The Daily Grind: Will you pay AoC's hidden fee?

Did you know there's a nominal five dollar fee for accessing the three-day early start in Age of Conan?

We're not talking about the minimum five bucks most retailers ask for on a pre-order — we're talking an extra five after the fact. Looking at the fine print at Amazon recently we noticed something when looking through the pre-order bonuses, "Note: There is a nominal fee of $5 that covers the cost of the download and includes 10 days of additional game time."

Lord of the Rings Online and Pirates of the Burning Sea both did early access events, but without a fee.

Sure, there are the players who just want in early, but they'll most likely buy their game and play for at least the first month — ten days extra is just some more time to play. However, what about all those players who are largely pre-ordering for a chance to find out if AoC is right for them?

Seeing as this extra five dollars is pretty much hidden in the fine print, we could see how this may rub many subscribers — both potential and committed — the wrong way. It's rubbing us the wrong way and we've long since plunked down our reserves for the game.