Your Cozy Corner of Chaos in The Survival Genre
Another week, another set of chaotic survival tales. If you blinked, here’s what went live on the blog:
One story wraps up, others carry on. Thanks for tagging along—more survival chaos ahead next week.
She never asked for this.
She never wanted to be shrunk down and tossed into a backyard where everything — ants, mites, bees, spiders, the wind — wanted her dead.
She just wanted to craft a lean-to, maybe roast some gnat meat, and figure out why the grass was taller than a skyscraper.
But she was brave.
She fixed lasers. She investigated an oak tree that promptly exploded.
She learned to fear the sounds of tiny feet in the grass.
She fought valiantly with spears, fists, and panic as her most reliable tools.
In the end, it was the bugs that got her. As they always do.
Not the spiders, no — that would’ve at least made sense.
No, her end came via something smaller. Meaner. Possibly several somethings.
The logs are unclear. The screaming was not.
She will be remembered for her resilience, her questionable armor choices, and her ability to stay alive just long enough for things to get interesting.
Rest in pieces, Backyard Explorer.
You were small, but your chaos was mighty.
Read their tale here: The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath
Day 4 of my Grounded permadeath run ends in tangled webs and tragedy. I go on a grub hunt, dodge danger, and fall victim to a tag team of Crab Weavers in a very sticky situation.
Missed the previous day? Find it here:The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath – Day Three
I wake up ready to dig. A shovel in hand and dreams of juicy grubs in my head, I set off convinced today will be the day I solve my hydration issues.
The game disagrees.
Despite digging around like a hyperactive mole, I can’t find a single grub. My thirst level’s tanking faster than my optimism, so I do the one thing I swore I’d never do again—drink the dirty water.
Let’s just say it quenched the thirst, but also quenched a small part of my soul.
With no grubs in sight, I pivot to exploration. Maybe I’ll find a new science pod. Maybe I’ll find some dew. Maybe I’ll finally catch a break.
I find another science pod—score!
I also find a Crab Weaver—less of a score.
I do a tactical retreat (read: panic sprint) and live to fight another moment. Once the coast seems clear, I try heading back in.
What I don’t realise is that a Crab Weaver Jr. is nearby. It spots me. It’s faster than me. And worse, my weapons might as well be cocktail sticks.
I attempt a second retreat.
That’s when Crab Weaver Sr. shows up again. I get stuck in a web.
I’d love to say I fought bravely. I didn’t. I flailed, screamed, and got tag-teamed into the afterlife by two angry arachnids.
Run ends: Day 4
Cause of death: Crab Weaver Jr. and Sr. – A United Front
Final thoughts: If you’re thirsty, drink dew. If you can’t find dew… maybe just accept your fate.
Welcome to Survivor Incognito! This is where survival games meet chaos, comedy, and a healthy disregard for difficulty settings.
If you’re new here and wondering what this blog is all about, here’s a quick guide to help you dive in:
Think playing on easy makes survival games easy? I’m living proof it doesn’t. 👉 Surviving, Not Suffering: Why I Choose Easier Difficulties
🗺 The Long Dark Complete Region & Transition Zone Survival Guide
📆 Survive Your First Week in The Long Dark
🕷 The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath
🏹 Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival
🚢 Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival
SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub
Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary
👉 About Me
👉 The Long Dark Customloper Settings: Easier Interloper Survival Mode
👉 FAQ
Thanks for joining the mayhem. Surviving is optional. Storytelling the downfall? Mandatory
Just a quick post today to say a big welcome to everyone who’s recently stumbled into the chaos of Survivor Incognito. Whether you came for the haunted fish, the frozen lakes, or the exploding oak tree, I’m glad you’re here.
If you’re new, here are a few good places to start:
This week marks the end of the Grounded permadeath run — the backyard won, basically. But starting next week, we’re trading bugs for busted axles with the debut of SnowRunner: The Permagear Diaries. Expect mud, ice, and a lot of “well that truck’s gone now” moments.
Thanks for reading — and remember: surviving is optional. Storytelling the downfall is the point.
Oh — and if you think playing on easier difficulties makes survival games easy? It doesn’t. I’m living proof that you can still freeze, starve, drown, fall off cliffs, and get stomped by wildlife with the difficulty slider turned all the way down. Turns out survival isn’t just about the settings — it’s about the decisions. And mine are… let’s say “narratively interesting.”
A look back at the survival chaos from this week on Survivor Incognito: from haunted seas and freezing wilderness to dino disasters and exploding oaks.
It’s been a week full of questionable decisions, close calls, and new beginnings here at Survivor Incognito. In case you missed any of the madness, here’s your survival cheat sheet!
The search for one stubborn fish continued, along with a steady descent into darkness and dread.
Charcoal maps, rabbit stew, and a sudden storm — because survival in The Long Dark is never boring.
A behind-the-scenes update! I’m working on expanding the ARK Survival Evolved map page to cover all Switch maps. All the regions, all the doom.
Vampires, arrows, and highly questionable footwear choices. My Argonian had quite the day.
The lasers were fixed, the oak tree exploded (as it does), and the backyard remains terrifying.
Punching trees, hallucinating plants, and being reminded why Aberration is not the friendliest place to spawn.
More chaos, more permadeath, and maybe even a few victories (no promises). Stay tuned!
The lasers are fixed, the oak tree explodes, and my survival odds finally start looking up… until a Crab Weaver reminds me who’s in charge. Day 3 brings progress, panic, and a near-death lesson about checking my map.
Missed day two? You can find what happened here: The Backyard Trials Day Two
With the mysterious laser issue still unresolved, I decide today’s the day I track down the problem. A short hike later, I find the culprit: lawn mites have developed a taste for high-powered laser wiring. Excellent.
I follow the damaged wire underground, spear in hand, clearing out every mite that dares cross my path. Eventually, I reach a rock wall marked with a hammer symbol — a clear message from the backyard itself: “Come back when you’re better equipped.” Noted.
As I head back topside, I spot one final mite chewing away. One quick jab and—problem solved. The laser is fixed. Victory! Soon, I’ll be big again! (Or so I naively believe.)
I return to the mysterious machine, filled with hope. I press the button. The lasers power up, align… and then the oak tree explodes. That wasn’t part of the plan.
New objective: Investigate the oak tree.
Of course it is.
Not entirely sure how to get to the oak tree, I open my map to drop a waypoint for my base camp. That’s when the game teaches me a very valuable permadeath lesson:
The map does not pause the game.
Right as I’m happily setting my waypoint, the words Threat Detected! flash up. I close the map and—surprise!—a Crab Weaver is charging directly at me. My tactical response? Immediate and panicked retreat.
Pro tip for future runs: check your surroundings before opening the map.
On my retreat, I have a small moment of clarity—I actually already have a hammer. So technically, I could’ve broken that underground wall earlier. That’s a tomorrow problem.
I do, however, discover a giant juice box while escaping, which might help solve my ongoing water concerns. Small wins.
With hammer in hand, I head back to the wire tunnel, smash through the blocked path, and find 500 raw science waiting for me. I’m starting to feel like a backyard archaeologist.
Back at base, I cook up some meat (and immediately learn that cooked food spoils fast), craft myself an ant helmet to boost my carrying strength, and research a few more materials. More blueprints unlock, and for the first time, I feel cautiously optimistic about my survival chances.
As night falls, I spot something burrowing under the ground. A little research tells me these are grubs, and I’ll need a shovel to dig them up.
Tomorrow’s mission: craft a shovel and go grub hunting.
If you want to know more about this, please checkout the The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath page
A peek behind the scenes at Survivor Incognito! I’m planning an epic ARK map-hopping permadeath series, scheming up Minecraft chaos with 15 survival rules, and plotting the next waves of mayhem.
I figured it was time for a little behind the blog moment — because while my in-game characters are busy getting eaten, frozen, or flattened, I’m quietly plotting even more ways to make their (and my) lives harder. Here’s what’s brewing in the background of Survivor Incognito.
If you thought Day One Diaries for ARK: Survival Evolved was the end of my dino-related disasters… oh no. The plan is to turn ARK into a full permadeath series where I attempt to survive across all the Switch maps. That means scorched deserts, radiation zones, angry dinos, and probably at least one embarrassing death involving a dodo.
Right now, I’m working on:
This new series will (hopefully) kick off after the ARK Day One Diaries finish, so stay tuned!
Yes, I’m also eyeing Minecraft. But not just any survival run — I’m planning a permadeath challenge with a twist:
It’s part survival, part self-sabotage, part comedy. I’m still finalizing the rules (because let’s be honest, there are so many ways to make this worse for myself). Expect everything from “no weapons today” to “you must sleep every night or else.”
In the meantime, the usual suspects continue:
Thanks for following along! If you’re enjoying the ride (or the wrecks), make sure to subscribe or follow on Tumblr, Facebook, or Bluesky. Chaos loves company.
It’s been another action-packed week of survival, chaos, and questionable decisions over at Survivor Incognito. If you’ve been busy wrestling giant crabs, flipping trucks, or dodging ghost fish, here’s your chance to catch up!
I broke down the logic (or madness?) behind turning SnowRunner into a permadeath challenge. Because nothing says “relaxing drive” like knowing one bad flip could end it all. [Read More Here]
The sea giveth, the sea taketh away… and sometimes it just giveth more terror. Day Four of my Dredge permadeath series saw the madness meter creeping ever higher. [Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day Four]
Another day, another frostbite risk. My Voyageur survivor braved the cold and the chaos as we inch further into this brutal Long Dark journey. [The Cold Chronicles Day Seven: A Voyageur’s Tale of The Long Dark]
The Argonian archer continued slinking through Skyrim, proving that stealth is great—right up until it isn’t. Day Nine brought more dragons, more necromancy, and more “how did that go so wrong?” moments. [Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Nine]
The backyard is still terrifying. Day Two brought more bugs, more base-building, and more moments of me asking why I ever thought permadeath was a good idea here. [The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath – Day Two]
Big news! I announced the upcoming Day One Diaries for ARK: Survival Evolved. Expect dinos, disasters, and probably a lot of running for my life. [Get the details here]
Survivor Incognito has crossed 500 views! A huge thank you to everyone who’s joined the portable survival chaos. Here’s to more maps, more diaries, and probably more regrettable decisions.
Somehow, this little survival corner of the internet has crossed 500 views—and I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who’s visited, clicked, or accidentally found the blog while looking for something else entirely. (Hey, I’ll take it.)
When I started Survivor Incognito 57 days ago, it was just a space to share:
Survival game stories (usually featuring questionable decisions)
Maps and guides (so you don’t get lost like I do)
And a lot of Switch-based chaos
Fast forward to today, and I’m genuinely thrilled that over 500 views’ worth of folks have joined in. Whether you came for ARK maps, The Long Dark Customloper settings, Skyrim survival mishaps, or just to watch the chaos unfold—thank you.
The chaos continues:
The Day One Diaries: ARK Edition is launching soon, filling the weekend gaps with fresh prehistoric panic.
The map pages and hubs will keep growing as I explore (and inevitably die in) new places.
More survival stories, more bad ideas, and probably more pinecone tea. Expect more information soon.
I’m just getting started. If you’ve enjoyed the blog so far: ➡ Bookmark the site
➡ Share it with fellow Switch survival fans
➡ Or just stick around for the next 500 views of portable disaster.
Here’s to the next milestone—and to thriving, not just surviving.
Survivor Incognito 