### Inquisitor Staff Overview The **Inquisitor Staff** is a high-tier magic weapon specialized in AoE combat situations, particularly against targets weak to **fire spells**. Released in **July 2021** with the **Elder God Wars Dungeon** update, it is a drop from **Kerapac, the Bound**, a boss designed to enrich endgame PVM content. Its active ability, **Raise Abyssal Spikes**, synergizes heavily with abilities in magic rotations, offering increased damage potential during burst phases. The staff also passively boosts fire-based spell damage by **12%,** giving it utility across multiple boss fights such as Kerapac itself, Zuk, and ranged Araxxor paths. The item is classified as **ultra-rare**, made more exclusive by the difficulty of Kerapac's **hard mode**, where the drop rate is improved but still remains one of the lowest ratios. Due to its specialized nature, rarity, and excellent synergy with magic metas, it achieved a high valuation upon release but has shown extreme price volatility, as reflected in the historical pricing trend. --- ### Insights on Pricing Trends 1. **Price Volatility**: - The Inquisitor Staff debuted at extraordinarily high prices (above **600M GP**) in mid-2021 before experiencing massive swings due to various market conditions. Much of this was tied to **macro-level events** like wealth tier distortions, updates patching gold duplication bugs, and sweeping gameplay changes. - Its pricing has *notoriously collapsed over time*, dropping to **sub-100M GP** by December 2024, primarily due to shifts in the meta lineup and wealthy whales oversupplying these items during calamitous wealth events like post-dupes or the **Max Cash Update Exploits** in mid-2024. 2. **Event-Driven Reactions**: - **Release of Croesus (September 2021)**: A physical loot focus reduced relative appeal for items requiring hard-mode boss farming, leading to a small dip in late 2021 prices. - **Max Combat Level Increase and Necromancy Introduction (August 2023)**: A notable price crash occurred as **Necromancy** replaced magic in the meta for many bosses, reducing demand for magic-oriented gear and weapons like the Inquisitor Staff by **almost 50% within 60 days.** - **Max Cash Update Exploit (May 2024)**: Unlimited GP influx significantly devalued mid-tier and high-end items like the staff, forcing a massive **hyperinflation-driven crash**. - **Sanctum of Rebirth (July 2024)**: Drop tables from new bosses sustained heavy competition against older niche items like the Inquisitor Staff. - **Treasure Hunter Rebalancing (April 2024)**: Jagex distributing raw GP into the economy, combined with Easter Egg Pet dupes flooding the market, cratered average demand during this period. 3. **Long-Term Pattern**: Every price spike correlates to moments of high inflation (e.g., dupe rollbacks, GP injections) or significant PVM updates realigning magic’s relevance. The most stable periods for the staff were during **early 2022-mid 2023**, where prices hovered around **300M-350M GP** as magic remained firmly in the bossing meta. --- ### **Price Prediction (Mid-2024 to End-2024)** - **Short-Term (3 Months)**: Stabilize in the range of **90-120M GP**, as the market is still correcting from the 2024 Max Cash exploit and relatively lower relevance of this item in the current Necromancy-driven combat meta. - **Mid-Term (6+ Months)**: A revival in magic-oriented bossing, potentially due to combat rebalancing updates anticipated in **Q4 2024**, could push the staff closer to **150M GP.** However, the market has largely consigned it to the category of semi-niche, low-utility items, so significant surges are unlikely without a direct PvE shift. **Risks Influencing Further Price Collapse**: A **Treasure Hunter loot revision** or another round of **gold/item duplication bugs** could drive prices below **50M** long-term, making it a highly speculative hold. --- ### **Typical Flipping Margins and Investment Advice** - **Flipping Potential**: - Current margins for flipping the Inquisitor Staff range from **5M-10M GP** during stable price periods, as demand requires slow liquidity. - Profitable entry points generally materialize during update backlashes or GP influx events when panic sellers emerge – e.g., **immediate aftermath of Treasure Hunter changes or dupe mitigations.** - Daily bids set at **5% below mid-market sell prices** with resell targets at **the Grand Exchange minimum override**, can yield consistent gains, though transaction speeds are slow due to the item’s niche demand. - **Complementary Investment Options**: - **Fractured Staff of Armadyl**: Comparatively more expensive at current prices (**700M-1B GP range**), but highly meta-relevant, providing strong compounding opportunities for investors waiting for PVM magic buffs. - **T95 Components/Spares**: Higher margin opportunities exist by investing in components that include T95 degradables or similar elder-tier non-regular repairs. - **GIM Portal Core Materials**: Seasonal crafting tends to spike intermittently. --- ### **Seasonal Investing Advice** #### Positive Price Movements - **January-March**: Post-holiday spike for players returning for seasonal treasure hunting, new combat metas, and higher disposable GP. - **June-July**: Anticipate bossing metas stabilizing or evolving with new mid-year patches for specific weapons. #### Negative Price Trends - **Q4 Period (October-December)**: Historically, major Treasure Hunter or cosmetic bundles heavily dilute GP pools, especially during holiday chest implementations. Expect lower prices in early **November** near **Black Partyhat release anniversaries** due to wealth redirection. - **Post-Dupe Events**: Exponential over-corrections create additional suppression potential, especially around **max cash and exploit fallout.**