first off i'd like to say welcome to ladder slasher
softcore is probably your best best to start.. at least for the first few mq's.
hardcore.. well is just that.. same gameplay as sc.. BUT.. if you die.. you lose that character, prof gains, and whatever gear was on that character forever.. if you want to try out HC, a good rule of thumb is to town and shrine or regen at about 50% life.
as for maps.. some swear by only and solely using them. myself i typically run regular catacombs, and save specific maps for specific events. ie; event has +% to treasure chests, i run a treasure chest map.
If youd like to try hardcore, im sure a lot of us in the HC community would be more than willing to help get you set up with some starter gear for really cheap or free.
