If you find another weapon and want to know which is best you can compare them. If you find yourself suffering damage quite often, set your wimpy so that when your hit points reach a certain level you will attempt to flee automatically. In order to find that mobile that gave you so much xp last time you killed it, you can try to track it. Set autoloot so that you automatically get any money or objects from the monsters you kill. If a friend of yours is in trouble perhaps you should assist them, or if you are a warrior even rescue them.
Warriors tend to fare better in fights, with their abilities to kick and bash their adversary.
But Mages and Clerics can cast damaging spells and thieves are all too good at using backstab on their opponents. Assassins are capable fighters but have very good poisoning skills, whereas beserkers just use brute force and necromancers use the power of the night. Joining a group is a good and fun way of tackling the harder monsters. There are numerous commands relating to objects in Nowhere Like Home, and there are several different kinds of objects, those that you can wear, eat, wield, drink or simply just hold. Of course once you get a few objects you may decide you don't need them anymore.