By Sword or by Blaster: BlizzCon 2011

The king of online gaming holds court in Anaheim.

It will be a quiet time in Azeroth as the warriors of World of Warcraft set down their axes, shields and blunderbusses and turn their attention to BlizzCon 2011. Blizzard Entertainment is once again joining with their fans in Anaheim to celebrate their three mega-popular properties, Warcraft, Starcraft and Diablo, and this year it's easier than ever to join them at their sold-out international fan summit on October 21-22.

Over the course of the convention, Blizzard will dive deep into all aspects of their famous fantasy and sci-fi franchises. Panel discussions will explore the lore, art and design behind their games as the developers get personal with their players. Fans will compete for celeb status during live eSports events to decide the world champion WoW and Starcraft II players. And competition will leap out of the digital domain of Battle.net when prizes are awarded for best fan-made films, art, costumes and even dance routines. Plus, let's not forget that they've booked the Foo Fighters to close out the event with a good old fashion rock and roll show, in case any jaws were left un-dropped.

Sure, BlizzCon tickets are known to sell out instantaneously, and this year was no different. But that doesn't mean you can't follow along online and even score some exclusive perks. Online streaming passes bring all of the action home in HD and include Battle.net bonuses like exclusive WoW in-game pet Murkablo, a feistly little reminder that there is much Diablo III news to be revealed this year. Let's just hope that the Lord of Terror himself sits this one out; our best armor is still at the enchanter's.

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