The verb "daunt" means to make someone feel intimidated. To "daunt" your opponent means to lessen his courage. The word "daunting" is an adjective. You use it to describe a noun. For example "task". A task is a piece of work to be done. If I say "a daunting task" I am describing a piece of work that intimidates me. "I need to finish my French homework by Friday but it's a daunting task." So the word "daunting" really has this feeling of intimidation. You use it to describe things that can overwhelm you and make you quit. However, if I say "he was a dauntless hero", it means he was a hero that cannot be intimidated.

It means "something that seems like it will be difficult." We often say: "That looks like a daunting task." Meaning, the task seems difficult (or intimidating) to do. Or you could say: "The hike up the mountain looked daunting when we arrived, but it was not that bad."