Tag: Camp Office

The Long Dark – Stalker Instinct Log #1: Mystery Lake Was the Sensible Choice

Difficulty: Stalker
Optional Features: Cougar enabled, Scurvy enabled, Trader enabled

Before I even began, I had three choices to make: do I want the Cougar, Scurvy, and Trader to be active?

Because I apparently enjoy making poor decisions, the answer was yes to all three.

For my first proper attempt at Stalker, I chose Mystery Lake for one simple reason: I wanted to be eased in. If the game was going to punish me, I wanted it to do so gradually.

Spawn Point: Cave Near the Fishing Huts

I started my journey in a cave near the edge of the fishing huts. One hut was close enough to feel safe, so I checked that first. The others were further out across the ice, and I could already see wolves roaming.

Not ideal. Not surprising. Very on-brand for Stalker.

Rather than pushing my luck early, I headed straight for the Camp Office. If things went wrong, at least I’d be indoors when it happened.

For context — and future mistakes —

Mystery Lake maps and region notes.

Camp Office Loot and a Small Win

The Camp Office treated me better than expected. I found:

  • A lantern
  • A skillet

That was enough to get something going. I lit a fire, warmed up, and decided to head back out with torches. The plan was simple: torches to deter wolves, quick trips to the huts, no unnecessary risks.

Fishing Huts: Where the Game Lied to Me

In my head, wolves were going to be circling me the entire time. I expected growling, posturing, and at least one moment of panic on the ice.

None of that happened.

Not a single wolf came near me as I moved from hut to hut. I could see them in the distance, but they kept their space. I did spot a bear, which immediately raised my stress levels, but even that had its back turned and showed no interest.

I looted what I could, kept the torches lit, and tried not to trust the calm.

Food Reality Check

After clearing the huts, I returned to the Camp Office. Food was becoming an issue, but I knew there were potatoes inside. It was Day 1, and I wasn’t going to starve overnight.

Another look around paid off when I found a cooking pot. For a brief moment, I imagined porridge and proper meals.

That optimism didn’t last.

My cooking skill was too low to do anything interesting. No porridge. No comfort food. Just the basics.

Dinner ended up being:

  • Boiled water
  • A couple of potatoes
  • Some crackers

Not exciting, but it kept me alive, which is the only metric that matters in Stalker.

End of Day 1

I ended the first day inside the Camp Office, hydrated, minimally fed, and strangely untouched.

The wolves were present but passive. The bear made an appearance and then left. Nothing attacked me. Nothing forced a bad decision.

That kind of restraint never lasts.

For Day 2, I’m undecided:

  • Head to Trapper’s Cabin
  • Or go somewhere else entirely

Either way, this calm feels temporary.

Video

Day 1 Notes

  • Mystery Lake is still the safest place to learn Stalker.
  • Torches work, even when you don’t end up needing them.
  • A bear ignoring you is luck, not safety.
  • Cooking pots are exciting until skill levels intervene.
  • Potatoes and crackers count as a meal.
Continue the journey:
Log #1 (You Are Here) | Log #2
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Customloper Diaries – Day 7: Bow Before the Blizzard

Customloper Diaries – Day 7: Bow Before the Blizzard

Weather: Clear start → freezing winds → blizzard
Loot Highlights: Survival Bow, cooking pot, skillet
Mood: Excited → frozen → grateful to still have toes

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy  | 
What is Customloper?

Morning Discoveries: Max’s Last Stand

Today’s goal was simple: reach the Camp Office without becoming a wolf’s breakfast. That’s really the only bar for success these days. On the way, I spotted one of The Long Dark’s most reliable signals that something is worth investigating: birds circling in the sky, waiting patiently for either my demise or someone else’s.

Luck was on my side for once — it wasn’t my turn. At Max’s Last Stand, a corpse lay frozen in place, and right beside it sat the holy grail of early-game weaponry: a Survival Bow. I snatched it up with the speed and enthusiasm of a raccoon finding a half-eaten cheeseburger.

All I needed now were arrows. With them, I could finally graduate from “rock-throwing medieval PE teacher” to “slightly competent hunter.”

Deadfall + Hypothermia = Great Life Choices

Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I decided to swing by the Deadfall area. That’s when my overconfidence caught up with me. The temperature dropped faster than my optimism during an Interloper run, and I was soon staring at the dreaded red text: Hypothermia.

I lit a fire in the nearby stove, boiled some water, and cooked… something. I’d like to say it was a hearty stew, but given my supplies, it was probably just porridge or whatever counted as “hot food” in my pack. Once I had a bit of warmth and hydration, I grabbed a torch from the fire and pressed on toward my main goal.

Lesson learned: Interloper weather waits for no one, especially those who think they can “just pop over” somewhere.

Camp Office and Instant Regret

The rest of the walk to Camp Office was blissfully uneventful — a rare thing in Mystery Lake. Inside, I scored a skillet and cooking pot. Not exactly a rifle or a quiver of arrows, but after yesterday’s cooking pot debacle, I wasn’t about to complain.

Then I made the fatal mistake: I decided to “just explore the area” before settling in. First came the snow. Then came the blizzard. In minutes, visibility dropped to “guess and hope” territory. Navigation became a mix of scent, instinct, and blind luck.

Somehow — and I truly do not know how — I managed to stagger back to the Camp Office without being eaten, freezing to death, or wandering onto thin ice. The blizzard roared outside as I slammed the door shut, my heart still hammering.

Evening Wrap-Up

Back inside, I set about cooking more porridge, boiling as much water as I could, and letting my core temperature crawl back to something survivable. The bow was now mine. The arrows? Still a distant dream. But tomorrow, I’d change that.

Tomorrow’s Goal

Find arrows. Or a rifle. Or, failing that, a pointy stick and a really bad attitude.

Continue the Journey

◀ Customloper Diaries – Day 6: Blizzard Send-Off, Ptarmigan Detour, and the Great Cooking Pot Tragedy
Customloper Diaries – Day 8 ▶

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