To use a web dev analogy, Arch is like node, pacman is like npm. You can install node and it'll do basic functions - just like you can install arch and have basic functions with the base package. Then you need to just install additional packages to include the functionality and libraries you want to use.
Following the installation guide highlights many packages needed for a "fully functional" desktop, and there's a lot of choices to make along the way. It's not considered good for a novice because most users don't know (or care) about the difference between pipewire or alsa, i3 or gnome, network-manager or systemd-networkd - they just want a GUI, sound and a network connection.