So I like the Challenge Portals, they're a hoot and a half... If you can actually survive them, and yes - I like Challenges, but I find they're a little -too- Challenging if you're just starting out, especially with the fact that acquiring Tech is more of a Challenge nowadays (not mention even more tough when you're with friends, and all trying to get your hands on Tech). They need to be a little more... Doable, for those without Tech - I'm not entirely sure how to explain it beyond that, but I'll try to throw in some examples to better form my suggestion. Example One: There's this one that pops often, you have a bunch of platforms on either side with a ton of Lava below the Platforms. It's reasonable enough, you have enough jump force to reach every platform if you do it right... But the trick is getting back down, without murdering yourself in the lava or by falling too far. And that's the annoying part, getting down is more challenging then actually getting up! If you fall in the Lava, you can't get back up - The platforms are designed to be literally impossible to get back on, as movement behavior in liquids are different then movement on land. Example Two: The most recent one I encountered, is a sort of timed speed run with a ton of frost traps - And mini-puzzles to get the door open, again getting there was easy enough - But surviving long enough, with the ridiculous hitboxes of the Traps that extend their duration even after they've long since disappeared, makes it really hard to 'speed run' it, without having to go through once to turn everything on, go back and hope you don't die - And then come all the way back again in a jiffy, again hoping to not die, and finally get to the door. On my two characters, my Solo and Multiplayer Respectively - I have yet to acquire Tech, and I imagine actually finishing these Challenge Portals would help yield some, yet I keep dying before I can because of one element that nips me in the ass - Or some other. TL;DR If it's possible to perhaps make things slightly more survivable, and perhaps scale the challenges based on planet tier (and thus the reward as well) - It might actually make the Challenges more interesting and engaging, perhaps?
I don't think they're very difficult. And as for tech, I haven't had trouble finding tech. By the time I had my FTL drive I was almost on my second tech.
