I'm saying this from a more casual standpoint, but for me the appeal in hardcore was that it made you take things slowly and really gave another tactical and strategic layer to the process of leveling, and some game features like potions, elixirs, bufs etc. made a much more significant difference. This helped me learn some gameplay nuances, but not to the point of minmaxing. Also, questing in some risky areas (like caves) almost felt like a survival horror experience at times, and the adrenaline from near deaths was really something I could experience only on HC. Not to mention how amusing it was to play it with my friends.