If OP is looking for an editor with nice defaults and nice customization then I'd agree, use Doom Emacs.

If you have very specific preferences, or simply play around and have fun a bit with editors and tooling, then going with vanilla is the best option.

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And now, a rant for why I completely disagree with people here who just recommend Vanilla. Starter kits are there for a reason. It is painfully hard for a new user to start out on GNU Emacs and get everything they want running and if they are not patient, they will outright quit.

I agree a lot with this!