### **Steadfast Boots Analysis** #### **Summary** Steadfast Boots are level 85 melee power-armor boots originally introduced on **February 1, 2012**, as a high-level boss drop from the Glacor boss. Their release coincided with the Rise of the Six bosses and a push to upgrade power armor for melee users. Initially, they were some of the most coveted melee boots in the game due to their superior stats and rarity. However, updates to the combat system (notably around *EoC*), the release of alternatives like tier 90 and tier 92 equipment, and several significant economic and loot changes have diminished their absolute necessity in high-tier meta gameplay. #### **Rarity** The rarity of Steadfast Boots fluctuated significantly due to changes in player engagement with Glacors (which required access to Freneskae or glacor caves) and the introduction of the *Invention* skill in 2016, which incentivized disassembling items traditionally used for combat. Their prices spiked at times when bottlenecks in supply occurred, such as when Glacors were temporarily underutilized due to less efficient loot tables compared to newer bosses. --- ### **Price Trends and Historical Influences** #### **Recent Price Data** From the prices you provided, we can extract major fluctuations: - **2023-12-22:** Prices crashed to **246,653 GP**, suggesting oversaturation, potentially due to the **Black Partyhat release** (12/01/2023), where whales liquidated assets to fund Black Partyhat investments, alongside a decrease in melee-enhancement hype from Necromancy updates. - **2024-02-06:** Prices surged to **6.66M - 7.99M GP**, likely reflecting stabilization post-Black Partyhat crash and potential speculative investments leading up to a combat update (03/04/2024). #### **Major Historical Events Impacting Value** 1. **(Sep 27, 2021)** *Croesus Boss Release:* A lucrative skilling boss shifted attention away from combat mechanics and Glacors, which reduced boot demand. 2. **(Jan 29, 2023)** *Scrimshaw Dupe:* Flooded the economy with gold, causing baseline inflation for most mid-to-high tier items, but not enough immediate interest to spike Steadfast Boots. 3. **(Aug 07, 2023)** *Combat Level Cap Increase:* Necromancy shifted meta builds, leaving T85 melee armor pieces less integral to gameplay. Simultaneously, this impacted speculative traditional gear markets. 4. **(Dec 01, 2023 - Black Partyhat):** Player capital migration to limited-time items caused severe price dips in widely traded items, including Steadfast Boots. 5. **(Mar 04, 2024 - Combat Update):** Renewed focus on melee builds following combat rebalancing will likely create spikes in older melee gear prices, benefiting these boots marginally. #### **Price Prediction: February - July 2024** Based on historical trends and speculative market behavior: - **Before March 2024 Combat Update:** Prices will remain volatile but rise gradually, peaking between **9M-11M GP** pre-update as melee boots see renewed demand for players optimizing against post-update bosses. - **Post-Combat Update:** A temporary correction may occur (down to **7.5M-8.5M GP**) if alternative boots become widely available or melee gear balancing is underwhelming. - **July 2024 Projection:** The **Sanctum of Rebirth Release (07/22/2024)** might enhance melee-oriented item demand further, leading Steadfast Boots to regain a valuation near **12-15M GP**, assuming boss loot tables remain unchanged from current trends. --- ### **Flipping Margins Analysis** Steadfast Boots have historically been fantastic for mid-range flipping, particularly during major seasonal shifts. Analyzing recent price swings: - **Low-volume blows:** (e.g., Dec price crash to **246K GP**) offer massive arbitrage opportunities if re-acquired during seasonal offloads. - **Volatility-based flipping margins:** Short-term price swings (e.g., February's increase from ~3.1M to nearly 8M) indicate margins of **50-80%** for high liquidity sales. Typical margins range from **500K to 1.5M GP per flip** depending on timing, with speculative investments post-major crashes yielding the highest ROI. Focus on snapping up boots post-releases of dominant rewards (e.g., **Easter Egg Dupes on 04/01/24**) or promotional Treasure Hunter loot. --- ### **Alternative Investment Suggestions** 1. **Glaven Boots (Ranged, Tier 85):** Price patterns mirror Steadfast Boots, and their demand spikes during Ranged-focused metas or combat reworks. 2. **Glaiven Wingtip Tokens:** As purely cosmetic offshoots tied to Glacor bosses, these tokens see demand during aesthetic-driven periods or events emphasizing rares. 3. **Masuta's Warspear (PvM Weapon):** An underutilized item that strongly reacts to trends in multi-purpose bossing builds. --- ### **Seasonal Market Patterns** - **Negative Patterns:** - **Post-Christmas (December):** Players liquidate assets to buy promotional rares (e.g., Black Partyhat in 2023), driving prices down sharply. - **Post-major Treasure Hunter Events:** Drops of high-value GP rewards (e.g., 1B GP TH rewards in April 2024) reduce spending on boots. - **Positive Patterns:** - **Pre-combat or meta updates:** Combat effectiveness speculation always inflates prices for mid-tier melee armor. - **Summer (June-July):** High player engagement generally elevates demand, particularly pre-major boss PvM releases. Efficient seasonal flipping of both Steadfast Boots and their alternatives depends on leveraging crashes during high-stakes rares releases and investing pre-update/meta-hype.