Soft vs hard shocks

My opinion is
If you are a streeter, and just starting out with trick-riding; Just start with some new, oem-type,HD shocks. When they are no longer satisfactory, you will have learned a great deal about when,where, and how, those are deficient, and moving up,you will already know what you didn't like about the ones you are taking off.So by implication, you will have a good idea of how to set up those fancy shocks.
Many years ago, Munroe made some click shocks. I don't recall what they were called. They had a 3-position valve in them;soft medium, and hard. Great stuff for learning, and,at the time(1970s) cheap. They had a downside tho;the shock had to be fully collapsed to make the change.
Don't tell anybody I'm still running those. I like things simple. And out here on the Prairies, there is/are few turns, within two to three hours of where I live.
Then again,still as to streeters; you might spend a wagon-load of loot on those fancy shocks, and spend the rest of your life dinking around with them.

I can't speak to non-street aps.or aps involving beautiful rolling hills and hundreds of exciting twisting curves.