Since I started using Linux, I always saw Gentoo as the final boss of - actually useable - operating systems and today I can confidently say that it isn't. Luke was right I guess. I think the install experience of Gentoo is really what makes it special and I hope they never automate it like arch did
My install process was mostly research for a few days deciding on the best setup since I was running a just werks distro before and I decided to try out running a dwl setup with openrc and grub this time around since I liked what I saw using Wayland and I found it quite solid for my usecase, I don't want to invalidate anyone else's needs and wants from their machines, but Wayland is a much better graphical foundation than Xorg. Just let it go.
The install itself was quite easy for a former arch user with portage presenting a new level of choice for my packages and I enjoyed making a custom make.conf and deciding on how my software compilation parameters. I found it to be quite inconsequential during everyday use though but it's a nice addition, the compile times really are a meme. Librewolf compiles in ~40 minutes and it's not using enough resources to ruin my experience with other applications so it was quite surprisingly useable.
The few games that I occasionally played (minecraft, hoi4 and balatro) played with ease and wine worked with wow64 so I didn't have to compile 32 bit libraries which is great!
I am honestly shocked at how easy Gentoo really is. Once it's setup, it's a generic distro like any other. I almost forget it is gentoo until it's time to compile new updates.
Moving to Wayland
dwl
dwl is a dwm clone for wayland and I was convinced of using it from Mental Outlaw's video which summarised much of what I was already thinking: Wayland is just better in everyway. It has a leaner codebase, a more secure design and an actually active community of contributers even if it's not always the best. Wlroots has done so much to keep the ethos of openness of X and allow anyone to make their own Window Manager using the project to fill the gaps which I really apreaciate because there could have easily been a world where Wayland would have just become the "corporate" solution and the DIY community would have never organised to keep the free spirit of experimentation that made X and graphical unix so great in the first place.
dwl is pretty useable, it's basically what's on the box "dwm for Wayland" patches work the same, the setxroot hack doesn't work anymore so the statusbar needs to be inputted into stdin and there isn't a bar by default which is questionable but in line with newer window managers that use custom bars but I opted for the bar patch that just gives me a classic no fuss dwm bar. All in all the project is great and I would recommend it to any dwm user who feels jaded with the state of X.
I am happy with it and I see myself sticking with it for a while.