Genshin Impact captivates players with its expansive cast of characters and intricately designed weapons, though acquiring these coveted items can be challenging. The game utilizes a gacha system that introduces various banners, each featuring distinct characters and weapons. This complexity often leaves players puzzled about which banners to pull from and how to accurately gauge their chances for desirable outcomes.
Fortunately, the game has implemented a pity system, enhancing the likelihood of obtaining 4-star and 5-star items. Some players may find certain components of this system perplexing. This guide aims to demystify Genshin Impact’s pity mechanics and offers comprehensive insights.
Understanding the Pity System in Genshin Impact
Simply put, Genshin Impact’s pity system ensures players will eventually obtain items of specified rarities within a set number of Wishes. For example, if a player makes nine consecutive Wishes without receiving a 4-star rarity item or higher, their tenth Wish will yield a 4-star character or weapon. A similar rule applies to 5-star items, but the trigger occurs after many more pulls.
In summary, a 4-star character or weapon is guaranteed every 10 Wishes, a five-star character on the character banners is guaranteed every 90 Wishes, and a five-star weapon on the weapon Banner is guaranteed every 80 Wishes.
| Banner | Guaranteed Four-Star (or higher) | Guaranteed Five-Star |
|---|---|---|
| Limited Featured Character Event | After 9 pulls without winning a four- or five-star | After 89 pulls without winning a five-star |
| Weapons (Epitome Invocation) | After 9 pulls without winning a four- or five-star | After 79 pulls without winning a five-star |
| Standard (Wanderlust Invocation) | After 9 pulls without winning a four- or five-star | After 89 pulls without winning a five-star |
This mechanism actually increases the likelihood of obtaining 4-star and 5-star items above the base rates advertised on banners. When factoring in the pity system, the chance for 4-star items rises to approximately 13-14.5%, while the chance for 5-star items increases to around 1.6-1.85%. This may not constitute a dramatic increase, but it can instill a sense of hope for players hunting specific characters or weapons.
Delving into the 50/50 System
In addition to the core pity mechanics, another crucial aspect is the 50/50 system. This mechanism offers a chance at pulling a featured character under specific conditions.
During limited Character Event Wishes, there is a featured 5-star that is temporarily available for the duration of its event (typically for three weeks, with potential reruns later). When a player draws a 5-star character, they have a *50% chance of obtaining the featured character and a *50% chance of receiving a character from the Standard Banner. The latter includes characters like Jean, Diluc, Qiqi, and others.
If a player “loses”the 50/50 and obtains a Standard Banner character, the next 5-star character will be guaranteed to be the specified featured character. This guarantee persists across banners, providing players with reassurance even if they switch to different character promotions.
*Capturing Radiance Explained
While the 50/50 system provided a straightforward ratio upon its introduction, a 2024 update from Hoyoverse introduced a new mechanic called Capturing Radiance. This adds a twist to the previously established dynamics.
Under the Capturing Radiance system, when a player “loses”the 50/50, they could still enjoy a 5% chance to receive the featured event character, which is marked by distinctive animation. This effectively shifts the odds to 55% for acquiring the featured character and 45% for “losing,”although players often continue to refer to it as the 50/50 for simplicity.
The Weapon Banner Pity System Explained
Character banners guarantee a 5-star character every 90 pulls, but the weapon banner (Epitome Invocation) offers a shorter timeline, ensuring a 5-star weapon every 80 Wishes. Similar to character banners, if the last 5-star pull was a Standard weapon, players will receive a featured limited weapon.
The weapon banner introduces the Epitomized Path mechanic, which is not present in character banners. Both featured 5-star weapons reside on the same banner, which means players can potentially “lose”by acquiring the undesired limited weapon. The Epitomized Path allows players to select their preferred weapon to pull for. If they pull an undesired 5-star weapon, they earn a Fate Point. The next 5-star pull will guarantee the chosen weapon, consuming the Fate Point in the process.
Here’s how the Epitomized Path functions:
- The player selects a featured 5-star weapon as their target.
- A 5-star weapon is guaranteed every 80 Wishes.
- There’s a 75% chance the weapon will be limited-time.
- If a different promotional 5-star weapon is obtained, a Fate Point is earned.
- Should the player get a Standard weapon, the next pull guarantees a featured weapon and a Fate Point is also earned.
- Once pity resets, another 5-star weapon is guaranteed at just 80 Wishes.
- The next 5-star weapon draw will consume the Fate Point, yielding the targeted weapon.
The Epitomized Path effectively mitigates the issue posed by two featured weapons on the Weapon Banner. Unlike Character Banners, where losing the 50/50 just results in guaranteed characters afterward, on the Weapon Banner, misplaced pulls can still lead to disappointment. Fate Points do not carry over to subsequent banners, though general pity for limited weapons resets remains consistent.
Understanding Featured Four-Stars
While most players focus on acquiring 5-star characters or weapons, the mechanics for obtaining featured 4-star items are equally crucial to understand.
Every character banner features three rate-up 4-star characters, and weapon banners have a pool of rate-up 4-star weapons that players are more likely to receive. For instance, there’s a 50% chance of pulling one of the featured rate-up characters from character banners, while 4-star weapons from weapon banners carry a 75% chance of being featured. However, players do not have the ability to choose which specific 4-star they will get, which means it’s possible to pull the same character multiple times before obtaining others.
Similar to the 50/50 system for 5-stars, there are guarantees related to 4-star pulls. If a 4-star character or weapon that is not featured is obtained, the next 4-star drawn will be guaranteed to come from the featured pool. However, players cannot select which item from the featured pool they will receive. The guarantee of a 4-star pull every ten Wishes also applies across different patch versions, but not between distinct banner types.
Is the Pity System Banner-Specific or Overall?
The pity mechanics operate on a per-banner basis. This means players cannot transfer their Wishes across different banner types. For example, if someone has made 89 Wishes on the Standard Banner, that will not count toward their guaranteed 5-star on an Event Banner. Similarly, Wishes made on the Weapon Banner do not affect pity on the Character Banner.
As of the time of writing, the same group of three 4-stars has appeared on both limited Character Banners. It remains indeterminate if there will be any differences if banners begin featuring different 4-stars in the future.
The Influence of the Soft Pity System in Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact not only features a hard pity system guaranteeing a 5-star item after 90 Wishes but also incorporates a soft pity aspect that increases the chances of acquiring a 5-star item before that threshold is met. While the exact probabilities remain unverified, it is widely believed that the likelihood of receiving a 5-star character improves after approximately 74 Wishes.
The chances of securing a 5-star character are theorized to be around 0.6% until the 74th pull. Once nearing the soft pity cap, around 80 Wishes, the odds gradually escalate to nearly 100%. For example, here is a hypothetical breakdown illustrating the probability progression for acquiring a 5-star on a character banner:
| Wishes | % Chance of Obtaining Five-Star Character |
|---|---|
| 74 | 6.6% |
| 75 | 12.6% |
| 76 | 18.6% |
| 77 | 24.6% |
| 78 | 30.6% |
| 79 | 36.6% |
| 80 | 42.6% |
| 81 | 48.6% |
| 82 | 54.6% |
| 83 | 60.6% |
| 84 | 66.6% |
| 85 | 72.6% |
| 86 | 78.6% |
| 87 | 84.6% |
| 88 | 90.6% |
| 89 | 96.6% |
| 90 | 100% |
It is essential to note that while these probabilities are derived from player experimentation and community discussion, they have yet to receive official confirmation. If a player does receive a 4-star or 5-star item, the counter for both resets immediately.
The Chronicled Wish Pity System
Introduced in 2024, the Chronicled Wish represents a novel banner type that operates periodically. This special banner showcases a diverse array of limited five-star characters and weapons, alongside some Standard five-stars, as well as a carefully curated selection of four-star weapons and characters. Three-star weapons are also available for acquisition.
The criteria for a character’s inclusion in a Chronicled Wish are as follows:
- Must have participated in at least two of their own limited Character Wish events without appearing recently.
While there is no explicit eligibility requirement for weapons, they seem to reflect the specific region associated with a given Chronicled Wish event (such as featuring characters and weapons from Mondstadt in the first event and those from Liyue in the second).
Chronicled Wish pulls utilize Intertwined Fates, and like regular banners, guarantee a five-star at 90 pulls. Importantly, the pity system for four-stars remains at every ten pulls. While the 5-star pull operates under the 50/50 system, it adopts a unique variant called Chronicled Path.
Understanding the Chronicled Path
The Chronicled Path functions similarly to the Epitomized Path from the Weapon Banner with some distinct differences. Players can establish a goal for the specific five-star character or weapon they seek. Upon obtaining a five-star, there exists a 50/50 chance that it will be the one they chose, or a different featured item. If a player is unsuccessful in this 50/50, the following five-star will be guaranteed to be their selected target. This system adds a layer of strategy as players choose which 5-star they wish to pursue.
Choosing a Chronicled Path effectively constrains the type of items players can pull. Selecting a character means all subsequent five-star pulls will yield only five-star characters, excluding weapons. Conversely, selecting a weapon restricts pulls to only weapons, whereas 4-star weapons and characters remain fair game for all players, irrespective of their established Chronicled Path.
Lastly, the pity built on the Chronicled Wish is not transferable to other banners. However, it is intriguing to note that it will carry over to future Chronicled Wishes, despite these banners being limited to around one occurrence annually.