Honkai: Star Rail Warp and Pity System Explained โ How Gacha Pulls Work
Honkai: Star Rail uses a gacha system called Warping to pull new characters and Light Cones. Unlike fully random gacha systems, HSR has a pity system that guarantees you will eventually get what you are pulling for โ but the mechanics have important nuances that affect how and when you should spend your Stellar Jade. Understanding the system fully can save you hundreds of pulls over the life of your account.
How Pity Works: Soft Pity and Hard Pity
Every banner tracks two thresholds. Hard pity is the guaranteed ceiling โ on Character Event Warp banners, you are guaranteed a 5-star character by pull 90 with no exceptions. Soft pity begins at pull 75 on character banners, at which point the rate of 5-star pulls increases substantially above the baseline 0.6%. Most players receive a 5-star somewhere between pulls 75 and 90 due to soft pity. For Light Cone Event Warps, hard pity is 80 pulls and soft pity starts at pull 65. Keep an eye on your current pity count in the Warp history screen before deciding whether to pull.
The 50/50 System and Guaranteed Carry-Over
When you reach a 5-star on a Character Event Warp, there is a 50% chance it is the featured limited character and a 50% chance it is a standard banner character (Himeko, Welt, Bailu, Gepard, Clara, Yanqing, or Bronya). If you lose the 50/50 and receive a standard character instead of the featured one, your next 5-star pull on any Character Event Warp is guaranteed to be the featured character. This guarantee carries over between banners indefinitely until used. Always note whether you are on a guarantee before a new banner launches.
How Pity Carries Over Between Banners
Pity is tracked per banner type, not per specific banner. Your Character Event Warp pity count carries over when a new character banner replaces the current one. If you pulled 60 times on the current banner without getting a 5-star, those 60 pulls count toward your next featured character banner. Light Cone banner pity is separate from character banner pity. Standard Warp pity is completely independent and does not interact with limited banners at all.
Banner Types and When to Pull on Each
Departure Warp is exclusive to new accounts and guarantees a 5-star within 50 pulls at a discounted pull cost. Complete it immediately. Character Event Warp is where to spend most of your Stellar Jade โ features a different limited 5-star every three weeks. Light Cone Event Warp features the signature weapon for the current limited character at a slightly better 5-star rate (0.8% base), but requires dedicated pulls separate from the character banner. Standard Warp uses Acquaint Fates (different from Star Rail Passes) and does not share pity with event banners โ only pull here with Acquaint Fates you earned, never purchased.
Planning Your Stellar Jade Spending
One complete pity cycle (90 pulls) costs 14,400 Stellar Jade. A soft-pity average of about 80 pulls per 5-star costs roughly 12,800 Jade. The worst-case scenario for getting a specific limited character (losing 50/50 twice) is 270 pulls or 43,200 Jade. Most players need 160 to 200 pulls across patches to guarantee a single featured 5-star. Save your guarantee (losing a 50/50) for characters you truly want rather than pulling casually and wasting it on banners you are lukewarm about.
FAQ
Do limited characters ever come back on rerun banners?
Yes. HoYoverse regularly runs rerun banners for past limited characters approximately six months to one year after their initial release. If you missed a character, waiting for a rerun and saving your guarantee is often the smarter approach than pulling half-heartedly on the first run.
What is the base 5-star pull rate?
The base 5-star rate on Character Event Warp is 0.6% per pull. This rate stays flat until soft pity begins at pull 75, after which it increases each subsequent pull until it reaches 100% at pull 90.
Can I see my pull history and current pity count?
Yes. Open the Warp screen, go to any banner, and select Warp Records in the top right. This shows your full pull history for each banner type. Count the number of pulls since your last 5-star to calculate your current pity. Note that HoYoverse only stores 6 months of pull history.
Is it worth pulling on the Light Cone banner?
Signature Light Cones provide significant power boosts (often 15 to 25% damage increase) but are not necessary to play a character effectively. For free-to-play players, pulling a character at E0 and using a craftable or 4-star Light Cone is usually a better use of resources than chasing the signature weapon. The Light Cone banner also has a separate 75/25 featured rate (not 50/50) that guarantees the featured weapon every other 5-star.