Does Pity Reset Every 6 Months? Understanding Genshin Impact & Honkai Star Rail’s Gacha Systems

The short answer is a resounding no. Pity in gacha games like Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail does not reset every 6 months. Your progress towards guaranteed rewards is persistent and carries over between banners of the same type, regardless of how long you wait. Understanding this is crucial for strategic resource management and planning your wish-making endeavors. Let’s dive into a comprehensive explanation of how pity works and debunk some common misconceptions.

Unraveling the Pity System: A Deep Dive

The pity system is a fundamental mechanic in gacha games designed to ensure that players eventually receive the high-rarity characters or items they desire. It acts as a safety net, preventing extreme cases of bad luck and providing a guaranteed reward after a certain number of pulls.

In both Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, the pity system operates similarly, though with slight differences in the exact numbers. Here’s a breakdown:

• Soft Pity: The probability of pulling a 5-star item gradually increases after a specific number of pulls without success. This is known as soft pity. In Genshin Impact, soft pity typically begins around 75 pulls. In Honkai Star Rail, it’s closer to 70 pulls.

• Hard Pity: This is the maximum number of pulls required to guarantee a 5-star item. In both games, the hard pity for character event banners is 90 pulls.

• Banner Types: It’s crucial to remember that different types of banners have separate pity counters. Character event banners, weapon banners (in Genshin Impact), and standard banners each have their own independent pity systems.

• 50/50 System (Genshin Impact): On character event banners, there’s a 50% chance that your first 5-star character will be the featured character. If you fail to get the featured character (“lose the 50/50”), your next 5-star character is guaranteed to be the featured character. This guarantee carries over to subsequent banners.

• Guarantee System (Honkai Star Rail): Honkai Star Rail’s guarantee system is similar to Genshin’s 50/50. Losing the 50/50 on the character banner guarantees the next 5-star will be the featured character.

The Myth of the 6-Month Reset: Debunked

The idea that pity resets every 6 months is a misunderstanding. Your pity counter remains intact for as long as the game exists and you continue to play. The only things that reset the pity counter are:

• Pulling a 5-Star: Regardless of whether you get a 5-star item at pull number 1 or pull number 89, the pity counter resets to zero.

• Pulling a 4-Star: The pity counter for the four-star guarantee resets upon obtaining a four-star item, this counter guarantees you will get a four star character or light cone every 10 pulls.

Therefore, there’s no need to rush your pulls or worry about losing your progress due to an arbitrary time limit. Play at your own pace and strategize based on the characters or items you desire.

Planning Your Wishes: Maximizing Your Resources

Understanding the pity system empowers you to make informed decisions about your wish-making strategy. Here are some tips:

• Track Your Pity: It’s essential to keep track of your current pity count for each banner. Most players use external tools or spreadsheets to do this, as the game itself doesn’t provide a direct pity counter. You can check your wish history within the game but must manually count.

• Set Realistic Goals: Determine which characters or weapons are most important to you and plan your primogem/stellar jade spending accordingly.

• Consider the 50/50: If you’re close to pity and want a specific character on a character event banner, consider whether you’re willing to risk losing the 50/50. If you’ve already lost the 50/50, you are guaranteed the featured character next.

• Don’t Waste Primogems/Stellar Jade: Avoid pulling on banners you’re not interested in, as this can reset your pity counter without giving you anything you want.

• Look to Games Learning Society: Resources, like those found at the Games Learning Society, can improve your understanding of game mechanics and strategies. Visit GamesLearningSociety.org to learn more about how games are understood and leveraged across disciplines.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are 15 frequently asked questions about the pity system in Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail, along with detailed answers:

1. Does pity carry over from one character banner to the next?

Yes, pity carries over between character event banners of the same type. So, if you roll 75 times on one character banner and a new banner drops, those 75 rolls will contribute to your pity count on the new banner.

2. Does pity carry over between different types of banners (e.g., character event banner to weapon banner)?

No, pity does not carry over between different types of banners. Character event banners, weapon banners (in Genshin Impact), and standard banners each have their own separate pity counters.

3. How can I check my pity count in Genshin Impact?

There is no in-game pity counter. You must manually count your wishes by going to the “History” section of the Wish menu. Filter by the specific banner you’re interested in and count the number of wishes since your last 5-star pull. You can only view wish history from the last six months in the game.

4. How can I check my pity count in Honkai Star Rail?

Similar to Genshin Impact, Honkai Star Rail doesn’t have an in-game pity counter. You can check your wish history and count the number of pulls since your last 5-star item.

5. What is “soft pity” and how does it work?

Soft pity refers to the point where the probability of pulling a 5-star item begins to increase significantly. In Genshin Impact, this typically starts around 75 pulls. In Honkai Star Rail, it’s closer to 70 pulls. While the exact increase is not explicitly stated by the developers, it’s widely believed to be substantial.

6. What happens if I get a 5-star character before reaching hard pity?

If you pull a 5-star character before reaching 90 pulls (hard pity), the pity counter resets to zero. The remaining pulls do not carry over to the next banner.

7. What is the 50/50 system in Genshin Impact?

The 50/50 system applies to character event banners. When you pull a 5-star character, there’s a 50% chance it will be the featured character. If it’s not, your next 5-star character is guaranteed to be the featured character.

8. Does losing the 50/50 guarantee the next featured character on the next banner?

Yes, losing the 50/50 guarantees that the next 5-star character you pull on a character event banner will be the featured character. This guarantee carries over, even if the current banner expires.

9. What is the hard pity for the standard banner in Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail?

The hard pity for the standard banner is 90 pulls, the same as the character banner.

10. If I do a 10-pull and get two 5-star characters, what happens to the pity counter?

The pity counter resets to zero after each 5-star character is pulled. So, if you get two 5-star characters in a single 10-pull, the pity counter resets to zero after the first one, and remains at zero.

11. What is the 4-star pity system?

Both games guarantee you a 4-star character or weapon every 10 pulls. This pity system is separate from the 5-star pity and also resets every time you get a four-star.

12. Is there a way to increase my chances of getting a specific 5-star character?

Other than strategically planning your pulls based on the pity system and the 50/50 mechanic, there’s no guaranteed way to increase your chances of getting a specific 5-star character. The gacha system is inherently random.

13. What’s the difference between “Wishes” and “Warps”

“Wishes” is the in-game name of the gacha system for Genshin Impact, while “Warps” is used in Honkai Star Rail.

14. How many Primogems/Stellar Jade do I need to guarantee a 5-star character?

To guarantee a 5-star character, you need a maximum of 14,400 Primogems (Genshin Impact) or Stellar Jade (Honkai Star Rail), which equates to 90 pulls at 160 Primogems/Stellar Jade per pull.

15. Does Adventure Rank (Genshin Impact) or Trailblaze Level (Honkai Star Rail) affect pity?

No, your Adventure Rank (Genshin Impact) or Trailblaze Level (Honkai Star Rail) does not affect the pity system. The pity system is solely based on the number of pulls you’ve made on a specific banner.

Understanding and utilizing the pity system is crucial for enjoying Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail without breaking the bank. Remember, patience and planning are key to acquiring the characters and items you desire.