Quote Originally Posted by bridgetroll View Post
If you're doing it right, hardcore play compliments exploring the game. HC should be slow and deliberate, taking one's time to explore every nook and cranny so as not to miss XP or gear that will make you stronger. You don't have to choose between endgame/story content or hardcore - do them both at the same time. How will you know if you're ready for nightmare, hell, or inferno if you haven't played through them yet in SC? Well, because you'll be at a point in the previous difficulty where you're crushing everything, and it's obviously time to move on.
I guess this addresses one of my points, but it still disregards the other three:
1. Inferno, I think, needs non-hardcore play testing. Everything Jay Wilson has said has indicated that Inferno is less of a difficulty level and more of a Psycho Mantis without the secondary controller trick.
2. Friends. Most will play softcore.
3. RMAH=game changer. For better or worse, hardcore players are _denied_ a portion of the game. I, for one, think that needs fixing.