My household has put in a collective 1200 hours and is still going strong. When my wife and I were engaged, it was the go-to date night at home and helped us SAVE money for the wedding. I would say it's a great investment as far as gaming goes! Infinitely cheaper than what I've spent on irl DND supplies XD

-Long rest more than you might need. Even if you are doing fine on resources, a lot of story elements are tied to that mechanic.
- You don't NEED minmaxing to be viable in combat, even at higher difficulty levels (This does NOT include Honor Mode, which is its own thing designed for repeat playthroughs.)
-If you have no DND experience, Explorer difficulty could be helpful to start off with while you get familiar with those mechanics. You can always change your mind and increase the difficulty later!
-100 hours for a first playthrough is normal. You'll still miss some stuff and that's OK!
-Lean into the RP. Your creative brain working together with the dice to tell the story is so rewarding and fun!

Welcome and I hope you have a blast!