Passive Hunt

Q: Does Passive Hunt need Premium?

Yes. Passive Hunt is a Premium mode.

Q: What does the ship attack?

Nothing. It gives no attack order at all: the hostiles that attack ships on their own come to it, and it fights back.

Q: What if no hostile comes?

After 10 minutes without a fight, the ship goes to the nearest system and comes straight back, which brings the hostiles back. After 3 detours in a row with no fight, it goes home and the log says why.

Q: What if my ship is destroyed?

It takes the free repair at base and goes back out. Recall hull is the only setting that brings it home for damage; with 0, it never comes home for damage.

Q: Can it be part of a routine?

Yes. Passive Hunt can be a routine step, ended after a number of kills or minutes.

Last updated: November 7, 2026

Some hostiles attack any ship that comes near them. Passive Hunt puts that to work: your ship parks at the edge of a system where they roam and lets them come. No target to pick, no attack to order.

Set a drydock to Passive Hunt

In the Fleet tab, set the drydock's Mode to Passive Hunt and type the system in Destination. Without a destination the drydock does not start, and the log says so. Passive Hunt does not go to the Mirror Universe, and it needs Premium.

What the ship does

It leaves the dock repaired and travels to the system.
It parks near the edge of the system, once per arrival. If it cannot, it waits where it is.
It waits. Every fight starts the wait over.
After 10 minutes without a fight, it goes to the nearest system and comes back: arriving again brings the hostiles back. That detour never uses a jump, and systems with a toll are left out.
After 3 detours in a row with no fight, it goes home and the log says why.
If it is destroyed, it takes the free repair at base and goes back out.

Survival

The ship follows one setting only: Recall hull <, under Survival in the Other tab. Below that level it comes home for repairs. With 0 it never comes home for damage, and a destroyed ship is repaired for free at base. More on recall and repairs.

As a routine step

Passive Hunt can be one step of a Routine: the step Ends after a number of kills or minutes, then the routine moves on.

Quick answers

Does Passive Hunt need Premium?

Yes. Passive Hunt is a Premium mode.

What does the ship attack?

Nothing. It gives no attack order at all: the hostiles that attack ships on their own come to it, and it fights back.

What if no hostile comes?

After 10 minutes without a fight, the ship goes to the nearest system and comes straight back, which brings the hostiles back. After 3 detours in a row with no fight, it goes home and the log says why.

What if my ship is destroyed?

It takes the free repair at base and goes back out. Recall hull is the only setting that brings it home for damage; with 0, it never comes home for damage.

Can it be part of a routine?

Yes. Passive Hunt can be a routine step, ended after a number of kills or minutes.