๐Ÿ“Œ For New Survivors: Start Here

Welcome to Survivor Incognito! This is where survival games meet chaos, comedy, and a healthy disregard for difficulty settings.

If you’re new here and wondering what this blog is all about, hereโ€™s a quick guide to help you dive in:


๐ŸŽฎ Why I Play on Easier Difficulties

Think playing on easy makes survival games easy? Iโ€™m living proof it doesnโ€™t. ๐Ÿ‘‰ Surviving, Not Suffering: Why I Choose Easier Difficulties


โ„๏ธ The Long Dark Must-Reads

๐Ÿ—บ The Long Dark Complete Region & Transition Zone Survival Guide

โ„๏ธ Customloper Diaries

๐Ÿ“† Survive Your First Week in The Long Dark


๐Ÿงช Permadeath, But Make It Funny

๐Ÿ•ท The Backyard Trials: Grounded Permadeath

๐Ÿน Sneak, Snipe, Repeat: Skyrim Survival

๐Ÿšข Dark Waters: A Dredge Survival


๐Ÿšš Coming Soon

SnowRunner Survival: The Permagear Diaries Main Hub

Sunburnt & Sinking: A Stranded Deep Survival Diary


๐Ÿ’ฌ Bonus Reading

๐Ÿ‘‰ About Me

๐Ÿ‘‰ The Long Dark Customloper Settings: Easier Interloper Survival Mode

๐Ÿ‘‰ FAQ


Thanks for joining the mayhem. Surviving is optional. Storytelling the downfall? Mandatory

Welcome New Survivors

Just a quick post today to say a big welcome to everyone whoโ€™s recently stumbled into the chaos of Survivor Incognito. Whether you came for the haunted fish, the frozen lakes, or the exploding oak tree, Iโ€™m glad youโ€™re here.

If youโ€™re new, here are a few good places to start:

  • ๐Ÿ—บ๏ธ Check out the Long Dark Region Guide if you’re planning a cold-weather disaster of your own.
  • ๐ŸŸ Dark Waters is nearing its eerie conclusion โ€” perfect if you like your survival stories with a side of cosmic dread.
  • โ„๏ธ The Customloper Diaries are still going strong โ€” Interloper-lite, full-on panic.

This week marks the end of the Grounded permadeath run โ€” the backyard won, basically. But starting next week, weโ€™re trading bugs for busted axles with the debut of SnowRunner: The Permagear Diaries. Expect mud, ice, and a lot of โ€œwell that truckโ€™s gone nowโ€ moments.

Thanks for reading โ€” and remember: surviving is optional. Storytelling the downfall is the point.

Oh โ€” and if you think playing on easier difficulties makes survival games easy? It doesnโ€™t. Iโ€™m living proof that you can still freeze, starve, drown, fall off cliffs, and get stomped by wildlife with the difficulty slider turned all the way down. Turns out survival isnโ€™t just about the settings โ€” itโ€™s about the decisions. And mine are… letโ€™s say โ€œnarratively interesting.โ€

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.

Thatโ€™s when I saw it: a Doedicurus.
Round, slow-moving, and with the kind of face that said, โ€œI mind my business.โ€ 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.

Nowโ€ฆ 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 didnโ€™t mean to do was poke it directly in the face.

Cue a noise I didnโ€™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 wereโ€ฆ 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 โ€œYou Diedโ€ 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, Iโ€™m taming a Jerboa. At least they donโ€™t roll over you for sport.

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 that one, please check out my other stories here: Survivorโ€™s Shorts

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

Survivorโ€™s Shorts Are Live โ€“ Because Chaos Deserves Its Own Page

Survivorโ€™s Shorts is now live! A new page on the blog featuring my funniest, strangest, and most disastrous survival momentsโ€”bite-sized stories, full-sized regret.


Sometimes a moment in a survival game doesnโ€™t need a full playthrough postโ€”it just needs a spotlight, a raised eyebrow, and maybe a bandage.

Thatโ€™s where Survivorโ€™s Shorts comes in.

Itโ€™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 youโ€™ve ever screamed when you meant to crouch or felt betrayed by a breakfast item, youโ€™ll feel right at home.

What You’ll Find There

The Pancake Betrayal โ€“ 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 โ€“ Cartography meets carnivore.

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

The Doedicurus That Broke My Spirit โ€“ One spear. No hits. Lots of tail.

The One-Shot Wonder โ€“ A bear, a rifle, and a moment of absolute panicโ€ฆ that somehow worked.


And plenty more moments coming soon.

Check it Out Here:

Survivorโ€™s Shorts

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.

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

On Day 1, I found Lilyโ€™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. Thatโ€™s when I found it. A recipe card tucked neatly into a drawer: Lilyโ€™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 wasโ€ฆ 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, letโ€™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 couldโ€™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? Thatโ€™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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