Understanding the Pity System Mechanism

Genshin Impact has garnered a massive following, largely due to its expansive array of captivating characters and beautifully crafted weaponry. However, acquiring these desirable items isn’t straightforward given the game’s gacha system. Players face multiple banners featuring different characters and weapons, making it rather challenging to decide on which to pull and how to estimate their odds for acquiring specific items.

Fortunately, the pity system offers a helping hand, slightly easing the process of obtaining 4-star and 5-star items. Even so, some players might find this system a bit perplexing. For those seeking clarity, this guide breaks down all you need to know about Genshin Impact’s pity system.

### How The Pity System Works In Genshin Impact

Essentially, the pity system in Genshin Impact ensures that players will receive certain rarity items after a specific number of Wishes. For instance, if a player makes nine consecutive Wishes without snagging a 4-star or higher item, they are guaranteed to receive one on their tenth Wish. A similar structure applies to 5-star items, though the pity trigger comes into play a bit later.

In essence, players are guaranteed a four-star character or weapon every 10 pulls, a five-star character on the character Banners every 90 pulls, and a five-star weapon on the weapon Banner every 80 pulls.

| Banner Type | 4-Star Guarantee (or higher) | 5-Star Guarantee |
|————-|——————————-|—————–|
| Character Event | After 9 pulls w/o 4 or 5-star | After 89 pulls w/o 5-star |
| Weapons (Epitome Invocation) | After 9 pulls w/o 4 or 5-star | After 79 pulls w/o 5-star |
| Standard (Wanderlust Invocation) | After 9 pulls w/o 4 or 5-star | After 89 pulls w/o 5-star |

Thus, the likelihood of pulling a 4-star or 5-star item exceeds the base rates depicted on a Banner, with the pity system boosting the rates to 13-14.5% for 4-stars and 1.6-1.85% for 5-stars. While the increase isn’t massive, it can certainly provide hope to those targeting specific characters or weapons.

#### The 50/50 System

Alongside these guarantees, players might also come across what’s called the 50/50 system, adding an extra layer to acquiring featured characters. Within the limited Character Event Wishes, each event features a five-star character available for a limited period (often three weeks, with occasional reruns).

Upon pulling a five-star character, gamers have a 50% chance to nab the featured unit. However, there’s also a 50% chance of pulling a permanently-available Standard Banner character like Jean, Diluc, or Qiqi among others. Don’t fret if you don’t score the character you want initially; the system will eventually reward persistence. If a player doesn’t get the desired featured character, the next five-star pull is guaranteed to be the featured one, no matter how many banner changes occur.

#### Capturing Radiance

Originally, the 50/50 system was exactly that – a straight split. Yet, in 2024, Hoyoverse introduced Capturing Radiance, altering the odds slightly in favor of players. Now, if you “lose” the 50/50, there’s a 5% chance you’ll still obtain the featured character, thanks to a special animation. This adjustment technically makes it a 55/45 system, though the “50/50” name still persists in common usage for simplicity’s sake.

### The Weapon Banner Pity System

While character banners boast a 5-star guarantee after 90 pulls, the weapon banner shortens this to 80 pulls. Much like with characters, players have a chance to get featured weapons, but there’s the added Epitomized Path to streamline things. On this banner, players choose their desired weapon, and if they pull the wrong five-star, they earn a Fate Point. This ensures that the next appropriate five-star pull will reward the chosen weapon if they earned a Fate Point.

| Criteria | Details |
|———-|———|
| Path Selection | Choose a desired five-star weapon |
| Guaranteed Pulls | 80 pulls for a five-star |
| Fate Point | Accumulated if pulling a non-selected five-star |

This system effectively resolves the dual feature issue on weapon banners, ensuring those determined to collect specific weapons aren’t repeatedly thwarted by misfortune.

### Featured Four-Stars

Although most eyes are set on scoring five-stars, there are mechanisms to aid players in acquiring featured four-star characters and weapons. Character banners have three boosted four-star characters, and weapon banners have a pool of boosted four-star weapons.

Four-star pulls have a 50% chance of featuring one of the selected rate-up characters, and weapons have a 75% chance. Although no direct path exists for individual four-stars, failure to obtain featured units initially guarantees one next time, though selection is random among the featured.

### Is The Pity System Per Banner Or Overall?

The pity system is calculated per banner. This means the accumulated pulls on one banner don’t affect another. Thus, progress toward pity is to be continued with similar banner types when launches change. This system adds an element of strategy, as players have to decide where to focus their Wishes efficiently.

### The Soft Pity System In Genshin Impact

In addition to hard pity, the game also features a concept known as soft pity that gradually increases the likelihood of a five-star pull around the 74th Wish. The odds climb subtly but steadily as a player approaches the hard cap, meaning most players won’t need to reach the full 90 pulls to snag a five-star character. The effect is theorized to begin at about a 0.6% chance, increasing to a full 6% or so per pull as players approach the cap.

| Wishes | % Chance for Five-Star Character |
|———|———————————|
| 74-90 | Gradually increase from 6.6% to 100% |

### Chronicled Wish Pity System

Introduced in 2024, the Chronicled Wish is a periodic banner featuring a blend of limited and standard five-stars, alongside a selection of four-stars. Sharing the typical pity of 90 pulls for a five-star, it utilizes a unique 50/50 system, although here, characters or weapons are chosen through the Chronicled Path. By choosing a five-star to pursue, players can mitigate the randomness typical of the standard 50/50 system.

#### Chronicled Path Explained

This system functions similarly to Epitomized Path, focusing player pulls on either weapons or characters, but limits five-star draws to the chosen type, offering a clear path to desired five-stars. Pity accumulated here carries over between Chronicled Wish iterations, making it a strategic outlet for focused pulls.

With systems like these in play, Genshin Impact offers players multiple pathways to engage with its rich, character-driven world, balancing randomness with assured rewards to keep the excitement of the gacha alive while rewarding dedicated play.