Right now I am still at the early stages of the game, only level 10.  
 
Basically, how far did you get on hardcore before your character bit the bullet?

Lvl 24 ranger dude, on hard... :/

Well, I lost six characters already, playing "hard" with "hardcore". I hope I can get my current lady down to floor 20 in the main dungeon at least. The previously best character got killed on floor 14 (?) right after the second waypoint. He was such a beast, but one tiny error and a critical hit later he poofed out of existence. But thanks to the randomization of the floors it's not too bad to repeat the early floors.
 
Overall, I love the hardcore mode, it gives the game a constant feel of danger that I missed from Titan Quest or Sacred.