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.
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 toque—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: success… which the wind immediately blows out mid-harvest. Rude.
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 hatchet—huge early-game win.
Back in Milton, a glovebox note reveals a memento cache… at the church I just left. Classic.
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 Mother’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.
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 Marrow—the creepiest fishing job I’ve ever had.
Welcome to Greater Marrow: Where the Fish Are Plentiful and the Fog Eats Souls
The game opens with a cutscene: I’m peacefully boating along when heavy fog rolls in like an uninvited guest. Then—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: “Angler Wanted.” I see now it meant sacrificial angler.
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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 “didn’t see the lighthouse.” I choose not to answer, partly because I’m still drying out, and partly because I very clearly didn’t. My boat? Completely ruined. But the Mayor had the locals haul my stuff into an old spare vessel. How quaint.
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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 anything—so multitasking is not encouraged.
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By 3:17pm, I’ve reeled in seven blue mackerel and three cod. I’m feeling confident. A little too confident. I decide I have time for just one more fish.
Spoiler: I didn’t.
—
After grabbing another mackerel, I turn back… only to realise I’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 that… panic? Hallucination? Ancient evil? Who knows!
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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 “a small percentage” going toward town improvements. Sounds a bit pyramid-scheme-y, but I nod along.
Inside the Fishmonger’s shop, he greets me with surprise: “New fisherman, already?” I ask about the last one. He doesn’t answer. Just says it takes a “certain type of person” 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. That’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 Shipwright’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 today’s performance.
I return to the dock, mentally exhausted, financially lighter, and very aware that this is only day one.
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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
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⚠️ Madness Strike #1: Fogblind and Foolish
Let’s be honest—I didn’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 is—my first Madness Strike.
Sanity: Fractured
Confidence: Shaken
Navigational Skills: Still questionable
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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?
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 — stay tuned right here on Survivor Incognito as the madness begins.
It starts with a bear. It ends with panic. Somewhere in between, a rifle is involved. You can probably guess how well that goes.
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🌊 Tuesday – Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day 1
We set sail on our brand new permadeath adventure through Dredge. The waters may look calm… but don’t let them fool you.
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❄️ Wednesday – Customloper: Day 1 – 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.
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⚔ Thursday – Skyrim Survival: Day 6
The trek through Skyrim’s frozen wilderness continues. More frostbite, more danger, and almost certainly another regrettable encounter with something that bites.
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🔥 Friday – A Voyageur’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.
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🦌 Saturday – Survivor’s Shorts: The Interloper Moose Incident
I try Interloper mode in The Long Dark. I spawn. I panic. The moose arrives. That’s pretty much the plot summary.
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🔥 Survive with us every week on Survivor Incognito — 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 — with humor, tips, and plenty of questionable life choices. 👉 Bookmark Survivor Incognito and join the survival adventure.
A full roundup of everything that’s gone live on Survivor Incognito this week: new Survivor’s Shorts, Survivor’s Dread launch, The Survivor’s Camp hub, new Day One Diaries for No Man’s Sky and Nice Day For Fishing, Customloper, Skyrim, The Long Dark, and blog updates.
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The Campfire’s Been Busy — Let’s Catch Up
One of the busiest weeks yet! If you blinked, you probably missed something — so here’s your full survival roundup:
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🏕 The Survivor’s Camp is Now Open
A brand new central hub page has launched: The Survivor’s Camp pulls together everything on the blog — survival guides, series hubs, shorts, and playthroughs — all in one place.
The newest addition to the blog is here: Survivor’s Dread covers all things survival horror, kicking off with Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival. The first entry comes next week as the darkness descends.
The multiverse opens up. Our No Man’s Sky Day One Diary has begun, charting survival, exploration, and (inevitably) questionable decisions across the stars.
❄️ Customloper – The Long Dark: Day One Diaries Continue
The Customloper run officially kicks off next week. But until then, here’s a Day One Diary entry to help you understand what to expect. Interloper weather. Voyageur loot. Plenty of snow. Plenty of danger.
My Argonian is still alive somehow. High Hrothgar, frostbite, bandits, cultists, and chickens continue to make the journey through Skyrim Survival Mode both ridiculous and dangerous.
Behind the scenes, several former pages have now been converted into regular blog posts. This should make navigation cleaner and help posts show up more naturally in blog feeds, archives, and categories.
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That’s everything from this week! Stay warm. Stay fed. Don’t poke the wildlife. (Or open any cursed chests.)
I thought I was alone on Coastal Highway. Then I saw antlers. This is the story of how a moose turned a quiet walk into an Olympic-level panic sprint.
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It was just another day in The Long Dark.
I was walking the road near Quonset Garage on Coastal Highway. Light fading, stomach grumbling, the usual post-loot shuffle home. Everything felt quiet. Calm. Deceptively safe.
Then I saw it.
Not a charging bear. Not a distant wolf. No, this was worse.
A moose.
It wasn’t running. It wasn’t stomping. It was just… standing there. Behind a tree.
Image taken from The Long Dark Wiki. Mainly because I didn’t think to take a screenshot or a video when it happened
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Staring at me like it had been waiting for its cue in a survival horror play.
And then—it took the stance. The head lowered. The hooves shifted. You know the one. The “say the word and I’ll flatten you” stance.
That was my sign to go.
I turned and ran for the nearest building like I’d just insulted its family. My survival instincts kicked in, my inventory was forgotten, and my dignity stayed behind by the tree.
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Final Thoughts
The Long Dark Wiki says that moose in particular has a 5% chance to spawn for 48 hours. This one spawned right behind a tree and in front of my will to live.
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Got a favourite chaotic moment?
Let me know in the comments or tag me on social—I’m always looking for new disasters to celebrate. And if you enjoy these shorts, consider sharing the page with a fellow survivor. Because nothing says “friendship” like a moose silently judging you from behind a tree.
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If you enjoyed this story, please check out my other: Survivor’s Shorts
Today’s mission was simple on paper: lighten my pack, loot like a professional, and avoid becoming a decorative frozen lump in a snowbank. The first step was Quonset Garage inventory triage. I dumped food, meds, spare clothes, and every non-essential item into my storage stash — keeping just enough to keep me alive. Travel light, loot heavy. The survivor’s paradox.
First stop: a nearby building that greeted me with the holy grail of kitchenware — a cooking pot and a skillet. Outstanding finds. Unfortunately, they also weighed roughly the same as my survival hopes, so back to Quonset I trudged, muttering about my endless loop of “find loot, dump loot, repeat.”
With the weight off my shoulders (literally), I decided today was going to be about exploration — specifically, mapping Coastal Highway like a cartographer with too much time on their hands. I hopped between fishing huts, pausing every so often to scribble charcoal marks on my map like an artist who only draws squares. The wind bit at my face, ice groaned under my boots, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled just to keep me humble.
Loot highlights of the hut-hopping adventure included: a book on fishing (because nothing says “immersive reading” like reading about fishing while fishing), a hunting knife that immediately earned its keep on a nearby deer carcass, and — drumroll, please — a revolver.
Three bullets. Enough to be dangerous, not enough to be reckless.
Yes, an actual revolver. Even better — it had one round chambered, and earlier in my fishing crawl I’d picked up two loose bullets. That’s three shots. In The Long Dark, that’s not just self-defense; it’s a small-scale munitions miracle. Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I’d left the rest of my ammo back at Quonset, so for now it’s more of a moral support weapon.
While the deer meat cooked in one of the huts, I dashed over to a nearby trailer to drop off the hide and gut for curing. Nothing says “I’ve made it” like casually starting your own rabbit and deer leather collection. Resource management, baby.
By evening, the weather had shifted from “brisk” to “why are you outside, you fool?” A blizzard swept in just as I reached the edge of the lake. I wasn’t about to attempt a hero’s march back to Quonset in that, so I ducked into the nearest house. The place was cold, abandoned, and smelled faintly of damp socks — but it had loot, so it met my standards.
Looted the place, harvested some extra clothes (accidentally shredded a perfectly good hat, but we don’t talk about that), and collapsed into bed before the fatigue meter could nag me into a penalty.
End of Day 5: One revolver, three bullets, a map full of fishing huts, and the creeping suspicion that Coastal Highway might just be my new favorite spot — assuming the wolves don’t hold a vote on the matter.
Survivor’s Dread is now live! A new hub for survival horror playthroughs, starting with Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival.
I’m very excited (and slightly nervous) to officially launch Survivor’s Dread: the newest corner of Survivor Incognito where survival horror games get their own home.
Here you’ll find my permadeath playthroughs and survival horror experiments—where the games aren’t just about food meters and blizzards, but also sanity meters, strange noises, and questionable life choices.
We’re kicking things off with Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival, where I attempt to survive fishing in waters that absolutely do not want me there.
The first official Survivor’s Dread series begins next week on Survivor Incognito. I’m diving blind into Dredge, armed with nothing but poor judgment and permadeath rules.
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What Is Survivor’s Dread?
A new weekly series where I explore different corners of survival games—where horror, tension, and terrible decisions collide. Which was originally going to be called Friday Fright, but I preferred the sound of Survivor’s Dread, and also means I can change the day it is released.
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So What Game Are We Starting With?
Dredge.
A fishing game, allegedly.
It’s foggy. It’s weird. I’ve only played the demo. What could possibly go wrong?
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The Twist: Permadeath
I’ve made a custom permadeath ruleset called Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival. If the boat dies, the run dies. I go into the fog, and I don’t go back.
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When Does It Begin?
Next Tuesday at 1PM GMT, the nightmare begins with Day One of Dark Waters.
Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival begins Tuesday at 1PM GMT.
I’ll be heading into the fog with nothing but a fishing rod, a poorly thought-out permadeath rule set, and the vague hope that the sea won’t immediately chew me up and spit me out.
Want to play along—or just judge my decisions from a safe distance? You can grab the full rule sheet here:
I return to Shroud Hearth Barrow to face a “ghost,” discover it’s just a deranged frost mage, clear out undead, remember how to zoom with a bow, and miss Lydia more than I expected.
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The Ghost Isn’t Real, But the Frostbite Is
The day begins with a voice echoing through the ruins of Shroud Hearth Barrow, telling me to turn back. I don’t. Obviously. If I turned back every time a disembodied voice told me to, I wouldn’t have left Helgen.
Inside, I find frost-covered halls and a frost-wielding “spectre” who turns out to be a man in a robe with a superiority complex. I resist the urge to shout, “You’re not even undead!” and settle for fire spells and potions instead. Frost resistance does most of the work. A few spells later, he’s dead—and not the kind that gets up again.
Turns out he snapped from isolation and decided to LARP as a ghost. His journal’s full of ramblings, paranoia, and bad decisions. I should probably relate, but instead I loot his body and move on.
I can’t help thinking Lydia could’ve handled the distraction while I circled behind. She was good for that—charging in recklessly while I fired off spells and arrows from the shadows. It hits me again that she’s gone. Permanently. Not resting in Breezehome. Just gone. And for the first time, that feels like more than an inventory loss.
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A Quick Detour to Town
I return to the inn with the ghost-faker’s journal. The innkeeper’s relieved to learn the place isn’t haunted and rewards me with the Sapphire Dragon Claw—because apparently the correct response to surviving a haunted dungeon is to send someone deeper into it.
Not one to refuse free ancient loot access, I eat some food, warm up, and head back in.
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Back to the Barrow
The second half of the barrow is more undead and more danger. I find a sleeping bag tucked beside some barrels and take the opportunity to rest. One hour’s enough to regain stamina and level up. I put the point into Health and choose Light Armor for the perk—mainly because I’m tired of dying in three hits.
The claw fits the puzzle door and grants access to the barrow’s inner sanctum. I shift into stealth mode and start clearing the area with arrows and fire spells. It’s during one of these fights that I finally remember: I can zoom in with my bow. (Hold ZL to aim, click right stick for zoom.) This information would’ve been helpful literally four days ago, but better late than dead.
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New Magic, New Words, Same Cold
Along the way, I find an Oakflesh spellbook. Boosted armor without metal? Yes, please. It pairs well with my current sneaky-bow-mage playstyle, especially since I’ve yet to find decent armor that doesn’t clank.
At the very end of the dungeon, I’m greeted by a Word Wall. I approach and learn Kyne’s Peace, which… sounds like something the Greybeards might want to chat about. I haven’t seen them since I shouted at a mountain goat near Whiterun, so I imagine they’re still waiting patiently on their high stone perch.
Before I leave the crypt, I rest again and hit another level up. Health gets another boost (cold and axes both hurt), and I drop a perk point into Sneak. Because what’s better than being hard to kill? Being hard to find in the first place.
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Day 5 Summary
Defeated fake ghost in Shroud Hearth Barrow
Acquired and used the Sapphire Dragon Claw
Cleared out all skeletons and draugr
Remembered I can zoom while aiming with a bow (finally)
Picked up Oakflesh for magic armor buffs
Learned Word of Power: Kyne’s Peace
Leveled up twice: +2 Health, Light Armor +1, Sneak +1
Missed Lydia more than expected
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The barrow’s empty, the loot is mine, and the Greybeards are probably wondering if I’ve died in a ditch. They’ll get their answer tomorrow—assuming I don’t freeze to death first.
Survivor Incognito 