Does Pity Carry Over To The Next Update? A Comprehensive Guide to Gacha Game Mechanics
The short answer is yes, your pity count carries over to the next update within the same type of banner. However, it’s crucial to understand the nuances of the pity system in gacha games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail to maximize your chances of acquiring your desired characters or weapons. Let’s dive into the specifics.
Understanding the Pity System
The pity system is a core mechanic in most gacha games, designed to prevent players from spending exorbitant amounts of currency without receiving a high-rarity item (typically a 5-star character or weapon). It essentially guarantees that you will receive a 5-star within a certain number of pulls, even if luck isn’t on your side. This guarantee comes in two forms: soft pity and hard pity.
Soft pity is a hidden mechanic where the drop rate for 5-star items gradually increases after a certain number of pulls without one. For example, in Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, many players report an increased probability of pulling a 5-star around the 70-80 pull mark. While the exact numbers aren’t officially disclosed, the community has widely observed this phenomenon.
Hard pity is a guaranteed 5-star after a set number of pulls. In both Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, the hard pity for character event banners is 90 pulls. This means that if you haven’t received a 5-star after 89 pulls, your 90th pull is guaranteed to be a 5-star. For weapon banners in Genshin Impact, the hard pity is typically 80 pulls.
Pity Across Banners of the Same Type
The most important thing to remember is that pity only carries over between banners of the same type. This means that if you’re pulling on a character event banner and don’t get a 5-star before the banner ends, your pity count will carry over to the next character event banner. However, this pity will not transfer to a weapon event banner or a standard banner. Similarly, pity on a weapon event banner will only carry over to the next weapon event banner.
Example Scenario
Imagine you pull 75 times on a character event banner in Honkai: Star Rail but don’t get a 5-star. The banner ends and a new character event banner is released in the next update. Your pity of 75 will carry over to the new banner. You’ll only need to pull 15 more times to reach hard pity and guarantee a 5-star.
Key Takeaways
- Pity carries over to the next update, but only for banners of the same type.
- Character event banner pity carries over to the next character event banner.
- Weapon event banner pity carries over to the next weapon event banner.
- Standard banner pity carries over to the next standard banner.
- Pity resets to zero when you obtain a 5-star.
- Soft pity increases your chances of getting a 5-star around 70-80 pulls.
- Hard pity guarantees a 5-star after 90 pulls (80 for Genshin weapon banners).
FAQs: Everything You Need to Know About Pity
Here are some frequently asked questions to further clarify the pity system:
1. Does Pity Reset After an Update?
No, pity does not reset after an update as long as you are pulling on the same type of banner. If you’re pulling on a character event banner, your pity will carry over to the next character event banner, even if it’s in a different update.
2. Does Pity Reset After Getting a 5-Star?
Yes, your pity resets to zero the moment you obtain a 5-star character or weapon. Whether it’s soft pity or hard pity, getting a 5-star means you start accumulating pity again from zero.
3. Does Losing the 50/50 Reset Pity?
Losing the 50/50 (not getting the featured character on the event banner) does not reset your pity. It only means that your next 5-star on that banner is guaranteed to be the featured character. The pity count itself remains unaffected.
4. What Happens to Pity If I Switch Banner Types?
Pity does not transfer between different banner types. If you’ve pulled 60 times on a character event banner and then decide to pull on a weapon event banner, your 60 pity count will remain on the character event banner and will not apply to the weapon event banner. The weapon event banner will start with a pity of 0.
5. How Many Primogems/Rail Passes Do I Need for a Guaranteed 5-Star?
In Genshin Impact, you need 14,400 Primogems for 90 wishes (160 Primogems per wish). In Honkai: Star Rail, you need 14,400 Stellar Jades for 90 warps (160 Stellar Jades per warp), or 90 Star Rail Passes. These are required to hit hard pity and guarantee a 5-star.
6. What is the Highest Pity in Genshin Impact?
The highest pity count to guarantee a 5-star in Genshin Impact is 90 pulls for character and standard banners, and 80 pulls for weapon banners.
7. What is the Hardest Pity in Genshin Impact?
While all banners have the same hard pity, the Standard Banner can feel “harder” because you aren’t guaranteed to get a specific character. Your 5-star could be any character or weapon from the standard pool, making it less predictable than event banners.
8. Is Soft Pity Real?
While not officially confirmed by the developers, the existence of soft pity is widely accepted by the player community based on observed pull data. Many players report consistently getting 5-stars around the 70-80 pull mark, suggesting an increased drop rate in this range.
9. Does Soft Pity Reset Hard Pity?
If you pull a 5*, both your soft pity and hard pity are reset. Getting a 5-star at any point will reset your pity counter back to zero.
10. Does Pity Carry Over From Weapon Banner to Character Banner?
No, pity from a weapon banner does not carry over to a character banner, and vice versa. Each banner type has its own independent pity counter.
11. How Do I Check My Pity Count?
In Genshin Impact, you can view your wish history within the game. Go to the “Wish” menu, then click “History” in the bottom left corner. You can then count how many wishes it has been since your last 5-star. Similarly, Honkai: Star Rail also has a Warp history.
12. Does Pity Ever Expire?
No, pity does not expire. Your pity count will remain the same regardless of how much time passes between your pulls, as long as you are pulling on the same type of banner.
13. If I Get a 5-Star Early, Does That Affect My Pity on Other Banners?
No, getting a 5-star early on one banner does not affect your pity on other banners. Each banner type has its own independent pity counter, so your luck on one banner will not influence your pity accumulation on another.
14. What if I Get a Duplicate 5-Star? Does Pity Reset?
Yes, getting a duplicate 5-star still resets your pity to zero. It doesn’t matter if you already own the character or weapon; obtaining any 5-star will reset the pity counter.
15. Why is Understanding the Pity System Important?
Understanding the pity system is crucial for effective resource management in gacha games. It allows you to plan your pulls strategically, ensuring you get the characters or weapons you want without wasting valuable currency. By tracking your pity count, you can determine when it’s worth pulling more and when it’s best to save for a future banner. The Games Learning Society (GamesLearningSociety.org) also delves into the strategic and cognitive aspects of gaming, including the decision-making involved in gacha mechanics.
Conclusion
Mastering the pity system is essential for success in games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail. By understanding how pity carries over, resets, and differs between banner types, you can maximize your chances of acquiring your desired characters and weapons while making the most of your in-game resources. Happy wishing!