World of Warcraft's 'Story Mode" raid difficulty will allow solo players to take on the game's most difficult boss for the first time in over 20 years.

Blizzard has been asking World of Warcraft fans for years to let them run raids without having a group of players present so they can see the end of the story. This is finally possible in The War Within starting today, with some minor caveats.

The War Within's Nerub-ar Palace's first raid has a new difficulty level called 'Story Mode.' It allows you to enter the raid alone (or with nine other players), and fight the final boss at a reduced level of difficulty. The boss will not drop the normal raid loot but you can complete a final quest for its own rewards.

Story Mode is only accessible after you complete the entire campaign. This includes the quests which are only available once you reach level 80. The quest that sends players into the raid is given by an NPC located in the new capital of Dornogal. There are a few steps you need to complete before you can face the boss. The currency you receive for defeating the raid boss can be used to upgrade your gear.

Morgan Day, Blizzard's associate game director, told me earlier this year that Story Mode was still an experiment. He said that the development team had already discussed how it would look if Story Mode was added to older dungeons. This is especially true for those you encounter when leveling up.

"We've often talked about, like 'Wouldn’t it be cool, if I did Wrath of the Lich king Chromie time, and I ended my leveling experience by defeating Arthas?" How cool would it be? Day said. "Right now you end that experience with a feeling that's like 'Wait. What's going on? '"

It would be nice if WoW offered a regular solo option. The War Within has just introduced Delves. These mini-dungeons can be completed by yourself and reward you with gear that rivals many group activities in an MMO. Story Mode, if it continues to be developed, would be a great addition to WoW's increasing number of solo-focused features.

This is the first time that we have done it this way. Day said, "We're going try this out." "We're interested in how you guys react to it because that will shape what we do. Maybe people want something else. They may want a different version.