Category: Permadeath Runs

Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 8 & Day 9: Written Evidence Only

Unprepared Log 5 – Days 8 & 9: Written Evidence Only

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

The footage didn’t survive. The run did.

The recordings for Days 8 and 9 were corrupted and unsalvageable.

No video. No backup. Just two days that still counted.

My condition was bad, but time was at least working in the background. Maple and birch saplings were curing. Rabbit hide and gut were curing too.

That meant I had a future.

I just needed to reach it.

Day 8 – No Free Loot, Only Weather

I started by checking the other trailer in the area.

It had a fat lot of nothing.

So the Dam became the plan.

On the way, the sky started doing that familiar thing again. The wind sharpened. The light flattened. The whole world looked like it was about to turn into a white wall.

It felt like another blizzard was loading in.

Three blizzards in three days. Efficient.

The Dam: Better Than Nothing

The Dam didn’t give me a miracle, but it wasn’t empty.

I found ear wool wraps and a festive sweater.

Not tools. Not fire. But warmth is still leverage on Interloper.

I could have pushed further into the Dam.

I didn’t.

Lantern fuel was low, and torches were becoming a real commodity. I wasn’t going to spend visibility on curiosity.

Camp Office, Because I Needed a Win

I decided the best move was heading for the Camp Office.

It was Mystery Lake. Surely the game might take pity on me.

That thought lasted until a wolf appeared and started shadowing me.

I passed a deer carcass, hoping it would peel off and take the easy meal.

Nope.

I wanted to hit the trailers in the derailment area.

The wolf refused to let me do anything except keep moving.

I tried running.

It sped up.

Camp Office in Sight, Moose in the Way

The Camp Office came into view.

So did a moose.

For a second, I thought I’d traded one problem for a much worse one.

But this time the moose decided I wasn’t worth the effort.

I took the gift.

I went straight inside.

Pancakes for Survival Reasons

The Camp Office gave me a skillet and a hockey jersey.

It helped more than it should have.

Between the supplies I’d been scraping together and what I already had, I could finally make pancakes.

After everything, I needed a morale win that didn’t involve not dying.

I cooked what I could.

I repaired what I could.

Then I called it a day.

Day 9 – A Quiet Start in a Dark Office

Day 9 started with me waking up in a dark Camp Office.

No drama.

No instant weather tantrum.

Just the usual Interloper reminder that every match matters.

I decided to check the cabins on the far side of Mystery Lake.

They didn’t give me much.

Mostly books for the fire.

But I did find a pair of trail boots.

I swapped them for my leather shoes and kept moving.

The Bear Cabin: Confirmation, Not Combat

I headed toward the cabin near where the bear can be.

Sure enough, the bear was there.

Thankfully, it was walking back toward its cave.

I let it go.

I didn’t need heroics.

I needed tools.

Trapper’s Homestead: The Trip That Paid Off

I still had plenty of time left in the day.

So I pushed on for Trapper’s Homestead.

On the way, I had another wolf that insisted on following me.

It stayed close, but it didn’t commit.

I didn’t stop to negotiate.

I kept moving until the door was in reach.

Inside, I finally got the kind of win Interloper tries to deny you.

A heavy hammer.

That was the trip. That was the point. That was future survival.

Resetting the Run

I spent the rest of the day, and part of the night, cooking what I could.

Then I made the smart choice for once and drank a birch bark tea.

I needed condition back, and I needed it without gambling on fights or weather.

I slept at Trapper’s and woke up on Day 10 with an actual plan.

Next goal: find a magnifying glass, or at least a firestriker.

Because tools are finally catching up.

Now I need fire to stop being a daily crisis.

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 7 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 10

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 7: The Cost of Sleeping In

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 7: The Cost of Sleeping In

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

I woke up in the cave already behind schedule.

The plan was clear.

Grab the bedroll. Reach the rope. Drop down. Check the area. Come back up. Push for Mystery Lake.

Weight was already going to be the limiting factor.

The Rope and the Carcass

At the rope, I found a deer carcass right beside it.

I harvested some meat and left it cooking, hoping it would be ready by the time I returned. Before heading down, I dropped what I could afford to lose.

Going down was controlled. Calculated.

The area below had no hammer, but it wasn’t empty. I found an emergency stim and a gunsmithing book. Neither would help today. One would burn well later.

The Climb Back Up

I started the climb carrying only what I needed.

Even then, it wasn’t clean.

I ran out of stamina partway up and had to stop on a ledge. I waited, drank coffee, and let the bar refill before committing to the rest of the climb.

I made it.

But the wind had picked up.

The deer meat never cooked.

Weather Stacking the Odds

I retreated back to the cave.

I cooked what I could and started prepping to wait. Then the game doubled down and threw another blizzard at me. Two days. Two storms.

Mystery Lake felt close enough to be insulting.

I waited. The blizzard didn’t ease.

Night came. My fire shrank.

I fed it coal, sticks, and whatever wood I could spare, then made the decision to sleep.

The Actual Mistake

I slept for ten hours.

I should have slept for two.

Maybe three.

I woke up to a battered condition bar and hypothermia risk already at 56%.

Staying was no longer an option.

Leaving Anyway

The weather was still hostile.

I restarted the fire, made something hot for a heat bonus, grabbed the lantern, and left.

I came close to using the emergency stim. Close enough that it would have been justified.

Then I saw the exit to Mystery Lake.

I didn’t slow down.

I committed.

Temporary Safety

I knew there was a trailer nearby.

When it came into view, I sprinted.

Inside, my temperature climbed. I ate. I slept as much as I safely could.

Condition is still low, but the run continues.

Tomorrow, I head for the dam.

If it’s empty, the margin for error gets thinner again.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 6 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 8 & Day 9

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 6: Cold Enough to Rush

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 6: Cold Enough to Rush

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

The Ravine doesn’t threaten you. It just removes your margin for error.

Today was meant to be a transition day.

Leave Coastal Highway. Cross the Ravine. Reach Mystery Lake.

The route itself behaved. The cold didn’t.

This place is brutally efficient at draining warmth. I kept moving, knowing full well this isn’t somewhere you loiter and survive by accident.

The rail section still bothers me. One stretch always feels like it’s waiting for a mistake. I treat it as rehearsal for Ash Canyon, assuming I ever earn the right to go there.

Expectations Management

There’s a known hammer chance here.

I didn’t expect it to show.

It didn’t.

No disappointment. Just confirmation.

Cave Heat and Familiar Failure

I found a cave and stopped long enough to get warm.

While the fire burned, I caught myself regretting the two deer hides I’d left behind earlier. That was a future problem then. It still is.

Rabbits milled around outside.

I tried.

The rabbits won.

This is starting to feel like a pattern rather than bad luck.

Blizzard Logic

I decided to cook for skill gains while I had shelter.

The weather decided otherwise.

A blizzard rolled in while I was still in the cave, removing the option to push forward. Waiting became mandatory.

I ate enough to stay focused and spent the time reading a sewing book. I’ve been repairing gear constantly. Raising that skill matters more than saving calories I might lose tomorrow anyway.

Interloper rewards preparation. It punishes hesitation.

Rope and a Delayed Exit

The blizzard eventually broke.

So did the day.

I didn’t trust the remaining light to get me safely into Mystery Lake. Instead, I pushed to the next cave and found a mountaineering rope.

That at least allowed me to check the area I’d been considering.

No hammer.

Still, information is progress.

Not Lingering

I slept in the Ravine.

No predators here, but the cold feels personal. Aggressive. Like it wants you gone.

I don’t intend to stay longer than necessary.

Mystery Lake needs to happen soon.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 5 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 7

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 5: The Bow Dream Persists

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 5: The Bow Dream Persists

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

It feels strange to still be here.

I didn’t expect this run to last. Not on Interloper. But five days in, I’m still upright, still moving, still counting small victories like they matter. Because they do.

Today’s plan was simple. Move carefully. Take what the map allows. Don’t get greedy.

The ice had other ideas.

Island Hopping

I crossed the ice toward the fishing cabins, step by deliberate step.

A suitcase had washed up after the blizzard. Thick ice this time, thankfully. I checked it anyway.

Nothing useful.

No camera. No reason to carry film. I left it behind.

The first island paid out better.

A birch sapling.

That means one arrow someday. Not many. Just one. Enough to keep the idea alive.

The second island followed up with a maple sapling.

The bow dream didn’t die today.

The cabins themselves were empty. No surprises. No correction to the balance.

Cooking for Progress

I lit a fire and cooked the rabbit.

I added anything else I could justify, not out of hunger, but for experience. Cooking skill still hasn’t hit level two, which feels wrong given how much time I’ve spent staring at fires.

Interloper doesn’t reward effort. Only outcomes.

When the fire burned down, I pulled a torch and moved on.

The River Remembers

I followed the river. The same one that ended the last run.

Cattails lined the banks. I took every one.

A deer carcass lay ahead. I considered committing to it. Wind killed that idea quickly.

I took one kilo of meat.

Greed gets you killed. I’ve learned that lesson already.

At the bridge it finally clicked.

The Ravine is close.

Mystery Lake is no longer theoretical.

Not today, though. Not like this.

Tea and Repairs

I diverted to the Train Unloading trailer.

Herbal tea.

I was happier about that than I should admit.

I made another fire in the nearby tunnel. Cooked what I could. Boiled water. Prepared teas.

I repaired my windbreaker jacket. Again.

It’s holding together out of spite at this point.

The bow is getting closer. I know better than to expect miracles, but I can already feel the disappointment waiting.

Calling It

I broke my rule and ate before bed so I could read a sewing book.

Once it got too dark, I stepped outside to keep reading.

The weather answered immediately.

I didn’t wait to confirm if it was a blizzard.

I went back inside.

Herbal tea. Sleep.

Tomorrow, the Ravine.

And maybe, if the debt hasn’t come due yet, a heavy hammer.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 4 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 6

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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

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 4: A Debt Is Forming

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 4: A Debt Is Forming

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

The day gave me what I wanted. That’s never free on Interloper.

Today was meant to be a cleanup operation. Loot thoroughly, then leave. Mystery Lake is still the goal, but I wanted one last attempt at securing proper tools before committing.

A heavy hammer would mean long-term survival.

A hacksaw would mean immediate leverage.

I stepped outside the garage.

The hacksaw was waiting.

No detour. No risk. No trade.

That kind of luck doesn’t happen on Interloper. It accumulates. It sits quietly. It waits to be collected later.

I checked the save file again. Same answer. Same difficulty. Same unease.

The Warning Shot

With the hacksaw secured, I headed toward the cabins. There was still daylight, and I didn’t want to waste it.

I didn’t get far.

The sound came first. Heavy. Deliberate.

A bear.

No hesitation. I turned and ran. If panic counts as training, I was an elite athlete.

I escaped.

That felt less like success and more like a reminder.

The game now knows where I am.

Jackrabbit Island Pushback

I rerouted to Jackrabbit Island.

Crows circled over a corpse near the ice, probably dragged in by the last blizzard. I checked my weight, watched the ice, and stopped myself.

Weak ice doesn’t care how desperate you are.

I backed off.

Rabbits, at least, felt manageable.

One stun worked.

The next rabbit absorbed three clean hits.

Three recoveries. Three escapes.

That felt deliberate.

The day had already decided how generous it was going to be.

The Weather Collects Interest

The interior loot was thin. Nothing to balance the scales.

I rested for an hour and planned a push across the ice toward the houses.

The moment I opened the door, the blizzard answered.

I closed it again.

No argument. No delay. Just a firm no.

I harvested the rabbit instead. I considered leaving the hide and guts behind to cure, but I carried them with me. If the game is going to charge me later, I want every advantage in hand.

What Comes Next

Tomorrow’s objective is fixed.

Reach the Ravine.

If nothing collapses, Mystery Lake should follow within a day or two.

I have tools now.

That doesn’t feel like progress.

It feels like a balance sheet.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 3 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 5

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 3: A Dangerous Amount of Luck

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 3: A Dangerous Amount of Luck

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

I woke up to a still-burning fire. That felt like a warning.

I could have slept longer, but I didn’t risk it. If the fire died while I was unconscious, this run would have ended quietly and for no good reason.

I packed the bedroll, lit a torch, and went looking for rabbits.

I found a wolf instead.

Only three days in, and it was already tracking me.

I backed off toward the cave, swapped torches, and tried to create space. It followed anyway. Calm. Patient. Waiting.

I made for the nearby basement. Inside, I found shelter—and a pair of socks. Not exciting, but warmer feet matter more than pride.

Listening Instead of Seeing

I left the basement and pushed toward Coastal Highway.

The cold was immediate. Visibility was worse. I couldn’t see far enough ahead to plan, so I relied on sound.

Crows.

They led me to a deer carcass half-buried in the snow.

I started a fire right beside it. The plan was simple: wait until it thawed enough to harvest by hand. No hacksaw. No hatchet. No margin for error.

Once it hit the threshold, I took what I could. Meat first. Then the hide. One gut came with it—useful as a decoy if things went bad, but hopefully something I could cure.

The meat went straight on the fire. I didn’t linger.

Pressure Never Really Leaves

I checked the nearby fishing hut for matches.

There were none.

As soon as I stepped back outside, another wolf appeared. I didn’t hesitate. I headed straight for the nearest house and got indoors.

Inside, I found something this run had been refusing to give me.

Matches.

I don’t know if they were there the last time I passed through. It didn’t matter. They were there now.

I took everything useful and moved on toward Quonset Garage, with yet another wolf keeping pace behind me.

Quonset Feels Wrong

The garage was generous.

Too generous.

More supplies than last time. Still no hacksaw—but then I saw another box of matches.

At that point, it stopped feeling like luck.

I now had over thirty matches. Enough that, for the first time this run, I considered not keeping a fire burning just to build skill.

There was even a lantern.

Interloper doesn’t usually feel this forgiving. When it does, it’s usually planning something.

Ending the Day on a Win

I didn’t change the plan.

Quonset is tempting, but staying too long is how runs stall and die. Mystery Lake is still the goal.

Before sleeping, I crafted a snare. If I have to stop near a rabbit grove, I want options. Rabbit hides mean gloves and hats—assuming I survive long enough to need them.

Day 3 ended on a win.

That doesn’t mean much on Interloper.

But tonight, it’s enough.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 2 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 4

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #5 – Day 2: Coal, Caves, and Waiting It Out

Unprepared Log 5 – Day 2: Coal, Caves, and Waiting It Out

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Will

I needed progress today. What I got instead was time to think.

I’d like to say I headed straight for the mine.

I didn’t.

There was a nearby trailer, and ignoring shelter this early feels reckless. I checked it quickly. No usable clothing. No tools. Nothing that justified lingering.

With that answered, the mine became the only sensible option.

Through the Mines

On the way in, I picked up every stick I passed. It’s instinct now. Fuel is survival, and sticks are the cheapest insurance available.

Inside the mine, I collected coal as I went. More than I strictly needed, but coal buys time, and time keeps you alive.

I exited the first mine and made straight for the second—the route leading toward Crumbling Highway.

A Familiar Tool

Inside the second mine, I found a prybar.

The same place I found one on my last run.

I don’t know if it’s guaranteed, but two passes and two prybars suggest it might not be coincidence. Either way, I wasn’t about to question it.

Weather Says No

As soon as I reached Crumbling Highway, the weather turned.

Blizzard.

I had no cloth for repairs. I couldn’t read skill books—I was too hungry to focus. Moving on would have achieved nothing, so I waited.

I stepped outside once or twice, just long enough to confirm it was a bad idea, then went straight back to shelter.

The Cave Hold

When the blizzard finally broke, I moved for the cave I’d used on a previous run.

I dropped the bedroll and lit a fire. The cave itself was warm, but the fire gave me light, cooking time, and something productive to do.

I prepared and cooked every reishi mushroom and rose hip I had. It’s not exciting food, but it’s dependable.

I’m deliberately avoiding overeating. Until I have a sustainable food source, restraint matters more than comfort.

End of Day Two

The plan hasn’t changed. Mystery Lake is still the goal.

Before that, I intend to strip as much value as I can from Coastal Highway. Leaving resources behind on Interloper is how runs end early.

Two days in, and this already feels better than the last attempt.

Maybe the game is being kind.

I doubt it.

Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 1 |
Unprepared Log 5 – Day 3

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #4 – Final Day: So Close It Hurt

Unprepared Log 4 – Final Day: So Close It Hurt

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Astrid

Today’s plan was simple. Which should have been my first warning.

I needed matches. Or failing that, food. Something—anything—that would let this run survive another day.

I headed for the nearest fishing hut first. No matches. No food. No joy.

With wolves very much on my mind, I made a call. Stick to the road. I had rabbit meat on me, and I didn’t rate my chances in a surprise encounter.

If it came to it, I could always drop the meat and hope that bought me space.

False Hope on the River

I reached the end of the road still matchless, but not empty-handed on ideas.

The river meant cat tails. Light, reliable, and one of the few food sources that doesn’t argue back.

I started working my way along the river edge, carefully, methodically. With every handful of cat tails, my chances ticked upward.

For the first time all day, survival felt possible.

The Bear

Then I saw it.

The bear.

I froze for half a second too long. Completely forgot I had flares. Panic took over.

I turned and ran.

I knew a flare probably wouldn’t stop a charging bear anyway, so I went with the next desperate idea: drop the rabbit meat.

Maybe it would accept that.

It didn’t.

Second Chances Don’t Exist

The attack left me bleeding badly. Infection risk followed soon after.

I managed to treat the infection, but my condition was critically low. Every step felt borrowed.

The bear walked away.

For a moment, I thought I might limp out of this.

I was wrong.

It came back.

There was no second plan. No miracle item. No recovery window.

The blood loss finished what the first charge started.

End of the Run

That was it.

My best Interloper run to date, ended just as it started—underprepared, unlucky, and one mistake away from survival.

Still.

I lasted longer. I learned more. And for the first time, it felt like Interloper was something I could eventually solve.

Just not today.

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Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 4 – Days 3 & 4 |
Unprepared Log 4 – Day 1

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Unprepared: An Interloper Survival Diary in The Long Dark Log #4 – Day 3 & Day 4: Running on Fumes

Unprepared Log 4 – Days 3 & 4: Running on Fumes

Difficulty: Interloper
Survivor: Astrid

Food was a problem. Then the weather decided to make it worse.

With food still being the major concern, I would love to say I set out on a determined hunt.

I didn’t.

A blizzard was raging outside, so instead I did what Coastal Highway encourages best: hiding indoors and finding absolutely nothing.

I scavenged what buildings I could reach safely. Cupboards were empty. Drawers mocked me. Coastal Highway, it seems, had decided this run was optional.

Eventually the blizzard began to die down. Not gone — just tired enough to let me make bad decisions again.

Day 3: False Hope

I pushed out and searched a few more houses.

Nothing.

No food. No matches. No miracle tin of peaches hiding behind a chair.

By the end of the day, I accepted reality. I made water, ate what little I had left, and tried to stretch it further than it deserved.

It wasn’t enough, but it bought me another sunrise.

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Day 4: The Realisation

I woke up in the red.

This felt like the last day of the run. And honestly, I was okay with that. I’d done better than expected, and if this was it, I wasn’t going out crawling.

I packed up and moved, daisy chaining torches as I went.

Then I heard it.

The unmistakable sound of a match being struck.

That’s when it clicked.

I wasn’t lighting torches from each other. I’d been burning through my matches instead.

I checked my inventory.

One torch left.

Jackrabbit Island Panic

I headed straight for Jackrabbit Island, hoping for a bailout.

No matches.

I wasn’t exactly searching calmly, so that one’s on me, but the result was the same.

I still had a flare. Technically, I could start another fire. Realistically, that meant committing to keeping it alive, and I wasn’t thrilled by that idea.

If Coastal Highway had matches, it was doing an excellent job of hiding them.

Beachcombing Salvation

If I was going down, I might as well see what the blizzard had left behind.

I went beachcombing.

And then I saw it.

A deer carcass.

I used my last lit torch to start a fire and got to work. Harvesting. Cooking. Feeding the flames like my life depended on it — because it did.

Then, at the worst possible moment, my TV turned itself off.

No warning. No grace period.

What followed was a mad dash to grab the Steam Deck, wake the screen, and pause the game before the battery ran out and the fire burned itself to death.

Nothing like real-world panic layered on top of Interloper panic.

Once things were stable again, I finished cooking.

For the first time in days, I had real food.

Misanthrope’s Gamble

I weighed my options one last time.

Misanthrope’s Homestead felt just barely reachable.

I took the gamble.

Along the way, I found rabbits and managed to grab two of them before pushing inside.

No matches.

But I did have two flares.

Two more fires. After that, the maths gets ugly.

End of Day 4

I slept for a few hours.

When I woke up, the aurora was dancing outside.

That story deserves its own entry.

I don’t know if I’ll survive another day.

But getting this far has done something dangerous.

It’s made me want to try harder next time.

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Video Log

Continue the journey:
Unprepared Log 4 – Day 2 |
Unprepared Log 4 – Final Day

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