Gacha games have become a staple of mobile gaming, captivating players with their collectible characters and items. One of the most important mechanics that affects player experience is the “pity rate,” a system designed to guarantee rare pulls after a certain number of attempts. This listicle covers the pity rate systems across some of the most popular gacha games, offering detailed insights for players who want to understand how these mechanics impact their chances and strategies.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact’s pity system is one of the most well-documented and player-friendly. The game guarantees a 5-star character or weapon on the 90th pull, with a soft pity starting around 75 pulls where the chance for a 5-star increases significantly. Additionally, if you don’t get the featured 5-star character, the next 5-star is guaranteed to be the featured one, a system known as the “50/50” pity. This makes Genshin’s pity system both predictable and forgiving, reducing the frustration of bad luck over extended pulls.
Fate/Grand Order (FGO)
FGO does not have a traditional pity system but uses a “step-up” banner system in some events that effectively acts as a pity mechanic. Each step increases the chance of summoning a 5-star Servant, with the final step often guaranteeing a 5-star or a specific featured Servant. Outside these banners, the base 5-star summon rate remains at 1%, with no hard pity, making long streaks of bad luck possible. This lack of a consistent pity system means players must be strategic about when and how they spend their Saint Quartz.
Arknights
Arknights employs a soft pity system on its standard and event banners. The base rate for a 6-star Operator is 2%, but after 50 pulls without one, the probability of pulling a 6-star increases each subsequent pull, guaranteeing one by the 90th pull. For featured Operators, the game uses a 50/50 mechanic similar to Genshin Impact, where if you fail to get the featured 6-star, the next one is guaranteed to be featured. This system balances randomness with fairness, allowing dedicated players to plan their pulls effectively.
Honkai: Star Rail
Honkai: Star Rail’s pity system closely resembles that of Genshin Impact, with a hard pity at 90 pulls for a 5-star character or relic. The game also features a soft pity that starts increasing the chance around 75 pulls. Moreover, the 50/50 mechanic applies to featured 5-star characters, ensuring that if you fail to get the banner character once, the next 5-star pull will be the featured one. This approach encourages saving and pulling in bulk to maximize pity benefits.
Epic Seven
Epic Seven uses a step-based pity system where the chance for a 5-star hero increases with each pull on specific banners. On the standard banner, the base 5-star summon rate is 1%, but after 50 summons without a 5-star, the rate increases by roughly 3% per additional pull until a 5-star is obtained. This soft pity system helps mitigate bad luck but does not guarantee a 5-star by a specific number of pulls. The game also has event banners with slightly different pity mechanics, so players should pay attention to banner details.
Azur Lane
Azur Lane’s gacha system is unique because it does not have a traditional pity system for its shipgirls. Instead, the game relies on a “supply” system where players can use special currency to guarantee a featured ship after a set number of pulls, typically 300 for the permanent supply. Temporary event banners may have different rules, but generally, there is no hard pity for 5-star ships. This makes Azur Lane’s gacha more unpredictable, rewarding persistent farming and saving.
Dragalia Lost
Dragalia Lost uses a pity system that guarantees a 5-star character or dragon within 300 summons on a specific banner. The base rate for a 5-star is 5%, and the pity count resets when a 5-star is obtained. Unlike Genshin Impact, there is no soft pity, so the chance remains constant until the hard pity is reached. This system gives players a clear upper bound on the number of pulls needed to get a 5-star but can feel harsh due to the lack of incremental probability increases.
Summoners War
Summoners War does not have a traditional pity system but uses a guaranteed summon mechanic where after 40 summons without a 5-star monster, the next summon is guaranteed to be a 5-star. The base summon rate for a 5-star is approximately 0.5%, so this system provides a safety net for long streaks of bad luck. However, there is no guarantee that the 5-star will be a specific monster, making targeted pulls more challenging.
Blue Archive
Blue Archive features a pity system that guarantees a 5-star unit after 150 pulls, with a soft pity starting at around 120 pulls where chances increase. The base 5-star summon rate is about 2%, and the game uses a 50/50 mechanic for featured units similar to Genshin Impact. This system encourages players to save their currency for banner events to maximize the chance of obtaining the desired character within a reasonable number of pulls.
Another Eden
Another Eden’s gacha system lacks a traditional pity mechanic and instead relies on a low base rate of about 1% for 5-star characters. Some banners offer step-up summons with increased rates on later steps, but there is no guaranteed 5-star after a set number of pulls. This can lead to long unlucky streaks, making the game more reliant on luck or strategic use of step-up banners to improve odds.
How to Choose
When choosing a gacha game based on pity rates, consider what matters most to you: predictability, fairness, or sheer chance. Games like Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail offer clear hard pity systems with soft pity increments and 50/50 guarantees, which reduce frustration and reward patient players. Others like FGO and Another Eden lack hard pity, meaning you could pull hundreds of times without a top-tier character, which might appeal if you prefer pure chance or strategic step-banners. Also, consider the rarity of characters, base rates, and whether the pity applies to featured units or any rare pull. Finally, think about how the pity system integrates with other mechanics such as step-up banners or guaranteed featured units, as this can significantly impact your overall experience and resource management.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a pity rate in gacha games?
It is a mechanic that guarantees a rare or high-rarity item after a certain number of unsuccessful pulls, reducing the luck factor over time.
Do all gacha games have pity systems?
No, not all games have pity systems. Some rely purely on chance, while others implement soft or hard pity to protect players from bad luck.
What is the difference between soft pity and hard pity?
Soft pity gradually increases the chance of a rare pull as you approach a certain number of attempts, while hard pity guarantees a rare pull at a fixed number of tries.
Does pity apply to featured characters only?
It depends on the game. Some games guarantee a featured character on pity (like Genshin Impact’s 50/50 system), while others only guarantee a rare character without specifying which one.
Can pity rates reset?
Yes, in most games, the pity count resets once you pull a rare or featured character, so the counter starts over from zero.
Are pity systems fair to players?
Pity systems are generally designed to be fairer than pure random chance, ensuring that players won’t go indefinitely without a rare pull, though the experience can still vary.
Final Thoughts
The pity rate is a crucial factor in the overall enjoyment and fairness of gacha games. Understanding how each game’s system works can help you plan your pulls, manage your resources, and reduce frustration. Games with clear hard pity and soft pity systems, especially those that guarantee featured characters, tend to offer the best balance between excitement and fairness. Ultimately, your choice should align with your tolerance for randomness and your playstyle preferences.
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