Fabulous! You actually downloaded and played it!! Wow. Hopefully, I can pull you in kicking and screaming, like I did @supersoju. Gotta tag and remind her at every opportunity. lol

Yeah, the first character is going to be a very death-heavy experience. This is a game you learn by dying, which is counter productive to Hardcore and why so many players prefer Softcore. It doesn't hand hold at all. The opinions of experienced players have been helpful to know when to be extra cautious because the game bosses are too powerful for the level they are assigned to. So it's been a fair bit of research for me. To me, there is no point in playing hardcore until you are comfortable with the basics and you should definitely allow yourself the opportunity to play it freely, deaths included, because there are so many ways the game can interest a person. I think it's just having gaming goals that helps. My thing at the moment is getting the achievements. :)

I really hope you find the time, Holger...