Genshin Impact comes with several banners that you can wish on to obtain rare characters and weapons. Each banner is like a different type of slot machine, and understanding their probabilities is crucial to avoid disappointment. Recommended Videos.
This article is part of a series on Genshin Impact’s convoluted gacha system. It’s important to know exactly what you’re getting into when dealing with predatory gambling mechanics like these. By understanding your chances, you can have a realistic idea of what to expect from your pulls and make smarter decisions when spending your precious Primogems.
Genshin Impact wishes explained
The standard banner is a great place to start learning about Genshin Impact’s complicated wishing system. The character and weapon banners function similarly, with slight differences. The Chronicled Wish banner is the most unique and is only available on rare occasions. You can learn about these special banners on their dedicated pages.
Genshin Impact’s standard banner uses blue Acquaint Fates as its pull currency, with one Fate for one pull. No other banner uses Acquaint Fates. You can use Primogems on the standard banner, but it’s a mistake. Save your other pull currencies for the event banners. Only use Acquaint Fates for the standard banner.
When you make a wish (or “pull”), you usually get a blue-rarity 3-star weapon. I recommend keeping at least one Refinement Rank 5 copy of these weapons in your inventory. Some of these 3-star weapons, like Harbinger of Dawn or Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers, are actually worth using.
Occasionally, you’ll get a rarer purple 4-star prize. On the standard banner, this can be either a character or a weapon. The 4-star prize pool is extensive, and you can see exactly what’s in it from the banner details in-game. The base rate for getting a 4-star on any given pull is 5.1%.
Very rarely, you’ll get an orange 5-star prize. On the standard banner, the 5-star prize pool includes both characters and weapons. The base rate for getting a 5-star on any given pull is 0.6%. There’s no way to target a specific 5-star of your choice; it’s all random. As of Version 5.0, the list of standard 5-star characters and weapons is as follows:
| Standard 5-star Characters | Standard 5-star Weapons |
| — | — |
| Dehya, Diluc, Jean, Keqing, Mona, Qiqi, Tighnari | Amos’ Bow (Bow), Aquila Favonia (Sword), Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds (Catalyst), Primordial Jade Winged-Spear (Polearm), Skyward Atlas (Catalyst), Skyward Blade (Sword), Skyward Harp (Bow), Skyward Pride (Claymore), Skyward Spine (Polearm), Wolf’s Gravestone (Claymore) |
Image via HoYoverse
Genshin Impact soft and hard pity
All banner types in Genshin Impact have a pity system. This means that after a certain number of wishes (or “pulls”), the game will show mercy and give you a rare item. The base probabilities for 4-star and 5-star prizes are relatively low, but the pity system effectively increases these rates to provide a more consistent pulling experience.
After a certain number of pulls without a 4 or 5-star prize, your chances of getting a rarer prize gradually increase. This is called soft pity. As you continue to pull on the standard banner, the probability for a rarer item keeps rising until it reaches 100%.
Hard pity is the absolute maximum number of pulls you need to make to get the rare item. If you reach hard pity, you are guaranteed to pull a rare prize. The number of pulls required to reach soft and hard pity is different for 4-stars and 5-stars.
Genshin Impact’s standard banner rates and pity
| Rarity | Base Probability | Soft Pity | Hard Pity |
| — | — | — | — |
| 5-star | 0.6% | 74-89 pulls | 90 pulls |
| 4-star | 5.1% | 9 pulls | 10 pulls |
From your last 5-star pull, you need to do 74 pulls to reach the soft pity range. Additional pulls from here on out have a higher chance of getting a 5-star prize. Your 90th pull is guaranteed to be a 5-star. When you see the golden glow indicating a 5-star, your prize can be any of the standard 5-star characters and weapons from the table above.
From your last 4-star pull, your 9th pull has an increased chance of being a 4-star prize. If this fails, then your 10th pull is guaranteed to be a 4-star.
Does the standard banner guarantee pulling a weapon after a character?
There is a slight weighting system in place to ensure that you don’t get too many 5-star characters in a row without weapons and vice versa. It’s definitely possible to pull three Jeans one after the other, but your next 5-star will likely be a weapon. Your 4-stars are also weighted, so you don’t get too many characters or weapons in a row. I’ve never pulled more than three consecutive 4-star characters or weapons.
Additions to Genshin Impact’s standard banner
Occasionally, new 4-star and 5-star characters are added to the standard banner’s prize pool. All new 4-star characters make their way to the standard banner in the version after their debut. Dehya and Tighnari are the only 5-stars to be added to the standard banner, and HoYoverse made this clear when the characters were first announced. Unless you’re waiting for a specific 4-star character to be added to the standard banner, there’s no real reason to hoard Acquaint Fates without spending them.
Now that you understand the standard banner, take a look at some of the special event banners that are the backbone of Genshin Impact.
