Genshin Impact's pity system, explained simply
“Pity” is the safety net that guarantees you a 5-star if you wish enough times without getting one. Genshin never tells you the exact counters in-game, which is why it confuses new players. Once you understand three ideas — hard pity, soft pity and the 50/50 — the whole system makes sense and you can plan around it.
Hard pity: the guaranteed ceiling
On the character event banner, you are guaranteed a 5-star within 90 wishes. That's hard pity. If you somehow reached 89 pulls with no 5-star, your 90th is guaranteed to be one. In practice almost nobody actually hits 90, because of soft pity.
Soft pity: where 5-stars actually drop
The base rate for a 5-star is a flat 0.6%, but starting at around pull 74, that rate spikes dramatically each pull. So most 5-stars appear between roughly pulls 74 and 80, not at 90. When people say their “average pity is about 77,” this is why.
The 50/50: featured vs. standard
Getting a 5-star doesn't always give you the featured character. On the event banner:
- Your 5-star has a 50% chance to be the featured character.
- If you lose the 50/50 (you get a random standard 5-star instead), your next 5-star is guaranteed to be the featured one.
So the true worst case for a specific character is roughly 180 wishes (lose the 50/50 at 90, then guarantee at the next 90). The realistic average is about ~115–120 wishes when you account for the 50/50.
One more detail: this guarantee carries over between banners. If you lose a 50/50 now, the guarantee still applies on the next character you chase.
4-star pity
You're guaranteed at least a 4-star every 10 wishes, and there's a similar 50/50 on 4-stars: half the time it's a featured 4-star, and if you miss, the next 4-star is a guaranteed featured one.
The weapon banner is different (and harsher)
The weapon banner has its own separate pity:
- Hard pity is 80 wishes (lower than characters).
- But the odds of getting the specific weapon you want are worse, because two weapons are featured.
- The Epitomized Path lets you “fate-point” one of the two featured weapons so you're guaranteed to get it within a set number of pulls.
For most players, especially new ones, the weapon banner is a trap. Stick to the character banner until you have spare resources.
Quick reference
| Banner | Hard pity | Soft pity starts | Guarantee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Character event (5★) | 90 | ~74 | 50/50, then guaranteed |
| Character event (4★) | 10 | — | 50/50 on featured 4★ |
| Weapon (5★) | 80 | ~63 | Epitomized Path |
What to actually do with this
- Don't pull unless you can reach pity. Throwing 10–20 wishes “to try” usually just wastes them. Save until you have ~90.
- Track your count. Note where you are when you stop, since pity carries between banners of the same type.
- Know if you're “guaranteed.” If you lost your last 50/50, your next 5-star is the featured one — a great time to chase a character you love.
That's the whole system. New to the game otherwise? Read the beginner's guide next.