Hardcore vs Default

Played both HC and SC extensively. Enjoyed both greatly
I play SC for end-game material and build experimentation which I find very enjoyable
I play HC for the thrills of near death experiences and for bragging rights (which seem to be extensively used on this forum) unfortunately the thrill of going into a vaal/piety fight undergeared and underleveled means I havent got to end-game yet so I use SC for that.

Depends which mood I am in, if I want a chill session its SC, if I want a good focused gaming session its HC. Both have their merits and I would recommend anyone voicing a negative opinion on either one to give it a good go first.

Also: Exit-to-login is harder to pull off than some might think and those who complain about desync in HC need to learn the mechanics of it and gear more defensively to minimize the risk.

I've played a bit of both, but I mostly play default.

I understand the desire for thrills, but there are many other ways to get thrills in this world, and it doesn't seem logical to play a mode in which a single unlucky lag spike could result in days, weeks, or months of lost work.

I play default because when I die to desynch, I'd rather lose 15% than my character.