Protondb isn't completely reliable, it's all based on user generated reports of how well a game works. I've had games that were rated gold and platinum on ProtonDB fail to launch on my PC. Then you have people reporting that a game works great, but they say that they had to compile a custom version of Proton, not just use what's included with Steam.
Honestly, it has never been easier to get a version of proton that makes gaming on linux seamless. Of course, I understand "run these terminal commands" is the usual defensive linux nerd^H^H^H^H coward's reaction, but installing Steam and this package from flatpak and then going from there is a _vast_ improvement from yester-years. I've been fairly happy with it, and I didn't have to do any actual compiling / building!
