The first day of BlizzCon has drawn to a close, with Jay Mohr hosting another awesomely epic evening of contests, costumes, dances, and /silly one-liners. We’ll have photos, results, and more from the contests soon -- but in the meantime, here are some of the day’s highlights:

Diablo III's Wizard Unveiled: During the opening ceremony, Blizzard Entertainment CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime unveiled Diablo III's third playable class -- the wizard. Afterward, the Diablo III team took the stage to go into detail about the class's powers and abilities.

Hands-on Gaming: In Hall B, players were able to get their hands on Diablo III for the first time ever, delving into the dark catacombs beneath Tristram cathedral (alongside three fellow attendees) as the barbarian, witch doctor, and wizard, slaying demons, collecting loot, and -- in the end -- coming face-to-skull with a familiar foe from the original Diablo: the Skeleton King.

In the StarCraft II gameplay area, attendees got a chance to try several new multiplayer maps, including a reimagined version of a StarCraft favorite, Lost Temple. Folks also got to experiment with a few of the latest units and special powers, including the protoss mothership’s new enemy-incapacitating vortex ability and the terran nighthawk’s seismic thumper, which slows down foes and prevents zerg units from burrowing underground. StarCraft enthusiasts also received a special surprise in their goody bags -- a beta key that will grant access to the upcoming StarCraft II beta when it begins.

Even though the release of Wrath of the Lich King is just around the corner, World of Warcraft players lined up to play the most up-to-date version of the game, questing across Northrend, delving with fellow attendees into brand-new dungeons, trying their hands at tanking with a death knight, and discovering the surprises the all-new Achievement system had to offer.

StarCraft II Single-Player News: BlizzCon 2008 attendees were the first to hear some big news about the single-player campaign: The epic story of StarCraft II will span a trilogy of games, with each one's single-player campaign focusing on a different race. For more details, check out the StarCraft II Gameplay panel info in Friday's Developer Panel Roundup.

World of Warcraft, StarCraft II, and Diablo III Panels: Throughout the day, BlizzCon attendees got a chance to sit with developers to discuss the classes, gameplay, art, and creative process of Blizzard Entertainment games. Panels included Diablo III Class Design, StarCraft II Gameplay, World of Warcraft Classes, and more. Check out our Developer Panel Roundup for tons more info on the day's key panels.

On Saturday, the big BlizzCon Warcraft III, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft Arena tournaments come to a close, and we’ve planned an epic closing ceremony featuring Patton Oswalt, Level 80 Elite Tauren Chieftain, and Video Games Live. Check back at BlizzCon.com tomorrow for more.