Up to two squads of hostile NPC bandits can spawn randomly on terrain squares on any planet that do not contain a city or a living player character. Bandits will sometimes drop loot after being killed.

Up to three herds of hostile creatures can also spawn randomly on any planet, according to terrain restrictions, in locations without cities. Creatures have a chance of dropping an egg when defeated, based on size. The smallest creatures have the highest chance of dropping an egg. These eggs can be hatched at any incubator to obtain a player-owned creature of the same type.

Hostile bandits and creatures have an algorithm that determines their movements and actions. When in a quiet environment, bandits and creatures may wander the map or hold in one location. If any threats or targets are detected, bandits and creatures will react according to their role. Some roles are more likely to flee a threat, and others are more likely to hunt and engage a target. The exact details of the rules are considered secret and are not published. Developers and administrators will not reveal the details no matter how politely you ask.

If presented with multiple targets, bandits and creatures will choose the best option based on role matchups. The preferred targets for various role combinations are considered secret and are not published.

Bandits and creatures will act more or less aggressively based on their experiences in combat. A bandit or creature that is attacked frequently will become more aggressive over time. A bandit or creature that attacks frequently will become less aggressive over time.

Hostile bandits and creatures will persist in the game indefinitely while a character is on the same terrain grid square. Once all characters have left the square, the bandits and/or creatures will despawn if left alone for 7 days. If nothing spawned initially, or if all bandits and/or creatures have been killed, no further spawns will occur for 7 days after the last character leaves the terrain grid square.

Bandits can be lured to a terrain square using Bait. Using bait will bypass the 7 day respawn timer for bandits. The bait will have no effect if bandits are already present.