Nexon America has announced some new updates for MapleStory, most notably upping the ante with an "elite tier" fourth-level job class, proving that while easy-access free-to-play business models and customizable avatars might draw more casual, social players, the company's still interested in keeping MapleStory attractive to its hardcore players.

MapleStory's job system currently allows players to pick a career after level 10, and then through the course of gameplay achieve three additional career tiers depending on the direction in which they develop their characters. The fourth job class adds a new classification for players who have completed the third tier of their career, and even Nexon notes it's a challenge for MapleStory's most dedicated denizens.

In an additional nod to its hardcore audience, MapleStory has also added a new town, Leafre (shown), for players level 100 and up, where those advanced users can get some of the game's more powerful equipment, fight some of the toughest monsters available, and accessories and socialize with other high-level players.

Nexon's adding mounts, too, for players over level 70. Earning a mount to ride on at higher levels is a benchmark achievement in many of the traditional, hardcore-oriented MMOs, so it's interesting to see trusty steeds like wild hogs and red dragons entering the MapleStory world -- and another sign that Nexon wants to make sure it's not just maintaining a social world for casual users.

The new update brings some enhancements to the user interface as well. A new meter shows how many hit points an enemy has remaining, an automatic item organizer sorts players' property, and a new world map is aimed to help players find their way around. MapleStory is a massive online world, even though it presents as a 2D sidescroller, and without the traditional 3D top-down or three-quarters view, it can be a bit challenging to get a sense of how all the areas interconnect, so an improved map is a necessary enhancement given this layout.