What is "challenging" to you?

I have to agree with Sam. Challenging forces to me to use all my tricks to succeed, makes me push myself and the character.

Difficult can just be painful and no fun. The Lambda Trial in Beta was painful and difficult for me. I hated it and didn't see much point in a trial that just killed you every 5 seconds.

After getting used to it I find it challenging. I am confident I can succeed, but I have to put forth maximum effort. It is not a snooze fest where I can be on auto pilot.

So yeah, challenging, in my mind, is very different from difficult.

Challenging to me has always been in the realm of organizing and coordinating a group/league toward to achieve specific goal(s).

As someone who enjoys leading groups but also participates in pug trials/sfs/tfs, not every run can be set to 'auto' and finish successfully.

"What?! I can't believe we failed the escapee phase!" - perplexed league leader with a preponderance of melee damage, some ranged, no control on a max size BAF run.
(Of course, this scenario may be viewed as a challenge in of itself to some)

Anything Master of generally is viewed a little more challenging than a standard run so team composition can play an important part of overall success. Herein lies the rub, an organizer can build a team/league that best suits the task at hand and accomplish just about any goal (MoKIR anyone?). But it ran so smoothly, that the process of finishing off the task makes it seem to the masses that it was easy.

Huh?! What?

So there are tons of players encompassing a broad skill range from excellent to beginner and the 'challenge' that I find most rewarding is pulling folks together and getting them to operate as a team and not as showboaters (read: one who runs off to solo to the detriment of the team/league's greater goal) for say a MoLambda series run for Well-Stocked, Antacid and Lambda Looter badges. Or for a MoBAF run to get Keep Them Separated and Strong and Pretty badges.

Showboaters may consider that running off and taking care of team objectives is helping and challenging at the same time for them but that will ultimately be considered by the leader. I'm just providing my take on what is challenging to me.

To me it's a lot of things..

Anything new and different that requires me to learn a new way to approach the challenge or devise a new strategy. I suppose its one reason why Farming and PLing never really interested me... Sure a lot of the content out there can be the same or similar but doing the exact same thing over and over and over does get boring quick. Which is why, despite the fact I do participate in the ITrials, I have taken extended breaks where I will play lower level toons for a week or more rather than see one more BAF lol

Trying a different approach to something even when an established method has proven effective.. Just one reason why I enjoy the mini BAFs now growing in popularity. Doesn't hurt that a 16 man BAF has much less lag and the prisoner escape portion is much easier.

Trying new Powerset.. which explains why I have a 50 level,or more, in all of the following ATs; Tankers, Scrappers, Blasters, Defenders, Controllers, Warshades, Masterminds, SoA [both a crab and a widow], and a Brute. I started playing only MMs (red side) and Scrappers (Blue) but gradually tried other ATs and learning the tactics required to be successful solo and on a team for all was very exciting for me.

Testing new things .. I have been invited on several occasions to closed Beat and enjoyed the opportunity not only to get a "first look" at new content but to evaluate it and help make iy better for the entire player base.

What's challenging?

1. New groups, at first. Task forces and trials are this way too. You might find your uber character being shredded by them until you figure out what they're doing. That ends up kind of fading away though.
2. New mechanics. I know people complained about trapdoor but I liked that there was a mechanic to figure out to beat him (and I still solo him.) I wish there were more things like this instead of just "Let's give a bunch of HP and a bunch of defense and resistance." That's just boring.

Getting enough interest in a Keyes trial

Leading incarnate trials lately...sometimes it's easy as pie, other times the group is like hyperactive chihuahuas.

For me, a challenge is something that can not be beat by superior click skills, but superior brain use.

A challenge was the first time Romulus healed himself.

Unfortunately, CoH (like any game) has a descending challenge curve. Much like science and technology, what was once impossible is now commonplace.

I like ones where I have to think or employ actual strategy. And puzzles are fun. I liked the portals in that arc in that new villainside arc of the guy whose name is totally escaping me right now.

Okay, I didn't like dying repeatedly, but I still liked the satisfaction of finding the right doors.

Challenging is anything that makes me keep track of several different variables, and punishes me for losing track of any of them.

Rounding up a group of mobs with Hurricane into a nice little clump is challenging, because I have to keep close track of where all the mobs are and which direction the Hurricane is pushing them. I have to stay alert and adjust my position all the time.

Challenging becomes frustrating when I am given more variables than I can keep track of, which is a number that changes depending on my mood and mental energy reserves. In Keyes Island on a good day, keeping tack of where my team is, where Anti-Matter is, where we have to be next, do I have any temp powers to use, how long until the next pulse and do I have to heal anyone before it hits so they don't die is challenging. When I'm tired, I inevitably forget about the temp powers, the pulse, or Anti-Matter, leading to repeated failures and frustration.

Challenging is a difficult task that is possible to do given the proper tactics and build.

Frustrating is something outright impossible to do, no matter what your tactics or build.

With those definitions, there is very little in the game that I find actually frustrating.

Challenging is taking out an AV that heavily resists my scrapper's damage type.

Frustrating is trying to solo a GM with an Emp/Psi defender (WITHOUT Lore pets).

The difference there is I frequently do the first one, and I would never even attempt the second.

I don't bat an eye at fighting mez heavy groups with squishies, because I know I have the tools to overcome that.

My son has been using the AE to build enemies to kill me. Some have been quite tough without using cheats i.e. they are just using standard powers. Our normal minions seem to be quite slow in using the various powers they have on hand. I think if they presented us with more super villain enemies, that could be dangerous, because there would always be the chance of getting that powerset you have no protection against!

What's that energy set with the -End? When I fought the Elite Boss my son had made that used those powers, I eat through most of my insps and had to click Unstoppable

I don't min/max or at least on most of my characters I don't.

I try and run my missions in such a way that there is a chance of defeat each time. My thoughts are that I would prefer that instead of higher mobs being harder to hit with accuracy - I would rather they get a hit point and regen bonus. Once it hit +6 it would be virtually impossible to overcome.

I hate missing. I would rather hit for a measley orange 5 than see Missed or Deflected.

It is strange that I can normally tell n a team very quickly if we have a team wipe chance. Usually it starts with us steamrolling everything and eventually people get sloppy. Next thing you know we are all dead.

Challenging is not hard enough to be boring shooting that boss for 5 minutes and not so easy as to steamroll.