This Week on Survivor Incognito โ€“ Sinking In and Saying Goodbye

Itโ€™s a big week ahead on Survivor Incognito โ€” weโ€™re kicking off a brand new permadeath run, and also saying farewell to one of our longest-surviving characters.

  • ๐ŸŒŠ Stranded Deep: Sunburnt & Sinking officially begins this week. Expect sharks, dehydration, raft regrets, and poor life choices from Day One.
  • ๐Ÿ Skyrim: The Eulogy will also be posted โ€” a proper farewell to my Argonian survivor who gave it everything (except warmth, shelter, and a working torch).

Itโ€™s one of those weeks where we start something new and say goodbye to something old โ€” which, letโ€™s face it, is the rhythm of survival gaming.

Stick around. Itโ€™s going to be eventful.

๐ŸŒŠ Announcement: Subnautica Will Be the Next Series!

While my Argonian my have fallen, itโ€™s time to look aheadโ€”and downward. Specifically, into the ocean.

Iโ€™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 Iโ€™ve reacquainted myself with the controls (because I apparently forgot how to swim, build, and breathe). Itโ€™ll fall under the same permadeath-flavoured survival approach as the others, with a few sea-salty twists.

In the meantime, Iโ€™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.


๐ŸŽ‰ Celebrating 1,000 Views!

Also, a massive thank you to everyone whoโ€™s visited the blogโ€”Survivor Incognito has officially passed the 1,000 views milestone!

To mark the occasion, Iโ€™m doing something a little differentโ€ฆ something a little more classic horror. While Iโ€™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. ๐ŸงŸโ€โ™‚๏ธ

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

Itโ€™s been a big week at Survivor Incognito: a new diary began, another series ended, and a milestone snuck up on us. Hereโ€™s the full breakdown:

  • Tuesday: Stranded Deep โ€“ Day One Diary (official permadeath run starts next week!)
  • Wednesday: The Cold Chronicles โ€“ Day Nine
  • Thursday: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat โ€“ Final Entry (eulogy coming next week)
  • Friday: SnowRunner โ€“ Day Two, where I somehow end up on top of a mountainโ€ฆ 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 โ€” a huge thank you: the blog passed 1,000 views this week! Iโ€™m currently plotting something fun as a proper thank-you to everyone whoโ€™s been reading, lurking, or laughing at my survival misfortunes.

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

๐ŸŽ‰ We Hit 1,000 Views! โ€“ A Survivorโ€™s First Milestone

Estimated time to read: Slightly less time than it takes to get eaten by a wolf in Voyageur mode.

Somehow, somewhere, in between falling through the ice in The Long Dark, and getting flattened by a doedicurus in ARKโ€”I hit 1,000 views on this blog.

One. Thousand. Views.

I donโ€™t know which one of you read the Subnautica Maps page more than once, but I appreciate you. Whether youโ€™re here for map guides, day one disasters, or just to feel better about your own survival skillsโ€”you made this happen.

So to celebrate:

Iโ€™m still alive (in at least one save file).

The permadeath chaos continues.

More games are coming (seriously, thereโ€™s a Subnautica diary on the horizon and I may be foolishly eyeing Blast Corps as a permadeath challengeโ€”because why not add demolition trucks to my stress levels?).


To everyone whoโ€™s clicked, read, liked, or even accidentally stumbled here while Googling โ€œhow to not die in Mystery Lakeโ€โ€”thank you. The chaos is portable, but so is the community weโ€™re building here.

Once again, thank you to everyone who has clicked on my little corner of chaos on the Internet.

Hereโ€™s to the next 1,000 viewsโ€”and maybe even surviving past Day Five next time.

Stay warm. Stay weird. Stay Incognito.
โ€“ Survivor Incognito

Snowrunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries โ€“ Driver Log Two: Climbing Regret Mountain

Day 2 of SnowRunner starts with optimism and ends clinging to a winch on a steep incline. Join me as I upgrade my scout, take on a task I probably shouldnโ€™t have, and learn the hard way that not all paths are visibleโ€ฆ or survivable.

๐Ÿ“œ Series Hub: SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub

๐Ÿ›  Rules: SnowRunner Permagear Rules

๐Ÿ’ก Why Permagear Works: Read the reasoning behind the challenge

Missed Day One? Find it here.


Climbing Regret Mountain, One Winch at a Time

Day 2 kicks off with my usual ritual: staring at the map and pretending I know what Iโ€™m doing. Several jobs seem a bit out of reach (both literally and figuratively), so I settle on something that sounds reasonableโ€”Fallen Powerline.

Seems easy enough. Famous last words.

I jump into my trusty Chevrolet scout, cruise toward the task, and along the way discover a bonus job: The Place Beyond the Spruces. It’s a scout task, so I mentally bookmark it for later. First, Fallen Powerline.

I reach the task marker, accept itโ€ฆ and immediately regret it. I need concrete blocks, and from what I can tell, the only place that has them is in uncharted territory. Brilliant.


Time for an Upgrade

Back to the garage. I top off the fuel and swap out the scoutโ€™s tyres for 38″ AS II wheels. Big, beefy, and made for the kind of rough terrain that got me stuck yesterday.

They see me rollin’… into trouble

Good newsโ€”theyโ€™re working. I scale the hill much more easily than before, retracing the route toward the Watchtower. I pass the turn-off for that and continue forward.

Bad newsโ€”the map claims thereโ€™s a path where my eyeballs clearly see nothing but trees, rocks, and despair.


The Path Less Traveledโ€ฆ Because It Doesnโ€™t Exist

So, I make my own path. Itโ€™s slow going. The winch saves me more than once. Somewhere in the chaos, it dawns on me that if this scout gets stuck, itโ€™s game over for this vehicle. Thereโ€™s no backup. Nothing to rescue it. Just me, the hill, and gravity slowly eroding my optimism.

The end goal is in sight, but the terrain isnโ€™t giving up without a fight. Every inch is a battle. Gravity starts to win. I start panic winching.

But I make it. Task complete.

Victory is mineโ€”sort of.

Because now Iโ€™m sitting at the edge of a steep drop, staring into the void, and wonderingโ€ฆ

Now what?

I have no clue how Iโ€™m getting down.


Next time: I either become a physics-defying downhill expert or I lose my scout in a deeply emotional farewell. Stay tuned.


Want to find out what happens? Read Day Three here.

Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Thirteen

A peaceful morning turns tragic as a detour into Darkshade cave leads to the end of the run. My Argonian meets his match in a brutal troll ambush, marking the end of this survival tale.

Missed the previous entry? Find it here: Skyrim Survival Day Twelve


The Long Road Home

I wake up in Kynesgrove, still alive after yesterdayโ€™s dragon incident โ€” which, letโ€™s be honest, felt like a miracle in itself. Looking at the map, I realise the trek back to Riverwood is going to be long. Possibly frostbitten. Definitely hungry. So, to lighten the load and my pack, I make a detour to Windhelm to sell off some loot and rethink life choices.

Gold in pocket and slightly less overencumbered, I continue south. I pass a black mage on the road and instinctively prepare for a spell-flinging ambush… but nothing happens. They just nod and keep walking. Huh. That’sโ€ฆ unsettling.


The Cave That Should Have Stayed Unexplored

Then I find it: Darkshade Cave. A delightful little murder hole nestled along the path. The bones outside should have been a clear warning, but Iโ€™m tired, curious, and suffering from a chronic case of “Whatโ€™s the worst that could happen?”

Spoiler: everything.

The first troll nearly turns me into lizard paste. Iโ€™m chugging health potions like Iโ€™m in some sort of Nurnroot energy drink commercial. Somehow, I survive. Barely.

I breathe out. Relief washes over me.

Thatโ€™s when the second troll appears.

Stronger. Meaner. Less camera-shy.

I dodge a few swings, land a few blowsโ€ฆ but itโ€™s a losing battle. I get hit with Gutworm, which sounds exactly as bad as youโ€™d imagine. I make a mental note to look up what it does, assuming I live long enough to Google it.

I donโ€™t.


The End of the Road


And just like thatโ€ฆ my Argonian is dead.

After everything:

The chaos of Helgen

The bitter cold of the mountains

Losing Lydia

Hiring a mercenary only to lose them too

Gaining Loki, my summoned saviour

Battling dragons, undead, frostbite, and starvationโ€ฆ


In the end, it wasnโ€™t fire or ice that killed me. It was two angry cave trolls with boundary issues.

Rest well, my scaly friend. You deserved better.


Final Thoughts

So ends my first attempt at surviving Skyrim.

Maybe it was foolish to enter that cave. Maybe I shouldโ€™ve gone straight to Riverwood. Or maybe โ€” just maybe โ€” trolls need to be nerfed.

Either way, itโ€™s game over for now. But donโ€™t worry. Iโ€™ve got more lives than a Khajiit with a lucky coin. A new run is coming.

Eventually.

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

The Cold Chronicles โ€“ Day 9: Bears, Bunnies, and Blizzard Dodging

Difficulty: Voyageur
Optional Features: Cougar enabled (still lurkingโ€ฆ somewhere)

Day 9 in Coastal Highway brings a near-bear encounter, a rabbit triumph, and a warm trailer evening. Still not at Mystery Lake โ€” but at least Iโ€™m well-fed, slightly warmer, and marginally better at sewing socks.

Missed Day 8? Read it here.

Still Not Mystery Lake

I woke to a stillness that felt suspicious. No howling wind, no wolves pacing outside โ€” just quiet. Thatโ€™s usually when the game decides to spring something on you.

Determined to make a second attempt at reaching Mystery Lake, I packed up and retraced yesterdayโ€™s route. The wolf from Day 8 was gone, which should have been a relief, but nature likes balance. In the wolfโ€™s place? A bear. Of course.

It was lumbering near the path, swaying its head like it owned the place โ€” which, to be fair, it did. I froze. When it didnโ€™t spot me, I slowly backed up the slope to my right. This wasnโ€™t cowardice, this was strategy. The slope spat me out at the cabins the bear had been guarding the day before. I swept through them quickly, but they held little worth taking: a few tins, some thread, and an old hoodie with more holes than fabric.

Rabbit > Trailer

Heading further down the trail, I spotted a trailer and made a mental note to check it out. Then I spotted rabbits. And just like that, the trailer was forgotten. I crouched, aimed, and โ€” miracle of miracles โ€” hit one. Bagging small game in this weather felt like winning the survival lottery.

By the time Iโ€™d harvested it, the trailer was a few minutes behind me. I considered going back but decided to keep pushing forward. Momentum in The Long Dark is fragile โ€” stop too long, and youโ€™ll talk yourself into a nap instead of a trek.

Shelter from the Storm

Another trailer appeared just as the weather turned. Inside, I found a jerry can. Heavy, useful, but not worth the burden today. I left it behind with a mental bookmark in case my fuel stores ran low later.

Outside, the wind had picked up. Snow swirled, biting into any exposed skin. My pace slowed to a crawl, every step feeling like I was dragging my boots through wet cement. The landscape faded into muted greys โ€” that in-between stage before a blizzard hits where you have just enough time to regret your choices.

I stumbled into the Train Unloading area in Coastal Highway just as the light began to fail. There was no way I was pressing on to Mystery Lake in these conditions unless I wanted to end up as tomorrowโ€™s beachcombing loot.

Good news: there was another trailer here. Better news: it had an intact stove. Even better news: no wolves inside.

Hot Meal and Light Reading

I set up shop outside the trailer. The rabbit carcass became a proper meal โ€” cooked meat, boiling water, even a little stockpile for the morning. As the fire crackled, I pulled out my sewing book and read by the flickering light. Sewing Level 2: achieved. Iโ€™m still not turning out runway fashion, but I might be able to patch my socks without making them worse.

With the wind howling outside, the trailer felt almost cosy. I had a belly full of rabbit, a few litres of water cooling beside me, and just enough optimism to think tomorrow might finally be the day I reach Mystery Lake.

Maybe. Unless the bear decides to relocate. Or the weather decides to remind me whoโ€™s in charge. Soโ€ฆ probably not.

Continue the journey:
Day 8 |
Day 10

Day One Diaries Return Tuesday โ€“ This Time, Itโ€™s Stranded Deep

Just a quick heads-up: a new Day One Diary drops this Tuesday, and weโ€™re heading somewhere sunny… and deadly. Thatโ€™s right โ€” itโ€™s time for Stranded Deep.

The Day One warm-up lands this week. The official permadeath run starts next week.

Get ready for sunburns, sharks, and me trying to build a raft that doesnโ€™t immediately flip over.

Want to get caught up? Check out the hub page for Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary.

Here’s What You Missed – Week of July 15th

Another week, another batch of survival stories wrapped in chaos and questionable decisions. Here’s what went down on Survivor Incognito this week:

  • Tuesday: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival โ€“ Final Entry
  • Wednesday: The Cold Chronicles (Customloper) โ€“ Day Four
  • Thursday: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat โ€“ Day Twelve
  • Friday: SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries โ€“ Day One

Thatโ€™s one series wrapped, one launched, and two still going strong.

Also, a quick thank you โ€” last week the blog saw nearly 200 views. Whether you read one post or all of them, I appreciate you surviving alongside me (or at least watching me not survive).

On another note, the next few weeks are going to be busy for me. But I’ll do my best to keep the chaos here going

More mayhem next week.

โ˜ฃ๏ธ Permadeath Pending: Games That Might End Me Next

Hereโ€™s a look at the survival and horror games currently on deck at Survivor Incognito โ€” including Subnautica, Alien: Isolation, Resident Evil, and more. Expect disasters. Possibly nuclear.

While Iโ€™m still trying to survive sand, snow, sea monsters, and supply chain disasters (SnowRunner coughs in Michigan), Iโ€™ve also been staring at my backlog and thinking:

โ€œWhat else could go horribly wrong?โ€

Here are the games lurking in the blog pipeline โ€” all under consideration, none guaranteed to go well.


๐ŸŽฎ Games Under Consideration (aka: The Next Mistake)

๐Ÿชธ Subnautica & Below Zero

Status: Planned
Blog Potential: Longform underwater dread, optional screaming

Classic survival, but 500 meters underwater with alien jellyfish. Subnautica is set to follow Stranded Deep, assuming I donโ€™t starve to death on a raft before then.

Below Zero is the colder, weirder sequel. Iโ€™ll likely run it once Iโ€™ve built enough fake confidence from the original.

๐Ÿ‘ฝ Alien: Isolation

Status: “Definitely Maybe”
Blog Potential: High panic, high perishability

Itโ€™s just me, a broken flamethrower, and one very judgmental alien. Iโ€™m currently designing blog rules that allow me to survive more than one encounter without invalidating the whole series.

If I pull the trigger, itโ€™ll be part of Survivorโ€™s Dread โ€” assuming the alien doesnโ€™t pull it first.

๐Ÿงฑ Minecraft: Skyblock

Status: In Freefall
Blog Potential: Infinite resource drama, void-based trauma

Floating blocks. Limited resources. Me forgetting how gravity works. A Skyblock run could easily become a short-form Day One Diaries arc or a full permadeath challenge titled Skyward.

Every entry will involve a mistake that absolutely could have been avoided.

โ˜ข๏ธ Blast Corps (Permadeath Series)

Status: Scheduled post-SnowRunner
Blog Potential: Explosions. One life. Bulldozers.

This oneโ€™s simple: if the nuclear truck explodes, thatโ€™s the end of the series.

Expect a short, chaotic run where I flatten towns in the name of safety. The tone will be lighter. The stakes will be extremely not.

๐ŸงŸ Resident Evil (Zero, One, Revelations 1 & 2)

Status: Rotating Horror Fodder
Blog Potential: High-panic short arcs, possible scream counters

Classic survival horror. Typewriters. Puzzles. Me mismanaging ammo like itโ€™s my first zombie rodeo. These games could work as Survivorโ€™s Dread mini-series or feature as one-off challenge runs.

Permadeath rules apply. Panic is inevitable.

๐Ÿง  XCOM 2

Status: Under Tactical Review
Blog Potential: Emotional damage disguised as strategy

Turn-based survival meets naming your doomed teammates. Could become a squad diary under a name like Operation Incognito, or a straight-up permadeath campaign where I get attached and suffer the consequences.

If you want to watch me cry over fictional soldiers, this is the one.


๐Ÿ“ Completed Games & In Progress (For Nowโ€ฆ)

These titles have had their moment on the blog โ€” but might make a comeback when Iโ€™ve emotionally recovered:

  • Skyrim Survival Mode
    My Argonian necromancer lived through cold weather, clumsy ambushes, and accidental vampirism. We may revisit his tale. Justโ€ฆ not Bleak Falls Barrow again.
  • The Long Dark โ€“ Voyageur Run
    We tackled Mystery Lake, Coastal Highway, and transition zones full of regret. Future runs may include Customloper or Misery Mode, depending how brave (or foolish) I feel.
  • SnowRunner (Michigan Arc)
    Once Michigan is cleared, Iโ€™m calling it. Iโ€™ll return to stuck trucks and bad contracts eventually, but first โ€” nukes.

๐Ÿ’ฌ So, What Should I Play Next?

Hereโ€™s where you come in. Got a favorite from the list above? Think I should suffer through Alien: Isolation before jumping into the ocean? Have your own terrible suggestion?

Drop a comment. Vote with chaos. Whisper โ€œSkyblockโ€ into the void. Whatever works.

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