I'd recommend three things without considering price point - first, see where else you may want to ride. There are still quite a few places that do not allow ebikes due to lithium fire potential. Secondly - I would stick with the major brands for ease of service. A lot of the straight to consumer MTB brands offer great value, but getting warranty work from them is like pulling teeth. This is going to be far more critical with an eMTB, so I would stick with Trek, Specialized, or even Giant due to availability of service. Third, consider sending the shocks from the bike you buy off for a custom tune. The reality of it is that most MTB products are targeted at sub-200 lbs riders, and even if you find a safe pressure to run your shocks at, they will be far from ideal for someone who's 300#+. Getting a custom tune is a worthwhile investment, will absorb the terrain better, and will likely make those parts last longer in the long run as they won't be bottoming out and running through their stroke quite as hard.
On the price side, do recognize that this is not an insignificant investment. You're talking $6k+ on the low end, and if you buy low and are like all the other MTB folks who try it and get hooked, you will wish you had bought a better bike out of the box (buy once cry once). I would say if you want to see what its like to give it a shot, take a ride out to Kanuga bike park in Hendersonville for a day. They have Specialized ebikes for rent, I think its maybe $120 for the entire day and several green/blue man made trails you can try out. The other option is to consider a traditional used mountain bike. It'll take a few weeks of riding to get your sea legs and a bit of cardio, but there are trails at Anne Springs in Fort Mill, Mazeppa in Mooresville, Sherman Branch and Purser out towards Matthews, and several others all of which don't have crazy climbs, or have climbs that are short and easily walkable.