Customloper Diaries – Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy

Customloper Diaries – Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy

Weather: Blizzard → calm → chilly dusk
Loot Highlights: Maple syrup, ptarmigan, teas
Mood: Mildly triumphant, then deeply betrayed by my own memory

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 5: Moose Standoff, Bullet Disappointment, and Frostbite Gordon Ramsay  | 
What is Customloper?

Mountain Town Farewell Tour

The plan was simple: head for Mystery Lake. Naturally, The Long Dark decided my departure needed to be as unpleasant as possible. I stepped outside, full of optimism and travel plans… straight into a wall of snow. The blizzard hit so hard I half-expected the wind to demand my boarding pass.

Not keen on becoming a frozen cautionary tale before I even left Milton, I retreated back inside. While the storm roared outside, I repaired my climbing socks — because if I’m going to dangle from a rope over a death drop, my feet should at least be comfortable.

When the snowstorm finally lost interest in my destruction, I made a quick supply drop at my blizzard cache in Milton Park: food, flares, and a little hope for future me. If my track record says anything, future me will absolutely need them.

En route, I spotted a couple of ptarmigans. One made a clean getaway, but the second wasn’t so lucky — a quick stun and scoop secured dinner. My frame rate then staged its own protest against survival, solved with the ancient ritual of a one-hour nap and a full restart.

A Quick Rope-Climbing PSA

For anyone following along at home:
1. Over your carry weight? You’re not climbing.
2. Too tired? You won’t make it far before the rope wins.
3. Both? Prepare for a long fall and a high hospital bill (if hospitals still existed).

The climb up was almost suspiciously smooth. No wolves lurking at the bottom, no moose guarding the top. Just crisp air, creaking rope, and the growing certainty that something unpleasant was saving itself for later.

At the top, my guy was winded but not dying — a personal best. It was a short slog to the transition cave, where I took one last look at Mountain Town and stepped into the dark unknown.

Cave Navigation Pro Tip

Pick a wall — left or right — and stick to it the entire way. You’ll either find the exit or discover you’ve been walking in circles for hours. Either way, you’ll feel like a pro.

The cave was mercifully straightforward. I found a pre-built campfire setup and used it as an excuse for a much-needed coffee break. The simple act of brewing coffee pushed my Cooking skill to Level 2: Novice — still a long way from “Chef,” but I’ll take it.

With caffeine restored, I pressed on until daylight spilled through the cave mouth. Welcome to Mystery Lake.

Mystery Lake: The Training Wheels Region (With Wolves)

The Hunt for a Rifle… and a Cooking Pot

The sun was already sliding toward the horizon, so I aimed straight for Trapper’s Cabin. First thing I checked: the rifle rack. Empty. The loot gods remain cruel.

The safe offered a small consolation prize in the form of maple syrup — proof that at least one deity in this frozen world still cares about my morale.

Finally, I harvested the ptarmigan… and immediately remembered that every single one of my cooking pots was still back in Milton. All of them. My dreams of a hearty stew crumbled faster than my willpower in a wolf chase.

Instead, I brewed a round of reishi and rose hip teas, boiled water, and contemplated the life choices that had brought me to “hot leaf juice” as my primary meal. The only upside? I now have a reason to return to Milton, assuming I survive long enough.

Day 6 Summary

  • Location: Mountain Town → Mystery Lake
  • Finds: Maple syrup, ptarmigan
  • Wildlife Watch: Ptarmigan spotted and secured
  • Conditions: Blizzard start, calm finish
  • Status: Alive, caffeinated, cookware-less

Continue the Journey

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 5: Moose Standoff, Bullet Disappointment, and Frostbite Gordon Ramsay
Customloper Diaries – Day 7 ▶

Sunburnt & Sinking – A Stranded Deep Survival Diary: Day Three

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary – Day 3

Difficulty: Normal
Optional Features: Permadeath enabled (naturally)

“Hydration success, culinary failure, and the return of a long-lost knife.”

Weather / Loot / Mood

  • Weather: Warm morning sun, light breeze, suspiciously perfect for false optimism
  • Loot: Cloth (from mystery container), water still, refined knife (found in sand), shattered coconut dreams
  • Mood: Parched → euphoric → regretful → betrayed

Water Still Victory

I woke with a tongue like sandpaper and the hydration levels of a sun-bleached raisin. Today’s mission was clear: build a water still. The problem? I had no cloth — or at least, that’s what I believed.

While digging through my supplies, I remembered the sealed storage container I’d been dragging around like some clueless beach hoarder. Inside, lying there like a treasure in a castaway’s dream, was one glorious piece of cloth. Just enough for what I needed.

Moments later, I had all the parts gathered, and the still was built — my first real piece of survival infrastructure. It stood proudly in the sand, a guarantee that thirst would no longer be my most urgent problem. I almost gave it a name.

Floating Cloth and Coconut Regrets

Of course, before the still came together, my cloth had to put on a show. When I dropped it on the ground, it stood upright like it was trying to defy gravity — or audition for a magic act. Strange, yes, but soon incorporated into my new pride and joy.

With water secured, I turned my attention to food. Variety was key — crabs and coconuts had kept me alive so far, but they weren’t exactly a balanced diet. I set my sights on fish, convinced a fire spit would be my ticket to grilled seafood glory.

But first, a quick survival PSA: never eat too many coconuts. The consequences are… unpleasant. I’ll spare you the details, but let’s just say my digestive system filed an official complaint and threatened industrial action.

Island Limits & A Knife’s Return

My island had been generous, but the easy loot was running out. If I wanted to thrive — or even just eat something different — I’d have to explore further afield. I wasn’t ready for that kind of commitment, but survival doesn’t really take “maybe later” as an answer.

While gathering materials for the journey, I spotted something glinting in the sand. It was my refined knife — the same one I’d apparently dropped days ago, possibly while fleeing a crab with attitude issues. I picked it up and welcomed it back into my inventory like an old friend who’d just wandered back from the pub.

I also discovered I could make a wooden farming plot. Long-term food production sounded fantastic… until I realised I didn’t have a hoe. That idea went straight onto my “future ambitions” list, somewhere between “build a smoker” and “stop capsizing my raft.”

The Fire Spit Betrayal

Finally, the fire spit was built, my visions of sizzling fish nearly within reach. I placed my catch over the fire and… nothing. Turns out the fire spit is not the universal cooking solution I hoped for. Apparently, fish require a more advanced setup — a smoker, or perhaps a deal with the culinary gods.

So the day ended with me sipping fresh water and eating yet more crab, while the dream of grilled fish drifted out to sea like an unanchored raft. Still, progress had been made: hydration secured, knife recovered, lesson learned.

Tomorrow, I’ll brave the sea and head for another island. If I find my way back here, great. If not… well, coconuts probably taste the same everywhere.

Continue the Journey

Day 1 |
Day 2 |
Day 3 (You Are Here) |
Final Day

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.

The Cold Chronicles Day Ten: A Voyageur’s Tale of The Long Dark


The Cold Chronicles – Day 10: Ravine Roulette, Floating Deer, and Finally Mystery Lake

Day 10 in The Long Dark sees me teetering over the Ravine’s abyss, harvesting meat from a deer that’s apparently learned levitation, and finally—finally—reaching Mystery Lake. Bonus: new socks, because morale matters.

Missed the previous day? The Cold Chronicles Day Nine


Leaving the Trailer, Chasing the Horizon

I stepped out of the trailer at the Train Unloading area, the morning air biting in that way The Long Dark seems to enjoy. The plan was simple: follow the train tracks east until the Ravine transition zone, then cross into Mystery Lake. Simple plans in this game never stay simple.

The tracks carried me into the Ravine—beautiful in the kind of way that makes you briefly forget it’s also a death trap. Narrow ledges, collapsed rails, and drops you don’t get back up from. One balancing section across a busted bit of track nearly gave me a heart attack, but I made it across without testing the fall damage mechanics. Small victories.


The Floating Deer Incident

Birds circling in the distance caught my attention—never ignore free protein. I hiked over, expecting a standard carcass. Instead, I found a deer hovering several inches above the snow like it had unlocked some kind of ungulate wizardry.

I harvested the meat quickly, mostly to avoid breaking whatever fragile laws of nature were keeping it afloat. Then, in my post-butcher haze, I realized the deer had been “pointing” toward the right path all along. Thanks, floating friend.


Birch Bark and Bullet Rewards

Further along, a lone backpack waited at the edge of another narrow crossing. Inside: one revolver cartridge. Not much, but when you live in a world where bullets are basically gold, you don’t complain.

I also found an absurd amount of birch bark—seven pieces in total. If this run ends, it will not be because I ran out of tea. Deer hunting? Optional. Birch bark tea? Mandatory.


Mystery Lake at Last

The Ravine eventually spat me out onto the familiar terrain of Mystery Lake. Relief hit harder than the wind. I spotted a trailer and decided it would be my base for the night. Outside, I lit a fire, cooking up the deer meat and a rabbit I’d nabbed earlier. The smell alone was enough to make me feel like I was thriving rather than just surviving.

Inside, I scored a pair of climbing socks—a glorious upgrade from my starting sports socks. Harvested some spare clothes for cloth, then realized I’d left a rabbit steak outside. That’s tomorrow’s wolf bait or breakfast, depending on how fast I am in the morning.

I dropped my deer and rabbit hides, along with the guts, to start curing. Mystery Lake had officially welcomed me—with warmth, food, and better footwear.


Continue the journey: Day 9 | Day 11 – Coming Soon


More from The Long Dark:

It Actually Worked – Escaping RPD With a Build That Shouldn’t Have

Survivor’s Dread: Nintendo Switch Diaries – Escape Log

A Bit of Backstory

I’ve been playing Dead by Daylight off and on since The Clown staggered onto the scene. Back then, I was on PS4, later PS5. Frame rate was solid. Visual clarity existed. Hit validation was a rumour, but at least the screen didn’t blur when I turned a corner.

Then I moved to the Nintendo Switch.

Suddenly, Dead by Daylight became a new game. Survivors float. Killers teleport. Pallets drop half a second after I hit the button. I had to rethink how I played — and what I could realistically get away with.

The Build Question

That’s when I asked for help: What’s a build that works on Switch, plays into my sneaky tendencies, and doesn’t require me to loop like a comp streamer with 20/20 vision?

Got a build that sounded too good to be true:

  • Lithe – for escape speed
  • Quick & Quiet – for stealthy vaults
  • Lucky Break – for vanishing after a hit
  • Windows of Opportunity – so I know where the heck to run

Sounded ideal for chaos, escapes, and not dying in a corner vault. I decided to give it a shot.

Survivor of Choice: Jake Park

I chose Jake. No flashy cosmetics. No glow-in-the-dark hoodies. He blends into walls, and that’s all I need. His scream isn’t the worst. He looks like someone who’s given up on life just enough to survive a trial.

Also: Iron Will used to be his thing. RIP.

The Match: RPD – West Wing

Because the Entity has a sense of humour, I load into RPD West Wing.
The killer is Trapper. Of course it is.

West Wing is a maze of doorways, blind corners, and death vaults. Every room feels like it was designed to make you second-guess your pathing. So the last thing you want is a killer who literally controls where you can go.

Mid-Match Moment: The Build Delivers

Somewhere mid-trial, Trapper chases me. I get a pallet stun, but he keeps coming.
He lands a hit — and now the build kicks in:

  • Lucky Break triggers
  • I hit a vault with Quick & Quiet, triggering Lithe
  • I disappear down a hallway
  • He checks the wrong room
  • I heal up and keep moving

That moment alone made the build worth it.

Endgame: Stumbling Into Freedom

It’s down to just me and one teammate. While they work on the final generator, I do what I do best — roam aimlessly.

And I find an exit gate.

Seconds later, the gen pops. I’m already there. I open the gate, slip out, and the Trapper never even shows up.

What Worked

  • Windows kept me from getting caught in vault traps
  • Quick & Quiet + Lithe gave me fast, silent escapes
  • Lucky Break turned one hit into a clean getaway
  • And I accidentally found the gate just in time

Final Thought

I’ve played this game on platforms where I could see what I was doing. The Switch isn’t one of them.

But with the right build — and a bit of luck — you can still outsmart the killer, even in RPD, even against a Trapper, even on a platform that runs like it’s held together with duct tape and hope.

Would I run the build again?
Yes.
Do I expect it to work twice?
Absolutely not.

But once was enough.

🛠 Something Big Is Brewing

A quick update post from me.

Behind the scenes, I’m working on something… complicated. It’s going to take time, screenshots, formatting, and far too many tables. Possibly a mild headache or two.

I’m not saying what it is. Not yet. But if you’ve followed the blog for a while, you’ll probably guess. It involves survival. It involves chaos. It may or may not involve dead livestock and unsafe generators.

Content might slow slightly while this gets stitched together, but regular playthroughs will continue soon.

Until then, stay sneaky. And maybe don’t blow any skill checks near me.

— Survivor Incognito

Sunburnt & Sinking – A Stranded Deep Survival Diary: Day Two

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary – Day 2

Difficulty: Normal
Optional Features: Permadeath enabled (naturally)

“Water is scarce, knives keep breaking, and coconuts betray me.”

Weather / Loot / Mood

  • Weather: Sunny with a calm breeze, deceptively inviting for a day of mistakes
  • Loot: Two refined knives (both broken), crude knife, potato crop, yucca fruit, several speared fish
  • Mood: Parched → resourceful → frustrated → plotting escape

Death by Dehydration and Knife-Based Regret

Day 2 started the way all my survival days seem to — fighting to stay alive with fewer resources than the average beach picnic. Water was the clear priority, so I cracked open a few coconuts to keep my hydration meter from flatlining. Just as I started to feel less like a dried-out husk and more like an actual human being… snap. My refined knife broke in my hand.

One second I had my most valuable tool, the next it was reduced to the kind of scrap metal you’d find washed up on a stormy shore. With it gone, my ability to gather resources properly took a nosedive, and I was back to square one.

Knife? Check. Brain? Debatable.

Thankfully, making a crude knife was easy enough. Unfortunately, I forgot that I could use that knife to craft another refined one. It was like having the solution in my pocket but refusing to read the instructions. In my defence, dehydration may have been quietly sabotaging my brain function.

When I finally pieced it together, I felt like the island’s least stylish blacksmith, reforging my refined knife like it was a lost relic. Feeling smug, I checked the crafting menu for new possibilities. A fire pit? Doable and quick. A water still? Perfect — except it needed cloth. And cloth, as far as I could tell, was rarer on this island than polite seagulls.

My Kingdom for a Rag

The water still became my new obsession. If I could build one, I’d solve my hydration issues for good. But without cloth, it was a dream just out of reach. I decided to prepare the other materials in advance, so all I’d need to do was slot the fabric into place once I found it.

In the process, I managed to break my second refined knife of the day. The culprit? The island’s one unyielding yucca tree, which I kept attacking like it was hiding a secret stash of loot. If anything, it only seemed to grow more smug about my failures. On the bright side, my scavenging turned up a potato crop and a yucca fruit — the makings of a future farm if I could ever get beyond the “not dying of thirst” stage of survival.

Spearfishing for Sadness

Needing a morale boost, I took to the ocean with a crude spear, ready to prove I could at least feed myself. The fish were easy enough to catch — a few quick jabs and they were mine. I strutted back to shore with my haul, already picturing a beachside fish roast.

That fantasy crumbled faster than my knives when I discovered my fire pit wasn’t suitable for cooking fish. Apparently, I needed something more advanced — a smoker, a spit, or possibly a degree in tropical culinary arts. The fish went into storage, and my dreams went up in smoke without ever lighting the fire.

As the sun set, I stared out toward the horizon. Tomorrow, I’d choose an island and head for it. Either it would have cloth, or I’d be stuck crafting a distress flag out of coconut husks, stubborn yucca bark, and pure spite.

Continue the Journey

Day 1 |
Day 2 (You Are Here) |
Day 3 |
Final Day

📢 New Series Launch Alert!

🌊 Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary Begins This Week

It’s time to dive in — our newest survival series officially launches this week, and we’re starting exactly where you’d expect: falling out of the sky in a flaming escape pod and into an alien ocean full of fish with bad attitudes.

Day One of Submerged is coming this week, with more entries arriving weekly. Follow along as our unfortunate multiverse survivor tries to make sense of a PDA full of blueprints, a lifepod that’s already on fire, and a world where hydration comes from bleach.

  • 🔧 Expect chaos. Expect crafting. Expect at least one poorly timed encounter with a Reaper Leviathan.
  • 🚀 All played on the Nintendo Switch, because survival is better when it’s portable.

And if you’re just joining us from The Long Dark, Skyrim, or Stranded Deep — welcome! Hope you brought your flippers.

Here’s What You Missed This Week on Survivor Incognito – Crashes, Farewells, and Frozen Toes

Another week of survival stories has wrapped up over at Survivor Incognito, and here’s what went live:

  • 🌴 Tuesday: Sunburnt & Sinking – Stranded Deep: Day One. A plane crash, some aggressive crabs, and the beginning of another deeply questionable survival journey.
  • ❄️ Wednesday: Customloper Diaries – Day Five. Moose encounters, torchlit panic, and the continuing battle to not freeze to death in The Long Dark.
  • 🦎 Thursday: Goodnight, Sweet Lizard – A heartfelt (and mildly roasted) farewell to my first Skyrim survivor. Gone, but not forgotten. Or fully thawed.
  • 🚚 Friday: SnowRunner Survival – Day Three. I made it to the top of a mountain. That was the easy part. Getting down? That’s Future Me’s problem.
  • 🛤️ Saturday: Day One Diary – Choo Choo Charles. A train with spider legs, eggs with suspicious importance, and absolutely no time to process anything.

🧭 We also updated the Start Here page with better guidance for new readers and easier access to key blog content.

It’s been a week of rough starts, fond farewells, and terrain I was never meant to cross — just how we like it.

Next week: the official start of the Subnautica permadeath run, a bit more trucking, and probably something trying to kill me with a leaf. Stay tuned.

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