Tag: Nintendo Switch

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

I begin my cozy adventure in Nice Day For Fishing, following Baelin’s journey from humble fisherman to unlikely hero. Rogue chests, Dark Lords, and plenty of fishing await.

Welcome to Azerim — And Honeywood is Already a Mess

The game opens with a cutscene introducing the world of Azerim and our unlikely hero, Baelin — fisherman, man of few words, and now the star of this adventure.

Immediately, I’m greeted by a soundtrack that brings a big smile to my face — the same tune that plays in VLDL’s Epic NPC Man series. (If you know, you know.) Many laughs have been had thanks to those videos, so hearing the music here is a nice little bonus.

The story wastes no time introducing the town of Honeywood and its familiar faces: Greg the Garlic Farmer, Bodger the Blacksmith, and Baradun the Sorcerer. Baradun, by the way, has a chest that should absolutely never be opened.

Naturally, Charles and Bernard — being Charles and Bernard — decide to mug him and open said chest. The result? All the adventurers vanish. All except Baelin. And just like that, the fisherman is now the last adventurer standing.


—

Garlic, Hammers, and Fishy Business

I begin my quests the same way any good adventure starts: running errands. I collect 3 garlic for Greg and fish Bodger’s Grandfather’s Hammer out of the well (which, I strongly suspect, will not be the last time that hammer finds its way back down there).

After some more questing, Baradun tasks me with fishing up something from the bottom of Lake Honeywood. Naturally, that something turns out to be… a Dark Lord.

With no proper adventurers left in Azerim — and one very low-level Baelin — the Dark Lord promptly destroys Honeywood. The screen fades to black.

You Missed The Fight

Greg wakes me up after the chaos to inform me that I somehow slept through an epic showdown between Baradun and the Dark Lord. Convenient.

Undeterred, I continue helping the remaining townsfolk, once again retrieving Bodger’s hammer (seriously, secure that thing). After gathering 5 pieces of wood, I’m rewarded with my very own fishing boat, which lets me cross the lake to meet up with Baradun.

—

What Awaits?

At this point, I’ve no idea what lies ahead. More fishing? More chaos? Probably both.

But for now, one thing is certain:
It’s a nice day for fishing.

—

If you enjoyed this one, please check out my other: Day One Diaries

And why not stay a while at: The Survivor’s Camp

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The Cold Chronicles Day Five: A Voyageur’s Tale of The Long Dark

Survival Switch-Style

Day 5 – Mapping Coastal Highway, Finding a Revolver, and Prepping for Pleasant Valley

Next: Day 6 | Previous: Day 4

Today’s mission was simple on paper: lighten my pack, loot like a professional, and avoid becoming a decorative frozen lump in a snowbank. The first step was Quonset Garage inventory triage. I dumped food, meds, spare clothes, and every non-essential item into my storage stash — keeping just enough to keep me alive. Travel light, loot heavy. The survivor’s paradox.

First stop: a nearby building that greeted me with the holy grail of kitchenware — a cooking pot and a skillet. Outstanding finds. Unfortunately, they also weighed roughly the same as my survival hopes, so back to Quonset I trudged, muttering about my endless loop of “find loot, dump loot, repeat.”

With the weight off my shoulders (literally), I decided today was going to be about exploration — specifically, mapping Coastal Highway like a cartographer with too much time on their hands. I hopped between fishing huts, pausing every so often to scribble charcoal marks on my map like an artist who only draws squares. The wind bit at my face, ice groaned under my boots, and somewhere in the distance, a wolf howled just to keep me humble.

Loot highlights of the hut-hopping adventure included: a book on fishing (because nothing says “immersive reading” like reading about fishing while fishing), a hunting knife that immediately earned its keep on a nearby deer carcass, and — drumroll, please — a revolver.

Three bullets. Enough to be dangerous, not enough to be reckless.

Yes, an actual revolver. Even better — it had one round chambered, and earlier in my fishing crawl I’d picked up two loose bullets. That’s three shots. In The Long Dark, that’s not just self-defense; it’s a small-scale munitions miracle. Of course, in my infinite wisdom, I’d left the rest of my ammo back at Quonset, so for now it’s more of a moral support weapon.

While the deer meat cooked in one of the huts, I dashed over to a nearby trailer to drop off the hide and gut for curing. Nothing says “I’ve made it” like casually starting your own rabbit and deer leather collection. Resource management, baby.

By evening, the weather had shifted from “brisk” to “why are you outside, you fool?” A blizzard swept in just as I reached the edge of the lake. I wasn’t about to attempt a hero’s march back to Quonset in that, so I ducked into the nearest house. The place was cold, abandoned, and smelled faintly of damp socks — but it had loot, so it met my standards.

Looted the place, harvested some extra clothes (accidentally shredded a perfectly good hat, but we don’t talk about that), and collapsed into bed before the fatigue meter could nag me into a penalty.

End of Day 5: One revolver, three bullets, a map full of fishing huts, and the creeping suspicion that Coastal Highway might just be my new favorite spot — assuming the wolves don’t hold a vote on the matter.

Continue the journey:
◀ Day 4 – Into the Wind and the Wolves
Day 6 – To Pleasant Valley ▶

More from The Long Dark:
🏠 The Long Dark Hub
📘 Survive Your First Week in The Long Dark
📜 Customloper Diaries
⚙ Customloper Settings

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Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Five

I return to Shroud Hearth Barrow to face a “ghost,” discover it’s just a deranged frost mage, clear out undead, remember how to zoom with a bow, and miss Lydia more than I expected.


—

The Ghost Isn’t Real, But the Frostbite Is

The day begins with a voice echoing through the ruins of Shroud Hearth Barrow, telling me to turn back. I don’t. Obviously. If I turned back every time a disembodied voice told me to, I wouldn’t have left Helgen.

Inside, I find frost-covered halls and a frost-wielding “spectre” who turns out to be a man in a robe with a superiority complex. I resist the urge to shout, “You’re not even undead!” and settle for fire spells and potions instead. Frost resistance does most of the work. A few spells later, he’s dead—and not the kind that gets up again.

Turns out he snapped from isolation and decided to LARP as a ghost. His journal’s full of ramblings, paranoia, and bad decisions. I should probably relate, but instead I loot his body and move on.

I can’t help thinking Lydia could’ve handled the distraction while I circled behind. She was good for that—charging in recklessly while I fired off spells and arrows from the shadows. It hits me again that she’s gone. Permanently. Not resting in Breezehome. Just gone. And for the first time, that feels like more than an inventory loss.


—

A Quick Detour to Town

I return to the inn with the ghost-faker’s journal. The innkeeper’s relieved to learn the place isn’t haunted and rewards me with the Sapphire Dragon Claw—because apparently the correct response to surviving a haunted dungeon is to send someone deeper into it.

Not one to refuse free ancient loot access, I eat some food, warm up, and head back in.


—

Back to the Barrow

The second half of the barrow is more undead and more danger. I find a sleeping bag tucked beside some barrels and take the opportunity to rest. One hour’s enough to regain stamina and level up. I put the point into Health and choose Light Armor for the perk—mainly because I’m tired of dying in three hits.

The claw fits the puzzle door and grants access to the barrow’s inner sanctum. I shift into stealth mode and start clearing the area with arrows and fire spells. It’s during one of these fights that I finally remember: I can zoom in with my bow. (Hold ZL to aim, click right stick for zoom.) This information would’ve been helpful literally four days ago, but better late than dead.


—

New Magic, New Words, Same Cold

Along the way, I find an Oakflesh spellbook. Boosted armor without metal? Yes, please. It pairs well with my current sneaky-bow-mage playstyle, especially since I’ve yet to find decent armor that doesn’t clank.

At the very end of the dungeon, I’m greeted by a Word Wall. I approach and learn Kyne’s Peace, which… sounds like something the Greybeards might want to chat about. I haven’t seen them since I shouted at a mountain goat near Whiterun, so I imagine they’re still waiting patiently on their high stone perch.

Before I leave the crypt, I rest again and hit another level up. Health gets another boost (cold and axes both hurt), and I drop a perk point into Sneak. Because what’s better than being hard to kill? Being hard to find in the first place.


—

Day 5 Summary

Defeated fake ghost in Shroud Hearth Barrow

Acquired and used the Sapphire Dragon Claw

Cleared out all skeletons and draugr

Remembered I can zoom while aiming with a bow (finally)

Picked up Oakflesh for magic armor buffs

Learned Word of Power: Kyne’s Peace

Leveled up twice: +2 Health, Light Armor +1, Sneak +1

Missed Lydia more than expected

—

The barrow’s empty, the loot is mine, and the Greybeards are probably wondering if I’ve died in a ditch. They’ll get their answer tomorrow—assuming I don’t freeze to death first.

Check out the full series here: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival

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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

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Day 1 Diary – No Man’s Sky – A Freezing Planet, Angry Plants & A Forgotten Ship

Because apparently, space is just as chaotic as survival on Earth.
—

I wake up to the cold void of Zuwan 58/E6

It’s -54.8°C and my thermal protection is already falling apart. I’m standing on an unfamiliar world, surrounded by snow, rocks, and the kind of silence that suggests no one’s coming to help. The scanner is offline, and the only way to fix it is by gathering ferrite dust.

Cue 30 seconds of frantic mining laser use. It feels like hours. Rocks explode. The scanner gets patched up. Victory—briefly.


—

Sodium, sabotage, and a slap from nature

With the scanner online, I locate some sodium-rich plants glowing yellow in the distance. I sprint over like they’re the last snacks at the end of the world. Just as I reach one, a hostile plant lashes out and takes a bite out of me. Rude.

I grab the sodium anyway, recharge my thermal protection, and make a mental note: not everything green is friendly.

Then a new signal appears—500 units away.


—

The Radiant Pillar and the repair list from hell

The signal leads to a crashed starship: the Radiant Pillar BC1. The ship’s still mostly intact, but running a diagnostic reveals both the launch thrusters and pulse engine are out of commission. Typical.

Luckily, I already have enough ferrite dust to patch together some metal plating and get started. Then the distress beacon hands me a planetary chart that points toward a hermetic seal—only 900 units away. I head off to get it.

Halfway there, the planet unleashes a blizzard. The temperature drops to -97.3°C. I barely make it to the building in time, where I warm up, collect the hermetic seal, and take a much-needed moment to question my life choices.


—

Navigation error: user

With the seal in hand, I’m ready to head back… if only I remembered where I left the ship.

The scanner’s broken again. This time it needs carbon. So I laser some nearby plants—none of which try to bite me, thankfully—and repair the scanner. The ship’s marker reappears and I make my way back, scanning every rock and shrub along the way like a distracted tourist with a scanner addiction.


—

The great resource hunt and escape

Back at the ship, I finish the pulse engine repair. The thrusters need pure ferrite, which means crafting a portable refiner. That requires dihydrogen and oxygen—time for another impromptu gathering mission.

Once the refiner is placed, I process the ferrite dust into pure ferrite, patch up the launch thrusters, and climb into the cockpit.

Moments later, I leave Zuwan 58/E6 behind. I don’t know where I’m going, but I’m not freezing anymore. Probably.


—

Day 1 complete

Status: Launched
Planet: Hostile
Ship: Mostly duct tape
Next Goal: Figure out how not to die in space


—

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

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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.

—

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.

—

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.

—

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.

—

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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Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Four

Missed Day 3 – Read it here

Started the day the way all great stealth archers do—by pretending to care about politics. Found the Redguard woman in Whiterun that the Alik’r mercs were sniffing around for. She gave me the classic “they’re lying, I’m innocent” speech. Naturally, I decided to investigate further, because I’m not just a deadly ghost in the shadows—I’m also weirdly nosy.

So I paid a visit to the dungeon. Not because I enjoy the ambiance (mossy rocks, chain rattles, general despair), but because that’s where the Alik’r prisoner was holed up. On my way through the cells, I stumbled across a conveniently placed letter that kicked off While the Cat’s Away—because apparently jail is where people keep their treasure maps now. This new breadcrumb trail pointed me to Rorikstead, so that’s now on the ever-growing “places I’ll forget to visit” list.

I bribed a guard to release the Alik’r guy. Ten gold down, but the man refused to leave. Said he liked it there. Who likes jail? I left him to enjoy the damp stone aesthetic and moved on.

Decided to get serious about transport and talked to the guy at the stables. Instead of a horse, I got a map to horse locations. Look, I may specialize in ranged combat from the shadows, but even I think this quest design is a bit rich. I considered stealing a horse parked outside—because what’s stealth archery without a bit of stealth theft?—but resisted. Barely.

Set off for Ivarstead, because apparently walking from town to town is now my main questline. Took a scenic route through White River Watch, because I saw bandits and my inner archer whispered, “free loot.” Cleared the place, looted some arrows, and—big moment—found a replacement torch. Goodbye darkness; hello slightly less darkness.

Further down the road, a local asked for help clearing out some spooky ancestral crypt. I said yes, mostly because ghosts are easier to shoot than bandits. Lydia followed me in. She didn’t follow me out. Somewhere in the middle of a draugr-infested hallway, she stopped tanking and started dying. I mourned just long enough to loot her stuff and whisper, “you took too many aggro points.” I may join the Companions soon, if only to get a fresh meat shield with less emotional baggage.

Finished the tomb, claimed some loot, and resumed the long haul to Ivarstead. Got lost twice. Almost turned back three times. It wasn’t clear if I was heading east, west, or straight into existential crisis. Eventually, the town showed up and I dragged myself into the nearest inn.

Dropped into a bed with no torch dropped this time. Progress.

RIP Lydia. You were loud, clunky, and bad at staying behind me. But you absorbed a lot of arrows meant for me, so thanks for that.

Read the full journey here: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival

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Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Three

Missed Day Two. Find it here: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival – Day Two

Day 3 started with an ambush. A random High Elf jumped me on the road for reasons unknown—maybe they didn’t like my face, or maybe Argonians owe them money. Either way, I fought back with confusion and mild panic, which worked surprisingly well.

I eventually made it to Honningbrew Meadery, still torchless, and only then realized I must have accidentally sold mine to the Riverwood trader. A true survivalist moment.

Whiterun itself was a whirlwind of activity. I did a lot of trading and cooking (still no torch, sadly) and picked up a handful of miscellaneous quests just by talking to everyone who would listen. After reporting the dragon attack to the Jarl, he asked me to speak to his court wizard, Farengar, about retrieving an item from Bleak Falls Barrow. Luckily, I had already picked it up after dealing with the draugr overlord the day before.

When I returned the item, another dragon sighting interrupted the conversation—because of course it did. The Jarl asked me to help defend the watchtower. On the way, I stopped at a farm and took as many cabbages as I could carry. Nutrition first, dragon-slaying second.

The dragon fight was… spirited. I may have only shot one or two arrows during the entire battle (accuracy still pending investigation), but I stood my ground and somehow survived. When the dragon fell, I absorbed its soul and unlocked the first word of Unrelenting Force. The Greybeards, apparently impressed by my sheer proximity to heroism, summoned me with a thunderous shout across the land.

After the chaos at the watchtower, I returned to Whiterun as a newly minted dragonslayer—well, sort of. I may have only fired one or two arrows during the entire battle (accuracy debatable), but I was present, which apparently is enough to get called Dragonborn these days. I’ll take it.

Back in the city, the moment I stepped through the gates, I ran into two Redguards asking if I’d seen a mysterious woman. Naturally, I nodded vaguely and moved on—I’d just absorbed a dragon soul, after all. Priorities.

Then it was back up to Dragonsreach, where I was rewarded by the Jarl for my “bravery” with the title of Thane and a housecarl named Lydia. I’d barely gotten the words “Unrelenting Force” out of my mouth before I was already poking around the keep, looting any gold, potions, and cheese wheels that weren’t nailed down. Let’s just say I was making the most of my new noble status.

Exhausted, mildly traumatized, and still without a torch, I wrapped up Day 3 by heading to the local inn for some much-needed rest—and to contemplate how one becomes the hero of Skyrim while barely lifting a finger in combat.

Read the full jouney here: Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival

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Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day Two

Previously on “Freezing to Death with Style”:


I escaped Helgen, picked flowers while Hadvar tried to be serious, got mauled by wolves with no meat, chose the Thief Stone after second-guessing it five times, cleared out Embershard Mine with a chaotic mix of weapons and magic, looted some fancy rings, ate everything not nailed down, got weighed down by junk, and slept in Riverwood with a backpack which improves my lockpicking and big dreams. Oh—and I was accidentally playing on Adept. That’s going to change.

Read Day One Here

Day 2:

After surviving my first day in the freezing land of Skyrim, I woke up with new resolve—and promptly realized I’d left the difficulty set to Adept. That explained a lot. So, I knocked it down to Apprentice, because this is a survival diary, not a masochism log.

Destination: Bleak Falls Barrow.
Detour: Accidentally walked the wrong way. Did a full 180 and actually set off toward my goal.

The closer I got to the barrow, the colder it got. My health started draining from exposure, and I started wondering if this was where my playthrough ended. I also realized I had made a classic survival mistake: I didn’t bring a torch. Rookie error. I pressed on, anyway.

Inside the barrow, I took out a couple of bandits and gratefully warmed up by a fire. I even snagged a nap. Fighting fatigue and frostbite is a hard balance. As I worked deeper into the ruins, a bandit ahead of me triggered a trap and conveniently died. Looted them. Jackpot—a torch.

Further in, I encountered the infamous giant spider and did my best Legolas impression until it fell. Then I met Arvel the Swift, who begged me to cut him down. I agreed—and then immediately betrayed him. I’ve played enough Skyrim to know what happens if you don’t. With him gone, I took the Golden Claw and his journal. Thanks, buddy.

I worked my way through packs of draugr using stealth and ranged attacks, occasionally switching to a mace and shield when things got messy. Found a spell tome to raise the dead, and from there, things got necromantically fun. Raise. Fight. Repeat. Disposable zombie backup is surprisingly effective.

At the end of the barrow, I learned a Word of Power, but a Draugr Overlord decided to give me a live demonstration. Rude. I killed him, took his enchanted sword, and called it a win.

On the way back to Riverwood, I hunted a few rabbits for food and ran into a panicked woman claiming she fled from Mistwatch—a place now apparently run by bandits. Good to know.

Returned the Golden Claw to the Riverwood Trader, did some bartering, some cooking, and returned to Hadvar’s uncle’s house for the night. Leveled up in the morning, boosting health, stamina, archery, restoration, and sneak. Because stealth archery isn’t just a meme—it’s a lifestyle.

[Read The Full Journey Here]

Where Did This Happen?

[Check The Map Here]

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Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival Day One

Species: Argonian | Starting Conditions: Skyrim Survival Mode | Faction Friend: Hadvar (Imperial)

I began my snowy misadventure by choosing to play as an Argonian—because if you’re going to freeze to death, you might as well do it with gills. I followed Hadvar through the tutorial section, politely ignored the chaos around us, and activated Survival Mode the moment we hit daylight. Bad call? Maybe. But immersive? Absolutely.

As we made our way to Riverwood, Hadvar told me about the Imperial Legion while I was too busy picking every flower in sight. Gotta prep for the alchemy I’ll never actually do, right?

On the road, I got ambushed by two wolves and was bitterly disappointed when they dropped nothing but pelts. No meat. What kind of survival game lets you starve next to perfectly good wolf shanks?

I made it to the Guardian Stones and spent way too long debating between the Warrior and Thief stones before finally choosing the Thief stone. Because nothing says “stealth archer” like shouting from the bushes and missing half your arrows.

Speaking of arrows—I took on Embershard Mine using a mix of bow, fire magic, and good ol’ iron mace and shield. Found a Ring of Sneaking and a Ring of Archery. Took both, naturally. Equipped the Archery one, because priorities.

Stamina and magicka were running low, so I scarfed down any food I could loot, like a true culinary scavenger. Also had to drop a bunch of gear after becoming over-encumbered and unable to run. It was either the extra sword or dignity. Dignity lost.

Made it to Riverwood, met up with Hadvar again, got a warm welcome and a bunch of gifts from his uncle, and picked up a quest from the Riverwood Trader to find the Golden Claw. Also bought a backpack that mysteriously increased my lockpicking skill. Skyrim logic.

I ended the day sleeping in a borrowed bed, leveling up, and realizing I’d been playing on Adept difficulty the whole time. Might be time to bump that down to Apprentice. Survival’s hard enough without bandits being Olympic javelin throwers.

Read The Full Journey Here

Where Did This Happen?

[Check The Map Here]

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