Yeah it’s a bit of a nightmare. If you want to play the base game without any mods, I think it should work fine just using Proton GE now. But if you want the HD texture pack you have to jump through so many hoops.
I imagine in a few months the process will be streamlined, but this seems to be the only way to get it working at the moment.
I was apout to suggest this, I get leg cramps semi often and this tip is a life saver.