i HATE basic too now my second pirate cant get iron cutlass and thats always been aloud

I'm glad they are reducing basic's access to things. Basic should be more like a trial version to see if you want to pay to play.

Yup. They seem to be struggling to find the right balance, between showing just enough and really (self-censored) annoying the basics that are waiting for more content. That's been a big challenge for them all along, as they don't want to blast people off other's friends lists for a billing lapse. As long as enough people keep paying, the current system works (poorly?) but they risk loosing that by not adding new quests, that the majority of customers are demanding.