For the past 6–7 months, I’ve been running a custom difficulty mode in The Long Dark. The goal was simple: I wanted to keep the spirit of Voyageur—but with a dose of Stalker and a blast of Interloper.. After testing and tweaking, here’s where I landed:
- Voyageur-level of loot – because scrounging should feel rewarding
- Wildlife set between Voyageur and Stalker – you’re not safe, but you’re not helpless
- Interloper weather – cold enough to regret every decision
It wasn’t meant to be a thing, but after two runs, it kind of is:
- My first run ended in Forlorn Muskeg, trying to reach Mountain Town after coming back from the Airfield. Spoiler alert: The ice got me again. I think I lasted maybe a week in-game
- The other? I’m sitting at around 60 days, and still alive in Mystery Lake… but after dropping four bears, I realised I might have broken the game’s spirit before it broke mine.
So now I’m bringing my Customloper game to the blog properly.
Coming Soon:
- A full breakdown of every setting I use
- The actual Customloper code so you can try it yourself
- A brand new Day One Diary – Because I honestly can’t remember anything about my original first day
- Plus survival tips for weather that makes Interloper look like light snow
This isn’t Interloper.
It’s Interloper with options—and that might be even more dangerous.
Wait—Isn’t This Blog About Easier Survival?
It is. And that hasn’t changed.
Customloper isn’t about going full Interloper. It’s about dialing in a challenge that keeps things tense but playable. Think of it as controlled chaos—for players who want pressure without the permadeath purgatory.
Think you can survive it? The full code drops soon. Stay tuned

