I came back to the game a couple of months ago after playing a bit 8-9 years ago, and am not really enjoying it much. I bought the expansions and got some free level/gear boosts and so I have decent exotic/celestial gear and some ascended bits from WvW, but I'm never wanted for fractals, raids, strikes, etc groups as they want "experienced players" with specific requirements, despite me having watched YouTube videos and understanding the mechanics (and telling them this). I gave up trying with PvE groups and just do some WvW nowadays. WvW can be tough though, some players with the best gear/knowledge can kill you in about 2 seconds...
Overall I find the game quite unfriendly for new/returning players, now summer is coming I'll be done with it soon.