Shop Upgrades

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 Focused power sense 250 Marks the location of all Power Seals on the Area Map.
 Power sense 250 Adds a counter on the World Map for the amount of Power Seals left in each area.
 Time sense 250 Adds a blue glow to rooms on the Area Map where you can shift between the past and future time periods.
 Devil's due 400 Reduce Quarble's fine for saving your life by 50%.
 Strike of the Ninja 40 Attack enemy projectiles — Empower your attacks, letting you destroy enemy projectiles. You can even Cloudstep off of them.
 Second wind 80 Press [jump button] while being knocked back to do an air recovery jump.
 Currents master 125 Underwater dash — Press [attack button] while swimming to boost forward.
 Aerobatics warrior 150 Wingsuit attack — Press [attack button] while gliding with the wingsuit to attack downwards.
 Demon's bane 2000 Attack boost — By mastering patience and focus, you can wait to passively charge your next attack, making it deal triple damage.
 Centered mind 350 Ki charges +1, shuriken pierce 2 targets — Going into the adventure with purpose and focus gives you more energy to use in combat.
 Prepared mind 250 Ki charges +1, shurikens pierce 1 target — Healthy sleeping and eating habits give you more energy to use in combat.
 Serendipitous minds 200 Enemies will sometimes drop a globe that restores 1 Ki charge.
 Energy shuriken 50 Ranged attack — Tap into your mind's Ki charges, allowing you to throw energy shuriken with [shuriken button].
 Meditation 550 Checkpoints will now restore hit points up to 5, and refill all Ki charges.
 Rejuvenative spirit 350 HP + 1, and potions now fully heal - Being one with body and soul, you are more resistant and benefit more from healing.
 Kusari jacket 320 HP + 1 — Concealed chainmail chest piece makes you more resistant.
 Serendipitous bodies 200 Enemies will sometimes drop a globe that restores 1 hit point.
 Karuta plates 30 HP + 1 — Concealed arm guards make you more resistant.
 Path of resilience 1000 Defense up — Incoming damage of 2 or more will now be reduced by 1.

*Interactive Upgrades Table*

The Shopkeeper sells upgrades in the shop. After completing the linear portion of the game, more upgrades become available. "Devil's due" doesn't become available until you die, and "Aerobatics warrior" doesn't become available until you obtain the Wingsuit.

## Item Management

When doing Speedruns of The Messenger, it is strongly advised to constantly obtain Time Shards. You should not go out of your way to obtain Time Shards, but you should collect every Time Shard possible throughout the entire game. Here is a list of the upgrades when you need them, how much they cost, as well as optimal spots to purchase the upgrades:

* First shop in Autumn Hills: You should have 40 Time Shards to purchase "Strike of the Ninja," which allows you to attack projectiles.
* Final shop in Autumn Hills: You should have 130 Time Shards to purchase "Energy Shuriken" and "Second Wind." The Energy Shuriken will allow you to do a one cycle kill against the first boss, the Leaf Monster. Second Wind will be useful for the rest of the game.
* First shop in Howling Grotto: You should have 275 Time Shards to purchase "Currents Master" and "Aerobatics Warrior." Currents Master is useful in many areas of the game; anywhere that has water since it allows you to dash in water. Aerobatics Warrior is useful for the rest of the game because it allows you to attack downward while using the Wingsuit.
* First shop in Searing Crags: You should have 230 Time Shards to purchase "Karuta Plates" and "Serendipitous Bodies." These upgrades add an extra hit point to your life, as well as making some enemies drop health upgrades. Both of these upgrades are useful for the rest of the game to help you avoid Quarble.

No other upgrades are required for the 8 Bit and Linear Speedruns. While additional upgrades may be purchased, any additional shop visits can cause you to lose time in the Run. Additional upgrades are not required unless you plan to do longer Runs such as Any% or 100%.

Additional upgrades should be purchased as the Runs continue, and additional upgrades are based on Runner preference and Time Shards collected. Most Runners will stop only 2-3 times during the Second Quest to purchase upgrades for Any% Runs, while 100% runs require all upgrades to be purchased.

The upgrades that should be acquired in an Any% run should include all of the items on the lower-left side of the upgrade tree, which includes: "Path of Resilience," "Kusari Jacket," "Serendipitous Minds," "Prepared Mind," and "Meditation." The other items are not necessary to do a successful Any% Speedrun.