Genshin Impact 5-Star Banners: Your Pity GuideHello, awesome Travelers! Ever wondered how to snag those super cool, game-changing 5-star characters and weapons in Genshin Impact? You know, the ones that make your damage numbers skyrocket and your team look absolutely fabulous ? Well, you’re in the right place, because today, we’re diving deep into the magical, sometimes mysterious, world of Genshin Impact 5-star banners and the all-important pity system . Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or just starting your journey through Teyvat, understanding these mechanics is absolutely crucial for making the most of your precious Primogems and Intertwined Fates. It’s not just about blindly wishing; it’s about smart strategy, careful planning, and a little bit of luck (but mostly strategy!). We’ll break down everything from the different types of banners to the nitty-gritty details of how pity works, including the dreaded ⁵⁰ ⁄ ₅₀ , and give you some pro tips to maximize your chances of getting your desired characters and weapons. So grab a snack, settle in, and let’s unravel the secrets behind Genshin Impact’s gacha system together! This guide is designed to be your ultimate companion for navigating the exciting, yet often confusing, landscape of wishing, ensuring you’re always well-informed and ready to make the best decisions for your account. We’re going to explore every corner, from the fundamental concepts to advanced strategies, making sure no stone is left unturned in your quest for those coveted 5-stars. Get ready to become a banner expert!## Understanding the Genshin Impact Banner SystemAlright, guys, let’s kick things off by understanding the core of what we’re dealing with: the Genshin Impact banner system . Think of banners as your portal to new characters and weapons in the game. They’re essentially limited-time events within the Wish menu where you spend your in-game currency, Primogems (or converted Fates), for a chance to acquire powerful new additions to your roster. There are generally three main types of banners you’ll encounter regularly in Genshin Impact: the Character Event Wish , the Weapon Event Wish , and the Standard Wish (also known as Wanderlust Invocation). Each of these has its own unique pool of items, rules, and, most importantly, its own pity counter . Understanding these distinctions is absolutely fundamental to strategic wishing.The Character Event Wish banner is arguably the most popular and anticipated. This is where you’ll find featured, often brand-new, 5-star characters for a limited duration. These banners typically run for about three weeks, sometimes in two phases per major update, featuring different characters. Alongside the spotlight 5-star character, there are usually three specific 4-star characters who receive a boosted drop rate. This is your go-to if you’re chasing a specific character to enhance your team’s synergy or simply because you love their design and abilities. The excitement around these banners is palpable, with players saving up for months to secure their favorite waifus and husbandos. It’s a high-stakes game of chance and patience, often dictating the meta and team compositions for many players.The Weapon Event Wish banner, on the other hand, focuses on powerful 5-star weapons, usually tailored to complement the featured 5-star character on the character banner. It also features a selection of boosted 4-star weapons. While incredibly powerful, wishing on the weapon banner is generally considered riskier than the character banner, especially for free-to-play (F2P) or low-spending players, due to a slightly different and more complex pity system called the Epitomized Path. We’ll get into that beast a bit later, but just know for now that it requires a bit more commitment to guarantee your desired weapon. These weapons often provide significant power spikes for characters, making them highly desirable, but the investment can be substantial.Finally, we have the Standard Wish banner. This one is permanent and doesn’t rotate with new characters or limited-time weapons. It features a fixed pool of standard 5-star characters (like Diluc, Jean, Keqing, Mona, Qiqi, and more recently, Tighnari and Dehya) and a variety of 5-star weapons. While you can pull a 5-star here, it’s generally not recommended to spend your precious Primogems on this banner. The Fates used here (Acquaint Fates) are usually obtained through exploration, Battle Pass rewards, and character ascension. Save your Intertwined Fates for the limited-time Character and Weapon Event Wishes, guys! The Standard banner is more of a bonus pool, where you might get a pleasant surprise from free Fates, but it’s not where you want to dump your hard-earned premium currency if you’re aiming for specific, limited-time items.The key takeaway here is that each banner is distinct, and understanding which one to pull on, when, and with what Fates, is the first step toward becoming a Genshin Impact banner master . Every wish counts, and knowing where to direct your efforts can save you a lot of frustration and regret. So, let’s move on to the absolute backbone of this system: pity ! It’s the mechanic that turns a purely random gacha into something you can actually plan around, making your Genshin journey much more predictable and enjoyable. Keep these banner types in mind as we delve deeper, because they each interact with pity in their own special ways. Getting a grip on this early will make all subsequent strategies much clearer and easier to implement.## The Deep Dive into Genshin Impact’s Pity SystemNow, this is where the real magic (and science) happens! The Genshin Impact pity system is your best friend when it comes to getting those coveted 5-star items. Without it, wishing would be a truly terrifying, purely random endeavor. Pity is essentially a guarantee mechanism that ensures you’ll eventually receive a 5-star item after a certain number of wishes, even if your luck isn’t stellar. It’s designed to make the gacha experience fairer and more predictable, preventing players from going an infinite number of wishes without getting anything rare. Understanding pity is not just important; it’s essential for any serious Genshin player, whether you’re free-to-play or a whale. It’s the bedrock of all wishing strategies.### What is Pity in Genshin Impact?So, what exactly is pity? In Genshin Impact, pity refers to a hidden counter that tracks how many wishes you’ve made on a particular banner since your last 5-star drop. Once this counter reaches a certain threshold, the game significantly increases your chances of getting a 5-star, eventually guaranteeing one. For the Character Event Wish and Standard Wish banners, a 5-star character or weapon is guaranteed by your 90th pull if you haven’t received one earlier. This is known as hard pity . However, most players will experience what’s called soft pity , which typically begins around the 74th or 75th pull. From that point up to 90, your chances of getting a 5-star dramatically increase with each subsequent wish. This means that while 90 pulls is the absolute maximum you’ll ever need, you’ll most likely get your 5-star somewhere between pull 75 and 85. It’s a huge relief to know that your efforts aren’t in vain and that every single wish brings you closer to that golden sparkle.The Weapon Event Wish banner works a little differently for pity. For weapons, hard pity is reached at 80 pulls, meaning you’re guaranteed a 5-star weapon by your 80th wish. Soft pity for weapons usually kicks in a bit earlier, around the 63rd or 64th pull. The slightly lower pity count for weapons makes sense given the additional layers of complexity involved with the Epitomized Path system, which we’ll discuss shortly. It’s crucial to remember that each banner type has its own separate pity counter . Your pity on the Character Event Wish does not affect your pity on the Weapon Event Wish, nor on the Standard Wish. They are distinct and independently tracked. This is a common misconception for new players, so pay close attention!Another incredibly important aspect of the pity system is its carry-over mechanic . For the Character Event Wish banner, your pity carries over from one limited character banner to the next. This means if you make 50 wishes on Raiden Shogun’s banner and don’t get a 5-star, those 50 wishes will count towards the next limited character banner (e.g., Ayaka’s banner). This is a game-changer for F2P players, as it allows for long-term planning and saving. You can accumulate pity over several banners until you’re ready to commit to a character you truly want. Similarly, pity on the Weapon Event Wish also carries over between limited weapon banners. However, pity on the Standard Wish banner does not carry over in the same strategic sense, as it’s a permanent banner with a rotating pool of standard items. Knowing this carry-over rule is key to managing your resources effectively. It means that even if you don’t get the character you want on a particular banner, your investment isn’t lost; it’s simply deferred to the next opportunity. This strategic element is what makes wishing in Genshin Impact much more engaging than a simple lottery. You’re not just hoping for the best; you’re actively building towards a guaranteed outcome, making your progress feel tangible and rewarding. This understanding empowers you to make informed decisions, ensuring your Primogems are spent wisely and efficiently.### The ⁵⁰ ⁄ ₅₀ Mechanic: Winning and LosingAh, the infamous ⁵⁰ ⁄ ₅₀ mechanic . This is where things get really interesting, and sometimes, a little heartbreaking, on the Character Event Wish banner. The ⁵⁰ ⁄ ₅₀ rule dictates that when you hit pity and get a 5-star character on a Character Event Wish banner, there’s a 50% chance that it will be the featured limited 5-star character (the one shown prominently on the banner, like Furina or Neuvillette), and a 50% chance that it will be one of the standard 5-star characters (Diluc, Jean, Keqing, Mona, Qiqi, Tighnari, or Dehya). This ⁵⁰ ⁄ ₅₀ adds a layer of suspense and strategy to every significant pull. Imagine saving for weeks, hitting that golden sparkle , and then… it’s Qiqi. It’s a rite of passage for many players, affectionately (or not so affectionately) known as