Punitive_D

He still can -- maybe that's the point? Cash is losing value while rares are gaining value.

Perfect time to flip.

It's a cool looking mask. Wear it, and enjoy it. If you want to make money in the short run, better flip it now. If you want to make money in the very long run (more than six months), then hang on -- they'll always go up in the very long run.

TBH, completing every level of every diary now is harder than most skillcapes.

That's what the easy, medium and hard levels are for. Seriously, if you could "complete" Runescape in a week, nobody would keep paying for it. Jagex has to have exclusive high level content. Something for everyone along the way is the ideal. I probably never will be able to do the elite level tasks (unless I just decide to go for it, which I won't). But there are a lot of things like that in this game. I say pick something within reach and go for it and stop worrying about what's not in reach.

Here are my favorites, in order: 1) Karamja - absolute must if you use Shilo slayer master. 2) Lumby - I use the free tele all the time and sometimes use the runecrafting effect. 3) Varrock - Effect kind of fails, but extra battlestaves equals free money. Plus, no more chef's hat. 4) Fally - Free prayer pots anyone? Plus best looking shield in game. 5) Seers - Probably would be higher if I used the related skills more. 6) Relleka - A disappointment, to be honest. I use it sometimes, but not that valuable, and boots look stupid. Here's a simple fix, make them "boots of more lightness." Then I'd wear them all the time. I expect Ardy to vault to #2 once I learn more about it.

Lol. This is not "capitalism in it's purest form." Capitalism in its purest form would reward productive activity (activity that promotes the common good) through voluntary exchange. That's not what we have here.

I'm wondering which you've found not to be worth doing?

Which does...? Seems like it must be related to thieving. Shouldn't this be treated as a spoiler?

I went ahead and bought 10m worth of palm tree seeds.

You live in one right now, most likely. When was the last time you paid with cash, when you had the option to pay with your debit card? It's a similar situation, where the concept of cash is still the backbone of the economy, but the demand is for the item, not the wealth. And like you've touched on, it's because they made cash so easy to obtain. Though I do have to chuckle when so many people say, "It's 76king oh no!" Yes, it's that. But there are also many, many other methods that pump cash into our wallets with absolutely no effort. What about Fruit Falling at the duel arena? Flipping items via the grand exchange? Merching clans as a whole? And all the various other little get-rich quick schemes that, bit by bit, aren't too devastating, but when you add them all together...76k'ing is only a slice of the troubling pie that is the failing short term economy. First, using your debit card is cash. Think of it this way -- it's like noted gp. Second, flipping items in the GE does not "create" cash. Even merching clans do not make cash. 76k does. Alching does. There might be a few others. Moving cash around within the game and accumulating great piles here and there does not make cash junk. People getting rich is not the problem. Creating too much cash too fast makes it crashing junk.

I apologize if someone already has explained this just this way, but I had a bit of an epiphany this morning. A guy was trying to trade a partyhat. He had no junk. He had a list of items that he would accept and a list of items that he wouldn't. One of the items that he wouldn't accept was cash. That's when it finally dawned on me -- cash is junk. It's not useless junk, like javelins; it's crashing junk. Jagex (probably via 76k tricking) has made cash super easy to get so that it's value is dropping so fast that traders (smartly) treat it as junk. Any successful market economy must have a stable, universal medium of exchange. That's cash. Unfortunately, in Runescape right now, merchers are driving the desireable medium of exchange. Sometimes it's pumpkins. Sometimes it's the d pick. Sometimes it's 3A. But, increasingly, it's not cash. Can an economy survive and thrive if nobody wants to use cash? I doubt it. Here's one solution that I thought of: (Of course, the obvious is to drastically nerf the 76k trick, but that's been completely discussed.) What if Jagex came out with a series of super items comparable to godswords or third age and made them untradeable and buyable only from a shop. Then place prices at ridiculous levels, perhaps even in the billions. If there were a super item in the game that could be purchased only with gigantic piles of cash, that would have the following effects on the economy: 1) huge money sink, shrinking the money supply and boosting the value of cash, and 2) cash would become a "collectible" -- people would hoard it with an eye toward getting that super item one day. Seems to me that might rescue cash from its present status as runescape junk.

Good point . . . if some legal reason develops for manipulating the rares market, they'll probably do it. Hard to imagine what that might be, though.

Jagex felt legally compelled to get rid of old wildy becaues of RWT. No similar reason to mess with rares.

I don't think Jagex would DARE significantly tamper with the rare market.

Really kind of stunning that some hidden aspect of the quest could remain hidden this long. When you think about all the research players put into other quests (e.g., going through the wildy square-by-sqaure to see where Jennica's ring might work), I've always thought that nothing could slip by the more hard-core players even for hours, let alone for days.

To the extent possible, I would spread it among a portfolio of wieldable rares. I would get at least one of the highest value phat that you can reasonably secure. I think the higher valued phats are more stable than the lower valued ones -- I'm convinced that the purple phat is overdue for a serious crash. But I wouldn't put everything in one item -- I would diversify away some risk by buying multiple different items. I say wieldable rares for two reasons. First, while rares may crash in the short run, they always will go up in the long run. Second, I say wieldable rares because there is a natural demand for these items because they can actually be worn. The edibles are essentially speculation items for merchers. There is little or no natural demand, and they are overdue for a big crash. I would NOT leave my money in cash. With all of the tricking still going on, inflation will eat you up.

If a lot of people still are "tricking," I'd imagine Jagex will nerf it again and will keep nerfing it until the trick no longer is worthwhile. That would slow down inflation a great deal. Very little money is brought into the game through legitimate pking -- it's just too hard to do, and very few are all that good at it. Of course, there's still alching, but I don't see Jagex doing anything about that.

I like Santas here -- I bought thirteen when they became buyable. Wish I had more cash.

If Jagex didn't censor the words, the only time they would be used in game would be as an insult (as "newb" is used now). Would that make you feel better?

I don't understand the significance? Does this have anything to do with the rumors that Dragons are weak to stab or slash, can't remember which. I haven't tested it yet but a friend of mine said mithril dragons were much easier now that you could use the stab effect of the spear. If you look at the grand exchange it's up 185k and a couple posts on the main forum people are offering up to 7 mil for it now. I'll bet that stuff on the main forum in price manipulation.

Price at an all-time high approaching 40M and still climbing.

You're right that this level of increase is unsustainable over the long run. Halloween masks have been on the same track. That's why I'm investing in santas -- they've doubled over the last six months, but they have not skyrocketed at the rate that other rares have. Sooner or later things have a way of evening out. When santas shoot up and other rares level off or decline, I'll switch my investment. But I would not buy a partyhat or a halloween mask right now -- you could easily lose 50m (in opportunity cost) if some clan suddenly decides to dump partyhats.

You're right that this level of increase is unsustainable over the long run. Halloween masks have been on the same track. That's why I'm investing in santas -- they've doubled over the last six months, but they have not skyrocketed at the rate that other rares have. Sooner or later things have a way of evening out. When santas shoot up and other rares level off or decline, I'll switch my investment. But I would not buy a partyhat or a halloween mask right now -- you could easily lose 50m (in opportunity cost) if some clan suddenly decides to dump partyhats.

What things are AGS good for that BGS (or even SS) isn't just as good for? IOW, why is AGS so much more expensive than BGS? Isn't it the potential for a massive KO hit with the spec? And for that purpose, aren't claws comparable? If I own claws and a BGS, isn't that just as good as an AGS, and for less money?