Ok, I would not recommend Arch as a first Linux distro, Arch based and easy to start is a plus. That said I've seen troubled Manjaro user on xmonad IRC, we tracked problem to AUR package, it worked fine on Arch.
Yeah, Arch Linux is definitely not for beginners. The install process alone is hands-on and requires users to be experienced with command line configuration. Arch is for power users who want a ports-based Linux with great package management (pacman).
