Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 3 | The Aurora Problem (and the Leviathan Bigger Problem)

Platform: Steam Deck | Difficulty: Survival

“The Aurora is going to explode…” — my PDA, several minutes before the actual explosion.

Apparently the end of the world comes with buffering. The PDA warned me of the Aurora’s imminent detonation, but the ship took its sweet time about it. Still, that gave me the perfect window to craft my shiny new radiation suit from some creepvine samples. Nothing like the warm embrace of woven seaweed to make you feel safe from lethal fallout.

Once kitted out, I stocked up on the essentials: food, water, fire extinguisher, medkits — the usual “I might die but want to look prepared” loadout. Then, off to the Aurora I went, scanning everything I passed: beacons, Propulsion Cannon fragments, office chairs (because if I’m stranded on an alien ocean planet, I’m at least going to sit comfortably).

The Aurora Expedition

I reached the crash site and was immediately greeted by its new inhabitants — aggressive little crab things who were less than impressed with my knife-waving diplomacy. My PDA informed me I’d need a laser cutter to get deeper inside. Excellent. Another tool I don’t have. Add that to the “future me” problem list right under “stop the Aurora from exploding in 24 hours.”

Current me, however, had a far more pressing issue: I’d lost my flashlight. Somewhere inside the Aurora. One second I’m lighting the way through twisted corridors, the next my light vanishes into the void. After several minutes of frantic backtracking and muttering, I found it lying on the deck. Then, like the professional survivor I am, I immediately dropped it again while trying to equip it. Future me might solve radiation — present me still can’t handle basic inventory management.

The Leviathan Encounter

Deciding I couldn’t progress without a Propulsion Cannon, I returned to the Lifepod to craft one — only to discover I was missing a wiring kit. Which needs silver. Which I didn’t have.
Silver lives in sandstone outcrops, and the area near the Aurora wreck seemed like a logical place to search.

That was a mistake.

Because instead of silver, I found something much bigger. A Leviathan. Don’t ask me which type — I was too busy screaming to file a report. It was fast, loud, and apparently decided I looked like lunch. I bolted. It chased. My health bar became a decorative sliver, and then, for reasons only it knows, it broke off the attack.

I didn’t wait to question my luck. I burned through medkits and bolted home, heart pounding louder than the Aurora’s reactor. The silver can wait. I’m alive, and that’s enough for today — though after my close encounter with the Reaper Leviathan (I finally remembered what it was called), I’m not sure how many more “near misses” my nerves can take.

Log 3 Summary (Steam Deck Edition)

  • Crafted the Radiation Suit before the Aurora explosion
  • Scanned multiple new blueprints, including the Propulsion Cannon
  • Lost my flashlight inside the Aurora (twice)
  • Confirmed: Leviathans exist, and they are very fast
  • Survived a close encounter with one — barely
Continue the journey:
Log 2 |
Log 4 Coming Soon

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 2: The Depths of Progress

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Log 2: The Depths of Progress

Difficulty: Survival (Steam Deck Survival)
Optional Features: Grav Trap Deployed for Science and Snacks

“Silver is rarer than common sense on this planet.”

After yesterday’s fire-fighting and frantic crafting, I started the day with a new radio message: Lifepod 17 had also crashed somewhere nearby — right next to the Seamoth Bay, apparently. But priorities are priorities, and since Lifepod 3 radioed me first, they got first rescue attempt.

Priorities, Podcasts, and PDAs

Lifepod 3 wasn’t exactly a rescue success.
I did, however, find a blueprint for a compass — the kind of thing that makes you wonder why your pod didn’t come with one pre-installed. I added it straight to the “to-craft-once-I-can-see-straight” list, along with a PDA I’ll read later when I’m not holding my breath underwater. No survivors… unless you count me, which I do, enthusiastically.

Back at my pod, I realised something important: I can’t see a damn thing once it gets dark. So I finally crafted a torch — apparently the galaxy’s most underrated invention — along with a survival knife because there’s nothing like a little sharp-edged comfort in an ocean full of unknown lifeforms.

Lifepod 17 and the Great Seamoth Discovery

Next stop: Lifepod 17.
Predictably, it was another empty seat arrangement, but I did strike technological gold — enough Seamoth fragments to unlock the blueprint. I just need a Mobile Vehicle Bay now, which sounds easy enough until you remember I’m surviving on cooked bladderfish and spite.

While exploring the wrecks, I also found the last few materials to upgrade my O₂ tank. More air equals more curiosity, and more curiosity usually equals more trouble, so that’s a win all around.

Incoming Messages and Explosive Warnings

Just as I was feeling productive, I got a new transmission — this time from the Sunbeam. They wanted a response, but my comms system is, and I quote, “irreparably damaged.” Translation: I’m talking to myself for the foreseeable future.

With no one to call and no Netflix subscription in sight, I built a Grav Trap and tossed it outside the Lifepod to watch it work. Instant sushi buffet. Fish helplessly drawn into an invisible vortex of doom. It’s oddly soothing.

Science in Motion

Full gameplay log below — forty minutes of exploration, crafting, and the occasional panic swim. Featuring Grav Trap testing, Lifepod 17 dives, and my ongoing battle with visibility and oxygen management.

Watch on YouTube

I even had enough parts for a Rebreather, further extending my underwater escapades. Everything was going fine… right up until the PDA told me the Aurora will explode in approximately two hours.
Sure. Two hours to stop a planet-sized reactor meltdown with nothing but a knife and optimism. Sounds totally achievable.

Silver, Sunbeam, and Sinking Realisations

I spent the rest of the day chasing one thing: silver. I’d convinced myself it didn’t exist anymore, that I’d mined the planet dry earlier. But after far too many dives and muttered curses, I finally found some glimmering salvation among the sandstone outcrops.

Back at the Lifepod, another message awaited — the Sunbeam again. They’ve spotted the wreckage of the Aurora and are coming to investigate. They’ll be here within the week.

So not all doom and gloom then. Just mild existential dread… and a new compass freshly crafted to help me get lost in the right direction next time.

Continue the Journey:
Log 1 |
Log 3

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Day 1: The Peeper in the Pod

Submerged: A Subnautica Survival Diary – Day 1

Difficulty: Survival Mode (Steam Deck Edition)

Welcome to 4546B

I wake to alarms, a smoking console, and one extremely calm Peeper hovering in the middle of my lifepod like it pays rent. Fire out, situation stable, roommate secured. I catch it. I cook it. Breakfast of champions.

The PDA boots into Emergency Mode with the sort of cheerful corporate tone that suggests HR wrote it. Regardless, it’s my lifeline now, so I listen.

First Steps (and First Swims)

Before diving, I pin the essentials:

  • O₂ Tank — lungs are optional, but preferred.
  • Fins — I’d rather swim fast than panic slowly.

A few quick foraging runs later and I’ve got both crafted, plus a Repair Tool and a Scanner. The ocean is being cooperative… for the moment.

Right on cue, the radio chirps in with an update: rescue ETA 9… 9… 9… 9… 9 hours. So, roughly eleven and a half years. Excellent. I’ll, uh, keep busy.

Nightfall, Notes, and New Blueprints

Scanner built, I point it at everything that moves (and several things that don’t). The shallows hum with life — coral pulsing softly beneath me, strange silhouettes drifting just beyond visibility. It’s beautiful in a way that feels like a warning.

Darkness drops quickly, and scanning in pitch black is just guessing with extra beeps, so I pin a Torch for tomorrow.

At first light I spot Seaglide fragments. One scan later and the blueprint unlocks. New goal: build it before the day ends — because slow swimming is a lifestyle choice I refuse to adopt.

Then: a ping from Lifepod 3. Marker acquired. I’ll head there once the Seaglide is humming.

Crash Fish Chaos

While hunting materials, I discover two facts in rapid succession: Crash Fish hate visitors, and they express this by exploding in your face. Two back-to-back detonations later, my health bar looks like a bad stock chart. I limp to the lifepod, patch up, and get back to work. Controlled recklessness: unlocked.

The Hunt for Copper

Finding copper is like looking for hope in a horror movie — technically present, rarely where you expect. I comb the shallows, finally crack the right limestone outcrop, and sprint-swim home to craft Copper Wire.

Moments later, the Seaglide is mine. Sleek, fast, and probably not covered by warranty. I take it for a celebratory lap around the pod and call it a day. Tomorrow: Lifepod 3.

End of Day Reflections

The sun sinks below the horizon, painting the shallows gold and the deeper water black. My vitals are stable, the pod is repaired, and I’ve managed not to die — all major wins in my book. The ocean hums quietly around me, equal parts beautiful and unnerving. Somewhere out there, Lifepod 3 is waiting. Hopefully with snacks.

Watch the Chaos

🎥 Subnautica Survival – Day 1
See the full adventure — from surprise Peeper roommate to Seaglide success — on YouTube:

Continue the Journey

Day 1 (You Are Here) |
Day 2 – The Voyage to Lifepod 3 (Coming Soon)

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.

📢 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.

🌊 Announcement: Subnautica Will Be the Next Series!

While my Argonian my have fallen, it’s time to look ahead—and downward. Specifically, into the ocean.

I’m excited to announce that Subnautica will be the next full series featured on Survivor Incognito! The series will officially begin in a few weeks, once I’ve reacquainted myself with the controls (because I apparently forgot how to swim, build, and breathe). It’ll fall under the same permadeath-flavoured survival approach as the others, with a few sea-salty twists.

In the meantime, I’ve already launched the Subnautica Maps Page to help new players, returning survivors, and confused PDA AIs alike. Bookmark it, share it, or yell at it when you get lost near the Aurora again.


🎉 Celebrating 1,000 Views!

Also, a massive thank you to everyone who’s visited the blog—Survivor Incognito has officially passed the 1,000 views milestone!

To mark the occasion, I’m doing something a little different… something a little more classic horror. While I’m still getting my bearings with the controls again, you can expect a familiar mansion, limited saves, and enough tension to make a zombie blush. 🧟‍♂️

More on that very soon.


More updates coming soon, including the official Subnautica start date and a look at what else is on the blog horizon.

Stay afloat,
Survivor Incognito

Here’s What You Missed This Week

It’s been a big week at Survivor Incognito: a new diary began, another series ended, and a milestone snuck up on us. Here’s the full breakdown:

  • Tuesday: Stranded Deep – Day One Diary (official permadeath run starts next week!)
  • Wednesday: The Cold Chronicles – Day Nine
  • Thursday: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat – Final Entry (eulogy coming next week)
  • Friday: SnowRunner – Day Two, where I somehow end up on top of a mountain… with no plan for getting down.

We also launched the Subnautica Maps page this week, with a Subnautica: Below Zero map hub in the works too.

And lastly — a huge thank you: the blog passed 1,000 views this week! I’m currently plotting something fun as a proper thank-you to everyone who’s been reading, lurking, or laughing at my survival misfortunes.

More survival chaos (and a few heartfelt eulogies) coming next week.

🗺️ New Page Live: Subnautica Maps Are Here!

Lost in the Kelp Forest again? Swam into the Dunes thinking it was the Grassy Plateaus? Yeah… me too.

That’s why I’ve just launched a brand-new Subnautica Maps page on the blog! It features:

🧭 A direct link to the incredibly detailed interactive Subnautica map

🖼️ Gorgeous static region maps from RocketSoup.net

🧪 Some helpful blurbs and probably too much sarcasm

Whether you’re a new diver or a returning survivor who still forgets which way the Aurora crashed, this page is your new best friend. Or at least your most reliable one, since bladderfish don’t offer much conversation.

👉 Click here to check out the new Subnautica Maps page.

Stay buoyant out there.


Survivor Incognito
Still unsure which way is north

Blog at WordPress.com.

Up ↑