Bandits & Raids

Bandits in Wanderfolk are organized enemy groups that roam the overworld and raid villages for resources. They scale in size and strength based on biome danger, your party size, and village population, making them a persistent and dynamic combat threat.

Bandit Roles

Every bandit group has a leader and a mix of combat roles:

Base bandit stats: 150 HP, 12 damage, 80 px/s speed, 1300ms attack cooldown.

A bandit leader has 225 HP (150 × 1.5) and deals 15.6 damage (12 × 1.3). A brute has 270 HP and deals 18 damage but moves 15% slower.

Group Composition

Each bandit group is generated with:

• Always 1 leader
• 60% chance of an archer (if the biome template allows it)
• 40% chance of a brute (if the biome template allows it)
• Remaining slots filled with fighters

Biome Scaling

Bandits are stronger in more dangerous biomes:

Mountain bandits are the most dangerous — groups of up to 7 with 1.3x HP, archers, and brutes.

Raid Mechanics

Raid Types

There are two types of village raids:

Thieves (1–3 bandits): Small groups that sneak in, loot buildings, and flee. They avoid combat if possible. Low resource loss per raid.

Marauders (3–6 bandits): Full assault groups that attack villagers and loot aggressively. Higher resource loss, NPC casualties possible.

Raid Phases

1. Approaching — bandits move toward the village from the outskirts (300px away)
2. Entering — they reach the village perimeter and spread out
3. Looting — bandits loot buildings at 3 units/minute for 2–5 game minutes each
4. Fighting — if confronted by guards, player, or companions, combat begins
5. Fleeing — bandits flee at 110 px/s once their leader falls or morale breaks
6. Escaped/Defeated — raid ends

Raid Frequency

• Base chance: 12% per village per day
• Cooldown: minimum 3 days between raids on the same village
• Max concurrent raids: 3 across the entire world
• Max overland bandit groups: 5
• Intra-day raids: Villages can be raided during the day as well as at the daily tick, with chance scaling by time of day

What Attracts Raids

Wealth attracts bandits. Villages with large stockpiles of food, ore, and luxury goods are more likely to be targeted. A thriving city with full granaries built through a strong village economy is a juicier target than a struggling hamlet.

What Deters Raids

Garrisons deter bandits. Villages with more military NPCs (warriors, guards, shieldmaidens) have a lower effective raid chance. Fortified villages with walls or palisades further reduce the probability.

Companion & Population Scaling

Bandit groups scale dynamically based on your party and the target village:

• Companion scaling: Overland bandit spawn rates increase by 50% per companion, and group sizes grow by up to 3 extra members. Traveling with a full party of 4 draws significantly more attention.
• Village population tiers: Larger villages attract bigger raid parties. Villages with 17+ population get +1 raider, 27+ get +2, and cities (41+) get +3 extra raiders per group.

This means a prosperous city being raided while you’re nearby with companions can face very large bandit forces. Plan accordingly.

Overland Bandits

Outside of raids, bandit groups roam the overworld between villages:

• Aggro range: 250px — they’ll attack you on sight
• Flee speed: 110 px/s — faster than their normal movement
• Spawn chance: 40% per check (every 120 seconds) when conditions are met
• Overland bandits follow the same biome templates for composition and scaling
• Groups scale with your companion count — more companions means bigger patrols

Tactical Positioning

Bandit groups use role-based positioning in combat:

• Melee units (fighters, brutes, leaders) advance toward the nearest threat
• Archers maintain distance behind the melee line, firing projectiles from range
• Healers stay behind the frontline, prioritizing restoration of fighters and leaders above critical HP thresholds

This creates encounters that feel like fighting a coordinated group rather than a mob. Kill the healer first and the group crumbles faster. Ignore the healer and fighters you thought you’d killed keep coming back. Flanking from an unexpected angle lets you isolate high-value targets before the melee line reacts.

Smart Targeting

Overland bandits use smart threat evaluation to pick their targets. Instead of always rushing the player, each bandit evaluates the nearest potential threat — player, companion, or village guard — and locks onto that target for 5 seconds before re-evaluating.

This creates dynamic three-way encounters. When bandits attack near a village, they may split between engaging you, your companions, and the village garrison simultaneously. A bandit who starts chasing you might pivot to the guard who just hit them from the side. Companions draw their own aggro, and village defenders pull bandits away from you.

The 5-second aggro lock prevents bandits from flickering between targets every frame. Once a bandit commits to attacking someone, they follow through before reassessing. This makes fights feel intentional — bandits aren’t mindlessly ping-ponging, they’re making tactical decisions and sticking with them long enough for the player to read and react.

Practical implications:

• Traveling with companions near a village means bandits will split their attention across more targets
• You can use village guards as a distraction — kite bandits toward a patrol and let the garrison absorb some aggro
• In large raids, the fight becomes chaotic in a good way — multiple small skirmishes happening simultaneously rather than every bandit piling on one target

Defense Strategies

Defending a Village

When a raid begins, the village alarm bell rings. You have a short window to engage:

1. Target the leader first — killing the leader breaks morale fastest
2. Use companions — bring your party to supplement the village garrison
3. Position near buildings — protect high-value storage (granary, blacksmith)
4. Watch for archers — they attack from range and are easy to overlook

Prevention

• Build village military — encouraging the village to train more warriors reduces raid frequency (see Military System)
• Install traps — villages can set up perimeter defenses (see Village Defense)
• Patrol trade routes — escort caravans to prevent bandit ambushes

Related Articles

• Village Defense — fortifications and garrison mechanics against raids
• Military System — training warriors and building village military power
• Companions — recruiting NPCs to fight alongside you against bandits
• Weapons & Equipment — gear tiers for handling tougher bandit groups
• Village Economy — how village wealth affects raid targeting