I have used Arch for >13 years (btw) and use the terminal every single session. I also work with Linux servers daily, so I tried the other families with DEs (Debian/Ubuntu, RHEL/CentOS/AlmaLinux/Fedora).
I’m comfortable (and prefer) doing everything with CLI tools. For me, it’s a bit difficult to convert my Windows friends, as they all see me as some kind of hackerman.
What’s the landscape like nowadays, in terms of terminal requirements?
Bonus question: Which distribution is the most user-friendly while still updated packages? Does anything provide a similar experience to Arch’s amazing AUR?
Depends on how advanced or niche the use case is. Flatpak and immutable distros covered the most common use for command line, that being package manager.
But Linux will start requiring command line earlier than Windows, random small utilities you’ll find on the internet tend to be command line only on Linux, whilst Windows equivalent usually provides a basic menu.
Fedora is probably the most balanced, being a semi rolling distro.