If I had to pick something to do less of, it would be overthinking. It doesn’t solve much, but it does a great job of turning small tasks into mini-boss encounters. Most things take five minutes once I finally start them.
I could also do less multitasking. It sounds productive, but half the time it just splits my focus and slows everything down. Finishing one thing properly beats juggling five half-done things any day.
Another habit I could tone down is doom-scrolling. Not dramatic amounts, just the quiet routine of checking one thing, then another, then somehow ending up reading something that adds nothing to the day except a raised eyebrow.
And finally, I could do less second-guessing. Not every choice needs a full internal review panel. Sometimes “good enough” is exactly what it needs to be.
Nothing life-changing — just small adjustments that would free up a bit more energy for things that actually matter.
It turns out my return to Tyria didn’t stop at nostalgia. What started as a simple “let’s see if this still runs on the Steam Deck” somehow turned into a full plunge back into Guild Wars—titles, missions, buildcrafting, and all.
If you missed the first part of this journey, you can read my original post here:
Returning to Tyria – A Moment I Didn’t Expect to Hit This Hard .
That’s where I covered the first spark that pulled me back in before everything below really started to snowball.
Switching Mains After Fifteen Years
Somewhere along the way I realised my Necromancer—my old faithful—wasn’t the one carrying me this time. Instead, it was my Ritualist, originally named Spirits of Evil, still running the exact same Signet of Spirits build I’d left him with more than a decade ago. And somehow, it still worked.
From there I set one clear goal: Guardian of Cantha. I already had Protector from years ago, but Hard Mode was unfinished business.
Diving Into Builds: Discordway, Mesmerway, and… Wovenway?
Discovering the PvX wiki still existed felt like finding a time capsule. Between that and help from chatgpt, I rebuilt my hero team from the ground up. Discordway led me to Mesmerway, and eventually I stitched the two together with my own Ritualist style—what I jokingly call Wovenway.
The final setup:
1 Discord Minion Master
2 N/Rt healers
3 Energy Surge Mesmers
1 Restoration Ritualist (hero)
Me, running offensive spirits
Zen Daijun was the first wall. Eternal Grove was the second. But with enough testing—and a lot of stubbornness—the team broke through both.
Guardian of Cantha Achieved
Raisu Palace fell, and with it came the achievement I’d been chasing since the mid-2000s.
A New Name, A New Look
To mark the achievement, I gave my Ritualist a new identity: The Soulwoven. The name clicked immediately—something that sounded like an NPC title, or a boss you’d find lurking in the Underworld.
I recoloured his armor in a blue-green mix to match spirit animations, and honestly? It suits him far better than anything he’s worn before.
What Comes Next?
Right now, I’m upgrading hero armor. Gwen, Livia, and Xandra are already wearing Brotherhood sets; the rest of the roster is still on the to-do list. When that’s done, The Soulwoven has his eyes on two places:
The Fissure of Woe
The Underworld
I’ve been doing test runs, but nothing concrete yet. Which direction he goes first… well, that’s something future me will decide.
What positive events have taken place in your life over the past year?
The past year had its challenges, but there were still some solid wins worth noting. Nothing dramatic, just steady steps in the right direction.
First, I made real progress on projects I’d been putting off. Getting things moving — or finally finished — felt like a quiet victory. Momentum can be slow, but once it shows up, everything feels a little easier to manage.
I also picked up new skills along the way. Some came from curiosity, others from problem-solving, and a few from situations where learning something new was the only practical option. Either way, it all added up and made the year feel productive.
Another positive shift was finding a better rhythm with my hobbies. Writing more, gaming with purpose, and exploring ideas I kept shelving. It helped bring some balance to a year that wasn’t always calm.
And finally, there were moments of clarity — small but useful. The kind that help you focus on what matters and drop the things that don’t earn their place.
Nothing flashy. Nothing loud. Just consistent progress, which is sometimes the best kind.
Progress: 29 Stars Collected | 89 Remaining | 18 Lives Platform: Steam Deck Settings: Vanilla Mario & Music — the chaos provides its own soundtrack.
“Somewhere between leaping across spinning triangles and landing on an airship, I accepted that gravity in this randomizer is more of a guideline.”
With two stars left in Rainbow Ride, I decided to finish what I started and clear the hardest course so far. I remembered spotting one on the airship last time, so that was the first target.
The final star was a guess, so I followed instinct and headed for the triangle platforms. For once, instinct didn’t betray me. Two clean grabs later, Rainbow Ride is officially complete.
The Basement Surprise: Whomp’s Fortress
Expecting Dire Dire Docks, I stepped into its usual spot and instead landed in Whomp’s Fortress. The twist? The water level in this version doesn’t lower, so the passage to Bowser in the Fire Sea stayed sealed.
Which leaves one option: I need to find Dire Dire Docks somewhere else. Because of course the randomizer wasn’t going to make boss access simple.
Whomp’s Fortress: Smooth Climbing
Despite the odd placement, Whomp’s Fortress went down without much resistance. No weird geometry, no star placements that require a physics degree — just straightforward platforming for once.
By the time I exited, I sat at 29 stars and 18 lives, still needing to hunt down Dire Dire Docks and, eventually, Bowser.
Do you have a favorite place you have visited? Where is it?
I do have a favourite place, though it isn’t the kind you find on a postcard. It’s a quiet spot that feels a world away from noise and pressure, even when it isn’t far from everyday life. Nothing dramatic happens there. That’s the appeal.
What I like most is the stillness. No traffic, no background chatter, no long list of things demanding attention. Just space, time, and the kind of silence that lets your thoughts settle instead of scrambling to keep up with everything.
There’s a view, but not the sort that tries to impress you. It’s simple and steady — the kind of landscape that looks the same no matter what else is going on. I think that’s why it sticks with me. It feels reliable in a way most places don’t.
I don’t visit often, but when I do, it works like a reset button. A small pause in the middle of all the noise. A reminder that slowing down for a moment isn’t a luxury; it’s maintenance. Even survivors need a breather now and then.
So yes, I have a favourite place. Not famous. Not busy. Just a quiet corner where everything feels a little lighter for a while. Sometimes that’s all you need.
Keeping a level head when things get messy.
Whether it’s a game throwing nonsense my way or real life deciding to speedrun problems, I stay steady and work through it one step at a time.
Sticking with things until they’re done.
I don’t always sprint to the finish, but I’m stubborn enough to cross the line eventually. Slow progress still counts as progress.
Planning with the future in mind.
Routes, routines, blog schedules, gaming runs—if it benefits future-me, I’ll map it out. It cuts down on surprises and gives me a clearer path forward.
Finding efficient solutions.
If there’s a smarter, quieter, or less painful way to handle something, I’ll track it down. A good shortcut is worth its weight in gold.
Turning experiences into stories.
I’m good at taking something simple—or chaotic—and turning it into a narrative that’s honest, dry, and hopefully entertaining. Survival diaries pretty much evolved from that habit.
What is one thing you would change about yourself?
If I could change one thing about myself, I’d probably upgrade my energy reserves. Not to superhuman levels—just enough to get through the day without feeling like I’ve been fighting a miniboss before breakfast.
Life runs on a tight loop of chores, work, writing, gaming, and general survival. A little extra stamina would make that loop smoother. Fewer “I need a nap already” moments. More “I can actually finish this” moments.
It’s not a dramatic change. Just a small quality-of-life buff. The kind every tired survivor quietly wishes for at the start of a long day.
I wouldn’t say I’m a full night owl or a committed morning person. I just operate on whatever schedule life forces on me that day.
Mornings are fine once I’m actually awake, but getting to that point is a negotiation. Coffee helps. Silence helps more. If the day starts smoothly, great. If not, I deal with it like any other survival scenario: one small task at a time.
Nights aren’t much different. I’m not out here thriving at midnight, plotting world domination or reorganising cupboards. I just stay up long enough to finish what needs doing and maybe squeeze in some game time before sleep wins.
So the honest answer? I run on “whenever I can,” powered by caffeine, stubbornness, and the hope that tomorrow behaves itself a little better.
When the dice roll a natural 1, you reschedule, regroup, and log the chaos anyway.
Log Date: December 1, 2025 · Filed By: Survivor Incognito
When the Dice Betray You
November was supposed to be packed: more logs, more videos, and at least one new project stepping out of the shadows. Instead, as mentioned previously, life rolled a natural 1 on me. A few plans had to be shelved so the offline chaos could be handled first.
The result? Fewer posts than planned, but the campfire is still lit, the hubs are still standing, and the backlog of ideas remains very much alive.
Rediscovering Tyria
On the plus side, I rediscovered Guild Wars. Dropping back into Tyria after all this time felt oddly right — comfortable, dangerous, and full of bad pulls waiting to happen.
With Guild Wars Reforged on the horizon, you can safely assume a lot of my spare time is going to vanish into mission runs, build tinkering, and seeing how much trouble I can get into with heroes and henchmen. Some habits never die; they just wait by the outpost gate.
A Quieter Month at Camp
Because November went sideways, the blog shifted into “keep the lights on” mode rather than “all systems go.” That meant:
Some planned entries were delayed or pushed back to a saner month.
Ongoing series like Isolation Protocol, Submerged, and 7 Days to Survive stayed on a lighter schedule than intended.
The recent site-wide updates to the FAQ, About Me, Rules of Survival, and Surviving, Not Suffering continued to do their job quietly in the background.
Not flashy, but the camp stayed organised, and nothing caught fire that wasn’t supposed to.
Small Wins Still Count
Even in a slower month, a few things still managed to land:
The shift to a 2 PM GMT posting schedule continued, giving posts and videos a better overlap with UK, EU, and US readers.
The end of Derailed & Doomed: A Choo Choo Charles Survival Diary remained a highlight — the blog’s first full documented win still doing the rounds.
Survivor’s Shorts and other videos quietly fed into the archive, strengthening the connection between written logs and gameplay.
Ko-fi stayed live in the background, available but unobtrusive — just how it should be.
Not the explosive November originally planned, but still progress. Sometimes survival looks like momentum; sometimes it just looks like not dropping anything important.
Looking Ahead (Carefully)
December’s plans are simple and realistic:
Pick up the threads of Isolation Protocol, Submerged, and 7 Days to Survive as time and dice rolls allow.
Keep refining the hubs so it’s easier to find older runs and finished series.
Let the Guild Wars and Reforged hype simmer in the background and see where it leads on the blog side.
No grand promises, just one core rule: keep the stories moving when possible, and when not, keep the camp ready for when things calm down.
December should bring more structure, more stories, and — inevitably — more things trying to kill me. Business as usual.
I keep my feelings about meat pretty straightforward. I eat it. I enjoy it. I also try not to overthink it, because life already throws enough decisions at me without adding philosophical debates over dinner.
Meat ends up on my plate mostly because it’s familiar and easy to work with. Chicken, mince, sausages—quick meals that don’t start arguments in the kitchen. When the day’s already chaotic, convenience wins.
I’m not out here trying every exotic cut under the sun, and I’m not hunting my own dinner. I just cook what I know, add some veg, and call it a victory.
No drama. No guilt trips. Just food that helps me get through the day in one piece.
Survivor Incognito 