As you say, it wasn’t or isn’t really challenging. You don’t lose XP if you die, you don’t lose levels. It was merely tedious. The initial challenge for all of us was that we didn’t know what to expect at first when entering combat. Once you understood the need for planning your pulls, replenishing your hp and mana, and how many mobs to take on, it wasn’t that hard. Anyone could eventually get to max level with enough time.