[Kat Five Knives]

Well Jaw, if it's been a year since you have played, they did raise the notoriety cap from 40 to 50, which gave me mastered pirates something to do. Yes, it would be nice if a new story line and/ or some new quests had come with it.

They made some changes to the islands Port Royal, Tortuga, Padres, and Tormenta. The most exciting change ( at least for my higher pirates) was the addition of stronger enemies at Tormenta (and a few other places) and a much more interesting environment. The level 50 Thralls are a challenge to kill for any pirate. Some of the quests, including the Pearl and some weapons upgrade quests have been changed as well.

Another big change since you left is the addition of occasional invasions by Jolly Roger and his minions. The invasions so far have occurred on Port Royal, Tortuga, and Padres. They begin with an influx of fairly easy, low level enemies but progressively become more difficult, ending with the arrival of Jolly Roger himself. Depending on the strength of the pirates present, containing and stopping Jolly is moderate to very difficult, a real challenge as he has sent my fully mastered level 50 to prison several times in a single invasion ( hint: try not to get too close to him ).

Despite the inclusion ( or lack ) of new game elements, the one thing that keeps me here is the people I meet and the friends I have made. I have many pirates spanning four guilds (see signature below) and they always make me feel welcome when I log on. That is something that cannot be scripted, programmed, improved, or downgraded. Sometimes the game does feel like a fancy chat room that gives us something to do while we talk to our friends. But you know what? That is ok with me.

- Kat