diff --git a/make.conf b/make.conf
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..fab76de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/make.conf
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+COMMON_FLAGS="-march=native -O2 -pipe"
+CFLAGS="${COMMON_FLAGS}"
+CXXFLAGS="${COMMON_FLAGS}"
+FCFLAGS="${COMMON_FLAGS}"
+FFLAGS="${COMMON_FLAGS}"
+LDFLAGS="-Wl,-O2 -Wl,--as-needed"
+RUSTFLAGS="-C debuginfo=0 -C codegen-units=1 -C target-cpu=native -C opt-level=3"
+ACCEPT_LICENSE="*"
+PORTAGE_SCHEDULING_POLICY="idle"
+
+PYTHON_TARGETS="python3_11"
+PYTHON_SINGLE_TARGET="python3_11"
+LUA_TARGETS="lua5-4"
+LUA_SINGLE_TARGET="lua5-4"
+
+EMERGE_DEFAULT_OPTS="--jobs=16 --load-average=16 --keep-going --verbose --quiet-build --with-bdeps=y --complete-graph=y --deep --ask"
+FEATURES="candy fixlafiles unmerge-orphans noman nodoc noinfo notitles parallel-install parallel-fetch clean-logs"
+# NOTE: This stage was built with the bindist USE flag enabled
+
+# This sets the language of build output to English.
+# Please keep this setting intact when reporting bugs.
+LC_MESSAGES=C.utf8
+VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia"
+
+USE="native-symlinks lto pgo jit xs orc threads asm openmp system-* clang pipewire X dbus dist-kernel -wayland"
diff --git a/package.use b/package.use
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ff8427e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package.use
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+sys-kernel/installkernel grub dracut
+net-wireless/wpa_supplicant dbus
+sys-kernel/gentoo-kernel savedconfig
+media-video/pipewire sound-server pipewire-alsa ffmpeg dbus extra
+sys-auth/pambase elogind
+x11-base/xorg-server xvfb
+media-libs/libvpx postproc
+x11-terms/st savedconfig
+sys-libs/zlib minizip
diff --git a/stage3.sh b/stage3.sh
index 79ab9f3..11d36dc 100644
--- a/stage3.sh
+++ b/stage3.sh
@@ -21,17 +21,13 @@ done
 tar xpvf stage3-*.tar.xz --xattrs-include="*.*" --numeric-owner
 rm stage3-*.tar.xz
 
+# set USE flags for later
+rm -rf /mnt/gentoo/etc/package.use
+touch /mnt/gentoo/etc/package.use
+cat package.use > /mnt/gentoo/etc/package.use
+
 # configure portage (COMMON/USE)
-PROMPT_PORTAGE=$(prompt_accept "Configure /etc/portage/make.conf COMMON/USE/MAKE/etc flags")
-if [[ "$PROMPT_PORTAGE" == "y" ]]; then
-  nano -w ./etc/portage/make.conf
-  NANO_RUNNING="true"
-  while [[ $NANO_RUNNING == "true" ]]; do
-    log_msg INFO "Waiting for user to quit nano ..."
-    NANO_RUNNING=$(ps -aux | (grep -o '[n]ano') || true)
-    sleep 5s
-  done
-fi
+cat make.conf > /mnt/gentoo/etc/make.conf
 
 # make sure DNS works after chroot
 cp --dereference /etc/resolv.conf /mnt/gentoo/etc/
@@ -60,22 +56,36 @@ export PS1="(chroot) ${PS1}"
 log_msg INFO "synchronize gentoo ebuild repo" >> /var/log/installer.log
 emerge --ask n --sync
 
+# set some makeopts and default opts
+# WARNING: THE DEFAULT USES ALL THE THREADS IN THE SYSTEM!
+# IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS PLEASE CHANGE IT TO WHAT GENTOO RECOMMENDS
+# https://wiki.gentoo.org/wiki/Handbook:AMD64/Installation/Stage#MAKEOPTS
+emerge --ask n cpuid2cpuflags
+cpuid2cpuflags | sed 's/:\s/="/; s/$/"/' >> /etc/portage/make.conf
+echo "EMERGE_DEFAULT_OPTS=\"--jobs=$(nproc) --load-average=$(nproc) --keep-going --verbose --quiet-build --with-bdeps=y --complete-graph=y --deep --ask\"" >> /etc/portage/make.conf 
+echo "MAKEOPTS=\"-j$(nproc) -l$(nproc)\"" >> /etc/portage/make.conf
+
+# install custom compiler for firefox
+mkdir -p /etc/portage/env
+curl -L https://gist.githubusercontent.com/emrakyz/23bf6fe9c30aa0b1eb88021889750ace/raw/832a0160ac0d0383c4f600da5cf8af4290019ff6/compiler-firefox -o /etc/portage/env/compiler-firefox
+echo "www-client/firefox compiler-firefox" > /etc/portage/package.env
+
 # TODO: select profile
 
 log_msg INFO "update @world set (@system and @selected)" >> /var/log/installer.log
 emerge --ask n --update --deep --newuse @world
+emerge --ask n @preserved-rebuild
+emerge --ask n --depclean
 
 log_msg INFO "configure licenses" >> /var/log/installer.log
 echo "ACCEPT_LICENSE=\"*\"" >> /etc/portage/make.conf
 
 log_msg INFO "configure timezone (glibc)" >> /var/log/installer.log
 echo ${CFG_TIMEZONE} > /etc/timezone
-emerge --ask n sys-libs/timezone-data
+emerge --ask n --config sys-libs/timezone-data
 
 log_msg INFO "configure locales (glibc)" >> /var/log/installer.log
-echo "fi_FI.UTF-8 UTF-8" >> /etc/locale.gen
-echo "fi_FI ISO-8859-1" >> /etc/locale.gen
-echo "en_GB.UTF-8 UTF-8" >> /etc/locale.gen
+echo "en_US.UTF-8 UTF-8" >> /etc/locale.gen
 locale-gen
 
 
@@ -86,6 +96,18 @@ env-update && source /etc/profile && export PS1="(chroot) ${PS1}"
 # firmware install
 #
 
+log_msg INFO "installing microcode and firmware" >> /var/log/installer.log
+emerge --ask n intel-microcode
+SIGNATURE=$(iucode_tool -S 2>&1 | grep -o "0.*$")
+sed -i "s/MICROCODE_SIGNATURES=\"-S\"/MICROCODE_SIGNATURES=\"-s $SIGNATURE\"/" /etc/portage/make.conf
+emerge --ask n intel-microcode
+USE="-compress-xz" emerge --ask n linux-firmware
+emerge --oneshot --ask n pciutils
+GPU_CODE=$(lspci | grep -i 'vga\|3d\|2d' | awk -F'[[]' '{print $1}' | awk '{print $NF}' | tr '[:upper:]' '[:lower:]')
+sed -i "/^nvidia\/\($GPU_CODE\)/!d" /etc/portage/savedconfig/sys-kernel/linux-firmware-*
+USE="-harfbuzz" emerge --oneshot --ask n freetype
+emerge --oneshot --ask n freetype
+
 #
 # kernel install
 #