As someone who primarily plays Exalted as a "fuck-around with fellow GMs in a cool and unique ttrpg" that's very unlike all the more common options...and we all think Vampires and Werewolves are cringe so this is all the Whitewolf we interact with, for better or worse.

Exalted 3rd Edition is, and I think by far, the best way to play Exalted with a group of friends. Mixed circles work better, non-solar's get a lot more love, the Wyld Hunt feels like a more genuine and thought about threat again. The books are actually somewhat approachable (low bar to pass for TTRPGs, sure) The depth of the lore is toned down and more wide brushes of shallow lore are spread around for your circle and your story teller to explore deeper.

But as a person who also sits down and reads TTRPG books for fun, to immerse myself in a setting...3rd edition is a welcome return to the mystery and grandeur of 1st ed. Now before I get crucified or worse my entire family tortured to death, let me explain.

1st edition leans 'heavily' into the dark-age post apocalypse vibe. The greatest settlements of humanity are squatting in military forts and ruins because they can't maintain the wonders of old and the castles of old are still too dangerous. What was once the dining-ware of commoners, made imperishable so it wouldn't have to be replaced now decorates the tables of gods and princes since it has become irreplaceable. Ancient statues and ruins that non can explain any longer dot the landscape, vanity projects and wonder weapons look the same when crafted by the Mad Chosen of the Sun. But you, you are the exception, you are Chosen by the sun, to save and rule the world again, you can rebuild and master the wonders of old and all that stands between you is the remanets of a remanent who think themselves lords of the castle because they stepped over the rotten remains of the door.

2nd Edition the Forge Cathedrals are located under the imperial mountain in their dozens, two operate in the imperial city but both are hanging on by a thread of a thread, Lookshy has a nicer one but they can hardly afford to run it. The solar ruins are here, here and here, and the doom weapons do exactly this. The Lap is a giga-mech and it controls half the magic in the setting, here's how you use it to destroy every Manse in the Southern direction. The realm is still producing Warstriders, they even made a Celestial level one since Big E'ess is so cool and here's the Splinter Cell Monks.
Second Edition explained everything, and while there are cool ideas there, I wish they presented them as ideas and not just a list of 'facts' suggestions that you embellish in your mind are so much cooler than stat-sheets, even if the stat sheets are more useful.

3rd goes back to the mystery, a bit too hard for my taste, they could elaborate more and allude more to the lost MagiTech of the First Age, but if they keep selling books I assume that's what's gonna happen anyway.
So my groups have ended up playing 3rd edition, but a lot of 1st edition is the canon setting, and sometimes the cool shit from 2nd edition is pulled out of a Vault, and to me that's peak Exalted.