How Much Pity is a 5-Star in Genshin Impact? A Comprehensive Guide

The short answer is: it depends. While a 5-star character in Genshin Impact is guaranteed at 90 pulls (this is known as hard pity), most players experience what’s called “soft pity” and pull a 5-star much earlier, usually around 74-80 pulls. Let’s break down the pity system to understand this mechanic fully.

Understanding the Pity System

The pity system in Genshin Impact is designed to ensure players eventually receive high-rarity items. It exists for both the character banners (Limited Character Banner and Standard Banner) and the weapon banner, although the specific mechanics differ slightly. The core idea is simple: if you haven’t received a 5-star after a certain number of wishes, the game guarantees one. This prevents players from spending vast amounts of resources without getting anything significant in return.

Hard Pity

Hard pity is the absolute limit. As stated, for character banners (both Limited and Standard), a 5-star character is guaranteed at 90 pulls. For the weapon banner, this hard pity sits at 80 pulls. This means if you’ve made 89 wishes on a character banner without getting a 5-star, your 90th wish will give you a 5-star character. On the weapon banner if you have made 79 wishes, your 80th wish will give you a 5-star weapon.

Soft Pity

This is where things get interesting. While hard pity is a safety net, the pull rates don’t remain constant all the way to 90. “Soft pity” is when the game subtly increases your chances of pulling a 5-star before you reach hard pity.

From data mining and community experiments, it’s widely believed that soft pity begins around wish 74 or 75 on character banners. At this point, the rate of getting a 5-star dramatically increases with each subsequent wish. While the base rate is 0.6%, soft pity significantly boosts this. Some estimations suggest that by wish 76, your chances may be as high as 20-30%, continuing to increase with each pull until you finally get a 5-star.

How the Pity System Affects Your Strategy

Knowing about pity should influence how you approach wishing. Here’s a simple strategy guideline.

1. Track Your Pulls: Keep track of how many wishes you’ve made on each banner. You can do this manually or use a wish tracker app.
2. Save Primogems: Avoid wishing impulsively. Save up enough Primogems to reach at least 80 wishes on a banner you’re interested in.
3. Consider the 50/50: On Limited Character Banners, after acquiring a 5 star character, there is a 50% chance it will be the featured character. If you don’t get the featured character on your first 5-star pull, the next 5-star you pull will definitely be the featured character.
4. Plan for Hard Pity: While it’s unlikely, be prepared to reach hard pity (90 pulls on character banners, 80 on weapon banners).

Genshin Impact Pity FAQ

Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the pity system in Genshin Impact.

1. Does pity carry over between banners?

Yes! Pity carries over between banners of the same type. Your pity on the Limited Character Banner will carry over to the next Limited Character Banner. Similarly, pity on the Standard Banner carries over to the next Standard Banner. Weapon Banner pity also carries over, but it doesn’t transfer to character banners, and vice-versa.

2. How do I check my pity count?

Unfortunately, the game does not explicitly display your pity count. You can check your wish history and manually count. Go to the “Wish” screen, click “History,” and filter by banner. Remember, the pity count resets after you get a 5-star. There are third-party wish tracking sites that are very useful for this purpose.

3. What is the 50/50 system?

The 50/50 system applies to Limited Character Banners. When you pull a 5-star character, there’s a 50% chance it will be the featured character on that banner. If it isn’t, then the next 5-star you pull on that banner is guaranteed to be the featured character. This guarantee carries over between Limited Character Banners.

4. Does losing the 50/50 affect my pity?

No, losing the 50/50 doesn’t affect your pity count. Your pity remains the same, regardless of whether you win or lose the 50/50.

5. What happens if I get a 5-star early?

If you get a 5-star before reaching soft pity or hard pity, your pity count resets to zero. For example, if you get a 5-star on your 30th wish, your pity starts fresh from zero again.

6. Is soft pity a proven fact, or just a theory?

While HoYoverse hasn’t explicitly confirmed soft pity, extensive data collected by the player community strongly suggests its existence. Statistical analysis of thousands of wish histories clearly indicates a significant increase in the 5-star pull rate around wish 74-75.

7. Does pity exist on the Standard Banner?

Yes, pity does exist on the Standard Banner. The hard pity is the same as the Limited Character Banner (90 pulls for a 5-star), and soft pity is also believed to exist, starting around 74-75 pulls.

8. Is it better to do single pulls or 10-pulls?

There’s no difference in terms of the pity system. The game calculates each wish individually. Doing 10-pulls is simply more convenient and saves time.

9. How many Primogems do I need to guarantee a 5-star?

To guarantee a 5-star at hard pity, you need 14,400 Primogems (90 wishes x 160 Primogems per wish) on a character banner and 12,800 Primogems (80 wishes x 160 Primogems per wish) on a weapon banner.

10. What are Fate Points in the Weapon Banner?

Fate Points are unique to the weapon banner. If you don’t get the weapon you want, you get a fate point. After the Fate Points is full (up to 2 Fate Points) the next 5-star is guaranteed to be the weapon you want. Fate points don’t carry over.

11. Does the beginner banner have pity?

Yes, the beginner banner has pity, but it is different. You are guaranteed a Noelle on your first 10 pulls, and a 4-star character every 10 pulls. This banner is only available for 20 pulls.

12. How does Epitomized Path work?

The Epitomized Path is a mechanic specific to the Weapon Event Wish banner. It allows you to choose one of the featured 5-star weapons as your “desired” weapon. If you pull a different 5-star weapon, you’ll gain a Fate Point. After gaining two Fate Points, the next 5-star weapon you pull is guaranteed to be the weapon you chose. However, these Fate Points do not carry over to the next weapon banner.

13. What does C6 mean in Genshin Impact?

C6 stands for Constellation 6. In Genshin Impact, you can obtain multiple copies of a character. Each copy unlocks a Constellation, enhancing their abilities and providing additional buffs. A C6 character has all six Constellations unlocked, making them significantly more powerful.

14. How many wishes do I need to C6 a 5-star character?

This is highly variable due to the 50/50 system and the soft pity mechanic. However, on average, it takes approximately 630 wishes to C6 a 5-star character, assuming you win the 50/50 half the time and pull 5-stars around the soft pity range. This can require a significant investment of resources.

15. Where can I learn more about game design and mechanics?

For more information on game design, mechanics, and their psychological impact, consider exploring resources from the Games Learning Society at GamesLearningSociety.org. This organization fosters research and understanding of how games influence learning and behavior.

Understanding the pity system empowers you to make more informed decisions about your wishing strategy in Genshin Impact. By tracking your pulls, saving Primogems, and understanding the mechanics of soft pity and the 50/50, you can maximize your chances of obtaining the characters you desire without unnecessarily draining your resources.