Terraria is an absolutely wonderful game, I’m in the thousands of hours as well. It’s probably worth a warning for a first time gamer that it can be hard to progress without a bit of guidance. If you want to stumble in the dark for a while, that’s awesome, just go for it. If you want a little more guidance, check out the official wiki (https://terraria.wiki.gg/wiki/Terraria_Wiki) and especially its getting started guide.
They know you’re probably going to buy the larger box.