreYellow Metal Gear, Yellow Briggon.
- Stirge Wing25 for Dark War Boots.
From Stirge
Smithing uses about 370 Screws across its recipes, and Screws come from Weaponcrafting. Learn both, or keep Bronze and Iron Ore to trade for Screws.
Don't sell your bases. Many recipes upgrade a basic helmet you already own (Bronze Koif, Bronze Helmet, Bronze Viking Helm, Steel Sharp Helm). Keep those drops instead of selling them.
💰 Iron Knuckle (level 8) is one of the few crafts that makes mesos at NPC prices, about +1.5k each.
⚔️ Weaponcrafting
Warrior and Thief weapons (Gephart, Sabretooth, Titan, Steel Guards) and Screws. Best for: Warriors, Thieves, and anyone who needs Screws.
Leveling Weaponcrafting? Keep these
- Iron OreIron Ingots go into 25 of 34 recipes.
- Bronze OreBronze Ingot + Iron Ingot = 10 Screws. You'll need hundreds.
- LeatherProcessed Leather: about 240 across the claw recipes (Titans, Igor, Guards).
- Tree BranchProcessed Wood for 11 recipes (shovels, polearms, mops).
From Stump, Dark Stump
- Mithril Ore7 recipes including Gephart and Halfmoon Zamadar.
- Silver OreSledgehammer, Silver Guardian, Sabretooth, Titan.
- Gold OreGold Titans, Sabretooth, Titan.
- Iron Hog's Metal Hoof10 hooves = 3 Screws, a backup Screw source.
Make Screws early (level 1 recipe) and keep a stack. Smithing, Tailoring, Woodcrafting and Leatherworking all eat them.
Don't sell your bases. Higher tiers upgrade a weapon you craft first (Steel Titans → Mithril or Gold Titans, Bronze Igor → Steel or Adamantium Igor). Don't sell the base.
💰 Every Weaponcrafting recipe loses mesos at NPC prices. Craft it for the weapons, not the money.
🧵 Tailoring
Hats, overalls, robes, shoes and capes (Lutia, Noel, Justice Cape). Mostly Magician gear. Best for: Magicians, and anyone who wants cheap hats and capes.
Leveling Tailoring? Keep these
- Pig's Ribbon10 = 1 Processed Cloth. Cloth is in 47 of 51 recipes.
From Ribbon Pig
- Leaf10 = 1 Processed Cloth.
- Animal Fur Bundle5 = 1 Processed Cloth, or 1 = 10 Spool of Thread (thread is in 33 recipes).
- Garnet Ore8 recipes: Blood Mesana, Red Lutia, Red Noel and more.
- Sapphire OreBlue Lutia, Blue Noel, Blue Justice Cape.
- Opal OreWind, Magic and Salt Shoes.
- Aquamarine OreLemona, Blue Morrican, Ocean Mesana.
- Red Snail Shell10 for the Red Bandana and Red Apprentice Hat.
From Red Snail
- Blue Snail Shell10 for the Blue Bandana and Blue Apprentice Hat.
- Orange Mushroom Cap10 for the Brown Apprentice Hat and Ghetto Beanie.
From Orange Mushroom
- Squishy Liquid10 for the Green Ghetto Beanie.
From Slime
- Moon RockOne per Justice Cape (level 7).
The cheapest start in the game: Bandanas and Apprentice Hats use snail shells and mushroom caps you get from Maple Island and early Victoria. Dyes are sold by NPCs.
💰 Almost every Tailoring recipe loses mesos at NPC prices, but hats and capes sell to players.
🪵 Woodcrafting
Bows, crossbows, wands, staffs, wooden weapons, chairs and arrows. Bows aren't sold in shops in Classic, so Bowmen live here. Best for: Bowmen (almost every bow is crafted), Magicians, and leveling any profession cheaply.
Leveling Woodcrafting? Keep these
- Tree Branch10 = 1 Processed Wood. Wood is in 28 of 36 recipes.
- Firewood5 = 1 Processed Wood (level 2), the faster way.
From Dark Axe Stump, Axe Stump
- Stiff FeatherOne per 500 arrows. Bowmen burn through these.
- Bronze OreBronze Arrows (level 4) need a Bronze Ingot per 500.
- Iron OreIron Arrows (level 7) and Composite, Battle and Mountain bows.
- Topaz OreBattle Bow, Mountain Crossbow, Ryden, Eagle Crow.
- Orange Mushroom Cap30 for the Hardwood Wand, which makes about +700 mesos per craft.
- Blue Snail Shell30 for the War Bow.
- Red Snail Shell30 for the Hunter's Bow.
- Drake Skull40 for the Vaulter 2000 at level 8.
From Drake, Copper Drake
The cheapest profession to level: Wooden Sword and Wand (level 2), then Wooden Baseball Bat (level 3) and Balanche (level 4) cost almost nothing per EXP.
💰 Most profit-positive recipes live here: Iron Arrows ×500 (about +880 each), Hardwood Wand (about +710).
🧴 Leatherworking
Gloves, shoes, hats and Thief/Bowman armor (Diros, Savata, Wolfskin, Sylvia, Braces). The biggest recipe book: 74 recipes. Best for: Thieves and Bowmen, and anyone who wants gloves.
Leveling Leatherworking? Keep these
- Leather5 = 1 Processed Leather. Leather is in 71 of 74 recipes, about 400 total.
- Animal Fur BundleSpool of Thread: about 600 across the recipes.
- Jr. Necki Skin10 = 1 Processed Leather (level 4), plus Green Jack and Lappy Boots.
From Jr. Necki
- Ligator Skin10 = 1 Processed Leather (level 6).
From Ligator
- Garnet Ore10 recipes, the most-used gem here.
- Sapphire OreBlue Diros, Savata, Lappy and Hunter Boots.
- Stirge WingBlack Duo, Dark Mischief, Dark Wolfskin, Black Lappy Boots.
- Snail ShellGreen and Brown Skullcaps (level 1).
- Red Snail ShellRed and Brown Skullcaps (level 1).
- Blue Mushroom CapBasic Archer Gloves and Blue Duo.
From Blue Mushroom
- Green Mushroom CapGreen Diros and Green Marker.
From Green Mushroom
- Curse Eye TailGreen Hunter Boots.
From Curse Eye
- Drake SkullThree level 8 recipes, 120 skulls in total.
Leather is the bottleneck. Fire Boars, Ribbon Pigs, Pigs and Wild Boars all drop it, and it sells fast on the Free Market, so decide early whether you're crafting or selling.
💰 Every Leatherworking recipe loses mesos at NPC prices. Gloves still sell well because they only come from drops, quests and crafting.
✨ Arcforge
Cut gems from ore, Lesser scrolls (hat, top, bottom, shoes, shield, cape, earring), Magician wands and staffs, and the Fairy Wand. Best for: Magicians (wands and staffs), and anyone who wants to make their own scrolls.
Leveling Arcforge? Keep these
- Fragment of Magic10 per scroll. About 180 across the scroll recipes.
- Leather3 Leather = 1 Processed Parchment, one per scroll.
- Topaz OreHP scrolls, Wizard Wand, Fairy Wand.
- Emerald OreMP scrolls and the Emerald Staff.
- Garnet OreAccuracy scrolls.
- Diamond OreDEF scrolls and the Fairy Wand (cut at level 6).
- Black Crystal OreEarring stat scrolls (level 8). Cut Black Crystal also makes about +800 mesos.
From Copper Drake, Malady, Stone Golem
- Sapphire OreCape Magic DEF scroll, Sapphire Staff, Fairy Wand.
- Aquamarine OreShoes Jump scroll, Mithril Wand.
- Mithril OreIce Wand, Mithril Wand, Wizard Wand.
- Silver OreSapphire, Emerald and Wizard Staffs.
- Blue Mushroom Cap30 for the Metal Wand.
- Piece of IceOne for the Ice Wand.
- Fairy WingOne for the Fairy Wand.
Arcforge is the gem cutter: ore → gem costs 200 to 1,200 mesos per gem, and every other profession needs gems. Scrolls are pricey (10k-20k mesos each) but give big EXP.
💰 Cutting Black Crystal (level 6) is profit-positive at about +800 per craft.
FAQ
What is the best crafting profession in MapleStory Classic?
It depends on your class. Bowmen need Woodcrafting because bows aren't sold in shops. Warriors and Thieves get the most from Smithing plus Weaponcrafting. Magicians get wands from Arcforge and robes from Tailoring. For pure leveling, Woodcrafting is the cheapest.
Can you learn every crafting profession?
Yes. Any character can learn all six once they reach level 10, by doing each mentor's starter quest.
What is the max crafting level in Classic?
Level 8 at launch. Each crafting level from 2 to 8 needs your character to be 5× that level, so crafting 8 needs character level 40.
What items should I not sell in MapleStory Classic?
Ores (especially Iron, Mithril, Bronze and Gold), Leather, Animal Fur Bundles, Screws and gem ores are used by the most recipes. Snail shells and mushroom caps are needed for early hats.
How do I get Screws in MapleStory Classic?
Weaponcrafting level 1: one Bronze Ingot plus one Iron Ingot makes 10 Screws. At level 5 you can also turn 10 Iron Hog's Metal Hooves into 3 Screws.
Recipes and EXP from NiaMeowDB's crafting database (348 recipes, launch build). Drop sources are community-reported on NiaMeowDB, so treat them as good places to look, not exact rates. Item and monster art from maplestory.io (classic sprites; a few Classic-only items use a stand-in icon).
Sources: NiaMeowDB (1 · 2 · 3 · 4)
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