Aside from the various challenges incorporated into each level of the game, Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris also includes special Community Challenges and Combat Challenges.

UPDATE: Crystal Dynamics no longer seems to be running Community Challenges. If anything changes, I'll post another update.

COMMUNITY CHALLENGES reward players for working together. Each week a new challenge is introduced in the Community section of the game's main menu. (screenshot) An example of a recent challenge is shown here. (screenshot)

Most Community Challenges involve destroying a certain number of enemies of a specific type or using a specific weapon. This can be done anywhere in the game, but some areas are better for spawning multiple enemies or particular enemy types. So you may want to refer to the Community Challenges thread on the Square Enix Forums for tips.

Once the community beats a given challenge, the reward—usually a special weapon or a large number of gems—will be given to all players, even those who have not participated in the challenge. To claim the week's reward, open the Community Chest at the edge of Osiris's Shrine. (screenshot)

Community Challenges are run separately on each platform. That is, everyone gets the same weekly challenge, but players on Steam, PS4, and Xbox One work toward each challenge with other players on the same platform. Each challenge runs from Sunday (12:01 AM PM PST) to Saturday (11:59 PM PST). The reward will be available in the Community Chest as soon as it is unlocked, but will only remain for 72 hours after the challenge closes (i.e., until 11:59 Tuesday night).

In order to participate in certain community challenges, you must first activate activate Community Events in the Options menu. (screenshot) As far as I know, leaving this option enabled has no downside. So you can just turn it on and leave it on even if you are not currently participating in a challenge.

Again, For details about current and past Community Challenges, see Treeble's Community Challenges thread on the Square Enix Forums.

COMBAT CHALLENGES are another type of optional battle. They can be undertaken solo or in a co-op game. To attempt a Combat Challenge, approach any of the small obelisks with glowing, yellow runes. These are located in various locations throughout the Overworld: the Khepri Amphitheater (screenshot); Shrine of Osiris (screenshot); Waterfall of Sobek, though only during cold weather (screenshot); Cliffside (screenshot); and Sunken Chapel of Sobek. (screenshot)

Approach one of these obelisks and press the button indicated to start a Combat Challenge. Defeat the enemies that spawn and you'll receive bountiful gems as a reward. The types of enemies that appear vary depending on the area and the current weather conditions.

If you begin a Combat Challenge and find it too difficult, just pause the game and select "Reload Checkpoint" from the menu to return to the same area before the start of the fight.

Combat Challenges and Community Challenges are separate things; however, Combat Challenges can be useful for beating some Community Challenges, since these often involve destroying many enemies. If you prefer grinding away at an endless stream of foes to replaying levels, just activate a Combat Challenge, keep fighting until it's over, then repeat.

[Main Temple of Osiris Page | Home Page]

†UPDATE HISTORY: 2/16/15 - Page created. This information was previously included in the Khepri Arena walkthrough, since that was where one of the first Community Challenges took place. In order to avoid confusion, I have separated this info into its own section and attempted to explain things more clearly.
2/17/15 - Amended length of time the Community Challenge rewards are available. It is now 72 rather than 24 hours.
7/1/15 - Added update re discontinuation of the Community Challenges. I'm not sure exactly when this happened, as I took a break from playing the game for several months.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Special thanks to Treeble for helping me with the details about the challenges and keeping the community informed.

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