Wonder Boy in Monster Land/Items

Swords

A stronger sword is the key to defeating enemies quickly. However, unlike most equipment, you can't buy swords at any shop. You'll have to earn them by challenging powerful enemies. And if you miss one, you won't be able to collect the most powerful sword of all.

You begin the game with a Gradius, the weakest sword.	You'll have to earn the Broad Sword by beating a Vampire in Round 2.	You'll only earn the Great Sword by surviving a difficult fight with a Kong in Round 5.
To earn the rich reward of the Excalibur, you must defeat the god of Poverty in Round 7.	If you want to wield the strongest sword in the game, you'll need to find all the others, and then beat a Demon behind a hidden door in Round 9 (8 in the arcade).

Armor

Armor cuts down on the amount of damage you take when you get hurt. The stronger the armor, the less damage you receive. You begin the game with no armor at all. You don't need to purchase every armor available, but in a game where health is very precious, it's worth it to have some form of protection on you. Note that the Knight Armor is more expensive than the Heavy Armor, but the Heavy Armor is stronger. However, the extra defense and cheapness of the Heavy Armor comes at a price of reduced agility. Aim to have the Armor of Legend by the end of the game.

Armor	Light	Knight	Heavy	Hard	Legend
Cost	60	150	100	360	540

The recommended approach to purchase armors in the Arcade version even with moderate coin waggle success rate - buy the Knight Armor in round 3. If you have 640G by the time you get part B of round 6, buy the Heavy Armor and then the Legend Armor IMMEDIATELY from the hidden shop. It is the only equipment shop in the game which you can enter twice, just knock again after the first purchase.

If you are fairly confident with your 60+G coin trick, you may consider this 3 step route - 1) Buy Light Armor in round 3 2) Buy Heavy Armor in round 4 and live with the trouble for the rest of this easy round 3) Buy Legend Armor in part B of round 5 BEFORE heading to the boss or you will have a tough time fighting Kong in the Heavy Armor.

Shield

Shields are an important aspect of your defense. They protect you from the projectiles that the enemies fire at you. When you get hit by a projectile, or even an enemy, you get pushed back. The stronger your shield, the less you will get pushed around. The Light shield should be the first piece of equipment that you buy, but the Legend shield should be the last.

Armor	Light	Knight	Hard	Legend
Cost	40	120	250	360

Shoes

Shoes affect neither your offense or your defense, but rather your mobility. The better your shoes, the fast you can run and the higher you can jump. There are some areas that you can not reach unless you are wearing good enough shoes. Try to get the best pair you can afford.

Armor	Cloth	Leather	Ceramic	Legend
Cost	50	80	180	380

Special weapons

Special weapons can be purchased from stores, but they are also occasionally dropped by some of the tougher enemies. When you collect them, they stack up, so collecting one does not replace another. The most recent special weapon must first be used up, however, to access previous weapons that you've collected. Push down on the control pad to utilize special weapons.

When you use the Whirlwind weapon, you toss out a small tornado. When it hits something, either an enemy or an object, it ricochets and continues on for a short while, so it can hit an enemy more than one time.	Using the Lightning weapon doesn't send anything out. The screen flashes, and every visible enemy is hurt at one time. It is strong enough to kill the single-hit enemies instantly.
Fireballs are a powerful weapon that lock on to the most dangerous threat present, and fly in a straight direction towards it. If it's fired at a quick moving enemy, it is likely to miss, but if it hits, it does considerable damage,	Wonder Boy tosses bombs out ahead of him in an arc. They bounce on the ground and eventually roll forward. They explode on contact with an enemy, or after they have rolled around for a period of time.

Items

All of the following items are dropped by defeated enemies (except for the hourglass) or revealed by jumping into particular locations in various stages. Each are important, so collect as many of them as you can find.

Coins represent any amount of money worth 1 to 10 gold. When they appear, they tend to roll across the floor a bit so collect them early or chase after them.	Money bags are worth much more than coins, starting from 11 gold to much higher. They are easier to collect, but they don't stick around for long.	In a game where time costs you health, every chance you get to refill the hourglass is a chance to live longer. Grab these before it's too late!
A heart is always a welcome sight; it will refill one of the empty hearts in your health meter. It will also reset the hourglass!	A big heart is a huge find. It will drain your current health meter for bonus points, and then refill your meter to 100%!

Inventory

The following are typically obtained from defeated monsters, although it is possible to purchase them from certain shops. Many of them have a lifetime as well, so don't count on them staying with you throughout your adventure.

The helmet is the ultimate defense accessory—it cuts the amount of damage you sustain in half! But it won't last long if you get attacked frequently.	A key is required to complete many stages and advance to the next one. They are jealously guarded by powerful stage bosses. Defeat them and collect the key so you can open the gate to the next stage.
The gauntlet is a powerful item, as it will double the strength of your sword. It will usually last for quite a number of hits, but it will eventually break. In the Famicom version, this item is so powerful that your sword swing and special weapons can kill anything (including each form of the Ox King) with a single hit, though it breaks after 10 sword swings.	Potions are about the most valuable item in the entire game. When your health meter is completely drained, you will automatically use a potion to restore five hearts of health.
The winged boots are a special magical item that gives you the ability to hover and float through the air when you jump. Press and hold the jump button to defy gravity.	The cape is the only item which does not show up in your inventory. Instead, when you collect it, you are granted roughly ten seconds of invulnerability. Enemies will not be able to harm you for that time.

Sub-quest items

The following items have no direct function in the game except during the very last stage. If you are able to discover some secret doors and decipher some cryptic clues, you may find yourself on an extended trading mission which will ultimately result in your possession of one of two powerful items that will make the game easier to complete. It will take a lot of work to obtain those items however, but it's worth the effort if you succeed.

Obtain the letter from a man hiding in a cave in Round 2.	Show the letter to a woman hiding in a town in Round 4, and she'll give you a flute.	Blow the flute in the right place to reveal a hidden mansion in Round 7. Explore it to obtain the charm.
You must show the charm to a great catfish in Round 11 (10 in the arcade) to receive the crest, which you must take to a hidden door in the same stage, for the chance to choose the bell or the ruby.	The bell is a magical item that helps prevent you from getting lost in the maze of the Castle of No End by ringing a chime if you're going the right way. Choose this item if you've never been to the castle before.	The ruby has the power to instantly reveal anything in disguise. By bringing the ruby with you to the final boss, you will immediately skip the first fight with the dragon, and proceed right to the fight with the robot dragon.

Point items

Some enemies drop regular items the first time you kill them, some do not. Those that do will drop point items the second time you kill them. Those that do not usually drop point items the very first time. Collect these to boost your chances of increasing your life meter by reaching certain point thresholds.

Item
Points	500	1000	2000	3000	5000	10,000