Hereโ€™s What You Missed This Week โ€“ June 1st Week Recap

Catch up on this weekโ€™s survival chaos: bears, zombies, Customloper runs, permadeath hubs, and one very questionable Interloper experience.


This Week in Review

Another week of survival, panic, and the occasional questionable decision. Hereโ€™s what went live across the blog:

๐Ÿป Monday: Bear Meets Panic Rifle

Sometimes you bring a rifle to a bear encounter. Sometimes the rifle just brings panic. This week kicked off with a new Survivor’s Shorts entry where I learned that even with a firearm, bears remain terrifying.

The One-Shot Wonder: Bear Meets Panic Rifle


๐ŸŒŠ Tuesday: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival โ€“ Day One

The boat launched, the paranoia began. My permadeath Dredge run officially set sail with the start of Dark Waters. The ocean may look calm, but we both know it isnโ€™t.

Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival โ€“ Day 1


โ„๏ธ Wednesday: Customloper โ€“ Day One

The Customloper experiment is underway. A bit Interloper, a bit Voyageur, a lot of me desperately hoping I donโ€™t freeze to death before leaving Mountain Town. So far, soโ€ฆ technically alive.

Customloper Diaries Day 1: A Woollen Windy Welcome to Milton

Side note, The Cold Chronicles and Customloper Diaries will be alternating weeks for the foreseeable. Until one of them ends of course. So next week will be the next entry The Cold Chronicles


๐Ÿ—ก Thursday: Skyrim Survival โ€“ Sneak, Snipe, Repeat โ€“ Day Six

The Argonian saga continues. Day Six saw more stealth, more arrows, and the usual healthy amount of questionable life choices while wandering Skyrimโ€™s frozen wilderness.

Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Suvival Day Six


๐Ÿช“ Friday: Grounded Permadeath Hub Goes Live

The hub page for The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath is officially up and running! Rules, info, and upcoming entries are all ready for you.
I also teased whatโ€™s coming next Friday: a special Day One Diary for Zombie Army Trilogyโ€”fittingly set for Friday the 13th.

The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath

Zombie Army Trilogy โ€“ Day One Diary Coming This Friday the 13th


๐Ÿ’€ Saturday: The Desolation Point Debacle

Today’s Survivor’s Shorts took us into Desolation Point on Interloper. It didnโ€™t go well. (Shocking, I know.)

Survivorโ€™s Shorts: Interloper โ€” The Desolation Point Debacle


What’s Coming Next

The backlog grows stronger. Next week, expect more from Dark Waters, Customloper, Skyrim Survival, and our first look at Zombie Army Trilogy. More danger, more chaos, more very avoidable mistakes.

Survivorโ€™s Shorts: Interloper โ€” The Desolation Point Debacle

Sometimes Interloper doesnโ€™t kill you with cold or wolves โ€” sometimes the moose does the honors. A short-lived but memorable run in Desolation Point.

I decided to try Interloper. To make it fair, I went full Interloper difficulty. Since the spawn is random (and a few regions are excluded), I let fate decide my starting point. I kept the Cougar on, but letโ€™s be honest โ€” I wasnโ€™t going to live long enough for it to matter.

My spawn?
Desolation Point.

More specifically, right below the lighthouse. Under normal Interloper circumstances, I’d actually be thrilled โ€” the forge is nearby, and this could have been a solid starting run. But todayโ€™s goal was simple: survive one single day.

And thatโ€™s where the brain fog set in.
Instead of going straight for the lighthouse like a sensible person, I somehow forgot the route entirely. So I did the only logical thing: head to the Riken for the forge.

Then I heard it.
The unmistakable sound of antlers and doom.

Please have sound on for this video

With nowhere to run and no cover in sight, I accepted my fate.

Antlered Tank Incoming!

By the time the dust settled, I had broken ribs, my condition was down to half, and I was racking up frostbite risk and hypothermia risk like they were achievements. At that point, I decided to officially end the attempt.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Survivorโ€™s Shorts

Zombie Army Trilogy โ€“ Day One Diary Coming This Friday the 13th

What better day to dive headfirst into Nazi zombies than Friday the 13th?

The latest Day One Diary arrives this Friday as I take my first steps into Zombie Army Trilogy. Expect undead soldiers, occult seals, suicidal zombies, and my usual mixture of panic, bad aim, and questionable survival instincts.

Character: Hermann Wolf
Chapter: The Berlin Horror โ€“ Village of the Dead
Difficulty: Marksman

Safe rooms reached? Yes.
Ammo well managed? Debatable.
Mental stability? Slipping.

Zombie Army Trilogy โ€“ Day One Diary goes live Friday the 13th. Consider it a very fitting start.

In the meantime, check out my other Day One Diaries | Survival Game Playthroughs & First-Day Survival Challenges

The week after Friday the 13th, begins my Grounded Permadeath adventure. Check out what is going to involve here: The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath

๐Ÿ‘‰ The Backyard Trials Has Officially Begun: Grounded Permadeath Arrives!

The backyard is officially open for business โ€” and survival!

Iโ€™m excited to announce that both The Backyard Trials hub page and the full Grounded Rules of Survival are now live on Survivor Incognito.

In this permadeath run through Grounded, Iโ€™ll be taking on the full backyard, one day at a time, where every ant, spider, and angry bug can bring the entire run crashing down. One life. No second chances.

โœ… You can now check out:

The Backyard Trials Hub: [The Backyard Trails]

Grounded Rules of Survival: [Grounded Rules of Survival]


The first day of the run will be launching soon โ€” and from there, we’ll see just how far I can make it before something inevitably goes horribly wrong.

As always: survival is optional. Panic is guaranteed.


Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Suvival Day Six

Missed the previous day? Find it here: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day 5


The Great Trek to High Hrothgar (Or Why Iโ€™ll Never Trust Klimmek Again)

After a night warming my scales at the inn in Ivarstead, I figured it was time to climb the famed 7,000 Steps to High Hrothgar. Fresh air, spiritual enlightenment, maybe a new shout or twoโ€”it sounded downright relaxing.

That illusion shattered when Klimmek asked if Iโ€™d kindly lug a crate of supplies up to the Greybeards. Sure, I thought. Whatโ€™s a little frostbite between friends?

Reader, I barely survived.

About 1,000 steps up, my torch fizzled out, the cold turned vicious, and wolves started popping out like theyโ€™d RSVPโ€™d to a โ€œFeast on the Dragonbornโ€ party. Frostbite crept in, my health bar cried for help, and I wondered if Klimmek would refund my soul when this all went horribly wrong.

High Hrothgar: The Frostbitten Sanctuary

I eventually stumbled into High Hrothgar, shivering and looking like Iโ€™d rolled down a glacierโ€”which, to be fair, I nearly had.

The Greybeards greeted me with the social energy of a fog bank. I grunted, they whispered, and before I knew it, I had new words of power: Ro (from Unrelenting Force) and Wuld (from Whirlwind Sprint). Great additions to my skillset, assuming I live long enough to use them.

They then dropped a fresh quest in my lap: go retrieve Jurgen Windcallerโ€™s horn. I nodded sagely while internally screaming, โ€œCan I at least thaw out first?โ€

Also, side noteโ€”where do these guys sleep? Thereโ€™s no beds, no chairs, not even a suspicious rug. Just stone, fog, and mystery. True minimalist vibes.

Mountain-Goating for Fun and Survival

Quest in hand, I faced the return journey. I couldโ€™ve taken the stairs like a rational beingโ€ฆ but no. I turned into a Skyrim-certified mountain goat and launched myself off cliffs like gravity was a suggestion.

Somehow, I survived the descent without a single injury. I donโ€™t know how physics works in Skyrim, but Iโ€™m not questioning it. If I can descend a mountain via sheer chaos and dumb luck, then thatโ€™s now the official route.

Cultists, Chickens, and Chaos

Back in Ivarstead, I expected peace and mead. Instead, I got cultists. Hooded weirdos stormed in, shouting about me being a โ€œfalse Dragonborn.โ€

Bold of them to assume I had the energy to argue.

Luckily, they made the mistake of attacking in town. Between the guards, the villagers, andโ€”yesโ€”the chickens, it became a bloodbath. Chickens pecked. Guards slashed. I think a goat even got involved. The cultists didnโ€™t stand a chance.

After the dust (and feathers) settled, I looted their robes and found a note. Turns out theyโ€™re part of some whole โ€œthere can only be one Dragonbornโ€ thing. Neat. Add that to the to-do listโ€”right under โ€œdonโ€™t freeze to death.โ€

Klimmekโ€™s Generosity and Collapse Oโ€™Clock

I reported back to Klimmek, who handed me 500 gold for my troubles. Honestly? Worth it. I delivered your box, fought wolves, scaled a mountain, survived a cultist ambush, and nearly died multiple times.

I crawled back to the inn, got a room, and collapsed into bed. Survival: barely achieved. Muscles: on strike. Brain: frozen.

Next Timeโ€ฆ

Time to track down that horn. Or maybe just follow the Greybeards around to figure out what they do when no oneโ€™s looking. Do they nap standing up? Meditate until they astral project? Organise humming contests?

Weโ€™ll find outโ€”if I survive another day.

Want to follow the journey from the beginning? Please check out: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Hub


Customloper Diaries Day One: A Woollen Windy Welcome to Milton

Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 1: Socks, Soup, and Stubbornness

Spawn Point: Spruce Falls Bridge, Mountain Town

Weather: Windy, with a 100% chance of optimism

Loot Highlight: Hunting knife, Cowichan sweater, two cups of coffee

Visit the Mountain Town map:
Check it out here.


First Steps and First Socks

I spawn near Spruce Falls Bridge, spot a sign for Milton, and like any wanderer with no better plan, I follow it. Along the way, I grab rose hips and reishi mushrooms because nature said so.

The bridge cars turn into an early-game care package: wool socks (luxury), a parka (yes please), matches (liquid gold), and a hunting knife I immediately form an unhealthy attachment to.

Bridge car loot in Mountain Town

Shelter from the Storm (Sort of)

A nearby trailer offers a fire barrel, but I only duck in long enough to warm up and snag a wool toqueโ€”stylish and slightly smelly.

Down at the church I harvest cattails for calories, spot a deer carcass, and attempt to start a fire. The wind laughs. First attempt: fail. Second: also fail. Third: successโ€ฆ which the wind immediately blows out mid-harvest. Rude.

Deer carcass near the church
Can you spot it?

Redemption at the Altar (and in the Glovebox)

Inside the church, RNG finally smiles. One match, one try, one roaring fire. I cook the meat, boil water, and brew reishi tea. A nearby pickup coughs up a hatchetโ€”huge early-game win.

Back in Milton, a glovebox note reveals a memento cacheโ€ฆ at the church I just left. Classic.

Memento note found in Milton

Coffee, Cowichan, and Canadian Comfort

The bank delivers coffee grounds, two brewed cups, and a Cowichan sweater hidden in the safe like national treasure. Grey Motherโ€™s house becomes base: two cooking pots, some deer meat, a ski jacket, hockey jersey, and wool mittens. Team motto: Not Dead Yet.


Winding Down with Tea and Triumph

I end the day with boiled water, cooked meat, and a cup of herbal tea to patch up condition. A windy start, but a strong finish. Customloper is officially underway.


Continue the Journey

Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival โ€“ Day One

Where Am I, What Is That Fog, and Why Is My Compass Blinking at Me?

Day 1 of my Dredge permadeath playthrough. I crash a boat, inherit another, fish like a pro, and nearly get lost forever in Lesser Marrow. Welcome to Greater Marrowโ€”the creepiest fishing job Iโ€™ve ever had.

For more information on this, please check out: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival Hub

Welcome to Greater Marrow: Where the Fish Are Plentiful and the Fog Eats Souls

The game opens with a cutscene: Iโ€™m peacefully boating along when heavy fog rolls in like an uninvited guest. Thenโ€”crash! Rocks. Camera pans to a lighthouse, which apparently decided to take the night off.

Inside the boat before the crash, I notice a crumpled job advert: โ€œAngler Wanted.โ€ I see now it meant sacrificial angler.

I wake up on a soggy dock at 6:00am on a Monday morning, having apparently faceplanted here the night before. The Mayor of Greater Marrow is there to greet me with all the cheer of someone who just hired a corpse to do a job.

He casually asks if I โ€œdidnโ€™t see the lighthouse.โ€ I choose not to answer, partly because Iโ€™m still drying out, and partly because I very clearly didnโ€™t. My boat? Completely ruined. But the Mayor had the locals haul my stuff into an old spare vessel. How quaint.

My First Fishing Trip and Immediate Cartographic Failure

The Mayor warns me to be back before sundown. Apparently fog does weird things after dark. Comforting.

I hop in the backup boat and head out. The controls are straightforward and intuitive. Time passes while fishing, sailing, or basically doing anythingโ€”so multitasking is not encouraged.

By 3:17pm, Iโ€™ve reeled in seven blue mackerel and three cod. Iโ€™m feeling confident. A little too confident. I decide I have time for just one more fish.

Spoiler: I didnโ€™t.

After grabbing another mackerel, I turn backโ€ฆ only to realise Iโ€™ve docked at Lesser Marrow, not Greater. Oops. I am, in fact, an idiot. A kind soul points me back to the lighthouse. By the time I get home, it’s 8:43pm and there’s a disturbing eye icon blinking next to my compass.

Is thatโ€ฆ panic? Hallucination? Ancient evil? Who knows!

Debt, Deals, and the Definitely-Not-Suspicious Fishmonger

Back at Greater Marrow, the Mayor is somehow still waiting for me like an overbearing boss. He says I can pay off the loan on the boat by selling fish, with โ€œa small percentageโ€ going toward town improvements. Sounds a bit pyramid-scheme-y, but I nod along.

Inside the Fishmongerโ€™s shop, he greets me with surprise: โ€œNew fisherman, already?โ€ I ask about the last one. He doesnโ€™t answer. Just says it takes a โ€œcertain type of personโ€ to last out here. You mean one with night vision and zero self-preservation instincts?

I sell my fish, earning enough to reduce my $50 debt to $31.58. Thatโ€™s decent for a day of being lost at sea.

The Mayor intercepts me again and hands over a research part, which I can use to upgrade my ship.

Upgrades, Nightfall, and Regrets

I pop into the Shipwrightโ€™s to check out the gear. After some very internal debating, I buy the Simple Skimmer Rod for catching shallow-water fish. It takes two in-game hours to install, meaning I walk out at 10:46pm.

I use the research part to unlock the Improved Outboard Engine, because clearly I need all the speed I can get after todayโ€™s performance.

I return to the dock, mentally exhausted, financially lighter, and very aware that this is only day one.

End of Day Summary

  • Fish Caught: 8 blue mackerel, 3 cod
  • Debt Remaining: $31:58
  • Creepy Things Spotted: One blinking eye
  • Times I Got Lost: Let’s just call it “multiple”
  • Regrets: Also multiple

โš ๏ธ Madness Strike #1: Fogblind and Foolish

Letโ€™s be honestโ€”I didnโ€™t mean to return after dark. But between misreading the map, mistaking Lesser Marrow for home, and ignoring the increasingly twitchy compass eye, it happened. The fog rolled in, and I rolled with it.

The rules are clear: return after sundown, and the mind pays the price.
So here it isโ€”my first Madness Strike.

Sanity: Fractured

Confidence: Shaken

Navigational Skills: Still questionable

What’s Next?

Day Two promises more fishing, more fog, and probably more confusion. Will I finally learn to navigate using the lighthouse? Will the eye by the compass blink twice? Will I discover what happened to the last fisherman?

๐Ÿ“– Read Day 2 โ€“ A Special Order and a Return Before Madness
(Spoiler: I didnโ€™t earn another Madness Strike. Barely.)

Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival โ€” Launches Tomorrow

Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival begins tomorrow on Survivor Incognito. A new permadeath series exploring the dangerous waters of Dredge on Nintendo Switch.

The next permadeath adventure begins tomorrow!
In Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival, we dive headfirst into the strange world of Dredge. Expect dangerous fishing trips, hallucinations, strange encounters, and plenty of questionable choices as we attempt to survive one day at a time.

Day One drops tomorrow โ€” stay tuned right here on Survivor Incognito as the madness begins.

The One-Shot Wonder: Bear Meets Panic Rifle

On Coastal Highway in The Long Dark, a bear ambushed me at dusk. I panicked, fired, and somehow dropped it with a single shot. Iโ€™m still processing what happenedโ€”and how Iโ€™m alive.

It was getting dark on Coastal Highway. I was returning to Quonset Garage after a day of looting, freezing, and thinking about food I didnโ€™t have.

And then I heard it.

That guttural growlโ€”the kind that makes your blood freeze before the weather does.

I turned.
Bear. Charging.

My brain hit full panic mode. I fumbled for my rifle, jammed it into position, aimed down the sights, and braced for impact.

I fired.

I adjusted the brightness of the video so you can see what happens.

The Original

This is the original version. I was playing handheld on the Switch at the time

One shot. The bear dropped.

I stood there in stunned silence, half-expecting it to get back up and laugh. But it didnโ€™t. It was down. Permanently.

Was it a crit? A miracle? Game physics?
No idea. But for that one shining second, I wasnโ€™t just survivingโ€”
I was the apex predator.

Final Thoughts

In a game known for handing out slow, painful deaths, I got a split-second win.
And honestly? Iโ€™m not sure it wasnโ€™t a fluke.
But Iโ€™ll take it.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Survivor’s Shorts

Survivor Incognito Weekly: The Long Dark, Skyrim Survival, Dredge Permadeath & More (June 2nd – June 8th)

Another week of survival, chaos, and questionable decision making is upon us โ€” hereโ€™s what you can expect across the blog in the next seven days:

๐Ÿงธ Monday โ€“ Bear Meets Panic Rifle (Survivorโ€™s Shorts)

It starts with a bear. It ends with panic. Somewhere in between, a rifle is involved. You can probably guess how well that goes.

๐ŸŒŠ Tuesday โ€“ Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival โ€“ Day 1

We set sail on our brand new permadeath adventure through Dredge. The waters may look calmโ€ฆ but donโ€™t let them fool you.

โ„๏ธ Wednesday โ€“ Customloper: Day 1 โ€“ Mountain Town Start

The Customloper run officially kicks off! I spawn in Mountain Town and try my very best not to freeze, starve, or get eaten before I even leave Milton.

โš” Thursday โ€“ Skyrim Survival: Day 6

The trek through Skyrimโ€™s frozen wilderness continues. More frostbite, more danger, and almost certainly another regrettable encounter with something that bites.

๐Ÿ”ฅ Friday โ€“ A Voyageurโ€™s Tale (The Long Dark): Day 6

Back to the familiar cold of The Long Dark as the Voyageur run marches on into day six. Wolves, weather, and the never-ending quest for coffee.

๐ŸฆŒ Saturday โ€“ Survivorโ€™s Shorts: The Interloper Moose Incident

I try Interloper mode in The Long Dark. I spawn. I panic. The moose arrives. Thatโ€™s pretty much the plot summary.

๐Ÿ”ฅ Survive with us every week on Survivor Incognito โ€” your home for survival gaming on Nintendo Switch.

Follow along for The Long Dark guides, Skyrim Survival Mode playthroughs, Dredge permadeath runs, and Customloper challenges. New survival game content posted weekly โ€” with humor, tips, and plenty of questionable life choices.
๐Ÿ‘‰ Bookmark Survivor Incognito and join the survival adventure.

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