Challenges

Challenges are community events in which players compete and earn prizes by completing a group of related tasks (e.g., "Get Fit Challenge", "Stop Smoking"). Challenges that the player has joined can be found under the My Challenges link in the Challenges menu, and all other public challenges can be found under Discover Challenges.
Challenges can be site-wide or exclusive to a party. Party-exclusive challenges are not available to non-party members, only those who are currently in the party.
Anyone can create or join a challenge in the Challenges forum, or in their party (unless the party leader doesn't allow members to create challenges). Players can create any type of challenge consisting of whatever tasks best suit their needs. The creator decides when the challenge ends, and must choose a winner upon closing the challenge.
Common uses
*Public competitions
*Topical party competitions (reading, writing, health, etc.)
Less common uses
*Syllabus of homework and reading assignments for classrooms
*Progress-monitoring by leaders of local groups
*Addiction cessation groups
*List of To Do's to be cloned for individual user for certain events, such as spring-clean
==Running a Challenge==
For information on running a challenge, including guidance on creating, editing, and closing a challenge, please visit the Running a Challenge page.
==Finding and Browsing Challenges==
On the website, challenges are located under the Challenges tab, located in the toolbar. There, you can choose between "My Challenges" and "Discover Challenges".
On the Android and iOS apps, the Challenges tab is located under the Social section of the Menu page. There, you can choose between the tabs "MY CHALLENGES" and "DISCOVER".
"My Challenges" shows you the challenges that you own or that you are already participating in.
"Discover Challenges" (just "DISCOVER" in the apps) shows all challenges that are public or part of a party, or group plan) to which you belong.
The challenges are ordered from newest to oldest, to offer exposure for newly created challenges. The only exception to this rule are Official Habitica Challenges, which stick to the top of the list, marked with the "Official Challenge" tag. These challenges are designated by a staff member.
===Filtering Challenges===
 Filters, located on the left side of each Challenges page, allow the player to sort challenges in three ways or search by keyword. Selecting a filter will cause the page to show only challenges associated with that filter. Unchecking the box will remove the filter.
*Use the Category filter to display challenges for a specific topic.
*The Ownership filter will display the challenges you have or have not created.
To apply a Category filter, check the box to the left of the category name. You may choose as many Category filters as you wish, though selecting too many categories will make the list of challenges difficult to sort through.
The second filter is Ownership. This section allows you to see only those challenges that you have created.
You can combine options from all three filters to further refine your search.
===Viewing Challenge Details===
On the website, the main challenge page will display an overview of every challenge, including a summary of the challenge's purpose, the number of tasks involved, the challenge prize amount, and the number of participants. Click on a challenge title to see detailed information about the challenge's objectives and the specific Tasks involved.
For the Android and iOS apps, click on the challenge itself to display a detailed description of the challenge, rewards, number of participants, and tasks. Click Go to Challenge to view the tasks in depth.
====Participant Progress====
This feature is only available through the website. You can view the progress of any individual participant by selecting their name from the drop-down menu. This will show you their progress on Habits, Dailies, and To Do's, as well as any Rewards. Note that you cannot access a player's profile from this menu.
Also note the difference in color of the user-specific tasks in comparison to the join page for the main challenge. The more orange color of the To Do's indicates that this member has not completed these tasks for a long time.
This pop-up box can be closed by clicking the grey "x" in the upper right hand corner or the "Close" or "Okay" buttons in the bottom right corner.
For those using the mobile apps, you can use Challenge Data Tool.
====Contacting a Participant====
*You can see all challenge participants by clicking the box that shows the number of participants next to two user icons while on the web version of Habitica.
*A pop-up menu will show the avatars of all members. At the right of each avatar, you will see three vertical dots. Clicking this will give you the option to send a message.
==Joining and Participating in Challenges==
 If you decide to join a challenge, click the green "Join" button. The Habits, Dailies, To Do's, tags, and rewards of that challenge will be automatically added to your own lists, and you will check-off the tasks in your own task list, not the challenge page.
Should you accidentally join a challenge, or wish to leave the challenge, return to the challenges page and click the red "Leave" button that has replaced the "Join" button.
Challenge tasks will have a megaphone icon in the lower right corner to distinguish them from your personal tasks, and will be flagged with a specific tag as defined by the creator of the challenge (see challenge tags below).
To participate in the challenges that you have joined, all you have to do is complete the tasks with the megaphone icon.
===Editing User Tasks===
If a challenge requires participants to add extra notes or checklist items to a task, each participant must edit those tasks in their own Tasks tab.
Privacy Warning: The challenge creator and other participants can see anything you write in the description of a challenge task.
Participants can change or add:
* Task descriptions
* Checklists (challenge hosts cannot put checklists on tasks, so they may ask participants to do so).
* Streak
* Tags (including deleting the challenge tag)
Participants cannot change:
* Task name
* Difficulty
* Frequency or schedule (for example if a task is only on Sundays, a participant can't change it to Monday instead.)
* Whether a habit is positive, negative, or both.
===Day of Rest with No Damage===
Pausing your dailies from resting in the Inn will not cause you damage. However, due to the player's history, no data is processed for that day. Consequently, any daily tasks will appear as a missed day to challenge owners using tools like Challenge Data Tool.
If you wish to miss a day, but do not wish to pause your dailies in the Inn, you can add a checklist to a challenge Daily with one item and tick that item on days when you don't want to do the Daily but don't deserve punishment for it. Streaks are lost, and no XP and GP are gained; however, no health is lost.  
===Challenge Participant's Permissions===
When participating in a challenge, you have a limited amount of options for the tasks in the challenge. A challenge is meant to be accepted "as is" from the creator.
You can make these changes to your own copies of the tasks (the changes do not affect other participants):
* Add/edit checklists for a challenge task. Currently, other players, including the challenge owner, cannot see the checklist, however this might change in future.
* Add/edit notes on a challenge task. Other players can view changes made to the Extra Notes section.
* Assign personal tags to the challenge tasks and/or unassign the challenge's tag. Other players cannot see the added tags.
* Change the tasks' stats. This only applies to players who have task-based automatic allocation enabled.
* Edit the streaks on Dailies.
* Add an alias to a task. Aliases are an advanced feature that is only available through Habitica's API.
You cannot make any other changes unless you leave the challenge and keep the tasks.
When you join a challenge, you should consider any changes that you make to the challenge tasks to be public (the only exception is that other players will never be able to see the names of your own tags). If you leave a challenge and keep the tasks, then they become private, and changes you make after that time can not be seen by other players.
The challenge creator's permissions are listed in Running a Challenge.
=== Customizing Challenge Tasks ===
If a player wants to make more changes to challenge tasks than a challenge participant can, the player can join the challenge, then leave the challenge again, choosing the "Keep Tasks" option. The challenge tasks stay in the player's task lists and are no longer connected to the challenge. The player can change them as desired, and delete unwanted tasks. However, the player is no longer a challenge participant and can't win the challenge.
If a player wants to both customize the challenge tasks (for example, translate them) and be a challenge participant with a chance to win the challenge, the player can use the same method, but then join the challenge a second time. The player has both the original challenge tasks and their own customized version of the challenge tasks. The player can now arrange them in pairs, read the customized (for example, translated) task, and check off the original task. If the player doesn't want to check off both versions of a task (and get double benefits and double losses), the customized Dailies should be permanently greyed out (so they don't damage the player's health) and the customized To Do's deleted when the original To Do's get done. It may also help to tag the tasks with the same tag so the player can select the original and customized challenge tasks at the same time.
===Communicating with Challenge Creator===
A player can communicate with the challenge creator by private message. Go to the My Challenges page, find the challenge, and click on the creator's name to view their profile, which will have a private message icon at the top right corner.
==Changes Made by Challenge Creator==
(This section describes how changes to challenges will affect participants who are already signed up. See Running a Challenge for more details on challenge creator abilities.)
A challenge creator may add, delete, or edit Tasks in the middle of a challenge.
===New Tasks===
Participants who are already in the challenge will see the new task appear on their Task List, but they will not have any other notification. (Note it may take some time for the new task to show up.)
===Removed Tasks===
If the challenge creator removes a task, participants who are already in the challenge will still have that task, but it will be marked with a a red megaphone item (see Leaving a Challenge below for more details about what a red megaphone means). Participants will have to delete the task themselves.
(Anyone who joins after the change has been made will not see the deleted tasks.)
==Challenge Tags==
All challenges have a tag specific to that challenge. By clicking on these challenge tags, you'll see which tasks are related to a particular challenge.
You can also add Habits, Dailies, To Do's, or Rewards to these challenge tags if you have personal tasks that are related to that challenge's allocated tag. Adding your own tasks to a challenge tag does not make them part of the challenge for others to use or see.
For example, if you join the challenge highlighted in the image, you could add an extra task under this challenge tag called "Complete the challenge". However, no one else participating in this challenge would see your added task, nor would this task count as being part of the official challenge.
When a challenge is closed or deleted, the tag is moved from the "Challenges" section of your tags to the normal "Tags" section. You can keep using the tag for your own tasks or you can delete it.
===Renaming Challenge Tags===
Once a player has joined a challenge, the tag that was added to their account is under their control. They can edit or delete the tag, or use it for other tasks as mentioned above. Challenge tags are basically a method for the participants to filter the challenge tasks for their own task management purposes. A participant might modify the tag to suit themselves (e.g., to highlight a challenge they really care about), or to join two similar challenges under the same tag.
Because of this, if a challenge owner edits the challenge's tag after the challenge has been created, the change to the tag is not applied to existing participants. However new participants will see the new tag.
===Challenge Tags Remaining after Leaving a Challenge===
After a player leaves a challenge, the challenge tag that was associated with it is not deleted and will remain alongside other existing tags. This is deliberately done to allow players who might want to use the challenge tag for their own tasks or who want to leave the challenge tasks in their task lists after they have left the challenge, to be able to do so if they wish. For either case, automatically deleting the challenge tag after leaving a challenge would be inconvenient for the players involved.
If you wish to delete a challenge tag or any other tag, you can do so by clicking "edit" next to your tags and then clicking the trash can icon on the tag.
==Sharing a Challenge==
Each challenge has a unique link that looks like this: https://habitica.com/challenges/fb83556f-7978-4786-ba33-73df08e3b729 ,with the alphanumeric string at the end being different for each challenge. You can get the link by clicking on the challenge to view it and then copying the link from your browser's address bar. You can post the link in the Tavern or other chat areas in Habitica, or in any location outside Habitica (such as an email). A player can click on the link to view the challenge, and can then choose whether to join it.
If the challenge is in a party, the player must be a member of that party to be able to see or join the challenge. If the challenge is public, the player only needs to be logged into Habitica to see or join it.
If the link is shared outside Habitica, the player must be logged in to Habitica to be able to see the challenge.
==Leaving a Challenge==
To leave a challenge via the website, go to the My Challenges page, find the challenge, and click the red "Leave" button. A pop-up window will open, giving you the options to remove the associated tasks, keep them, or cancel. Clicking cancel will remove the tasks.
To leave a challenge via the Android app, go to the Challenges screen > My Challenges tab, tap on the challenge you wish to leave, and then scroll down to the red "Leave" button. Like the website, the app will give you the options to remove the associated tasks or keep them.
You can rejoin the challenge if you so choose.
If you leave the challenge and keep the tasks but decide to join the challenge again, you might see both sets of challenge tasks listed. Delete the first set of tasks, as they are no longer linked to the challenge. Only the second set of tasks counts for the challenge.
==Collecting a Challenge Prize==
When a challenge ends, the challenge owner can select one user as the winner (although there are workarounds for declaring multiple winners). Note that not all participants will win a given challenge, even if they completed all of the challenge requirements. Frequently, the challenge runner will select a winner at random from the participants who qualify, but not always. Specifications on how a winner will be selected and whether there will be runner-up winners are generally outlined in the challenge description, but are not mandatory.
If you are lucky, talented, or hard-working enough to be declared the winner of a challenge, the following will happen:
* The player will automatically receive a beautiful achievement badge! All challenge achievements, even those from private parties, can be proudly displayed on your profile.
* If the challenge awards a gem prize, they will automatically be added to the player's gem count.
If a challenge has runner-up winners, they will not automatically receive any rewards—usually the challenge runner will contact them individually to set up the distribution of the additional reward, either through giving gems as a gift, or through setting up another (semi-private) challenge and declaring the runner up as the winner, so that an achievement badge is awarded. If you are to do this, it would be beneficial to state it in the Challenge Description, as to alert participants.
In the official Take This challenges, there are winners and runners-up who receive gem prizes, but additionally, every active participant who meets the minimum requirements are awarded a special Take This armor item, which appears in the participant's Rewards column for 0 GP at the close of the challenge.
==Deleting a Challenge Task==
Challenge tasks cannot be deleted from your own task lists while the Challenge is running and you are participating in it. If you want to remove the tasks, you need to either leave the Challenge or wait for the Challenge to be closed or deleted. In rare cases, a bug might prevent you deleting the tasks even after the Challenge no longer exists. The process below will help you work out what you need to do to delete a Challenge task, and where to ask for help if you can't delete it yourself.
To delete Challenge tasks on the Android app:
# Find the Challenge task in your task list on the Android app. Challenge tasks will have a megaphone icon.
# Tap the task to enter the edit screen then tap 'Delete' at the top of the edit screen
# Now you can choose to either leave the Challenge and delete just this task, or leave the Challenge and delete all tasks associated with the Challenge. No matter what, you have to leave the Challenge to delete the tasks. This will work whether the Challenge is active or ended.
## Alternatively, you can also delete active Challenges tasks by going to Menu > Challenges > My Challenges. 
## Tap the Challenge with tasks you don't want.
## On the Challenge details screen, tap the 'Leave' button at the bottom and choose to leave & delete tasks.
To delete Challenge tasks on the iOS app:
# Find the Challenge task in your task list on the iOS app. Challenge tasks will have a megaphone icon.
# If the megaphone icon is red, you can tap the task to enter the edit screen then tap 'Delete' at the bottom of the screen.
# If the megaphone icon is gray, the Challenge is still active. To continue, go to Menu > Challenges > My Challenges.
# Tap the Challenge with the tasks you don't want.
# On the Challenge details screen, tap the 'Leave' button at the top or bottom and choose to leave & delete tasks.
To delete Challenge tasks on the website:
Find the Challenge task in your task list on the website. 
Does the Challenge task have a red megaphone icon? If so, the Challenge has already been closed or deleted. Click on the red megaphone icon. You'll be given a choice to remove or keep all tasks from that Challenge. If you choose the option to remove them, they will all be deleted immediately. If you choose the option to keep them, all of the Challenge's tasks will be converted to normal tasks that you have full control over and you can then delete them one by one, or keep them to continue using them.
If the Challenge task has a megaphone icon that is not red, then the Challenge is still running and you are participating in it. To delete the tasks from that Challenge, you have to leave the Challenge. Follow these steps:
Go to the My Challenges page.
In the "Filter" box on the left, make sure all categories are unchecked.
In the "Membership" section under the list of categories, click the "Participating" radio button.
The right-hand side of the page will now show all challenges that you are participating in. Find the challenge that contains the tasks you want to remove.
Leave that challenge, choosing the "Remove Tasks" option to delete all tasks immediately or the "Keep Tasks" option to have them all converted to non-challenge tasks that you can edit or delete one by one.
If you weren't able to remove the tasks following the above steps, you will need to ask an admin for help. To let the admin find the challenge tasks without them needing to look at all your private tasks:
First check that you've done the steps above for your platform. The most common causes of not being able to remove challenge tasks are that the player has not yet used the feature to remove the tasks (step 2) or the player is still in the Challenge and it's still running (step 3). Bugs that require you to use the steps below are very rare.
Choose a one task or reward from the Challenge (it doesn't matter which one).
Click the task or reward to open its edit screen.
In the "Notes" field, enter exactly this text: "deletethisone". Copy and paste that text to ensure it is exact. Do not insert spaces. It is important that you use that exact text because an admin will search for it to find the tasks to remove. (You do need to repeat this step for all of the Challenge's tasks. This makes it easier for the database admins to locate all challenge-related tasks that need deletion.)
Go to Report a Bug, which is accessible from the Help menu on the website or from Menu > Support > Get Help on the mobile apps. This will create an automatic email to admin@habitica.com. Write the following message and send the email:"I can't delete tasks from a Challenge that has ended. I have edited all challenge tasks to insert 'deletethisone' in their Notes."
An admin will clean up the tasks in a day or two. While you are waiting, it's okay for you to mark any Dailies as completed each day to avoid taking unfair damage from them.
== Bookmarking with URL ==
If you wish to "bookmark" challenges created by other people to join them later, simply bookmark them using the bookmark/favorite function of your browser. See Sharing a Challenge.
==Official Habitica Challenges==
Official Habitica challenges are challenges created by Habitica's staff. Because they are placed under the Tavern group, they are site-wide and open to all players. The Official Habitica Challenges page provides a list of all past and present official challenges.
==Inappropriate Challenges==
If you see a challenge that you believe contains inappropriate material (e.g., offensive content), please email to report it (rather than mentioning it in the Tavern).
==Current Bugs and Issues==
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Category:Mechanics
Category:Challenges
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