Understanding the 4-Star Pity System in Genshin Impact: A Comprehensive Guide
The 4-star pity rate in Genshin Impact guarantees you a 4-star character or weapon within every 10 wishes on character event banners, weapon event banners, and the standard banner. This means that if you haven’t received a 4-star item after nine wishes, your tenth wish will automatically grant you one. Once you pull a 4-star item, the pity counter resets to zero. It’s a straightforward system designed to provide consistent rewards for players engaging with the gacha mechanics.
Delving Deeper into the Pity System
Genshin Impact utilizes a gacha system, meaning players spend in-game currency (Primogems, converted into Fates) to “wish” for characters and weapons. The probability of obtaining rare items is relatively low, making the pity system a crucial mechanic. It ensures that players eventually receive the desired items even if luck isn’t on their side.
The pity system works independently for 4-star and 5-star items. Obtaining a 5-star character or weapon does not reset your 4-star pity. Similarly, pulling a 4-star item does not affect your 5-star pity counter. This separation is important to understand when planning your wishes and managing your resources.
How Pity Works Across Different Banners
The 4-star pity system remains consistent across all banners, including:
- Character Event Banners: These banners feature a limited-time 5-star character and three boosted 4-star characters.
- Weapon Event Banners: These banners feature two limited-time 5-star weapons and boosted 4-star weapons.
- Standard Banner (Wanderlust Invocation): This banner features a pool of permanent 5-star characters and weapons, as well as 4-star characters and weapons.
However, it is important to note that pity does not carry over between different banner types. For example, if you’ve made five wishes on the character event banner, those wishes do not contribute to your pity count on the standard banner. Pity does carry over between banners of the same type. If you made five wishes on one character event banner, that pity will remain when a new character event banner starts.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about 4-Star Pity
Here are some frequently asked questions to help clarify the nuances of the 4-star pity system in Genshin Impact:
1. Does 4-Star Pity Guarantee a Specific Character?
No, the 4-star pity guarantees a 4-star item, which can be either a character or a weapon. On character event banners, there are three specific 4-star characters that have an increased drop rate. However, pulling one of these characters is not guaranteed when you hit the 4-star pity. You could receive any 4-star character or weapon available in the banner’s pool.
2. What is the Chance of Getting a Featured 4-Star Character?
When you pull a 4-star item on a character event banner, there’s a 50% chance it will be one of the three featured characters. This is often referred to as the “50/50” for 4-stars. If you don’t get a featured character, the next 4-star you pull is guaranteed to be one of the featured ones.
3. Does the 50/50 for 4-Star Characters Carry Over?
Yes, the 50/50 for featured 4-star characters does carry over between character event banners. If you pull a non-featured 4-star character on one banner, your next 4-star pull on the subsequent character event banner is guaranteed to be a featured character.
4. Does Pulling a 5-Star Reset 4-Star Pity?
No, pulling a 5-star character or weapon does not reset your 4-star pity. The pity counters are independent of each other.
5. What Happens if I Get a 4-Star Before Hitting Pity?
If you receive a 4-star character or weapon before reaching the 10-wish pity, the pity counter resets to zero. The next wish will start a new count towards the next guaranteed 4-star item.
6. Is There a “Soft Pity” for 4-Star Characters?
No, there is no confirmed “soft pity” for 4-star characters like there is for 5-star characters. The probability of getting a 4-star item does not increase gradually as you approach the 10-wish mark. It remains constant with each wish.
7. How Can I Track My 4-Star Pity?
You can track your 4-star pity by going to the “History” section of the Wish screen. Count the number of wishes since your last 4-star character or weapon. This will tell you how close you are to the guaranteed 4-star drop.
8. Do Acquaint Fate and Intertwined Fate Affect Pity Differently?
No, both Acquaint Fate (used on the standard banner) and Intertwined Fate (used on character and weapon event banners) work the same way regarding the 4-star pity system. Each wish consumes one Fate and contributes to the pity count.
9. Are 4-Star Characters Worth Wishing For?
While 5-star characters are often considered more powerful, many 4-star characters are incredibly valuable and can significantly contribute to team compositions. Characters like Bennett, Xingqiu, Fischl, and Sucrose are widely regarded as some of the best units in the game, regardless of their rarity.
10. What is the Best Strategy for Wishing on Banners?
A good strategy is to decide which characters or weapons you want the most. If there are multiple characters you’re interested in, wishing until you hit the 4-star pity can be a cost-effective way to potentially acquire some useful characters or weapons while building up your 5-star pity.
11. If a Banner Features Two 5-Star Characters, Does the 4-Star Pity Remain Separate?
Yes, even if a banner features two 5-star characters (in a double banner format), the 4-star pity remains independent for each individual banner. Wishing on one banner does not affect the 4-star pity count on the other.
12. Does the Weapon Banner Share Pity with the Character Banner?
No, the weapon banner has its own separate pity system, independent of the character event banner and the standard banner. The 4-star pity does not cross between banners.
13. Can I Lose the 50/50 on the Weapon Banner’s 4-Star Featured Weapons?
Yes, like the character event banner, the weapon banner also has a 50/50 system for the featured 4-star weapons. When you pull a 4-star weapon, there is a 50% chance it will be one of the featured weapons. If it isn’t, your next 4-star weapon pull is guaranteed to be a featured weapon.
14. How Important Is It To Keep Track of My Pity?
Tracking your pity, especially for 5-star characters, is essential if you’re aiming for specific characters or weapons. However, knowing your 4-star pity can help you decide whether to do a few extra wishes on a banner to secure a guaranteed 4-star item.
15. Where Can I Learn More About Game Mechanics?
One valuable resource for learning more about game mechanics and the broader context of gaming is the Games Learning Society, whose website is GamesLearningSociety.org. This organization delves into the educational and societal aspects of games, offering insights into their design and impact.
Conclusion: Mastering the Gacha
Understanding the 4-star pity system in Genshin Impact is crucial for efficiently managing your resources and maximizing your chances of acquiring valuable characters and weapons. By keeping track of your pity, you can make informed decisions about when and how to wish, ensuring a more rewarding and enjoyable gaming experience. Remember that while gacha systems involve chance, the pity system provides a guaranteed element, allowing players to strategically plan their pulls and ultimately build a strong and diverse roster of characters.