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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteA gacha banner offers randomized in-game rewards; pity is the game’s counter or guarantee that limits how many pulls can pass before a reward of a specified rarity appears. That may guarantee the rarity without guaranteeing the featured character or item. Because rules vary by game and banner, check the live in-game details and decide your real-money spending cap before you pull.
What are gacha banners and pity?
A banner is a time-limited or otherwise defined pool of randomized rewards, often highlighting particular characters or items. A pull (also called a wish or warp in some games) is one attempt to receive a reward from that pool.
Pity is a game’s rule for tracking attempts and guaranteeing a reward after a stated number of pulls, or otherwise improving the chance of one. It is not a universal system: a counter can be separate for each banner type, shared between concurrent banners, carried into a rerun, or reset after a high-rarity reward. Read the rules for the specific game and banner you plan to use.
How do pity guarantees work in two HoYoverse games?
These examples show why “guaranteed” needs context. The figures below are from HoYoverse Help Center articles dated September 17 and 23, 2025; they are not rules for other games. Check the current in-game details before spending because banner pools and published rates can change.
| Game and banner | Rarity guarantee | First high-rarity result | Counter and follow-up guarantee | Published rate detail |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honkai: Star Rail — Character Event Warp | A five-star character at least once every 90 Warps. | Not stated in the cited article as a first-result featured-character probability. | Each Warp banner type tracks its own pity. Consult the live Warp details for featured-item rules. | HoYoverse lists a 0.600% base five-star rate and a 1.600% consolidated rate including the guarantee. |
| Genshin Impact — Character Event Wish | A five-star at least once every 90 wishes. | The first five-star has a 50% chance of being promotional. | If that five-star is not promotional, the next five-star is guaranteed promotional. The two concurrent Character Event Wish banners share pity and guarantee status. | Not stated in the cited article. |
| Genshin Impact — Weapon Event Wish | A five-star at least once every 80 wishes. | The first five-star has a 75% chance of being one of the promotional weapons. | Weapon Event Wish uses rules distinct from Character Event Wish. Check its live details for the exact guarantee and carryover terms. | Not stated in the cited article. |
Sources: HoYoverse’s Honkai: Star Rail pity explanation, HoYoverse’s Genshin Impact Wish guarantee explanation, and HoYoverse’s Weapon Event Wish explanation.
Rarity is not the same as the featured reward
A five-star guarantee means a five-star reward by the stated limit; it does not necessarily mean the featured character or weapon on that result. In the Genshin Impact Character Event Wish example, a first five-star can be non-promotional, with the next five-star then guaranteed promotional. The distinction matters when estimating the pulls—and cost—you may need for a particular reward.
Base rate and consolidated rate mean different things
For Honkai: Star Rail’s Character Event Warp, HoYoverse lists a 0.600% base five-star rate and a 1.600% consolidated rate that includes the guarantee. The consolidated figure accounts for the pity system; it is not the base chance for any single pull. Do not apply either number to a different game or banner.
Check the exact banner rules in-game
HoYoverse directs players to the banner’s details screen for the most accurate featured-item and drop-rate information. For Honkai: Star Rail, the Help Center says: “For the most accurate and specific information, including featured items and drop rates, tap the View Details button on the respective Warp screen in-game.” In Genshin Impact, open the Wish screen and its details for the active banner’s rules. Confirm which counter applies, whether concurrent banners share it, and what happens after a non-featured high-rarity result.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →What do “hard pity” and “soft pity” mean?
Players commonly use “hard pity” for a stated maximum pull count that guarantees a reward and “soft pity” for a point at which odds may rise before that maximum. These terms are not a universal official standard, and the cited official sources do not establish a current soft-pity threshold across games. Use the named game’s published rules and live banner details rather than relying on a community shorthand or a number from another title.
How to set a spending limit before pulling
A pity counter can tell you when a reward is guaranteed under a particular rule; it cannot make the purchase affordable or guarantee that the first high-rarity result is the featured reward. Set a cap in real currency before a banner’s limited-time presentation or current pity status pressures you to continue.
- Choose an amount you can afford to lose. Set a maximum for this banner in real money, separate from money needed for essentials or other commitments.
- Check your current status. Look at the active banner’s pull history or counter and confirm whether your guarantee status carries into this banner. Do not assume another banner type uses the same count.
- Estimate the worst case for the reward you want. Use the game’s published rarity limit and featured-reward guarantee rules, including the possibility that the first high-rarity reward is not featured.
- Translate the cap into actual pulls and purchases. Use the purchase options available to you, account for regional or platform pricing, currency bundle sizes, bonuses and applicable taxes, then compare the cost of the possible pull total with your cap.
- Stop when you reach the cap. A near miss, a new banner, or a higher counter does not change the limit you chose. If the worst-case cost exceeds your cap, wait or skip rather than treating the guarantee as a reason to spend more.
There is no single universal real-money cost for a guaranteed result. It depends on the game, region, platform, currency bundles, current pity and guarantee status, and the specific banner rules. A cap limits your spending; it does not improve the odds.
What the FTC’s Genshin Impact settlement does—and does not—say
In a U.S. announcement dated January 17, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission said HoYoverse agreed to a proposed settlement that included a $20 million payment and a restriction on in-game purchases by children under 16 without parental consent. The FTC described the order as proposed and subject to judicial approval in that announcement. This is U.S.-specific settlement context, not a global age rule or a spending estimate for an individual player.
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The agency’s release described allegations about disclosures of odds and transaction costs. Samuel Levine, then Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, characterized the matter this way: “Genshin Impact deceived children, teens, and other players into spending hundreds of dollars on prizes they stood little chance of winning.” That is Levine’s statement in the context of the FTC announcement, not a general finding about every gacha game. Read the FTC’s settlement announcement for its account of the case.
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