I logged back in at the start of the anniversary boosts to dick around, after having not played for ages, in search of a way to kill some spare time before my first kid arrives in April. When I quit the first time around I had 90 island spirits, pretty much every collectible done, etc... I was a zerker main with 1500 GS, but I used the event to boost a Paladin, figuring it'd give me a shot of getting in groups, and support is easier to play to learn most fights. That said...
Plus side: They've added SO many QOL things that I wish had been there day one. Honestly, stuff like the travelling merchants, ocean liners being available from anywhere in a zone, etc. all are amazing changes that make the game so much more enjoyable to play. Only having to do one guardian, ebony cube now being a merge of halls of the sun/cube is great, the list goes on and on.
Down side: The biggest issue I have is that as someone who has watched the raids on youtube/guidance channels, is that the barriers to entry are massive. People have 0 patience for mistakes, and all the guilds seem fully formed with set raid crews. Maybe its different in NA, as i'm in Europe, but its been pretty disheartening. I've paid gold for my zerker to get bussed through 1-3 in Brelshaza normal (which is normally less than the gold you make, so I still make a little gold from it) just so it can get some gear, and I'm up to 1505 GS on the zerker and 1532 on the Paladin, but haven't managed to get a single clown group that was accepting of mistakes, even on the support. Combat blows ARPGs out of the water (10 skills instead of the usual 4!? And you use all of them pretty much on CD/situational) without a doubt.
And the raids do have so many wipe mechanics that I understand peoples impatience with someone learning. 6 mins in to the fight and you're animation locked in the wrong spot because you didn't remember the exact combo of signs from the boss and poof, you're dead/you wiped the raid does make people less willing to take learners.