Guess what. Playing hardcore isn't an achievement either cause it's a fucking video game. The only way you can be successful at it is to enjoy your time playing it.

And yes, I do play hardcore, I also play softcore. Both leagues have their pros and cons and reward different playstyles.

However if you think that reaching level 100 in softcore doesn't require solid build planning then you really have no room commenting in the first place and should work towards getting a character to level 98 to gain a better understanding of just how steep a 10% exp loss can be. You really do not want to die if you want to reach 100 in softcore because that one death can easily be indicative of more to come, so while you may not lose the character, you definitely won't be hitting 100.