10,000 Views — Thank You

Somehow, the chaos is adding up.

Today, Survivor Incognito passed 10,000 total views.
For a niche survival blog built on permadeath runs, structured guides, and a refusal to chase trends,
that genuinely means a lot.

This entire project — every diary entry, guide, map, rule, and redesign — has been built and written by one person.
No team. No outsourcing. Just steady work and structured chaos.

What started as chaotic diary entries on Nintendo Switch has grown into something more deliberate:
a connected system of hubs, roadmaps, maps, and rules — now running across Switch and Steam Deck.

The foundation is stronger than ever.
More worlds. More rules. More structured chaos.

Thank you for reading — even if you’ve only stopped by once.
I’m keeping this going.

Survivor’s Log: Subnautica Site Update

I’ve finally gotten round to a couple of long-overdue Subnautica jobs — the kind that make the site easier to use and stop everything from drifting into chaos.

First, there’s now a proper Subnautica Hub. One place to collect everything Subnautica-related — logs, guides, maps, and future posts — without needing to hunt through tags or old links.

Subnautica Hub:

Subnautica Hub


Second, I’ve built a Subnautica Crafting Reference page. This isn’t a lore dump or a wiki replacement — it’s a practical, at-a-glance list of what you need to craft things, grouped by crafting device and built to be useful while you’re actually playing.

Subnautica Crafting Reference:

Subnautica Crafting Reference Guide


Both pages exist for the same reason: less friction, less tab-hopping, and more time actually surviving underwater.

More Subnautica updates soon — now that the foundations are finally in place.

Survivor’s Log: Two in the Pipeline

Survivor’s Log: Two in the Pipeline

This is another short pipeline note rather than an announcement. Just a record of what’s coming next and why.

There are two games lined up, both relatively contained, and both chosen because they fit the kind of survival experiences I want to document right now.

Slender: The Arrival

The first is Slender: The Arrival.

I originally played it when it first released. Since then, it’s received a 10th Anniversary update that effectively rebuilds the experience and introduces new content, including an additional location.

Because of that reset, this isn’t a nostalgia run. It’s closer to approaching a familiar idea in a form that’s changed enough to warrant a fresh look.

This will sit under Survivor’s Dread, recorded as a single-attempt run, with the logs reflecting how the attempt unfolds rather than aiming for a specific outcome.

Iron Lung

The second is Iron Lung.

Interest around it has increased recently because of the upcoming film adaptation, which is what initially put it on my radar.

What actually held my attention was hearing how personal the project was, and how much of the atmosphere and intent came directly from the game itself.

I’ve been aware of the creator behind the adaptation for a while, but I’ve never followed their content directly. What stood out wasn’t who was making the film, but the decision to make a film at all.

Choosing to adapt a small, largely unknown game suggested there was something specific in the source material that made it worth that level of commitment.

That curiosity is what led me here — to the game itself, rather than the adaptation built around it.

This will be treated as a one-off survival horror run. A single attempt, recorded without embellishment, documenting the experience as it unfolds.

Nothing Locked In

There are no dates attached to either of these yet. They’ll be recorded and published when there’s space, rather than being slotted in to chase relevance.

As always, the point isn’t to follow momentum elsewhere. It’s to document things that feel worth documenting at the time.

Surviving, Not Suffering

Survivor’s Log: What’s in the Pipeline

Survivor’s Log: What’s in the Pipeline

This isn’t an announcement post and it isn’t a schedule. It’s a quick check-in on what’s been drafted, scoped, and quietly prepared in the background.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been tightening rules, reducing sprawl, and making sure each series has a reason to exist beyond “I felt like playing it”.

As a result, there are three series sitting in the pipeline.

Orbis

Orbis is a new survival diary set in Hytale.

The game is currently in early access and exists as an ever-updating world, so the goal is deliberately simple: survive for as long as possible.

  • Solo only
  • One life
  • No fixed end goal
  • Survival measured by time, not progress

There’s no checklist and no finish line. When death happens, the diary ends.

One Against the Horde

One Against the Horde is a finite series built around Zombie Army Trilogy.

Each entry covers a single map played solo, on Marksman difficulty, with no collectibles and no padding.

  • One map per entry
  • Two failures ends the run
  • No grinding, no clean-up runs

If the horde wins twice, that’s the end of the diary.

Sunburnt & Sinking (Return)

Sunburnt & Sinking will be returning in Stranded Deep.

This time the run uses a simple strike system.

  • Three strikes total
  • Each death costs one strike
  • Lose all three and the run ends

The goal remains unchanged: defeat the three bosses and escape. Deaths are part of the story, not something to be edited out.

Where This Fits

February is already mapped out with scheduled posts and videos, which gives me the space to keep building quietly rather than rushing anything out.

These three series aren’t replacing what’s currently running. They’re sitting alongside it, ready to move when there’s room.

For now, this is about direction rather than output. The work is done early so the writing can happen when there’s something worth writing.

Survivor’s Log — Cold-Blooded: The Hub Page Is Now Live

Cold-Blooded: The Hub Page Is Now Live

Game: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Mode: Survival Mode

This run needed a foundation before it needed a first entry.

The hub page for Cold-Blooded: A Skyrim Survival Diary is now live.

This series follows an Argonian mage in Skyrim’s Survival Mode, using the Apex Predator Rule: three deaths total, and the third ends the run.

The hub outlines the rules, the format, and why this run exists, without jumping straight into the diary itself.

What You’ll Find on the Hub

  • The full ruleset, including the three-strike system
  • Build focus and combat restrictions
  • Context from the previous Skyrim Survival run
  • Space for future logs as the run progresses
You can find the hub page

Survivor’s Log: The Outlast Trials – Prime Asset Roulette (Rule Update)

The Outlast Trials – Prime Asset Roulette (Rule Update)

This is a quick update for The Outlast Trials series.

Why I’m Changing the Format

After completing several trials, I realised I was falling into a pattern:
choosing what felt manageable, avoiding what didn’t, and slowly turning the Trials into something predictable.

That’s not really what this game is supposed to feel like.
And it’s definitely not what Murkoff would allow.

Prime Asset Roulette

Going forward, I’m introducing a simple twist:
I’m no longer choosing which Prime Asset I face next.

Instead, I get an external pick (because naturally I’m outsourcing my survival decisions),
and I choose my next trial based on that assignment.

  • I don’t choose the Prime Asset.
  • I choose the trial based on whoever I’m assigned.
  • If the assignment isn’t available or isn’t unlocked, I reroll.

Optimisation is no longer the point.
Unpredictability is.

Is Anyone Else Doing This?

I had a quick look around to see if anyone else was running this exact format.

People are definitely doing roulette-style runs in The Outlast Trials
randomised Trial Maker setups, and other “roulette” ideas —
but I couldn’t find anyone doing this specific version:
Prime Asset Roulette, where the Prime Asset is assigned first and the trial choice is made based on that.

So, either this is genuinely uncommon… or I’m just bad at searching.
Both are possible.

Where This Fits

This series sits under Survivor’s Dread, and the whole point is documenting survival under pressure.
Prime Asset Roulette keeps that pressure intact, even when I’d rather not deal with it.

In other words: Murkoff picks who hunts me next.
I just try to leave with my organs still inside my body.

The Outlast Trials hub:


Outlast Trials Main Hub

Surviving, not suffering.

Quiet Wins: The Long Dark Map Hub

This isn’t a big announcement, and it’s not a victory lap. It’s just one of those small moments that make the work feel worth it.

While updating my The Long Dark map hub, I noticed it sitting comfortably on the first page of search results — consistently, across different browsers. Not first. Not flashy. Just… there.

What made me smile wasn’t the number. It was why it was there.

The page hasn’t been gamed or stuffed with keywords. It’s static maps, clear layouts, and information that actually works when you’re cold, lost, and trying to remember which rope goes where. I’ve been slowly improving the maps and adding proper coverage for harder difficulties like Interloper and Misery, one region at a time.

No rush. No rebuild. Just making something useful and letting it settle.

If nothing else, it’s a reminder that quiet progress still counts — even when nobody’s clapping.

Related:
The Long Dark – Complete Region & Transition Zone Map Guide

Returning to Tyria – A Moment I Didn’t Expect to Hit This Hard


I found out a few days ago that Guild Wars Reforged is coming out soon.
Updated UI. Steam Deck support pending. All campaigns bundled.
And the line that hooked me: existing players keep all their progress.

That was all it took.

I needed to know if my original account still existed.
If my characters were still there.
If anything I did almost twenty years ago survived.

So I turned the Steam Deck into a tiny PC again.
Installed Lutris.
Pulled down the old Guild Wars client.
Ran the full -image download.
Waited.
Then held my breath at the login screen.

And it worked.

Every character I made loaded instantly.
Nightmare Venom.
Spirits of Evil.
I Evil Arrow I.
All exactly where I left them.

Then I opened my friend list.

Every name hit me harder than I expected.
These were people I grouped with, explored with, wiped with, laughed with.
People I haven’t seen online in almost two decades.
Most of them probably don’t play anymore.
A few might not even remember Guild Wars at all.

But seeing that list again reminded me what this game meant to me.

So if anyone from that list ever finds this blog — even by pure accident — thank you for being part of my journey back then. You left more of a mark than you probably realise.

And if you do recognise me, please don’t mention my real name. Online names are more than enough here.
If you remember me and want to say hello, feel free to drop me an email at survivorincognito@gmail.com.

Guild Wars Reforged releases soon.
And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I’ve come home.

New Page Alert – Subnautica Survival Guide Now Live!

Attention survivors – your underwater playbook has arrived!

The brand-new Subnautica Survival Guide is now live on Survivor Incognito, packed with everything you need to go from panicked paddler to confident deep-sea explorer. Whether it’s your first day swimming out of the lifepod or you’re gearing up for an Aurora run, this guide covers it all – from must-have early tools to predator evasion tips and base-building advice.

We’ve even included:

  • A quick-reference predator list (because sometimes you just need to know if the big shadow is going to eat you).
  • Switch control table so you can stop pressing the wrong button when panic sets in.
  • A linked map hub for finding resources without wandering into Leviathan territory by “accident.”
  • A quick start card for Days 1–3 priorities.

If you’re starting fresh in Subnautica – or just want to survive without becoming lunch – this page is your new best friend.

🌊 Read the full Subnautica Survival Guide here

This Week on Survivor Incognito – From Frozen Lakes to Flooded Engines

Stranded Deep Day 2, a winning Dead by Daylight survivor build, The Long Dark Day 10, Subnautica Day 1, and SnowRunner Day 4—chaos included

This week was all about variety — and a little bit of chaos.

Sunburnt & Sinking – Day Two (Stranded Deep):
Water was scarce, knives kept breaking, and island life felt less “tropical paradise” and more “DIY dehydration challenge.”

Survivor’s Dread – Dead by Daylight:
I tried a survivor build that shouldn’t have worked on R.P.D.… and somehow it did. Consider me pleasantly confused and very alive.

The Cold Chronicles – Day Ten (The Long Dark):
The Voyageur dream continues: careful route planning, stubborn weather, and only the occasional questionable decision.

Submerged – Day One (Subnautica):
Ship explodes, pod catches fire, I jump into alien waters armed with optimism and a fire extinguisher. Classic first day energy.

Snowrunner Survival – Day Four:
More permagear trucking through icy mud. Reminder: “off-road” sometimes just means “off my sanity.”


Thanks for reading! If you like chill survival (with a side of chaos), stick around—more diaries and guides are on the way.

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