Sherri

Days 45-49

It turns out that the Far Territories have only just begun to show their true colours. After days of blue skies and mostly nice weather, the morning storm turns into a raging blizzard. I boil water and eat venison all day, vowing to continue to explore the next day.

My plans are tossed into the snow the next day when the blizzard continues. I play cards while watching it out the window. My enjoyment of the Transfer Pass sours eventually and I plan to make my way to the airfield promised on all the maps around here.

The region has other ideas however. Twice I situate my gear and head out, making it just beyond an abandoned car when blue skies turn to blizzard in the blink of an eye. Where did this weather come from? It changes on a dime. I realize my recent adventures have been lucky. It's easy to get blindsided out here by blizzard. I'm forced back to the train station several times by raging blizzards for 3 straight days.

Finally I wake to a clear sky (though I no longer trust it), and head out once again. This time I make it to what feels like a new region.

A region with a long, winding road, shattered and precarious. This airfield is awfully far away. The sight of road (or train tracks) with canyon walls on either side is becoming an all too familiar sight. Boredom and anxiety war inside me. I'm happy to be out of the suffocating train station and blizzards, but this long endless walk is its own kind of torture. I spot a cave and mark it on my map, but there must be something more so I push on.

Misty fog begins to roll in and I start to regret my decisions. I'm going to get lost out here. More road, more walking.

Just as I start to contemplate turning back to find the cave, or giving up on this mad trek altogether, I spot a trailer in a junk yard. Shelter!

I duck inside and rest, eat, and make notes in my journal.

It's still early evening and I decide to check a bit farther down the road... but the fog thickens to pea soup. I stumble back to the trailer. More waiting for the weather. At least I can sleep indoors!

Day 44-45

I'm starting to feel quite at home here. I've taken to calling this region the Transfer Pass in my head. Today was beautiful. No wind, blue skies - a rare treat here on Great Bear. I use the opportunity to explore the Transfer Pass a bit more. I scout along the ridges and find that on one end, both the road and the rail line end in collapsed rock slides. No way to leave in that direction. I encounter a break in the ridge and find a cliff looking out on a vast unexplored area. I don't think I can access this region, but it looks empty and cold anyway.

On my way back around to the marshes near the train tracks I find the carcass of a buck. The one I shot? How did I not see these crows yesterday? No matter, I set a fire on the ice and get to harvesting and cooking. A lovely day for it. Over 11kg of meat on this one. I wish I had some salt.

The porch of the train station is looking like a butcher's garbage pile. Meat everywhere. I'm sure now that there are no wolves here. Surely the smell would have drawn them by now.

In the morning I wake to a beautiful sunrise and gently falling snow. I watch it out the windows. It startles me to realize this is the first building on Great Bear that I've been in without the frosted glass windows so common in the area. Being able to see outside does much to combat claustrophobia.

The gentle snow turns to a storm after I take a few short steps out the door. I'll have to continue mapping and exploring later.

Days 42-43

With renewed excitement for exploration I set out in the morning to explore the area around the train station. The trees and rolling hills seem fairly safe. I haven't heard any wolves in the area which gives me confidence. Behind the station I find a road sign, pointing me to interesting locations. I follow the road to Field 31, but after a long sprint it seems like this road is what will lead me to new regions. I duck into a pickup truck to warm up then head back. Above that road is a second one leading in the same direction. It leads be to a dead end with a collapsed tunnel. Slight shelter but nothing interesting to find.

I expected the area around the train station to have more signs of people. Backpacks, containers, hidden stashes. But so far there is almost nothing. Not even corpses- the grim thought enters my mind. Ever the scavenger, the pockets of those who came before me are a necessary resources if not a pleasant one. But the area is empty of tools or supplies. Unfortunate. The region seems to encourage exploration though. Paths, roads, hills to climb and look out from. It's far from barren, if not quite a scavenger's friend.

Back to the station area I climb up to one end of the coal chute. The fence is broken and I can look down inside. Interesting. Can I climb down in it? Looks like a massive sprain risk or even a no-way-out scenario. I seize the day anyway and drop down inside. It turns out to be a great choice. It's easy to navigate with 2 different doors out. I find some can goods and even a bearskin bedroll. Excellent!

Out of the choking mess of coal dust, I return back to the rear of the station. I spotted two deer there, a buck and a doe. It's not too far from the station and would be a great source of food for the next few days. I sneak over the hill and land a shot on the doe. It hits a shoulder but doesn't finish the job and she runs off. I go for the bigger prize, the buck once it settles down. Another shot square in the chest - but they make the deer tough here in the far territories and the animal doesn't fall. A second shot goes wild. I now have 2 injured deer sprinting away across the landscape and nothing but shame in my marksmanship abilities. I follow a blood trail until it fades and the fog starts to come in.

Back 'home' I settle in for the night. Shocked at my 2.4 kg of cattail stalks I decide to make a salad of them. Full of their chewy dry calories and lamenting the lack of venison, I decide to nap then look outside for signs of crows marking the fallen deer. I spot one fairly far away. I hike to it, exhausted and with dusk upon me. I find the doe and quickly build a fire and quarter it. It takes two trips to lug the haul back to the station. But I'm so hyped up that I build a huge fire in the fireplace, boiling water, harvesting venison steaks and cooking a feast. The moon is high when I finally finish. Exhausted but full to bursting.

I can barely stand I'm so full and tired, but where is that buck is all I can think as I drift off to sleep.

In the morning the wind roars across the hills. Wind picks up fast in this region. Snow comes with it and I fear a blizzard is upon me. I scout briefly around for more crows, but the weather drives me back. I'm starting to get a good feel for this area. I think I may have explored most of it and have to move on soon. I might spend another day or two here though. With rabbits and deer in the area but no wolves, this is a definite contender for long-term base location. It may be my home away from (Camp Office) home for the medium term.

---

(Notes: I'm starting to see what other players are saying when they ask if Hinterland is going to fill the new regions with stuff at a later date. While the region itself is gorgeous and interesting... inviting exploration and full of nooks and crannies, paths and roads. Those areas - even on Voyager difficulty - lack any real loot or purpose to go there. No backpacks with loot, no corpses or tools. No memento notes or Polaroids (so far). No caches that I've found yet. It definitely feels barren (regarding items) for a region that should have had a lot of human traffic in its heyday.)

Days 40-41

In the morning an oppressive fog blankets the outdoors. It means low visibility but friendly temperatures. Stuck as I am in this canyon and following the train tracks I figure my odds of getting lost - even in this unfamiliar land is low. I head out following the train tracks. I cross a bridge with a view of flowing water. A rare sight in Great Bear. When I come across a group of rabbits playing among some trees I'm relieved by the sight of life. But my stomach isn't so friendly. I catch 2 rabbits and strap them to my ponderously full backpack for later. I haven't heard wolves so I hope the scent of meat won't be risky.

The longer I travel alone in this claustrophobic canyon the more my thoughts turn to the macabre mixed with hope. What must the population of Great Bear be? Workers and residents, lumberjacks and train workers. A thousand or more? The corpses I've found can't possibly account for the entire population of the regions I've been through. Milton? Where is everybody? They must be somewhere. They must be alive. I hope they are.

Deep in these grim thoughts of too few corpses and missing people, I come across the most intimidating tunnel I've seen to date. It looms above me, dark and yawning. The arches and rock look like ribs. As I enter I get goosebumps. The first time that this type of spooky fear has embraced me in all my time on the island.

The tunnel goes on and on. The darkness is complete and I light a flare for comfort but the red light it casts makes the tunnel feel even more like a long ribbed throat. It's swallowed me. I start to sprint - how long can it be? By the time I reach the end I'm panting and hallucinating the sight of a solo train headlight. It's just the tunnel exit. I leave to catch my breath and feel the wind on my face but it's open and empty out there. I duck back inside to cook up the rabbits, eat and fill in my journal.

Outside the tunnel the world opens up. I'm in a sparse but lovely forest. No signs of civilization besides the train tracks under my feet. I scout around, climb a rock to fill in my map. I look down the sights of my rifle trying to spot shelter or landmarks. Anything but trees and rocks and snow. So many different trees. It's beautiful but empty. 

It's getting late but the thought of returning to the hungry tunnel makes the decision for me. I follow the tracks, my head on a swivel watching for wolves or shelter.

Then I see it! A train station and a water tower. A large cargo loading silo. Shelter! It's a sight for cold, tired eyes. Surrounded by forest it's one of the nicest locations I've seen in a long time. I instantly love it here.

Inside the train station I find matches and red long-underwear in excellent condition. I slip those on right away, scour the immediate area as well as the cars and pile all the firewood I find in front of the fireplace. The train station will make a cozy place to sleep. The surrounding area looks interesting, and there will be much exploring to do tomorrow.

----

(Notes: The train station can be entered without a loading screen. Nice for quick exploring but no automatic save point. The technical backpack shown in media photos of this train station is not there on the porch. Very sad about that.)

Days 39-40*

The cave was longer than I expected. Dark and grey. I find myself quickly longing for the open air again.

I find a poor soul in the cave, their last days spent next to a fire with dwindling supplies. I say a few small words of peace for them, then help myself to their supplies. They certainly won't be needing them anymore.

The monotonous grey rock of the cave has me thinking about the uniform brick and wood of the rail tunnel. How comforting it was to be inside a shelter made by humans. The rock caves bring on claustrophobia and and sense of the mountain above me.

When I finally poke my head out of the end of the cave, I'm faced with my old friend the train tracks. This time they are perpendicular to me, stretching to the left and right. Which way? Thanks to the geomagnetic anomaly, and the fact that I never seem to get enough direct sunlight to cast any shadows, it's always a puzzle to me which way is north. There is only the wind. The 2 directions most obvious to me these days - into the wind, or with the wind.

No matter. I'm tired and it's nearly sunset, but I have a bit of energy left and scouting a new region is always a good idea when the weather allows. So I trek to the left. The train tracks end in another cursed rock-slide but I climb a tree trunk and some rocks. Indeed I could continue this way, alas it has brought me back to the rope climb down to the lake. I'm looking at the enormous wooden bridge and the yellow train car again. The rail tunnel and the cave have brought me essentially circle. A hope and a slide and I could be back where I started.

It's depressing to think about all that walking, only to gain about 10m of height. But it's useful to know I have a shortcut here if I ever leave the Far Territories.

The sun is setting. I try to lift my mood by watching it. But the wind is ever present and I head back to my cave. Some warm peaches will cheer me up, and a good sleep within the strong shelter of the cave. I'll head out and to the right in the morning.

* previous posts ranges were a couple days behind.

5 hours ago, TFA303 said:

Great journal - please keep it up!

Thanks! Will do. I'm having fun writing it. 

Days 35-36

And we're on our way! I follow the train tracks - they haven't failed me yet. Just as the thought crosses my mind, I see where the tracks take me. To the most horrifying crossing I've ever seen. The tracks cross a broken bridge, shattered and twisted. I hold my breath, don my crampons and cross the single rail. Here I am, finally making my first steps into the Far Territory.

Ahead is a tunnel which brings me deep into the belly of an underground rail tunnel. Lonely and haunting. A few service rooms break up the endless tunnels and provide some appreciated snacks.

I find my way around a collapse in the tunnel and out into the light. I pull the air into my lungs and it's beautiful.

I snipe a wolf on the frozen lake, then skip up to the huge bridge only to find it blocked. So back down to the frozen lake I go, under the creaking bridge and into a cave. I'm getting tired at this point, so I make my way through the tunnel. I'll make a short camp here to rest and eat. Then find out what the this long trek has in store for me outside of the cave.

Day 30-34

My adventure begins in earnest. I've gathered from maps and notes I've found, that there is more civilization down the railroad tracks. I decide to follow them. Their permanence and strong reminder of humanity's dominion over the the wilds is both reassuring and sad. The loneliness is making me philosophical.

I leave the camp office and it doesn't take long for the temperatures to drop. Mystery Lake doesn't want me to leave.

I keep my head down, trusting in my quality clothing and backpack of sticks and matches to get me through.

The Muskeg is a sad, empty place. Humanity feels out of place here. The wind howls and the clouds are gathering. I see an overturned rail car in the distance. But as my spirits rise, they are dashed as quickly. The wolves have spotted me and several howls turn to yips. They're on my heels!

I run down the track but my pack is bursting and the wind is pushing back. I dodge the wolves and hide in the rail car. I'll catch my breath and give them time to leave. As I wait,  snack on a granola bar and instantly regret it. My guts twist and sweat breaks out. I've gotten food poisoning for the first time I can remember. It's awful. I pop pills and it helps. Then make the brash decision to just head for Spencer's homestead.

Not all decisions are good decisions. Don't make big ones on a sick stomach...

Across the ice and snow drifts, I'm reminded that food poisoning needs time and rest to heal. I'm losing condition fast and more wolves are circling in. I drink a cold coffee and press on. The homestead appears but it is cold comfort. Empty, desolate. Burned out cabins and no one to be seen. I hole up in a barn, shivering in a bedroll I sleep away the food poisoning.

When I wake I search the area and am happy to find both rifle and revolver ammo! And more books! Warm top-quality gloves! I read the books as a I boil some water on the big iron furnace. The wolves howl but they don't approach. Repaired, well read, fed and content, I find a safe with more ammo and then sleep through the night feeling releaved. Surprisingly I don't feel alone this night, the wolves are poor company, but at least they remind me I exist.

In the morning I make notes in my journal then head out again. When I see the train tracks again the comfort I feel is significant. But the wind is back and angry as ever. It blows against me, as ever. My temperature starts to drop and I hurry on to Broken Railroad. Surely there will be shelter in the tunnel?

Nope. I find a corner and build a small fire. Heating some coffee to warm my insides. 

I continue my journey following the tracks and detouring around the collapse. When I make it to the maintenance yard, tired, cold, and frustrated by the slow walk against the wind, my relief turns sour. The maintenance yard is surrounded by wolves inside the fence. At least 3. I hold a flare in my hand ready to light it and sneak along the side. The wolves spot me but I duck inside.

I catch my breath and begin a search of the garage. It's a mess but a complete treasure trove. I find several boxes of ammo, my first hacksaw and box of quality tools. A flashlight and a lot of food. And yes, more books. Then, in a locked locker I find a great gift... a mackinaw jacket! And then a second pair of climbing socks. My clothing has improved greatly on this adventure. I repair and read. Boil more water, fix my clothes. In the morning I duck outside and use some of my new wealth of revolver ammo to shoot at the wolves and clear them away. I search the pickup trucks in the area, finding more food and a Memento note. More signs of people are a small comfort.

Back in the shed I take stock of my equipment. I sort and fix myself up. I decide to leave the hacksaw and quality tools behind. My backpack is getting ridiculously heavy. I'm beginning to drastically regret the lack of technical backpack or moose-hide satchel.

But I do my best to prune and repair. Then I realize. I have no idea where to go from here.

Well, I've been following the train tracks. Might as well continue. Onward!

Days 24-29

Finally back to it, I quickly scour the Milton farmhouse, finding a few books and some semi useful supplies. Back to the main house to drop things off then I decide to go up to the plane crash in the mountains. Here I encounter my first real brush with danger. A wolf struggle and a long trek to scour the plane crash leaves me exhausted and overloaded. I decide, bravely, to nap for just a few hours then head back to town. Travelling at night is not something I do often and I'm reminded why. The wind picks up and a wolf surprises me. After the struggle my few hours of sleep are quickly worn off. I struggle step by slow step back down the mountain. I make it to the Milton house tired, losing condition and with torn up clothing.

It's time to get serious about my trek to the Far Territories. I repair my clothes and read through the books I've collected so far. I eat up the food I've stashed here in the main house but I feel my knowledge gained improving my confidence. I put the house in order and make sure I'm carrying the best of everything. I'm sad to say goodbye to such a nice collection of equipment, but it's time to return home to Mystery Lake and get this adventure started in earnest.

I make my way back to the climbing point on a beautiful blue-sky day. I feel the pull of the cosy houses begging me to stay where it's safe. But the wolfs roaming Milton remind me that I must push on.

Through the cave and back to Mystery Lake, I come out near the Trapper's Cabin. I intend to just stop by briefly, but when a deer puts itself on your doorstep and the shot is just begging to be taken, well, one does not turn down front-door dinner delivery in the apocalypse.

---
I eat my fill that night and stay at the Trapper's Cabin. It's cosy, but the wanderlust is pulling at me. Nothing short of a moose would keep me here now, but the old prince doesn't show his giant antlers here. I pack up and bring a handful of meat back to the Camp Office. It feels like home.

I decide to eat through the meat and read the books I've stashed here. Reading builds my confidence but depleats the food stores. I look around. It's time. Everything is repaired, my equpment is triaged. I decide to leave most flares and repair items here in hopes that I'll find more in the muskeg or along the railroad.

One more sleep.

The communities we join & build to share creations & discuss our passions... the connections we make to uplift each other, to love our hobbies & fandoms... the safe spaces we try to gather in & protect... matter. And it hurts when they are taken away. But we will never stop. Creating without consumerism. Talking without judgment. Community without capitalism.

The most powerful thing I have read this year. By Cat Valente.

https://catvalente.substack.com/p/stop-talking-to-each-other-and-start

Days 21-23

(Edit: got my days wrong last time.)

Noticed the first bit of lost condition to my improvised crampons. Wore them longer including on some road. They are now at 95%.

Hunkered down through 2 days of blizzard, reading books and harvesting old clothes. Headed to the farmhouse and killed a wolf. Found a second revolver in the farmhouse, 2 prybars outside and a nice stand of birch saplings nearby. Gathered up all the nearby loot, cooked up some wolf meat from a previous target I found nearby and settled in to read through some books and when the current fog clears, find the wolf I shot just outside the farm.

Not sure if this is related to the recent update, but I'm not seeing wolves in groups lately. Milton which used to be just covered in wolves seems to have fewer. Or maybe I've just been killing them all. 

Days 24-31

Finished searching the houses, then headed to the church then up to the bridge. Killed 2 wolves on the way. Then, while searching through the cars on the bridge.... ROAR!! A bear had the same idea. 2 bullets with the variant rifle and dropped the bear. Took the pelts from the bear and wolves, then made my very over encumbered way back to the trailer.

Wore the improvised crampons the entire time and they lost no condition. So either they haven't added any condition degredation to these things, or it's bugged.

Next stop the farmhouse, then onward to the new regions.

12 hours ago, stratvox said:

I am 💀  🤣

Yeah, running it on linux here, Because Reasons.

Same. Runs flawlessly on Ubuntu.

I'm happy to read this clarification & apology. I personally avoid new releases like the plague until after a few post-release patches. Stuff ALWAYS goes wrong. People jumping directly to Steam to review bomb it because of hour-one bugs, is just... wow. We play this cold wintery game - get some chill folks. 😆

I do however get a bad taste from Hinterland people going after streamers & community members for providing their honest reactions, constructive criticism or just venting frustrations. That's not cool. Streamers & content creators are free advertising - and "chill out folks" goes both ways. 💙🥶

Personally my game is running bug free, I'm enjoying the new updates, and am very content with Hinterland's work, timelines & upcoming plans.

Only request: detailed patch notes please for already released updates for people who like to gauge purchases carefully & don't mind spoilers.

Great work devs. 

3 hours ago, ajb1978 said:

Movie tickets.

Bear with me, it'll make sense.

What does it cost to go to the movies lately? 20 bucks

 ...

That's my benchmark for "is this worth paying money for."

Did you get 2 hours' worth of entertainment out of the DLC so far? If the answer is yes, you already got your money's worth.

I use this measure as well. Excellent point @ajb1978. 😁

15 hours ago, RossBondReturns said:

The problem with that is that they themselves simply don't know when certain things will become available.

In fact if  you read the small print at the bottom of the Expansion page it says:

Where each item fits into the release plan depends on development progress and priorities. We will strive to deliver every item on the Roadmap, but some items may be swapped out for others based on progress and community feedback. In the event that we choose to swap an item out from the Roadmap, we will always endeavour to replace it with something of the same “value”.

This is not something as simple as saying well this will go there and that will come way down the line. Some things that might have seemed easy to do might take much longer and vice-versa.

I personally don't want to know the fine details in the future updates, but at minimum there should be patch notes for what is **currently** in the DLC at present. I know that's very spoiler-y but people can avoid it.

It matters because it helps some people decide if they want to buy the DLC now as-is or wait longer. Many folks have a limited "fun money" budget & spending that for the month if there isn't yet enough in the DLC to tempt them is upsetting. Help people decide when to spend the cost of the DLC by making detailed release notes. 🙏

20 hours ago, yollarbenibekler said:

There is another issue with the prepper bunkers are disabled in the game and it's said that they will be back in future. 

WHAT???

Is that why I absolutely *scoured* Mystery Lake this week & came up empty? Man if I'd known that it would have saved me so much time. 🤦‍♀️

Days 18-23

Gave it some thought and, since this is a voyager playthrough and thus not very difficult, I don't think it's necessary to scour many regions before heading to the new DLC regions. So I've decided to visit Mountain Town, then likely head to the Forsaken Airfield. My original plan was to take my time for so long that another release of this DLC would be out before I managed to get to the new regions. However, I am kind of burnt out on Survival mode, so I'm not eager to replay every pre-DLC region. Let's get to the new stuff!  

With that thought in mind, I pared down my inventory, repaired and set off from the Camp Office. Headed over to Trapper's Cabin then into the nearby cave. Arriving in Mountain town it was nice to see a new region. Several rope climbs revealed that the improvised crampons do indeed conserve your stamina while climbing considerably. These are definitely a must-have item.

Slept in a cave (with a sadly empty flare case) in a heavy snow storm then into the town of Milton. From picnic area to the gas station, to the crashed prisoner transport then up to Milton House itself. Rounded a corner right into a wolf! Took some damage in the struggle but prevailed! By the time I took shelter in the big house and scoured the area, I had found another visor Memento note, a revolver (yay!) several bullets and some improved clothing. A couple more axes and another knife. Not a bad haul. Also found a absolute ton of food. Started stockpiling in Milton House.

Next plan is to search the rest of the houses, then head up the road to the church and then the farmhouse.

7 hours ago, itsLydt said:

Hey could you tell me where the cache inside the dam was? I have the note and key and I looked through the whole dam twice without finding it 🙄 can't tell if it's bugged/invisible or if I'm just blind 😆

I also was confused because it says 'in the broken window room' but literally every window in that building is broken. LOL.

First go down to the lower dam (through the door with the wheel to open/close it). All the way to the far back room with the food fridge, sink and the bent door with snow behind it. The place where Mackenzie gets clocked in the head in Wintermute. There is a broken window with snow collecting below it.

It's in a locked case on the floor of that room.

Days 12-17

Spent some relaxing time at the camp office. Bagged a doe just outside on the tracks and ate like a vacationer for a few days while reading Fire Starting For Dummies and Gordon Ramsey's 'Anyone Can Cook'. Repaired all my clothes and my lantern. Feeling pretty comfortable these days. 

Prepared some herbal remedies and lightened my load by organizing items and emptying my backpack in the camp office. Been keeping an eye out for moose because my carrying capacity and my packrat nature are at odds with each other.

Starting to consider my options. Milton is looking pretty attractive right now... a quick scout of the town then back 'home' before Pleasant Valley and Timberwolf Mountain. My previous trip to the mountain I made the mistake of bringing my usual supplies - 1 or 2 of the essentials, tools, bullets... backfired because the mountain's bounty gave me new versions of all these items. Next time I'll try to resist bringing the entire cabin with me.  Hopefully I'll find a hacksaw and/or a revolver in Milton.

Interesting to note that my use of the improvised crampons did not degrade their condition at all from 100%. Perhaps because I take them off when not on snowy slopes. Read the description and it turns out they also help with rope climbing!! So much for my pitons idea - but this makes the crampons a must-have item in my opinion. Really love having more craftables.

Days 11-12

Jumped back over to the Dam and discovered that I hadn't entered the lower dam in my first time here. Found an extra knife, a bow, some broken arrows (including one embedded in the door leading between the upper and lower dam), some food and a Memento cache full of food! Lovely! While there I crafted the improvised crampons! Feeling quite nicely outfitted.

Later headed from the dam to another hunter's blind and Alan's cave. Found rifle bullets. From there tried to find the tools prepper cache and no luck. The crampons paid off and I had no sprains (yay!) but I've checked every prepper cache location and found nothing.

Continued back down the river and home to the camp office. Thinking it might be time to hunker down, kill deer, then read through my stack of skill books before I move on from Mystery Lake.

Days 8-10.

Rested at the camp office, prepped some food and water, then set out for the river. Smooth sailing across the ice, climbed two ropes and found my first Memento cache locked box. Contined several flares - a nice find! Scouted the region for the nearby food cache. Found zero caches but gained 5 damn sprains. Really forgot how much I despise this mechanic.

Continued up the river gathering cattails as I went. Ducked into a trailer near Carter Hydro to rest and recover.

> Feature Idea: pitons to make climbing ropes faster and less fatiguing.

Next stop, back to Carter Hydro to try and find the stash hinted in a Memento note.

Started a new voyager playthrough in order to enjoy the new Tales DLC. Thought I'd log my findings and experience here in a 'blog' style writeup. Going to take my time and write about anything interesting that happens and any new stuff I find and experience - highlighting new things from the DLC. Follow this thread if this is your cup of birch bark tea.

Began a Voyager game with a Mystery Lake starting region.

Days 1-7

Landed in Mystery Lake - a region I'm fairly familiar with. It's been a LONG time since I started a new survival game and losing all my levelled up skills was defintely a shock. Realized I was very close to the logging camp trailers and searched the area for loot. Found a rifle in one of the new item variants! Cool. Also found a floating book (see photo). lol. Headed to the far west to scout the prepper cache locations there and came up empty. Heading back, cold and tired I started climbing to the lookout tower when I remembered last minute that there's no shelter at that lookout. Ducked into a snow shelter I found on a hillside to rest and warm up. Then grabbed the items at the abandoned lookout.

Headed back to the logging trailers and onward to the Carter Hydro damn. Spotted my first doe. Nice to see a variety in the deer population. Then encountered my first wolf. The predator  free grace period is shorter than I thought it would be! Managed to stay ahead of him and get to the damn. So far I had already found one memento note in a vehicle visor and another on the ground elsewhere. They highlight points of interest on your map. Really love that. Looted the entire Dam and surrounding area.

Headed down the rail tracks. Seemed to be fewer wolves than in the past, and they were typically solo than in packs. Is this new? Made it to the camp office - looted, rested and repaired, then crossed the lake to search the fishing huts and lake cabins. Found slim supplies. So far I am at 5 axes, no knives. Encountered a bear at the far end of the lake. Pumped a couple rifle rounds into him but was too tired to sprint fast enough and he mauled me. Survived, stumbled to my feet and got my screaming revenge and shot that bear dead! Recuperated and repaired in the cabins, quartered the bear and harvested a nice stack of meat left to freeze in the snow. Finally got the Well Fed bonus.

Climbed the rope at the end of the lake to find the medical cache and found nothing. Harvested some saplings and a half dozen sprained ankles. Were sprains always this bad?? Noticed the improvised crampons in the crafting menu. Going to need to priortize finding scrap for those babies! Searched around the lake a bit more, still looking for that fabled prepper cache, and came up empty. Up to the Forrestry Lookout. Nice view. Not much loot. Mapping with charcoal from here is always nice.

Rested at the camp office again and then headed to the Trapper's Cabin. Lots of deer - does and bucks. No moose in sight thank goodness. Didn't find much loot there, headed to the Unnamed Pond (found a knife! Finally!) and its nearby cabin. Harvested a deer carcass. Cooked and crafted supplies. Still scouting for the prepper cache and running out of possible locations. Next I'll be dropping supplies at the camp office then searching the river off of mystery lake to finish off my tour of the Mystery Lake region. Found at least 3 mementos so far. I really enjoy the addition of targets on my map.

A technical note - the crashing on save bug I was having after the last major update, seems to have been resolved. Game seems stable (running on Ubuntu Linux). No graphics issues. My saved keymappings did get reset though so I just fixed them.

Stay tuned!!

Great overview. 

I've personally started a new save with a ML spawn. Taking my sweet time to stock up and level up. Planning to not rush to the new regions and maybe not even get there till the next release of the DLC. There might be more for when I go there.

So far my favourite non-new-region feature are the memento notes which reveal interesting spots/caches on your map. I like having a goal to head out for. A nice touch that both makes you feel less alone (look, other people were here!) but simultaneously more alone because all these people are now gone.  And with the game world getting SO huge and thus harder for more casual players to memorize things... these little map markers for important destinations are very welcome.

On 11/27/2022 at 5:19 PM, ToAsT said:

This + expanding the size of the journal. With the number of regions and amount of notes I put in one of my longer games, it's been frustrating to continually come up against the max # of characters.

Ooo I didn't know there was a character limit!