After my first real win in 2014 (after playing for 15? years), I've been on and off.. I've been off for a while, and ran into Gordon Overkill's youtube channel (recommended). Kept watching for a few days until the itch settled in and I had to take a taste of it.

I've never won with an archer before, so this was new. And it blew me away! It's so, so strong. I converted to L early in the game to try Rolf's quest for the first time. Then I had a tough time getting crowned (I usually get crowned by Waldenbrook's gold, but it took me a while before realizing he was ripping me off because of my heritage, damn you racist dwarf) - and I got Thunderstroke! And it returns! And it became unstoppable from there -- right after getting crowned, I headed for Frost Giant Jarl Caves, a greater red dragon vault with multiple great red wyrms -- they fell so easily before my (single) arrow. I basically felt like Yondu Udonta (from the MCU franchise) the whole game, if you know what I mean.

Also the first game where I had countless wishes -- 2 wands of wishing (with 3 and 2 charges each?) and 2 rings of djinni summoning. I had a really hard time getting a wish in early game -- and in the lategame a goddamn bee worker drops a wand of wishing... haha... not going to complain though. It was way more than I needed, so I left the Chain with an extra wand. It should be useful in the afterlife as a king, you know.

On weapons front -- a gnoll vault in D:4? D:5? gave me a bunch of battle axes. I equip id'd them later in Dwarftown to realize one of them is a battle axe of devastation. It was smooth sailing from there -- I went from there to Rolf's Companion when the deity destroyed all my equipment (damn, never had a problem with altar conversion before), then a truesilver battle axe of damnation I picked up somewhere, then to the gleaming axe.

I also tried to learn and cast a bit, but frankly it wasn't really required. The only time it came handy was a bunch of fireballs in a greater undead vault, and acid ball to dispatch an ultimate doppelganger.

Anyways, happy this game keeps giving after so much time. I probably will play sporadically in the next 10 years too.