The Merchant appears to be a traveler who happens to end up in most of the places where Leon is going, who sells items and provides upgrades.
This person can be interacted with during the game if you wish to buy or sell weapons, items, and more as well as sell treasures that you have collected.
Keeping a close eye out for the Merchant is a good idea if you want to progress well in the game because, without their help, Leon would have a hard time fighting his way to Ashley.
Who is the Merchant?
The Merchant is a mysterious person who seems to be able to travel around quickly and is known to be a seller of many things.
He is usually found near a purple flame (blue in the original game) and there will always be a typewriter nearby for you to save your progress.
There is little known of this person and all that we know of is that he has a lot of money to buy your treasures and a lot of items to sell you.
Where To Meet The Merchant?
You first meet the Merchant in Chapter 2, where your items have previously been taken away from you and you hurry back to get them.
Once you have obtained your items, you will see him in a cutscene just as you are about to exit the abandoned factory.
Upon approaching the Merchant, he will show you his wares and from there on, you will always be able to interact with him.
Merchant Stocks
In every chapter, the Merchant will be offering different items that you can purchase, which later allow you to upgrade your arsenal to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Below is a list of each of the chapters and what items the Merchant has for sale:
Chapter 2
Buy:
- Bolt Thrower
- SR M1903
- Scope
- First Aid Spray
- Case Upgrade 7×12
Trade:
- Punisher
- Laser Sight
- Yellow Herb
- Yellow Diamond
- Treasure Map: Village
- Recipe: Bolts
Chapter 3
Buy:
- TMP
Trade:
- Recipe: TMP
Chapter 4
Buy:
- Rocket Launcher
- Case Upgrade 8×12
- Recipe: Attachable Mines
Trade:
- TMP Stock
- High-power Scope
- Elegant Mask
- Attache Case: Black
- Red Beryl
Chapter 5
Buy:
- Red9
Chapter 6
Buy:
- Riot Gun
Trade:
- 10x Gunpowder
- Red9 Stock
Chapter 7
Buy:
- Blacktail
- Stingray
- Broken Butterfly
- Resources (L)
- Recipe: Magnum Ammo
Trade:
- Attache Case: Leather
- Treasure Map: Castle
- Exclusive Upgrade Ticket
Chapter 8
Buy:
- Body Armor
Trade:
- Matilda
Chapter 9
Buy:
- Case Upgrade 8×13
Trade:
- Chalice of Atonement
Chapter 10
Buy:
- Striker
- Resources (S)
- Recipe: Heavy Grenade
Trade:
- 10x Gunpowder
Chapter 13
Buy:
- Killer7
- Case Upgrade 9×13
Trade:
- Treasure Map: island
- Exclusive Upgrade Ticket
- Velvet Blue
Merchant Currency
There are two currencies that you have when dealing with the Merchant, which is Pesetas and Spinels, one being the main currency and another acting as a premium one.
Pesetas are regularly looted from destroying boxes/barrels while Spinels can be found in rarer locations such as treasure chests and from tougher enemies.
Pesetas are used to buy items from the Merchant while Spinels are used to get items via the trade option to get special items that he sells.
How To Upgrade Weapons?
When you visit the Merchant, you have the option to Tune Up your equipment, which is mainly the weapons that you use.
This will cost you a certain amount of Pesetas for each level of upgrade and later on you can purchase an Exclusive Upgrade for the weapon when max stats have been reached.
This can be done with almost all of the weapons that you have, which will make it easier to kill enemies that you encounter.
How to Selling Items to the Merchant?
Not only can you buy items from the Merchant, but you can also sell them to him as he will buy just about anything that he can.
It’s best that you sell him items that you no longer need that you may have previously looted in the earlier chapters.
You can also sell him treasures that you find, which will earn you a good amount of Pesetas, especially if these treasures have gemstones placed in them.
How To Find The Merchant in Resident Evil 4 Remake?
The Merchant will be encountered multiple times during the game at several points that you will always come across.
To find the Merchant, you simply need to keep an eye out for the purple flame, which represents where one of his shops will be.
No matter where you go, if a location is marked with the Merchant icon, he will always be there even if you just saw him at another location.
Merchant Locations
Each of the locations listed below have Merchant in or nearby them and these can be found easily by checking your map for the Merchant Icon.
- Chapter 2 – Abandoned Factory
- Chapter 3 – Town Hall
- Chapter 4 – Quarry
- Chapter 5 – Farm
- Chapter 6 – Villa and Slaughterhouse
- Chapter 7 – Castle Entrance and Audience Chamber
- Chapter 8 – Wine Cellar and Castle Battlements
- Chapter 9 – Grand Hall
- Chapter 10 – Waterway
- Chapter 11 – Underground Tunnel and Hive
- Chapter 12 – Ballroom and Clocktower
- Chapter 13 – Wharf and Utilities
- Chapter 14 – Cargo Depot, Waste Disposal, and Ruins
- Chapter 15 – Ruins and Specimen Storage
- Chapter 16 – Loading Docks
Requests
Usually you will find requests around the different areas in each chapter and these are similar to in-game challenges that you can complete to get rewards.
These can be found in specific locations and start becoming available as each chapter passes, which makes it vital to get them as they reward you with Spinels.
Progressing too far such as heading to the Castle or the Island may make ones in the previous area unavailable.
For more information about requests, check out our guide on Resident Evil 4 Remake Requests.
Verdict
You can consider the Merchant as the one-stop shop for everything that you need when you are progressing through the game.
He is good for obtaining new weapons to get Leon packing a punch while also making it easier to keep your old ones by upgrading them.
Eventually, it is a good idea to purchase everything that he has for sale and store what you do not need if you have no space.
