There seems to be a case of the Stockholm Syndrome going around.
Yes, the base game is going F2P. Yes, they will have fewer perks than existing core game owners.
In this, there is also a marketing trick to make it appear as if core game owners are dealt a better hand, between the two lower tiers, when, instead, they get a slap on the wrist.
The expansion is presented as an upgrade, yet there is no initiative to thank faithful players or welcome back retired players—many of which have not only bought the core game, but pumped money into it through micro-transactions.
The expansion is not a separate game, so pretending that the years of gameplay—which people have paid for—make up for being ignored (read: screwed over) at this juncture, is a good ol’ case of kidding yourselves.