Genshin Impact is a gacha game, which means every time you try to earn one of its characters from a “banner,” it’s like pulling on a slot machine. It’s not entirely random, however. There’s a mechanic in Genshin called “pity,” and it exists to guarantee you get a chance at the character or weapon you want — provided you can pay. And if you want to reach the point where the game takes “pity” on you and gives you a shot at a powerful five-star character or weapon? Prepare to have empty coffers, either real-world or in-game. Here’s how the pity system works in Genshin Impact.
How Pity Works in Genshin Impact
Pity in Genshin impact happens no later than 90 pulls on any banner for 5-star entities and ten for 4-stars. At that point, you are guaranteed to get something (character or weapon). In all the pulls leading up to 90, the odds of getting any particular thing from a banner are as follows:
- 5-Star Character or Weapon – 0.6%
- 4 Star Character or Weapon – 5.1%
- 3 Star Weapon – 94.3%
As your pity counter increases, the odds eventually cap out at the following values:
- 5-Star Character or Weapon – 1.6%
- 4 Star Character or Weapon – 13%
- 3 Star Weapon – 85.4%
It’s not the biggest improvement for 5-stars, but 4-star characters and weapons do get more than double the chances. There’s a catch, though (because when isn’t there?). Whenever you actually get a 4 or 5-star, the pity counter resets. In other words, let’s say you got your 5-star at 54 pulls. At that point, you no longer have just 34 pulls till your guarantee: you have 90 again. The same is true of 4-star characters or weapons: get one, and your counter resets to zero with a cap of ten.
Limited Banners handle pity a bit differently in that if you don’t have the currency to get all the way to your 5-star pull, the game doesn’t reset your pity count at the banner’s end. Instead, it carries over to the next limited banner. Get to 60 pulls on, say, Yelan’s banner, and it will roll over to Zhongli’s, and so on.
Limited Character banners also have what’s called a 50/50, where when you do hit pity, there is a 50% chance you get one of the featured characters listed on the banner. Lose the 50/50 on your 5-star, and you can go again — reaching pity there guarantees the featured character. 50/50 protection also carries over to new banners, so you can “save” for the future by losing on a character you want now for one you want later.
What is Soft Pity in Genshin Impact?
While guaranteed pity is at 90 pulls, a mechanic called “soft pity” starts taking effect around 74 pulls. Basically, soft pity drastically increases your chances at a 5-star without ensuring you get one. Your chances follow a fairly standard bell curve that spikes at 74 pulls, becoming almost guaranteed by 80 pulls, but not 100%.
If you want a mathematical breakdown of how this all works, someone in the Genshin community analyzed 260 million pulls and put them on a graph. It’s not available on the official HoYolab page anymore, but it has been immortalized on Reddit. It’s a bit much for my English major brain, but I can mostly understand it. It’s a pretty clear-cut result, and the sample size is so huge that it’s hard to argue with.
In any event, good luck with all your future pulls!
