HSR Gacha System Explained: Pity, Soft Pity & the 50/50 Rule
30-second summary: you are guaranteed a 5★ within 90 pulls (rates spike from pull ~74 — "soft pity"). When a 5★ drops on a limited banner it's 50% the featured character, 50% a standard one ("losing the 50/50") — but after losing, your NEXT 5★ is 100% guaranteed to be the featured character. Pity carries over between banners.
What is pity?
Pity is a guarantee counter: every pull without a 5★ raises it by 1. If you reach pull 90 without one, that pull is GUARANTEED to be a 5★ — a losing streak cannot last forever.
The base 5★ rate per pull is only 0.6%. From around pull 74 the rate climbs steeply each pull (soft pity), so most players get their 5★ between pulls 75–85; very few ever hit 90.
For 4★: every 10 pulls guarantee at least one 4★ character or Light Cone.
The 50/50 and the guarantee
On a limited character banner, when a 5★ drops: 50% it's the featured character, 50% it's from the standard pool (Bronya, Gepard, Himeko, Welt, Bailu, Clara, Yanqing…). Getting a standard character is called "losing the 50/50".
The upside: after losing, your NEXT 5★ is 100% guaranteed to be the featured character — on whichever banner you pull next. This guarantee never expires when a banner ends.
Example: you pull Gepard on Feixiao's banner (a loss). You save jades for a later banner — your first 5★ there is guaranteed to be that banner's character.
How is the Light Cone banner different?
The Light Cone (weapon) banner is more forgiving: a 5★ is guaranteed within 80 pulls, and when it drops it's 75% the featured Cone (only 25% to lose). After a loss, the next one is guaranteed, same as characters.
Common community advice: pull CHARACTERS first — they change how you play far more; a signature Cone is a luxury upgrade for spare resources.
Using your pity wisely
Your pity is visible in-game: Warp → View Details → count pulls since your last 5★. Faster: enter your UID into GameVika's tools to read it automatically.
Three practical tips: (1) don't drip pulls into the standard banner — save for limited; (2) holding a guarantee with ~90 pulls saved means ANY featured character is a lock; (3) without a guarantee, budget ~180 pulls for the worst case (lose the 50/50, then build pity again).
FAQ
Does pity reset when a banner ends?
No. Pity and the guarantee carry over between limited character banners. Character, Light Cone and standard banners keep three SEPARATE counters.
Do 10-pulls have better odds than singles?
No — each pull has identical odds. A 10-pull is just convenient. Singles even let you stop the moment your character drops, wasting fewer pulls.
How much Stellar Jade per pull?
160 Stellar Jade = 1 pull. So 90 pulls ≈ 14,400 jade and 180 pulls ≈ 28,800. Use GameVika's Jade Planner to see how long saving takes.
