Your Cozy Corner of Chaos in The Survival Genre
What do you enjoy most about writing?
The connection. Writing lets me share survival chaos with people who get it — those who know the panic of wolves howling in The Long Dark or the joy of finally finding duct tape in Stranded Deep. It turns solo survival into a shared adventure
(Plenty more shared survival chaos at Survivor Incognito.)
What do you love about where you live?
Loving where I live is easy — mainly because I don’t need a campfire and a hunting knife just to make it through the week.
The weather. Specifically, that it isn’t as brutal as the survival games I play. Sure, it rains more than I’d like, but at least I don’t have to fight off wolves on the way to the shops or light a campfire just to boil tap water.
(For harsher climates and questionable survival tactics, Survivor Incognito has plenty.)
Two big refreshes: the Survivor’s Dread hub gets a makeover with clickable images and new content, and the Rules of Survival page is sharper, broader, and now includes Day One Diaries.
The horror corner of Survivor Incognito has had a makeover. The Survivor’s Dread Hub is now cleaner, more visual, and easier to explore:
The Rules of Survival (According to Me) page also got a major refresh. It now serves as the central rulebook across all my permadeath runs and diaries, and includes:
If you’ve ever wondered what invisible rulebook guides my permadeath chaos, this is the place to look.
These refreshes make the site easier to navigate, clearer for new readers, and a stronger foundation for the survival chaos to come. Whether you’re following the horror diaries or the more traditional survival runs, you’ll know exactly what rules I’m following, what’s changing, and where to dive in.
What positive emotion do you feel most often?
Amusement. Usually at my own terrible survival decisions. If I can laugh after freezing to death in The Long Dark or being headbutted by a doedicurus in ARK, then I’m probably doing alright.
Because if I can’t laugh at freezing, starving, or being eaten by wolves, what’s the point?
(Plenty more questionable decisions and laughs at Survivor Incognito.)
How do you plan your goals?
I treat goals like I treat survival game objectives: make a list, ignore it, then improvise wildly while avoiding disaster. Sometimes I even complete the original goal — usually by accident.
(Plenty more accidental victories at Survivor Incognito.)
Frank puts in a full shift as Road Block and Wet Harvest get cleared in Black River. Red gets a look at the map, and we hit Rank 4.
📜 Series Hub: SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub
🛠 Rules: SnowRunner Permagear Rules
💡 Why Permagear Works: Read the reasoning behind the challenge
Missed Day Four? Find it here.
We begin the day staring down a literal Road Block. It wants two service parts from the warehouse. No problem. This is Frank’s moment. The Fleestar rolls out, collects the goods, and delivers them without so much as a grumble. Road cleared. Mission done. Easy.
With the path open, Red (our sprightly little Scout 800) heads out and uncovers another Watchtower. A little more map, a little more potential chaos.
With more of the map visible, I queue up Wet Harvest. It’s a multi-stage farm delivery run—only one truck is suited to the task. You guessed it: Frank is back in action.
First stop, the warehouse. We grab some bricks and discover they also stock metal beams—very handy intel for future tasks. Bricks get dropped off at the farm without incident.
Frank heads home for a well-earned breather, some repairs, and a small upgrade: a raised exhaust pipe. It’s not glamorous, but it keeps the engine breathing when the terrain gets swampy.
Next, we’re off to the lumber mill for wood. Frank makes the pickup and hauls it straight back to the farm. No drama. Just dependable grunt work.
Finally, we collect metal beams from the warehouse. One last delivery and the Wet Harvest task is officially in the rear-view mirror.
And with that, we hit Rank 4. Not bad for a day’s work. Frank’s still in one piece, Red’s scouting strong, and the map keeps growing.
✅ Road Block – 2x Service Parts delivered
✅ Wet Harvest – Bricks, Wood, and Metal Beams delivered to the farm
📍New Watchtower discovered
Frank (Fleestar 2070A) – Now with a raised exhaust. Still the MVP.
Red (Scout 800) – Cleared the fog and didn’t flip once. Proud of them.
We’ve hit Rank 4. A few more levels and we can start unlocking better upgrades, which will come in handy when the terrain stops playing nice.
Want more SnowRunner? Day 6 link coming soon.
Create an emergency preparedness plan.
Step 1: Gather essentials — food, water, first-aid kit, and a fully charged Nintendo Switch.
Step 2: Identify safe zones (bonus if they have Wi-Fi).
Step 3: Keep a backup power bank, because no disaster is worse than a dead console mid-survival run.
Step 4: Practice evacuation routes — both in real life and in-game, because you never know when the blizzard (or the cougar) will hit.
(For more survival plans — most of which involve questionable decisions — Survivor Incognito is fully prepared.)
What is a word you feel that too many people use?
“Immersive.” It’s become the seasoning everyone sprinkles on a game review, even if the most “immersive” part is falling through a glitchy map. In my world, true immersion is shivering on the couch while playing The Long Dark on Voyageur.
(Plenty more “immersive” disasters await at Survivor Incognito.)
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 5: Moose Standoff, Bullet Disappointment, and Frostbite Gordon Ramsay
Customloper Diaries – Day 7 ▶
What brings you peace?
A quiet moment in a survival game — when the blizzard stops, the wolves wander off, and all you can hear is the crackle of the campfire. It’s the calm between the chaos, and it lasts just long enough for me to forget I still need to find food, water, and a way not to freeze to death.
(For more fleeting moments of in-game peace — and a lot more chaos — Survivor Incognito has you covered.)
Survivor Incognito 