๐ŸŒŠ Announcement: Subnautica Will Be the Next Series!

While my Argonian my have fallen, itโ€™s time to look aheadโ€”and downward. Specifically, into the ocean.

Iโ€™m excited to announce that Subnautica will be the next full series featured on Survivor Incognito! The series will officially begin in a few weeks, once Iโ€™ve reacquainted myself with the controls (because I apparently forgot how to swim, build, and breathe). Itโ€™ll fall under the same permadeath-flavoured survival approach as the others, with a few sea-salty twists.

In the meantime, Iโ€™ve already launched the Subnautica Maps Page to help new players, returning survivors, and confused PDA AIs alike. Bookmark it, share it, or yell at it when you get lost near the Aurora again.


๐ŸŽ‰ Celebrating 1,000 Views!

Also, a massive thank you to everyone whoโ€™s visited the blogโ€”Survivor Incognito has officially passed the 1,000 views milestone!

To mark the occasion, Iโ€™m doing something a little differentโ€ฆ something a little more classic horror. While Iโ€™m still getting my bearings with the controls again, you can expect a familiar mansion, limited saves, and enough tension to make a zombie blush. ๐ŸงŸโ€โ™‚๏ธ

More on that very soon.


More updates coming soon, including the official Subnautica start date and a look at what else is on the blog horizon.

Stay afloat,
Survivor Incognito

No New Dino Disaster Today โ€” But Hereโ€™s One You May Have Missed

I was planning to post a brand-new Day One Diary for ARK todayโ€ฆ but life, as it tends to do, had other plans. Between work, chores, and trying not to get stomped myself, there just wasnโ€™t time to spawn, craft, and get eaten properly.

So instead, hereโ€™s a look back at one of my previous ARK Day One disasters โ€” complete with early optimism and inevitable doom, along with some others:
๐Ÿ‘‰ [Day One Diaries | Survival Game Playthroughs & First-Day Survival Challenges]

New entries are still coming soon. SnowRunner kicks off on Friday, and more chaos is always just around the corner.

Customloper Diaries Day Three: Charcoal Maps, Rabbit Stew, and a Surprise Wolf Hug

Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 3: Charcoal Maps, Rabbit Stew, and a Surprise Wolf Hug

Weather: Cold start, blizzard pockets, clearing skies

Loot Highlights: Memento cache supplies, birch saplings (for later), Paradise Meadows key, rabbit + fish dinner

Mood: Cocky โ†’ practical โ†’ โ€œwhy is that wolf sprinting?โ€

Missed Day 2? Read it here.  | 
What is Customloper?

Early Start, No Light, No Dignity

I wake up at an hour only owls respect. Rather than burn a match in Grey Motherโ€™s house, I feel my way to the door like a bargain-bin escape room contestant. After negotiating with every chair leg in Milton, I finally make it outside to a slate-blue morning and a bitey wind.

Holy Cache, Batman!

The church memento cache pays out: matches, food, and an energy drink. With the essentials secured, I hop between cars toward Milton Bridge, using charcoal to sketch the town like a freezing Bob Ross. The map fills in; my fingers disagree with the artistic direction.

Gun Dreams, Birch Realities

Confidence high, I angle for Paradise Meadows Farm in the faint hope of finding a rifle. Birds circling drag me off-trail toward a body that contributes precisely nothing to my survival except the reminder that I will absolutely chase birds every time.

Nearby I spot birch saplings. Cue a hopeful bow-crafting fantasyโ€ฆ promptly crushed when I re-remember itโ€™s maple I need. I leave the birch to cure anywayโ€”Future Me loves having options.

Bunny Catch, Farm Key, and Yes, Wolves Exist

One clean stone throw nets a rabbit. Moments laterโ€”bingoโ€”Paradise Meadows Farmhouse key. Also: my first wolf sighting of the run. So they do exist on Customloper; they were just waiting for dramatic timing.

Inside the farmhouse itโ€™s open-season on usefulness:

  • Wool long johns
  • A fish stashed in the freezer
  • A skillet lounging atop the fridge
  • Two more cooking pots (apparently I run a wilderness diner now)

Dinner Is Served

I harvest the rabbit, spot the recipe, and make rabbit stewโ€”with the freezer fish as a bonus course. Water boils, gear gets sorted, excess clothes hit the floor. Feeling very competent, I decide to haul the skillet back to Grey Motherโ€™s. This hubris will be important later.

Wolf Attack Outta Nowhere

Cutting back through Milton, I take one curious corner too many andโ€”bamโ€”wolf sprint. I backpedal for a door, take a hit, and tumble inside with the grace of a sack of sticks. Painkillers down, bandage on, dignity postponed.

I repair what I can until the fatigue meter taps out, then finish the day with rabbit stew and the kind of silence that says โ€œweโ€™ll try that route again tomorrowโ€ฆ smarter.โ€

End of Day 3.

Continue the Journey

โ—€ Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 2: Blizzards, Boots, and Baseball Cap Confusion

Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 4: Locked Trunks, Blizzards, and Pancake Promises โ–ถ

Customloper Diaries Day Two: Blizzards, Boots, and Baseball Cap Confusion

Customloper Diaries โ€“ Day 2: Blizzards, Boots, and Baseball Cap Confusion

Weather: Blizzard with a side of regret

Loot Highlight: Marinerโ€™s Pea Coat, Maple Syrup, Three Matches

Mood: Optimistic, then crushed by cooking requirements

Missed the start of this adventure? Read Day 1 here.


Blizzard-Hopping in Milton

I start the day in Grey Motherโ€™s house, do some quick inventory management, and drop 2.5 litres of waterโ€”hydration is important, but weight limits are brutal. I also find a third cooking pot beside the fireplace, which I immediately move to the kitchen like the house-proud survivalist I am.

Outside? Blizzard. Naturally.

First stop: the post office. It gives me nothing but disappointment, but the car loot makes up for itโ€”three matches from four vehicles is an impressive haul in a whiteout.

I hop from building to building, clothes getting wetter, warmth draining faster than my optimism. Still, I find a pair of work bootsโ€”a welcome upgrade from my starter footwear.


Weather Clears, Map Expands

Eventually, the blizzard dies down. I whip out some charcoal and start sketching like a freezing Bob Ross, mapping out more of Milton.

The improved visibility leads to some solid loot:

  • Rabbit meat in a freezer
  • A glorious Marinerโ€™s Pea Coat (cue dramatic coat-swirling montage)

Loot, Syrup & Sadness

In another house, I pick up a can opener and a cozy pair of wool long johns. Back at Grey Motherโ€™s, I drop off my spoilsโ€”deer and rabbit meat, sticks, and reclaimed wood. My outdoor meat stash is growing nicely.

With some time left in the day, I loot another house and find maple syrup. I get stupidly excited. Lilyโ€™s Pancakes are within reach! Or so I think…

Turns out I need Cooking Level 4 and acorn grounds. Who knew pancakes were an advanced skill? The disappointment is real.

Also found: another chunk of deer meat in the freezer. Iโ€™ll take it.


Peak Chaos: The Baseball Cap Incident

I end the day attempting to harvest a baseball cap for cloth. Instead, I drop it. Then I drop it again. Then I drop it somewhere else. Apparently, Iโ€™ve been out in the cold too long.

Back at base, I drop the last of my meat stash outside, harvest some clothes, fill up on food and drink, and wrap up Day 2. Hopefully tomorrow Iโ€™ll make it to that memento cache.


Continue the Journey

Now Posting to Threads

Because the madness needs more reach.




Just a quick note to say that Survivor Incognito blog posts are now being shared on Threads!

If youโ€™re over there and want to follow along, you can catch:

New blog entry announcements

Teasers and pins

Occasional fog-induced mutterings


๐Ÿงต [https://www.threads.net/@survivorincognito]

Nothingโ€™s changing here on the blogโ€”youโ€™ll still get the full stories, permadeath chaos, and survival ramblings like always. Threads is just another place for the madness to spread.

Survivor’s Shorts: The Rabbit Got Up and Left Like I Wasnโ€™t Even Worth It

In Pleasant Valley, I stunned a rabbit in The Long Dark. I walked over, ready to claim victoryโ€”only for it to stand up, look at me, and run away. Iโ€™ve never felt so insulted by a ball of fluff.


Ah, Pleasant Valley.

Land of blizzards, wolves, and soul-crushing optimism.

I was low on food, lower on morale, and spotted a few rabbits hopping around like they hadnโ€™t a care in the world. I grabbed a rock and let instinct take over.

Thwack.
Direct hit. Rabbit down. I stunned it.

Heart racing, I walked over like a proud predator. This was itโ€”my big win.
Dinner secured. Survival extended. The tundra had finally thrown me a bone.

But when I reached it?

The rabbit got up. Looked at me. And left.

No panic. No zigzag. Just a calm, confident hop back to its fluffy little lifeโ€”like I hadnโ€™t just concussed it with a rock.


I tried to chase it, failed. I just stood there, rock still in hand, questioning my worth.
Turns out in The Long Dark, you donโ€™t get the kill unless you earn it fast.
And that rabbit clearly decidedโ€ฆ I wasnโ€™t worth the effort.


Final Thoughts

The Long Dark is full of brutal wildlife encounters.
Turns out, sometimes the smallest animals donโ€™t need claws or teeth โ€” they just need perfect timing to humiliate you.


If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Survivorโ€™s Shorts | Survival Game Clips, Fails & Funny Playthrough Highlights

Customloper Diaries Day One: A Woollen Windy Welcome to Milton

Customloper Diaries โ€“ 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.

Bridge car loot in Mountain Town

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 toqueโ€”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: successโ€ฆ 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 hatchetโ€”huge early-game win.

Back in Milton, a glovebox note reveals a memento cacheโ€ฆ at the church I just left. Classic.

Memento note found in Milton

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 Motherโ€™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

The One-Shot Wonder: Bear Meets Panic Rifle

On Coastal Highway in The Long Dark, a bear ambushed me at dusk. I panicked, fired, and somehow dropped it with a single shot. Iโ€™m still processing what happenedโ€”and how Iโ€™m alive.

It was getting dark on Coastal Highway. I was returning to Quonset Garage after a day of looting, freezing, and thinking about food I didnโ€™t have.

And then I heard it.

That guttural growlโ€”the kind that makes your blood freeze before the weather does.

I turned.
Bear. Charging.

My brain hit full panic mode. I fumbled for my rifle, jammed it into position, aimed down the sights, and braced for impact.

I fired.

I adjusted the brightness of the video so you can see what happens.

The Original

This is the original version. I was playing handheld on the Switch at the time

One shot. The bear dropped.

I stood there in stunned silence, half-expecting it to get back up and laugh. But it didnโ€™t. It was down. Permanently.

Was it a crit? A miracle? Game physics?
No idea. But for that one shining second, I wasnโ€™t just survivingโ€”
I was the apex predator.

Final Thoughts

In a game known for handing out slow, painful deaths, I got a split-second win.
And honestly? Iโ€™m not sure it wasnโ€™t a fluke.
But Iโ€™ll take it.

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other Survivor’s Shorts

Weekly Recap: The Long Dark, Skyrim, No Manโ€™s Sky, Nice Day For Fishing & More โ€“ Survivor Incognito

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

The Campfireโ€™s Been Busy โ€” Letโ€™s Catch Up

One of the busiest weeks yet! If you blinked, you probably missed something โ€” so hereโ€™s your full survival roundup:

๐Ÿ• The Survivorโ€™s Camp is Now Open

A brand new central hub page has launched:
The Survivorโ€™s Camp pulls together everything on the blog โ€” survival guides, series hubs, shorts, and playthroughs โ€” all in one place.

[Visit The Survivorโ€™s Camp]

๏”ช Survivorโ€™s Dread Has Officially Gone Live



The newest addition to the blog is here:
Survivorโ€™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 Survivorโ€™s Dread]
[Visit Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival]

๐Ÿš€ Day One Diary โ€“ No Manโ€™s Sky

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

[Visit Day One Diary โ€“ No Manโ€™s Sky]

๐ŸŽฃ Day One Diary โ€“ Nice Day For Fishing

Baelinโ€™s adventure has begun.
Fishing, questing, mugged sorcerers, and Dark Lords โ€” just your average day in Nice Day For Fishing.

[Visit Nice Day For Fishing โ€“ Day One Diary: Baelinโ€™s Adventure Begins]

โ„๏ธ Customloper โ€“ 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 โ€“ The Long Dark: Day One Diary]

๐Ÿบ The Long Dark โ€“ 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 Voyageurโ€™s Tale of The Long Dark]

๐Ÿ‰ Skyrim Survival Mode โ€“ 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]

๐ŸŽฅ Survivorโ€™s Shorts

New moments added to the ever-growing Survivorโ€™s Shorts collection โ€” highlighting some of the best (and worst) survival moments from across the blog.

[Visit Survivorโ€™s Shorts]

๐Ÿ›  Blog Updates โ€“ 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.




Thatโ€™s everything from this week!
Stay warm. Stay fed. Donโ€™t poke the wildlife. (Or open any cursed chests.)



The Moose Behind the Tree โ€“ A 5% Spawn, 100% Panic Sprint

I thought I was alone on Coastal Highway. Then I saw antlers. This is the story of how a moose turned a quiet walk into an Olympic-level panic sprint.

It was just another day in The Long Dark.

I was walking the road near Quonset Garage on Coastal Highway. Light fading, stomach grumbling, the usual post-loot shuffle home. Everything felt quiet. Calm. Deceptively safe.

Then I saw it.

Not a charging bear. Not a distant wolf. No, this was worse.

A moose.

It wasnโ€™t running.
It wasnโ€™t stomping.
It was justโ€ฆ standing there.
Behind a tree.

Image taken from The Long Dark Wiki. Mainly because I didn’t think to take a screenshot or a video when it happened

Staring at me like it had been waiting for its cue in a survival horror play.

And thenโ€”it took the stance.
The head lowered. The hooves shifted. You know the one. The “say the word and Iโ€™ll flatten you” stance.

That was my sign to go.

I turned and ran for the nearest building like Iโ€™d just insulted its family. My survival instincts kicked in, my inventory was forgotten, and my dignity stayed behind by the tree.

Final Thoughts

The Long Dark Wiki says that moose in particular has a 5% chance to spawn for 48 hours. This one spawned right behind a tree and in front of my will to live.

Got a favourite chaotic moment?

Let me know in the comments or tag me on socialโ€”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 โ€œfriendshipโ€ like a moose silently judging you from behind a tree.

If you enjoyed this story, please check out my other: Survivorโ€™s Shorts

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