Generally I agree. It feels kind of shoehorned in when desktop is your goal, like more of an afterthought or side effect of the overall focus.
The main thing I hang on to is the code-specified configuration. I never got into managing dotfiles with arch, but that could be a better solution for many people. Especially along with btrfs, numerous containerization options, and whatnot.
I’d love to answer OP, but that description somehow made me forget everything I’ve ever eaten.