### **Hydrix Overview** Hydrix is the second-highest tier crafting gemstone in RuneScape, introduced with the release of the *Heart of Gielinor* (often referred to as "God Wars Dungeon 2") on **March 29, 2016**. It is earned by trading 50 Slayer points and an incomplete hydrix to Death, requiring a high-level crafting skill to cut and enchant into its more useful forms: primarily hydrix jewelry such as the Reaper necklace and Amulet of Souls. Hydrix-based items are exceptionally desirable due to their utility in high-end PvM, significantly improving accuracy, healing, and defense, ensuring their demand remains consistent at the upper end of the economy. ### **Rarity and Procurement** Though the supply of hydrix has trickled upward over the years, its rarity is inherently tied to the Slayer point investment required, restricting the influx into the market. Factors such as occasional double Slayer points promotions or events linked to Treasure Hunter highlight its semi-rarity within the RuneScape economy. ### **Historical Price Analysis** Reviewing the price data since 2023, hydrix prices fluctuate between **53M to 76M GP.** 1. **High Points:** Sept. 2023 saw hydrix peak at **76.3M** following the Necromancy skill release (*Aug. 2023*) due to increased amulet and jewelry demand that boosted PvM efficiency against Necromantic bosses. 2. **Low Points:** April-May 2024 saw notable drops to **64M and 53M GP,** coinciding with several destabilizing updates: - **Easter Egg Pets dupe (April 1, 2024)** released excess gold through inflated duped trades. - **Max Cash exploit (May 15, 2024)** flooded the economy with trillions, diluting player gold value and causing players to focus on bonds rather than rare gear/gems. 3. **Recent Spike:** Oct. 2024 prices rebounded to 71M due to PvM content updates (*Sanctum of Rebirth* and *Smithing Rework*), drawing veteran combat players to rework setups and re-invest in hydrix jewelry. ### **Price Prediction** Given historical catalysts and the stabilizing economy post-August 2024’s updates, the hydrix price should gradually **increase toward 73M-77M GP by Q1 2025,** barring any extreme disruptions like future updates or exploits. December 2024 content (*Black Partyhat’s continued impact*) may trigger temporary fluctuations, with PvM popularity likely carrying demand well into early 2025. - **Caveat:** Treasure Hunter events featuring guaranteed incomplete hydrix as mega-rare rewards could temporarily suppress prices. ### **Flipping Margins** Hydrix typically trades with tight margins compared to more speculative items: - Average **Buy/Sell Spread:** **1.5-3M GP** under normal market conditions. - Ideal **Flipping Strategy:** Target fluctuations during weekly patch days and Treasure Hunter promotions. Buy during updates destabilizing supply, and sell afterward when prices stabilize (e.g., *Sanctum of Rebirth*). - Margin spikes occur during Slayer bonus weeks when incomplete hydrix crashes while cut gems rebound slightly. ### **Recommendations for Similar Investments** 1. **Onyx**: A baseline gemstone that mirrors hydrix behavior but with smaller margins. Seasonally cheaper during treasure hunter events and rising during double Slayer point weeks. 2. **Alchemical Onyx**: High-tier jewelry similar to hydrix jewelry (*Reaper, Grace of the Elves*), generally reacting alongside hydrix but less drastically due to broader utility and lesser dependency on specific game updates. 3. **Imbued Components (like Ascension Shards)**: Used in high-level jewelry production, they follow similar PvM-based trends, with dips in low-player-activity periods. 4. **Re-roll Tokens for PvM:** As PvM meta shifts drive demand for jewel-crafting, re-roll tokens for bosses letting players focus on drops tied to hydrix jewelry assist broad market control. ### **Seasonal Trends** 1. **Positive Pricing Seasons**: - **January-February (Post-New Year):** Post-holiday returning players investing in useful items. - **August-September (Major Skill/Quest Expansions):** PvM activity often rises, increasing hydrix jewelry demand. 2. **Negative Pricing Seasons**: - **April-May:** Gold flooding during Easter content historically reduces hydrix value. - **October-November:** Large-scale releases of holiday promotions (e.g., Black Partyhat 2023) often shift investments away from PvM-enhancing items for short stints. ### **Economic Insights** Hydrix pricing reflects RuneScape’s broader economy, where events introducing GP sinks (e.g., **Necromancy upgrades**) strengthen rare material value, but any gold or item duplication catastrophes can crater prices. Flipping hydrix profitably requires deep focus on update timing and treasure hunter involvement, alongside pairing it with flexible alternative investments like alchemical onyx and onyx itself to mitigate short-term dips.