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. I’m still processing what happened—and how I’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 didn’t have.

And then I heard it.

That guttural growl—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 didn’t. It was down. Permanently.

Was it a crit? A miracle? Game physics?
No idea. But for that one shining second, I wasn’t just surviving—
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? I’m not sure it wasn’t a fluke.
But I’ll take it.

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

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.

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:

🏕 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]

 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]

🚀 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]

🎣 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]

❄️ 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]

🐺 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]

🐉 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]

🎥 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]

🛠 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.




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



The Moose Behind the Tree – 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 wasn’t running.
It wasn’t stomping.
It was just… 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 then—it took the stance.
The head lowered. The hooves shifted. You know the one. The “say the word and I’ll flatten you” stance.

That was my sign to go.

I turned and ran for the nearest building like I’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 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.

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

Why I’m Not Chasing Clicks (And What That Means for Survivor Incognito)

When I started this blog, I knew 2 things for sure:

  1. I love survival games.
  2. I didn’t want to turn them into something stressful – for me or for you.

So I made a choice early on: I wouldn’t flood Survivor Incognito with SEO trickery, hyped-up headlines, or “Top 10 Ways to Get Views Fast!” guides. I wanted this to grow like a campfire — one spark at a time. Slow, steady, and occasionally smothered by a blizzard.

The Stats So Far

May was my first full month live. I got:




Some days it’s just one or two views. Others it’s a little spike from Reddit, Facebook, or Pinterest. It’s not explosive — but it’s real. And it’s mine.

  • 324 views.
  • 243 visitors.
  • And one mildly surprised blogger wondering who these brave souls are clicking through the fog.

Why I’m OK With Slow Growth

Because I’d rather build a small camp of readers who:

  • Actually enjoy what I like.
  • Like permadeath stories, region guides, or rabbit-stunning mishaps.
  • Stick around for the tone, not the traffic.

Clickbait can bring numbers, sure. But I’m not aiming for viral. I’m aiming for cozy. If a blog post of mine makes someone laugh, try something new in The Long Dark, or curse a moose in solidarity — that’s enough.

What’s Ahead

The blog will keep growing — one post, one map, one diary entry at a time. If you’re here reading this? Thank you. You’re part of what makes this space feel less like a webpage and more like a cabin with the fire lit.

Feel free to browse the hubs, subscribe for updates, or just keep coming back when the blizzards hit.

Stick Around?

I post new survival diaries, game guides, and mildly catastrophic moments every week. Head to the homepage to see what’s been happening, or subscribe if you want updates without the clickbait.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.


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.

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.

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

I Was Just Trying to Get Home (And Then This Happened)

What started as a quiet trip back to Grey Mother’s turned into a wolf ambush. Here’s how my Customloper run nearly ended on Day 3.

Just Me, a Skillet, and Regret

I’d just finished looting Paradise Meadows Farm. I had a fresh rabbit stew in my belly, a skillet in my backpack, and dreams of a cozy night back at Grey Mother’s. You know. Normal stuff.

Then this happened.



That’s right. No warning. No howls. Just me, walking around a corner like I own the place, and a wolf showing up like he owns the place. Spoiler: he nearly did.

I did what any reasonable person would do—I ran back inside, popped painkillers like trail mix, and bandaged my wrist while re-evaluating all my life choices.

Moral of the story: Never trust Milton to be quiet, and always expect the game to humble you the second you start feeling safe.

For more tales like this, please check out: Survivor’s Shorts

Survivor’s Shorts Are Live – Because Chaos Deserves Its Own Page

Survivor’s Shorts is now live! A new page on the blog featuring my funniest, strangest, and most disastrous survival moments—bite-sized stories, full-sized regret.


Sometimes a moment in a survival game doesn’t need a full playthrough post—it just needs a spotlight, a raised eyebrow, and maybe a bandage.

That’s where Survivor’s Shorts comes in.

It’s a new page on the blog dedicated to the little disasters. The sudden bear charges. The pancake heartbreaks. The moose lurking behind trees. All real stories from my permadeath runs, trimmed down and served with a side of sarcasm.

If you’ve ever screamed when you meant to crouch or felt betrayed by a breakfast item, you’ll feel right at home.

What You’ll Find There

The Pancake Betrayal – Found the recipe. Found the syrup. Got betrayed by Cooking Level 4.

There is more coming soon. But here is what to expect for ones that are being drafted:

The Wolf That Interrupted My Mapping Session – Cartography meets carnivore.

The Moose Behind the Tree – A 5% spawn rate that showed up at 100% volume.

The Doedicurus That Broke My Spirit – One spear. No hits. Lots of tail.

The One-Shot Wonder – A bear, a rifle, and a moment of absolute panic… that somehow worked.


And plenty more moments coming soon.

Check it Out Here:

Survivor’s Shorts

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.

The Pancake Betrayal: A Tale of Syrup, Hope, and Crushing Disappointment in The Long Dark

On Day 1, I found Lily’s pancake recipe. On Day 2, maple syrup. I dared to dream. But The Long Dark had other plans. Here’s the tragic tale of the pancakes that never were.

How It All Began

It started like all great adventures do: with breakfast.

Day 1 of my Customloper run. I was cold, hungry, and rummaging through Milton like a raccoon with a pension. That’s when I found it. A recipe card tucked neatly into a drawer: Lily’s Pancakes.

Hope bloomed. Pancakes. In the apocalypse.

Day 2: Syrup From The Heavens

Then it happened. The gods of calories smiled upon me.

I found maple syrup. Actual syrup. In a game where peanut butter is a rare treasure and soda is currency, this was the nectar of the ancients.

I had the recipe. I had the syrup. All I needed was… the ability to cook it?

The Dream Dies

Enter Cooking Skill 4.

And acorn grounds.

Because apparently, pancakes in The Long Dark are a late-game luxury, not a wholesome wilderness breakfast. You need to:

Boil acorns

Grind them

Have mastered the culinary arts

Possibly offer a sacrifice to the RNG gods


I barely have shoes. But yes, let’s make artisanal pancake flour from forest nuts.

The Aftertaste of Betrayal

So now the recipe sits in my inventory, mocking me. The syrup? Hoarded like liquid gold. And I? I chew on stale crackers in the corner, dreaming of what could’ve been.

One day, I will reach Cooking Skill 4.
One day, I will gather acorns, grind them, and make pancake batter.

But today? Today I make tea. And try not to cry.

Final Thoughts

This game has broken me before, but never like this. Frostbite? Bear maulings? Fine. But withholding pancakes? That’s a new low.

For more info on what Customloper is, please check out: The Long Dark Customloper Settings: Easier Interloper Survival Mode

Want to read more tales like this? Please check out: Survivor’s Shorts

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