### **Summary of the Terrasaur Maul**
The Terrasaur Maul is a two-handed melee weapon introduced on **October 19, 2020**, tied to the **Dinosaurs!** expansion and obtainable from the **Orthen Dig Site** of Archaeology. It is one of the premier crush weapons in RuneScape 3 and remains incredibly desirable for high-end PvM due to its devastating **special attack**, "Berserk Barrage," and synergy with abilities like **Fury of the Small** and **Elder Overload Golem cores**. This weapon also benefits from augment perks like **Precise 6** and **Equilibrium 4**, making it essential in high-DPS setups.
Acquiring the Terrasaur Maul is highly challenging, as it is crafted using three rare components: **Top, Middle, and Base**, each dropped by the three Rex Matriarchs bosses. These drops are not guaranteed, have a low drop rate, and require significant time investment in a dangerous PvM encounter, adding to its scarcity and value.
### **Rarity and Market Trends**
The Terrasaur Maul has seen wide price fluctuations due to its niche as an expensive, high-tier, non-optional melee weapon. Its rarity, complex crafting process, and increasing demand among PvMers lead it to peak at **700M+ GP** near its release. Over time, its price consistently declined due to:
1. **Increased supply** from better Rex Matriarch mechanics introduced later, making them easier to farm.
2. **Gold sink events** and macroeconomic changes like the **Max Cash Update** that indirectly impacted endgame item values.
3. Demand dips when new weapon metas (e.g., **Necromancy**) or **alternative weapon options** arise.
Currently, the Terrasaur Maul is trading at approximately **205M GP** following a sharp decline in **July 2024** after the **Mining/Smithing rework** and **Sanctum of Rebirth** release. This low point reflects increased gold circulation post-Max Cash bugs while interest has temporarily shifted toward Necromancy content.
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### **Price Analysis**
#### **Price History Observations**
1. **Spikes**:
- **September 27, 2021**: Croesus introduction (**350M → 476M GP**) sparked melee PvM resurgence for bossing groups due to crush weakness.
- **June 27, 2022**: Prices surged (**301M → 599M GP**) following the rare microeconomic lull after **Fresh Start Worlds hype**.
- **August 2023**: The **Necromancy combat level expansion** prompted overall combat revamps, spiking speculative demand for bosses weak to melee styles.
2. **Dips**:
- **Post-January 2023**: A **Scrimshaw dupe** destabilized high-end PvMer demand across multiple items by devaluing GP indirectly and tanking markets temporarily.
- **Max Cash Update (May 2024)**: The Maul tanked after treasuries inflated supply, destabilizing premium PvM items further.
- **August – September 2024**: **Mining/Smithing rework** gave access to better kill efficiency for Rex Matriarchs, cheapening supply costs.
#### **Price Prediction: October 2024 – April 2025**
Historical trends suggest that Terrasaur Maul sees **rises during meta stabilizations** and dips during major endgame disruptions or when PvM metas pivot. Expect a **slow recovery** throughout **Winter 2024/2025**, barring unforeseen updates or dupes.
- **Prediction Range**:
- **Short-term (December – January)**: 220M – 250M (minor recovery in the holiday trading season).
- **Long-term (March – April)**: 280M – 320M (early hype for potential expansion content).
Glitches aside, historical prices indicate the Maul generally follows steady growth when PvM metas stabilize.
#### **Flipping Margins**
Flipping Terrasaur Maul is feasible given its price stability between major meta shifts. The item's **average buy/sell margins** in low-volatility periods range between **7M – 15M GP per flip**, depending on demand (e.g., combat ability patches or event launches).
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### **Advice on Complementary Items**
1. **Comparable Weapon Investments**:
- **Fractured Staff of Armadyl**: RuneScape's top-tier magic weapon for focus DPS, often mirrors similar demand trends and meta dependencies.
- **Erethdor's Grimoire Pages**: Manageable, semi-consistent profit margins, tied to RuneScape high-tier bossing.
- **Kerapac's Wrist Wrappings**: High flipping opportunities during combat patch releases when rotations shift toward all-style setups.
- **Staff of Umbral Fire (Niche)**: Alternate PvM-related speculation.
2. **Seasonal Trading Insights**:
- **Positive (Winter)**: Holiday promotions drive speculative purchasing when gold enters circulation (e.g., Treasure Hunter macro events).
- **Negative (Summer)**: Summer months often correlate to GP drops and low meta realignment.
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### **Key Considerations**
- Careful monitoring of **holiday content events** like Christmas 2024 will help predict spikes. These events increase gold liquidity, which typically inflates item prices like the Terrasaur Maul temporarily.
- Future game integrity issues (e.g., gold glitches, dupes) could retrigger price drops.
- Bold flippers should buy **during prolonged dips** (such as the back-current August drop).
Ely Intelligence Analysis