If you want something a little more fresh, I'd maybe avoid Arch as your first go and try openSUSE Tumbleweed. It strikes a balance between bleeding edge and stable (they call it "leading edge" I believe). Everything is tested before release and isn't too stale like Ubuntu/Debian flavors. I personally like KDE for the desktop environment but the installer lets you choose.
If you want to stick with Ubuntu or something similar, I'd recommend Linux Mint. I used it before switching to openSUSE.
Most options should be dual boot friendly but I'd recommend installing Windows first to avoid bootloader issues.
I do agree that the Arch wiki is amazing. I even consult it from time to time. However, a first time user may struggle with a lot of configuration and tinkering that's required. Many people direct users to the AUR. While also great, it can be a huge risk when things are done without extreme caution.
Also, openSUSE is setup with btrfs and snapper for easy rollbacks in case any updates break anything.