How I Handle Permadeath (and Still Sleep at Night)

Also: A Sunburnt & Sinking Tease You Didn’t Know You Needed

Permadeath. The challenge. The chaos. The deeply personal betrayal when a lovingly named character walks off a cliff because you misjudged a ledge.

This post is part ruleset, part philosophy, and part gentle teaser — because yes, one of my current runs has already ended. And no, you won’t find out how for at least two months.

I play ahead — sometimes way ahead — because it gives me time to write, screenshot, cry, and recover before you all read about it. So yes, I already know how some of my stories end. That doesn’t mean I’m any more emotionally prepared.

My Permadeath Rules (Across the Blog)

🛑 One life. Always.
If the game lets me die permanently, I do. No save-scumming. No reloads. If I glitch through the map, we roll with it.

🧤 Difficulty is flexible.
I don’t always play on the hardest difficulty — because surviving should be intense but still fun. I tailor it per series: Customloper for The Long Dark, Apprentice for Skyrim, standard settings in Stranded Deep.

🪦 Once they die, they go to The Graveyard.
Every character gets an obituary. Sometimes dramatic, sometimes… deeply stupid. Either way, the blog remembers them.

🎣 Runs are usually played a month or two ahead.
So if something goes wrong? You’ll find out… eventually.

🌴 Coming Soon(ish): Sunburnt & Sinking

Yes, Stranded Deep is on the way. Yes, the series is called Sunburnt & Sinking.

Stay tuned. It’s equal parts sunstroke and sharks.

🧭 Want to Know More?

If you’re wondering why I don’t always crank the difficulty to maximum chaos, there’s a reason for that — and it’s not just because I like my limbs frostbite-free.

Check out my full page:
👉 Why I Play On Easier Difficulties

And if you’re curious about the rules behind each of my survival runs, from Customloper to Backyard Trials:
👉 Rules of Survival – According To Me

Because every survival story has its own set of ground rules — even the weird ones involving crows and deer that somehow win the fight.

16th Jun 2025 1

Here’s What’s Coming This Week – June 9th – June 14th Preview

Survival, stunned rabbits, fishing horrors, and a lot of undead. Here’s what’s scheduled for this week on Survivor Incognito.

The Week Ahead

We’re keeping the survival streak alive with another full lineup of chaos, questionable decisions, and more permadeath fun. Here’s what’s coming your way:

🐇 Monday: Survivor’s Shorts — The One Involving The Stunned Rabbit

You’ll see. It involves a rabbit, a stone, and my general lack of coordination.

🌊 Tuesday: Dark Waters – Day 2

The sea grows darker, the fish get weirder, and the Madness meter keeps rising. Day 2 of Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival goes live.

❄ Wednesday: The Cold Chronicles – Day 6

The Long Dark journey continues. More cold, more danger, and probably more bad choices.

🗡 Thursday: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat – Day 7

The Argonian’s Skyrim Survival Mode adventure rolls into Day 7. Expect more sneaking, more sniping, and definitely more repeat.

🧟‍♂️ Friday: Day One Diary – Zombie Army Trilogy

The undead rise just in time for Friday. It’s a Day One Diary entry for Zombie Army Trilogy, and let’s just say the welcome committee was enthusiastic.

See You in the Wild

As always, stay tuned across the week as each new post goes live — and feel free to place bets on which run falls apart first.

8th Jun 2025 0

Here’s What You Missed This Week – June 1st Week Recap

Catch up on this week’s survival chaos: bears, zombies, Customloper runs, permadeath hubs, and one very questionable Interloper experience.

This Week in Review

Another week of survival, panic, and the occasional questionable decision. Here’s what went live across the blog:

🐻 Monday: Bear Meets Panic Rifle

Sometimes you bring a rifle to a bear encounter. Sometimes the rifle just brings panic. This week kicked off with a new Survivor’s Shorts entry where I learned that even with a firearm, bears remain terrifying.

The One-Shot Wonder: Bear Meets Panic Rifle

🌊 Tuesday: Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day One

The boat launched, the paranoia began. My permadeath Dredge run officially set sail with the start of Dark Waters. The ocean may look calm, but we both know it isn’t.

Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day 1

❄️ Wednesday: Customloper – Day One

The Customloper experiment is underway. A bit Interloper, a bit Voyageur, a lot of me desperately hoping I don’t freeze to death before leaving Mountain Town. So far, so… technically alive.

Customloper Diaries Day 1: A Woollen Windy Welcome to Milton

Side note, The Cold Chronicles and Customloper Diaries will be alternating weeks for the foreseeable. Until one of them ends of course. So next week will be the next entry The Cold Chronicles

🗡 Thursday: Skyrim Survival – Sneak, Snipe, Repeat – Day Six

The Argonian saga continues. Day Six saw more stealth, more arrows, and the usual healthy amount of questionable life choices while wandering Skyrim’s frozen wilderness.

Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Suvival Day Six

🪓 Friday: Grounded Permadeath Hub Goes Live

The hub page for The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath is officially up and running! Rules, info, and upcoming entries are all ready for you.
I also teased what’s coming next Friday: a special Day One Diary for Zombie Army Trilogy—fittingly set for Friday the 13th.

The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath

Zombie Army Trilogy – Day One Diary Coming This Friday the 13th

💀 Saturday: The Desolation Point Debacle

Today’s Survivor’s Shorts took us into Desolation Point on Interloper. It didn’t go well. (Shocking, I know.)

Survivor’s Shorts: Interloper — The Desolation Point Debacle

What’s Coming Next

The backlog grows stronger. Next week, expect more from Dark Waters, Customloper, Skyrim Survival, and our first look at Zombie Army Trilogy. More danger, more chaos, more very avoidable mistakes.

7th Jun 2025 0

Customloper Diaries Day One: A Woollen Windy Welcome to Milton

Customloper Diaries – Day 1: Socks, Soup, and Stubbornness

Spawn Point: Spruce Falls Bridge, Mountain Town

Weather: Windy, with a 100% chance of optimism

Loot Highlight: Hunting knife, Cowichan sweater, two cups of coffee

Visit the Mountain Town map:
Check it out here.

First Steps and First Socks

I spawn near Spruce Falls Bridge, spot a sign for Milton, and like any wanderer with no better plan, I follow it. Along the way, I grab rose hips and reishi mushrooms because nature said so.

The bridge cars turn into an early-game care package: wool socks (luxury), a parka (yes please), matches (liquid gold), and a hunting knife I immediately form an unhealthy attachment to.

Shelter from the Storm (Sort of)

A nearby trailer offers a fire barrel, but I only duck in long enough to warm up and snag a wool toque—stylish and slightly smelly.

Down at the church I harvest cattails for calories, spot a deer carcass, and attempt to start a fire. The wind laughs. First attempt: fail. Second: also fail. Third: success… which the wind immediately blows out mid-harvest. Rude.

Deer carcass near the church — Can you spot it?

Redemption at the Altar (and in the Glovebox)

Inside the church, RNG finally smiles. One match, one try, one roaring fire. I cook the meat, boil water, and brew reishi tea. A nearby pickup coughs up a hatchet—huge early-game win.

Back in Milton, a glovebox note reveals a memento cache… at the church I just left. Classic.

Coffee, Cowichan, and Canadian Comfort

The bank delivers coffee grounds, two brewed cups, and a Cowichan sweater hidden in the safe like national treasure. Grey Mother’s house becomes base: two cooking pots, some deer meat, a ski jacket, hockey jersey, and wool mittens. Team motto: Not Dead Yet.

Winding Down with Tea and Triumph

I end the day with boiled water, cooked meat, and a cup of herbal tea to patch up condition. A windy start, but a strong finish. Customloper is officially underway.

Continue the Journey

4th Jun 2025 2

Survivor Incognito Weekly: The Long Dark, Skyrim Survival, Dredge Permadeath & More (June 2nd – June 8th)

Another week of survival, chaos, and questionable decision making is upon us — here’s what you can expect across the blog in the next seven days:

🧸 Monday – Bear Meets Panic Rifle (Survivor’s Shorts)

It starts with a bear. It ends with panic. Somewhere in between, a rifle is involved. You can probably guess how well that goes.

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🌊 Tuesday – Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival – Day 1

We set sail on our brand new permadeath adventure through Dredge. The waters may look calm… but don’t let them fool you.

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❄️ Wednesday – Customloper: Day 1 – Mountain Town Start

The Customloper run officially kicks off! I spawn in Mountain Town and try my very best not to freeze, starve, or get eaten before I even leave Milton.

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⚔ Thursday – Skyrim Survival: Day 6

The trek through Skyrim’s frozen wilderness continues. More frostbite, more danger, and almost certainly another regrettable encounter with something that bites.

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🔥 Friday – A Voyageur’s Tale (The Long Dark): Day 6

Back to the familiar cold of The Long Dark as the Voyageur run marches on into day six. Wolves, weather, and the never-ending quest for coffee.

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🦌 Saturday – Survivor’s Shorts: The Interloper Moose Incident

I try Interloper mode in The Long Dark. I spawn. I panic. The moose arrives. That’s pretty much the plot summary.

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🔥 Survive with us every week on Survivor Incognito — your home for survival gaming on Nintendo Switch.

Follow along for The Long Dark guides, Skyrim Survival Mode playthroughs, Dredge permadeath runs, and Customloper challenges. New survival game content posted weekly — with humor, tips, and plenty of questionable life choices.
👉 Bookmark Survivor Incognito and join the survival adventure.

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1st Jun 2025 0

Weekly Recap: The Long Dark, Skyrim, No Man’s Sky, Nice Day For Fishing & More – Survivor Incognito

A full roundup of everything that’s gone live on Survivor Incognito this week: new Survivor’s Shorts, Survivor’s Dread launch, The Survivor’s Camp hub, new Day One Diaries for No Man’s Sky and Nice Day For Fishing, Customloper, Skyrim, The Long Dark, and blog updates.

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The Campfire’s Been Busy — Let’s Catch Up

One of the busiest weeks yet! If you blinked, you probably missed something — so here’s your full survival roundup:

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🏕 The Survivor’s Camp is Now Open

A brand new central hub page has launched:
The Survivor’s Camp pulls together everything on the blog — survival guides, series hubs, shorts, and playthroughs — all in one place.

[Visit The Survivor’s Camp]

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 Survivor’s Dread Has Officially Gone Live

The newest addition to the blog is here:
Survivor’s Dread covers all things survival horror, kicking off with Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival. The first entry comes next week as the darkness descends.

[Visit Survivor’s Dread]
[Visit Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival]

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🚀 Day One Diary – No Man’s Sky

The multiverse opens up.
Our No Man’s Sky Day One Diary has begun, charting survival, exploration, and (inevitably) questionable decisions across the stars.

[Visit Day One Diary – No Man’s Sky]

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🎣 Day One Diary – Nice Day For Fishing

Baelin’s adventure has begun.
Fishing, questing, mugged sorcerers, and Dark Lords — just your average day in Nice Day For Fishing.

[Visit Nice Day For Fishing – Day One Diary: Baelin’s Adventure Begins]

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❄️ Customloper – The Long Dark: Day One Diaries Continue

The Customloper run officially kicks off next week. But until then, here’s a Day One Diary entry to help you understand what to expect.
Interloper weather. Voyageur loot. Plenty of snow. Plenty of danger.

[Visit Customloper – The Long Dark: Day One Diary]

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🐺 The Long Dark – Ongoing Survival

The main Long Dark survival continues as well, with more entries uploaded this week as the trek across Coastal Highway continues.

[Visit The Cold Chronicles: A Voyageur’s Tale of The Long Dark]

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🐉 Skyrim Survival Mode – The Pilgrimage Continues

My Argonian is still alive somehow.
High Hrothgar, frostbite, bandits, cultists, and chickens continue to make the journey through Skyrim Survival Mode both ridiculous and dangerous.

[Visit Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival]

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🎥 Survivor’s Shorts

New moments added to the ever-growing Survivor’s Shorts collection — highlighting some of the best (and worst) survival moments from across the blog.

[Visit Survivor’s Shorts]

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🛠 Blog Updates – Pages Converted to Posts

Behind the scenes, several former pages have now been converted into regular blog posts. This should make navigation cleaner and help posts show up more naturally in blog feeds, archives, and categories.

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That’s everything from this week!
Stay warm. Stay fed. Don’t poke the wildlife. (Or open any cursed chests.)

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31st May 2025 0

Day 1 Diary – The Long Dark Customloper – Cold Coast, Hard Start

Day 1 of a Customloper survival test in The Long Dark. Spawned in Coastal Highway. Made gloves out of scraps, got hit with a blizzard, and somehow didn’t freeze to death.

I put in the Customloper settings, picked my character, set the spawn to random, and named the file Day One. I spawn in Coastal Highway – specifically right next to the path leading to The Ravine.

Map of Coastal Highway

I think about going that way for all of five seconds, I choose life instead and head toward the Train Unloading Trailer I know is nearby

Spawned in cold, sprinting for shelter. Train Unloading it is

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Inside I grab what I can, including a second pair of socks. Then hit the tunnel corpse – and score a hatchet.

My loadout after looting the trailer. No gloves, great.

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From there, I billy goat my way down a nearby cliff, grabbing sticks while the temperature plummets.

Alternative route, gravity assisted travel

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I find another trailer. It’s warmer, but still not warm enough. And I didn’t spawn with gloves, so my hands are freezing.

I cut across the road, stop at a car, then head toward the Fishing Camp.

Note: I had to double-check the name using my own Map Hub — I knew where I was, just couldn’t remember what it was called. Proof the hub’s not just for readers.

I loot what I can — some food, but not enough to carry me far. In the first house, I grab cloth and craft handwraps. It helps, barely. In the second, third and fourth houses, I scrape together enough to make a makeshift hat.

Then I step outside.

I step outside. Weather steps on me

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I retreat and sleep for three hours to warm up. When I wake, the blizzard has cleared. I push toward Jackrabbit Island and manage to snag three rabbits — finally, a win.

Inside the house, I raid the fridge and score water. I harvest the rabbits for meat as the sun drops.

Then I head outside, light a fire on the first try, and cook everything. I even remember I have herbal tea, brew it, and drink it to recover some condition — which was down to about 50%.

Back inside, I scavenge the place and find a pair of wool mittens, climbing socks, and a pair of boots.

I go to bed warm, full, and genuinely surprised I made it through Day One.

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Next week, I start my actual Customloper run. I start in a new area, and will attempt to explore the whole island before I succumb to The Long Dark.

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If you want to know more about Customloper, why not check out The Long Dark Customloper Settings: Easier Interloper Survival Mode

If you enjoyed this entry, why not check out my other Day One Diaries

28th May 2025 1

Day One Diary Customloper Drops – Tomorrow

The Day One Diary of Customloper is coming—and no, I didn’t freeze to death immediately.
Spawned in with Interloper-level weather and a backpack full of questionable decisions.
There were snacks. There were was lots of snow. There was looting in the dark like a confused burglar. Find out what happens tomorrow at 1pm GMT.

For information on what Customloper is, read here: The Long Dark Customloper Settings: Easier Interloper Survival Mode

Catch up with my other Day One Diaries here: Day One Diaries

27th May 2025 0

The Doedicurus Incident: How I Lost a Fight I Didn’t Know I Was Starting

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Day 1 of ARK: Scorched Earth. I spawned, made some pants, and was murdered by what I thought was a friendly armoured pet rock. A true story of betrayal, bad aim, and Doedicurus rage.

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Welcome to the Desert. Here’s a Spear. Try Not To Die.

I woke up in the Scorched Earth desert with nothing but my fists and the overwhelming sense that everything around me wanted me dead.

Naturally, I punched a tree, made a pickaxe, and crafted myself a stunning outfit made entirely of itchy rags. Survival 101.

That’s when I saw it: a Doedicurus.
Round, slow-moving, and with the kind of face that said, “I mind my business.” It was adorable. I felt safe.

This would be my desert buddy. My spiky little friend.
I had plans. Big plans. I was going to tame it. Name it. Maybe ride it into battle.

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Then I Threw a Spear at It.

Now… in my defense, I meant to throw the spear next to the Doedicurus.
You know, to test it. Impress it. Establish dominance. Whatever people do in survival games.

What I didn’t mean to do was poke it directly in the face.

Cue a noise I didn’t know Doedicuruses could make.
Cue it rolling toward me like an angry bowling ball with revenge issues.

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The Fight That Wasn’t.

I panicked.
I had one more spear. I missed.
I pulled out my fists. They were… less effective.

The Doedicurus did not miss. It swung its tail like it was trying to launch me into the next biome.
It succeeded.

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Respawn, Reflect, Regret.

As I stared at the “You Died” screen, one thought ran through my head:
What the hell just happened?

I came here to survive.
I left wearing nothing but shame and a crushed dream of dinosaur friendship.

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Final Thoughts

Let it be known: Doedicuruses are not your friends.
They are boulders with feelings. And those feelings are rage.

Next time, I’m taming a Jerboa. At least they don’t roll over you for sport.

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Got a favourite chaotic moment?

Let me know in the comments or tag me on social—I’m always looking for new disasters to celebrate.
And if you enjoy these shorts, consider sharing the page with a fellow survivor.
Because nothing says “friendship” like a moose silently judging you from behind a tree.

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If you enjoyed that one, please check out my other stories here: Survivor’s Shorts

Also, please check out the full tale of my first day in ARK: Scorched Earth here: Day 1 Diary – ARK: Scorched Earth: Heat, Hubris & A Doedicurus

26th May 2025 0

Here’s What’s Coming This Week – From Dodos to Doedicurus and Deep Space

This week at Survivor Incognito: dino disasters, cosmic chaos, a return to Customloper, and two new Survivor’s Shorts. Here’s the full lineup of what’s dropping and when.

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Monday – A Double Hit to Start the Week

Day One Diary: No Man’s Sky
Cold planet, no scanner, and a plant that bit me. Welcome to Zuwan 58/E6.

Survivor’s Short: The Doedicurus Incident
One spear. One armadillo. Zero survivors. The best (worst?) five seconds of ARK you’ll ever read.

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Wednesday – Into the Cold

Day One Diary: The Long Dark – Customloper
Coastal Highway just got colder. My custom difficulty is set to “help is a myth” — and this diary is where it begins. This is a taster of what is to come next week

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Thursday – Skyrim Survives Another Day

Skyrim Survival – Day Five
My Argonian’s back, colder than ever, and probably regretting their life choices again. Expect sneaking, sniping, and the occasional panic shout.

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Friday – Frostbite & Fur

The Long Dark – New Entry in A Voyageur’s Tale
The Cold Chronicles continue with more frostbite, slightly less dignity, and whatever’s left in my food stash.

Survivor’s Short: The Moose Encounter
He saw me. I saw him. Only one of us had antlers — and it wasn’t me.

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Plus: This Site Just Got A Bit Update

All entries for The Long Dark, Skyrim, and Day One Diaries have been turned into full posts (not pages!) so they’re easier to find, share, and follow.

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Thanks for Reading – And Surviving

Bookmark the blog, subscribe if you haven’t, and remember: in survival gaming, it’s not about thriving — it’s about laughing while everything falls apart.

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26th May 2025 0