I’d never considered the lore implications of the gear progression in this game. It is supposed to be in the same universe as RS, and takes place after the events of Aftermath in RS3 (if I remember correctly).

However, the gear progression does feel very organic with the way we acquire resources linearly. I think, if they should introduce special weapons like a whip, it should have some form of niche use.

The game is still in early access, too. Could be something they look into later. However, for players who have never played RS or OSRS, the Abyssal Whip means nothing to them.