Firstly, what is the wheel size?
Secondly, head tube… Is it taper compatible? Being an ’18, I would think so.
A fork upgrade can be a major improvement. Pike or a Fox etc. can offer some very enjoyable plushness that it sounds as though you are missing.
The other thing is changing the internal valving in the existing fork to save some coin and make it functional. Years ago, we had to do this with every fork on the market to make em actually work.