Midcore is NOT a Difficulty setting - It's an Investment!

[BigCheez]

Players can refer to themselves as "hardcore raiders" which doesn't only refer to how much they're willing to invest into raiding, but their skill level too.

When a static labels itself as "hardcore" they're looking for "hardcore raiders". So the term refers to more than just investment. They're filtering out players based on skill level too.

Which is the whole point I'm trying to make. Words like casual, midcore, hardcore can refer to multiple things depending on the context.

Kind of, but I think it's more a case of a certain skill level being required for hardcore raiding. If someone can't play their job well, learn mechanics quickly, execute mechanics consistently, and focus for long sessions, they just won't be accepted into hardcore groups because these things are required to prog content quickly, which is the goal.

Someone could raid casually but be very good at the game and someone could have a hardcore approach to the game and not be very good. I've definitely seen plenty of both.