Getting back in after a 3+ year hiatus

Boy the game sure has changed a lot! I haven't played since vanilla, but I want something to do with my girlfriend and it's her favorite game (She's got a GW2 tattoo!). So with that, I got to 80 in Vanilla so I'm no stranger to the game. I played a weird tanking Sword/Pistol Thief which was a lot of fun. I'm wondering what sort of specialization I could try out now. What're some of your experiences with them? I'm not opposed to leveling a new class at all, don't worry about me sticking to Thief. I want something with a moderate amount of complexity. Something that isn't going to make me bang my head against the wall to starting out, but still has a satisfying learning curve. The only thing I'm not interested in outright is a Warrior. It's just a thing for me, I don't enjoy the archetype. Any other suggestions are appreciated!

Edit: This is also gonna strictly be PvE, not PvP. Maybe Fractals and Raids, definitely casual PvE stuff, I need to get my bearings before I really commit to anything.

Are you still intending to play vanilla, or are you going to get HoT and PoF? Those two expansions each bring another Elite spec choice for your characters. Does your girlfriend want to duo in open-world adventures, do PvP or WvW or what? Also, what's her favorite profession? (If you're going to duo, you might be able to support or complement her profession.)

In terms of a Warrior, I used to avoid the profession like the plague -- had 80's of every other class and just didn't like it based on impressions of popularity, etc, from GW2 and other games. Recently I decided I'd have to give a Warrior a fair shake, and I really like it. In fact, it might be in my top three or four. (I mostly solo.) They have a lot of weapon choices.

I think the "tanking" S/P Thief was a great way to level -- maybe still is -- and it's what I did back in the day as well. If you get the expansions, you could work towards Deadeye or Daredevil, which are two very different takes on the Thief. (You do have to go around and grab points to skill up, of course, and an I-have-three-Daredevil-skills Daredevil may not be very fun at the time. Of course, if you have a bunch of points already gotten, you could skill it up pretty fast.)

I pretty much like all classes except the Revenant, which I want to like but somehow can't quite.

I'll definitely be getting HoT and PoF. I tried HoT initially and I just didn't like it. I don't remember it too clearly, but I remember being crazy high up and all the enemies spamming knockback skills so I kept falling off. It was frustrating, but I digress. She insists that PoF is better and I trust her judgement. I can look at Daredevil and Deadeye and see what they have to offer. And like I said in the OP, we plan on doing PvE, mostly open world but I think I'd like to work towards raiding or fractals.

@Ark the Pie King.2064 said:I'll definitely be getting HoT and PoF. I tried HoT initially and I just didn't like it. I don't remember it too clearly, but I remember being crazy high up and all the enemies spamming knockback skills so I kept falling off. It was frustrating, but I digress. She insists that PoF is better and I trust her judgement. I can look at Daredevil and Deadeye and see what they have to offer. And like I said in the OP, we plan on doing PvE, mostly open world but I think I'd like to work towards raiding or fractals.

for solo or open world i prefer deadeye for its self boon gen, range and stealth wich helps to deal alot with thougher situations or avoiding some annoyances. but in fractals/raids i think daredevil is easier.