My First Bear Encounter

[DenverDad]

It was maybe my 8th time playing the game (on medium mode) that I finally got enough traction to survive for a decent amount of time. I had cleared out Mystery Lake but didn't find the bunker. Hell I wasn't even sure where to look other than a couple educated guesses and wasn't willing to risk getting stuck out in the weather for extended periods of time trying to find it. I had also successfully cleared out most of the Coastal Highway area.

I had crafted the rabbit skin mittens, the wolf coat and the deerskin boots. I was starting to get a feel for the game and was making better decisions regarding risk vs reward. Wolves still gave me trouble from time to time (no surprise there) but I was selective about when it was worth engaging and even in those cases where the occasional wolf jumped me I was able to fight them off without too much trouble. In fact I'd logged at least a half dozen such encounters.

After I had picked the Coastal Highway clean I decided to move on to the third area - Pleasant Valley. As many of you know the valley is huge and it was my first time there so I was fairly conservative with my play style. I had a solid amount of crucial resources and after searching up and down the highway running through the valley I settled in at the farm house (which probably isn't a big surprise to anyone reading this)

Having hit all the locations along the road I decided it was time to start exploring the extremities of the sandbox (I was on day 65 or so by this point) so I packed up a modest amount of food, stored away the rest and all non essential tools and set out up the road to the rural crossroads area. From here I followed the frozen stream to the derelict cabins area. My goal was to make one giant circle of the outer edge of the zone in a counter-clockwise direction.

Unfortunately the weather surprised me with a harsh storm complete with whiteout conditions. I got turned around somewhere near the derelict cabins and struggled to find shelter. With my condition on the decline I settled for a nook nestled up against a large outcrop. It blocked the wind which helped some but it was frigid. I lit a fire, unrolled my bedroll and hoped for the best... but I couldn't keep my fire lit.

My condition continued to fall over night as I struggled to keep a fire lit. I ended up stranded for two days and went through most of the food I'd brought with me. Then on the end of the second day at around 8:00pm the weather broke so I decided to throw a few logs on the fire and venture out into the fading light to find a deer carcass I'd spotted in the snowstorm two days earlier. My plan was to grab some meat, melt some snow, rest up over night and leave in the morning (weather permitting)

Unfortunately for me as soon as I left the light of my campfire I heard a strange noise. I couldn't place it. I knew it was something living but too big to be a wolf. I thought I heard a grunting sound - similar to the noises made by deer but I couldn't hear it clearly enough to be sure. I froze in my tracks looking everywhere and then as I turned back towards my campfire there between me and relative safety was a large shadow charging toward me. I raised my rifle and just managed to fire off a shot before he was on top of me. I tried to fight but unlike when wolves attack you there was no interface so I couldn't tell if I was doing anything at all, just pissing him off, or what. I decided to stop fighting and then he let me go... at 7% condition.

Through my blurred vision I could see him lumbering away slowly... I raised my rifle and almost took another shot but decided to sprint to the fire to heal myself. I licked my wounds for another night - completely destroying my last bit of food and water. In the morning my condition was still terrible but as I started to leave my camp site I noticed the body of the bear. Apparently he bled out after letting me go. In desperation I harvested some meat from the carcass and lit a fire straight away. I thought I could eat/drink and sleep and hopefully get my condition above 40% but in my rush to address my negative conditions (starvation, dehydration) I accidentally ate raw bear meat and promptly got sick.

You can see where this is going. I took some antibiotics and tried to rest but was already in a bad way. Shortly after taking my antibiotics the weather went south again and I had no choice but to take off blind, during the evening, in the middle of a snowstorm to seek shelter... I never found it.

I died huddled under another outcrop desperately trying (and failing) to light a fire with the sound of my slowly fading heartbeat echoing off the inside of my skull. It was the most fun I've ever had losing a game. I made it 70 days.

[bethany]

Really enjoyed this! Sounds similar to my own first encounter. All you're missing is a near-(real life)heart attack

Thanks for sharing, glad you're enjoying yourself!

[Ryan CM]

Wow! quite the story! Thank you for sharing it Copperbot!

[DenverDad]

I'm glad you both enjoyed it. I never streamed a game before buying The Long Dark but I'm really getting sucked into the natural story telling aspect of the game and as a such am really enjoying sharing my experiences with others.

[Hotzn]

Good story. Moar!