Hey, been thinking about speed running the game, but I just need some brief clarification on the timer. I understand that the time begins when you select/enter a new file and ends with the defeat of the Enchantress, but I need to know this: Does the ingame timer account for this? Or will I have to manually set up my own timer?

Thanks ahead of time to anyone who responds to this.

The in-game timer is not what should be used to dictate your time. You should be using an external timer for your runs. Most people recommend Livesplit, which does include an automatic splitter for your segments, but any stopwatch timer works for timing your runs.