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The BlizzCon Wrap-Up: New Diablo Class, Cataclysm Preload, And More

Not at BlizzCon and NEED to know what happened there? Great. Here you go.

The Blizzard flock is currently crammed inside a surely stuffy convention center in Anaheim, while you're sitting at home in front of a monitor. The good news is that you don't really need to be at BlizzCon to hear, well, the news from the Blizzard's community-focused event. The announcements--sorry, still no Diablo III date, folks--hit the Internet as soon as they spilled out of marketing folks' mouths, so in the interest of serving you, we've decided to carry what's been revealed, too. 
 

No Caption Provided

== TEASER ==World of Warcraft Cataclysm Will Be Offered As A Download On Launch Day
Like the heading says, Blizzard plans to release the digital version of Cataclysm day and date with the disc-based versions of the expansion. In an interesting twist, Blizzard, for the first time, will be allowing Blizzard.net pre-purchasers of the content the ability to preload the expansion before launch, giving its digital consumers a slight edge on release day.  
 
That sounds like a small deal, right? Watch Second Skin and get back to me. Rabid World of Warcraft fans are serious about getting new content and devouring it as soon as possible. (via WowInsider
 

 So, uh, I usually don't do this... but what are you doing this weekend? I like your armor. It looks nice.
 So, uh, I usually don't do this... but what are you doing this weekend? I like your armor. It looks nice.

The Demon Hunter Is The Fifth And Final Diablo III Class

Unless Blizzard gets frisky, don't expect another class announcement after today. The Demon Hunter is the fifth and final class for Diablo III, joining the already-announced Monk, Barbarian, Witch Doctor, and Wizard.
 
According to its official page on the game's website, the Demon Hunter is a lithe archer-type that can cast numerous devastating projectile spells. One move, the Fan of Knives, is particularly brutal. When initiated, the Hunter spins in a circle and tosses out hundreds of knives, essentially slicing whatever is in the area of effect. The weird thing is that she's kind of a cutie despite being so lethal, but, uh, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her I said that. I don't need a grenade in my face anytime soon.
 

 Fan of Knives in all its glory.
 Fan of Knives in all its glory.

PVP Coming To Diablo III
Want to take your Demon Hunter online and prove to people that you've got the fastest mouse finger in the West? You do? Great! Blizzard is throwing a player vs. player mode into Diablo III, allowing such a thing to happen. Details are light, but we do know that Blizzard is crafting specific arenas for the PVP and will let you take whatever you've earned in the campaign into battle with you. 

Blizzard, according to Shacknews, said this about the ladder-structure: "Our system is focused on encouraging furious combat and multiplayer progression, not stringent competitive rankings, so you'll earn points after every match and Battle.net matchmaking will pit you against similarly skilled opponents." 
 
You can read more about the PVP structure here on the official page. 
 

 If I knew what was going on here, I bet this would be a really killer image.
 If I knew what was going on here, I bet this would be a really killer image.
 

Blizzard Gets Into The StarCraft II Custom Map Business

The oddest announcement of BlizzCon thus far is this one: Blizzard plans to release four brand new custom maps for SCII, all based on current games that Blizzard doesn't make. The names, which betray the influence, are as follows: Aiur Chef, Left 2 Die, StarJeweled, and Blizzard DOTA.

The maps weren't given a definitive date and the official website isn't willing to drop one on us, either. You can, however, read up a bit on what each the maps will offer if you're curious.  
 

    
No Caption Provided

What Else? 
There's a small chance that more news will come out of the event today and tomorrow, so keep a lookout on this space just in case. In the meantime, answer this: are any of these announcements tickling you in a special way? Honestly, I just want to know when to expect Diablo III, already.

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BradNicholson

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Edited By BradNicholson

The Blizzard flock is currently crammed inside a surely stuffy convention center in Anaheim, while you're sitting at home in front of a monitor. The good news is that you don't really need to be at BlizzCon to hear, well, the news from the Blizzard's community-focused event. The announcements--sorry, still no Diablo III date, folks--hit the Internet as soon as they spilled out of marketing folks' mouths, so in the interest of serving you, we've decided to carry what's been revealed, too. 
 

No Caption Provided

== TEASER ==World of Warcraft Cataclysm Will Be Offered As A Download On Launch Day
Like the heading says, Blizzard plans to release the digital version of Cataclysm day and date with the disc-based versions of the expansion. In an interesting twist, Blizzard, for the first time, will be allowing Blizzard.net pre-purchasers of the content the ability to preload the expansion before launch, giving its digital consumers a slight edge on release day.  
 
That sounds like a small deal, right? Watch Second Skin and get back to me. Rabid World of Warcraft fans are serious about getting new content and devouring it as soon as possible. (via WowInsider
 

 So, uh, I usually don't do this... but what are you doing this weekend? I like your armor. It looks nice.
 So, uh, I usually don't do this... but what are you doing this weekend? I like your armor. It looks nice.

The Demon Hunter Is The Fifth And Final Diablo III Class

Unless Blizzard gets frisky, don't expect another class announcement after today. The Demon Hunter is the fifth and final class for Diablo III, joining the already-announced Monk, Barbarian, Witch Doctor, and Wizard.
 
According to its official page on the game's website, the Demon Hunter is a lithe archer-type that can cast numerous devastating projectile spells. One move, the Fan of Knives, is particularly brutal. When initiated, the Hunter spins in a circle and tosses out hundreds of knives, essentially slicing whatever is in the area of effect. The weird thing is that she's kind of a cutie despite being so lethal, but, uh, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell her I said that. I don't need a grenade in my face anytime soon.
 

 Fan of Knives in all its glory.
 Fan of Knives in all its glory.

PVP Coming To Diablo III
Want to take your Demon Hunter online and prove to people that you've got the fastest mouse finger in the West? You do? Great! Blizzard is throwing a player vs. player mode into Diablo III, allowing such a thing to happen. Details are light, but we do know that Blizzard is crafting specific arenas for the PVP and will let you take whatever you've earned in the campaign into battle with you. 

Blizzard, according to Shacknews, said this about the ladder-structure: "Our system is focused on encouraging furious combat and multiplayer progression, not stringent competitive rankings, so you'll earn points after every match and Battle.net matchmaking will pit you against similarly skilled opponents." 
 
You can read more about the PVP structure here on the official page. 
 

 If I knew what was going on here, I bet this would be a really killer image.
 If I knew what was going on here, I bet this would be a really killer image.
 

Blizzard Gets Into The StarCraft II Custom Map Business

The oddest announcement of BlizzCon thus far is this one: Blizzard plans to release four brand new custom maps for SCII, all based on current games that Blizzard doesn't make. The names, which betray the influence, are as follows: Aiur Chef, Left 2 Die, StarJeweled, and Blizzard DOTA.

The maps weren't given a definitive date and the official website isn't willing to drop one on us, either. You can, however, read up a bit on what each the maps will offer if you're curious.  
 

    
No Caption Provided

What Else? 
There's a small chance that more news will come out of the event today and tomorrow, so keep a lookout on this space just in case. In the meantime, answer this: are any of these announcements tickling you in a special way? Honestly, I just want to know when to expect Diablo III, already.
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OneManX

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BLIZZARD

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norton123

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Wait. You mean Diablo III is a game?

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Yummylee

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Just show that night elf your +4 strength tank top, Brad.

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Teaspoon83

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Meh, opening ceremonies seemed boring. Too bad there wasn't a huge announcement like Diablo III release date.

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misfittoy

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Edited By misfittoy

There is enough of Blizzard madness going on to get me excited about all of it.  Is Cataclysm enough to get me to try WOW again.  Probably.  I mean... for historical reasons... as an avid gamer I'd like to say I was there when the biggest MMO reinvented its world.

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dyong

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Edited By dyong

Demon hunter, meh. I was hoping for an assassin-type character, but monk's cool enough.

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adoggz

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none of that is important, what is is that Day[9], Tasteless, and Artosis are going to be casting a showmatch between Fruit Dealer and Slayers Boxer soon SHOW THE FUCK UP!!

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jpjordan

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awesome!

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Llama

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@adoggz said:
" none of that is important, what is is that Day[9], Tasteless, and Artosis are going to be casting a showmatch between Fruit Dealer and Slayers Boxer soon SHOW THE FUCK UP!! "
i just creamed my pants for the third time. so much epic in one stream! the internet will EXPLODE
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FunExplosions

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@dyong said:
" Demon hunter, meh. I was hoping for an assassin-type character, but monk's cool enough. "
How dare you.
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shirogane

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Demon hunter! WIN! I now have 2 classes in D3 that i like! 
 
Man, Aiur Chef, that's actually hilariously good...
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NickTheDynamo

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Deadboy

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Blizzard makes amazing games .. they just take FOREVER. :(

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Smokay

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@adoggz said:
" none of that is important, what is is that Day[9], Tasteless, and Artosis are going to be casting a showmatch between Fruit Dealer and Slayers Boxer soon SHOW THE FUCK UP!! "
Thanks for the link when are they playing?
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Most of the Cataclysm content is already in patch 4.0.1, in 4.0.3 we'll see the content changes (fairly sure most of these were included in 4.0.1 but just not applied) so people will be playing in the new old world prior to cataclysm anyway, all the cataclysm key will do is unlock the new races + areas and raise the level cap, so preloading the game is hardly news.
 
I'll be preordering online as soon as it's possible. Fairly disappointing blizzcon to be honest, no huge announcements and thus far the panels haven't been too interesting. Although having Day[9] and TAsteless cast together = godly

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adoggz

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@Smokay: NOW!!!!
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Two new SC2 divisions were announced for "Season 2" too, with "Master League" top 5% diamond and "Grand Master League" top 200

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ch13696

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Honestly I don't care about anything else Blizzard. I just want to hear the announcement that we don't have to constantly be connected online for Diablo III. If they go the way of Starcraft II, then I will buy the game on disc and crack it. 

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DystopiaX

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@ch13696 said:

" Honestly I don't care about anything else Blizzard. I just want to hear the announcement that we don't have to constantly be connected online for Diablo III. If they go the way of Starcraft II, then I will buy the game on disc and crack it.  "

You don't have to be constantly connected for Starcraft, only for installation. After that you can play offline, you just can't earn achievements.
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dyong

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Edited By dyong

I just watched the demon hunter trailer at the D3 website. All she needs is a hat and a whip and she could become Belmont Van Helsing.

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Glak

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I love Blizzard so much 
Can't wait for Diablo III to come out

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ballsnbayonets

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yay for cutting peoples delicious ears off

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ch13696

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Edited By ch13696
@DystopiaX said:
" @ch13696 said:

" Honestly I don't care about anything else Blizzard. I just want to hear the announcement that we don't have to constantly be connected online for Diablo III. If they go the way of Starcraft II, then I will buy the game on disc and crack it.  "

You don't have to be constantly connected for Starcraft, only for installation. After that you can play offline, you just can't earn achievements. "
What this I've been hearing about you have to be online so Blizzard can check the authenticity of the game all the time. People have also been saying you have to logged into your battle.net account in order to play the game. Also, what about the people that were banned using single player cheats?  
 
I'm not shitting on your reply. You're probably right. Just after hearing about all this stuff (and c'mon, Activision owns part of the company), I get pretty protective about what I do. 
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benderunit22

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 Epic fail on Blizzard's part with that last Boxer vs Fruit Dealer game, but I managed to catch the last few minutes. Needless to say it was epic.  
 
Also

@ch13696: If you play Diablo 3 offline, you're doing it wrong.

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TheHT

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@BenderUnit22 said:
" @ch13696: If you play Diablo 3 offline, you're doing it wrong. "
Technically not.
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So,  during the Exhibition match between SlayerSBoxer and FruitDealer,  the people running the stream just decided to shut it down.   Right in the middle of content that they knew people were watching and paid for.  Last year it was the constant buffering, and this year we just get cut off 40 minutes early.   Maybe they should try Justin.tv instead of the garbage RayV.  Really disappointed in the event this year.  As soon as Jay Mohr took the stage the wheels fell off.  Nothing was organized and it was just really awkward to watch.  I was really looking forward to the SCII exhibition, and then they dropped the ball on that too.   I'll be seeking a refund for this mess.

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shinluis

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Demon hunter? Which doctor? FAN OF KNIVES??! Very creative, blizzy! Oh wait... 
 
I wonder when are we going to see complete blizz integration. I bet the new mmo they're amking is called "Word of Warcraft AND Starcraft, too.. Diablo also, btw™"

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Chris2KLee

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Hell's yeah for Cataclysm Pre-Loading. Being in Japan, this means I don't have to wait at all. Screw the outside world!

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Vorbis

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It's like they looked at Sylvanus and ported her into D3. Honestly, the trailer probably had some of the most cheesy dialogue in history.
 
I'll stick to the Witch Doctor.

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@ch13696 said:
" @DystopiaX said:
" @ch13696 said:

" Honestly I don't care about anything else Blizzard. I just want to hear the announcement that we don't have to constantly be connected online for Diablo III. If they go the way of Starcraft II, then I will buy the game on disc and crack it.  "

You don't have to be constantly connected for Starcraft, only for installation. After that you can play offline, you just can't earn achievements. "
What this I've been hearing about you have to be online so Blizzard can check the authenticity of the game all the time. People have also been saying you have to logged into your battle.net account in order to play the game. Also, what about the people that were banned using single player cheats?   I'm not shitting on your reply. You're probably right. Just after hearing about all this stuff (and c'mon, Activision owns part of the company), I get pretty protective about what I do.  "
After the first online authentication you do NOT need to be online to play single player or comp stomp.  I do it all the time at school.  You don't get achievements and obviously can't play online.  You have to log into Battlenet only if you want to play online, check leaderboards etc.  Also, why the hell would they put cheats into single player if that was going to ban you?  Cheating online obviously would get you banned but what do they care about what you do with single player? 
 
Also, since DOTA has been mentioned this is required: 
 
  
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Doctorchimp

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Demon Hunter huh? 
 
Looks like I'm definitely playing as a Monk then.

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Milkman

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It's about time Blizzard caught up with the times. Having to buy all those discs for World of Warcraft was ridiculous. 

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@Vorbis said:
" It's like they looked at Sylvanus and ported her into D3. Honestly, the trailer probably had some of the most cheesy dialogue in history.  I'll stick to the Witch Doctor. "
Really? Some of the most cheesy dialog in history? Really?
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KeepThisKoupon

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is this Jimmy?

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MaddProdigy

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@DystopiaX:  Nah man you have to be connected to the internet to be sign into their Battle.net service
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MaddProdigy

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@Ben_H:  They totally banned a bunch of dudes for using cheats in the Single Player before Blizzard released their own Blizzard Cheats, for your information.
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valrog

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Gotta love Blizzard.

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jacksukeru

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@Vorbis said:
" It's like they looked at Sylvanus and ported her into D3. Honestly, the trailer probably had some of the most cheesy dialogue in history. "
That would explain why I thought it was so awesome.
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HellBrendy

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They also said they would make it possible to "cloudview" replays in SC 2. This pleases me the most, as I am not interested in Diablo 3.

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The only interesting things that happened at Blizzcon so far, only concern raiders, and fans of the Warcraft lore. Why the hell didn't they save the cinematic untill today?

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blaze503

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great final class for Diablo i think. All 5 seem like they will be really unique and a lot of fun to play.

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LordCmdrStryker

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I think the Demon Hunter looks great.  Sort of like half amazon and half assassin, and since I loved both of those classes I bet I'll be playing her a lot.

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Cataclysm will be the event of the year. Can't fucking wait. And any Diablo info is always cool. Obviously a day one purchase whenever it comes out. Was hoping for a date, but I wasn't too convinced they would have one to be honest.

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Goopynose

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I'm STILL bothered by Diablo III's art design, but all I really care about is its release date. Must buy.

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I'm not sure I like the idea of D3 having PVP.  That probably means Blizzard is going to get all pissy about people modding their single-player, non-competitive experience.  I like playing hacked up games with community created skins, levels, quests, UI's and items, but if people can take what they've earned in the campaign into a PVP fight that means those mods will be severely restricted if allowed at all.  Why can't I be allowed to just play the single-player game by myself the way I want to play it and not have the threat of Blizzard getting all medieval on my account?

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Edited By TIIME

I was hoping for the new MMO announcement, oh well. 
 
I wasn't impressed by the Diablo III, Demon Hunter trailer. It was sub-par for Blizzard.

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Addfwyn

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Edited By Addfwyn

Long since lost interest in WoW, so cataclysm is probably a pass for me, just too other MMOs clamoring for my time to go back to such an old one.   
 
I'd have liked a release date for D3, but new class at least, though for some reason I don't find any of the new classes super compelling. 
 
SC2 maps from Blizzard probably the most interesting to me, though the Blizzard DOTA will probably not be able to match League of Legends.  The other ones might be nice.

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I already know which class I'm going to start with.