You've saved up 10,000 Stellar Jades. Your eyes are glued to the screen as the golden ticket flies across the screen. Then, total heartbreak. It’s Yanqing. Again.
If you’ve spent any time in the HoYoverse, you know the crushing weight of losing a 50/50. But understanding how the Honkai Star Rail pity system functions behind the scenes is basically the only way to keep your sanity while pulling for characters like Ruan Mei or Acheron. It’s not just a random dice roll every time you click "Warp." There is a very specific, math-heavy architecture that dictates exactly when that gold light is going to appear. Most players think it’s just 90 pulls and a dream, but the reality of "soft pity" changes everything about how you should manage your resources.
Honestly, the game doesn't do a great job of explaining the nuances. It gives you the base rates—which are objectively terrible—and leaves you to figure out the rest. We’re talking about a 0.6% base chance for a 5-star character. That’s abysmal. Yet, somehow, most people see a 5-star around pull 75 or 80. That’s not luck; that’s the system’s internal logic kicking in to save you from a total meltdown.
The Math Behind Honkai Star Rail Pity
Every single Warp you perform on a Limited Character Banner has two layers of protection. First, you have the "Hard Pity." This is the hard ceiling. At 90 pulls, the game basically says "Fine, here's your character" and forces a 5-star to drop. However, it is statistically rare to actually hit 90. In fact, if you hit 90, you are one of the unluckiest players on the planet.
The real MVP is "Soft Pity."
Around pull 73 or 74, the game starts cheating in your favor. Data gathered from millions of pulls by the community (via sites like Star Rail Station) shows a massive spike in the 5-star rate starting at the 74th pull. Instead of 0.6%, your odds jump significantly with every single pull after 73 until it hits 100% at 90. Most veterans start doing "single pulls" once they hit 70 to ensure they don't "waste" a 10-pull and accidentally trigger an early double 5-star when they didn't want the second one.
The 50/50 Coin Flip
Then there's the nightmare scenario. You hit your gold light, but it’s a Standard Banner character. This is the 50/50. When you pull on a limited banner, there is a 50% chance you get the featured character and a 50% chance you get someone from the permanent pool (Himeko, Welt, Bronya, Gepard, Clara, Yanqing, or Bailu).
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If you lose this flip, the system takes pity on you. Your next 5-star is "guaranteed" to be the featured limited character. This guarantee carries over between banners. If you lose the 50/50 on a Robin banner and stop pulling, your very next 5-star on a future Firefly banner will be Firefly. No questions asked.
Light Cone Banners Are Actually Fairer
Interestingly, the weapon banner—called the Brilliant Fixation—is way more forgiving than its predecessor in Genshin Impact or even the character banner in Star Rail itself. On the Light Cone banner, the hard pity is 80 pulls, not 90.
More importantly, it’s a 75/25 chance.
You have a 75% chance to get the signature Light Cone and only a 25% chance to "lose." Because the odds are so heavily weighted in the player's favor, many Light Cones feel obtainable even for F2P players who plan carefully. Soft pity here usually starts around pull 65. If you're looking to maximize a character's potential, knowing these lower thresholds helps you decide if you can afford to gamble on a weapon after getting the character.
The Standard Banner Trap
Never, ever spend your Stellar Jades on the Standard Warp (Stellar Warp). Just don't. You get free Silver Tickets from the Nameless Honor, leveling up characters, and the Herta Shop. Use those.
The Honkai Star Rail pity on the standard banner is 90 pulls, just like the limited ones, but the pool is diluted. You could get a character, or you could get a 5-star Light Cone. Since you can't target what you want, spending premium currency here is a waste.
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There is one "safety net" though. After 300 total pulls on the Standard Banner, you get a one-time choice to pick any of the standard 5-star characters. Most people pick Bronya because her turn-advance mechanics are still top-tier even years into the game's life cycle. Others go for Himeko for Pure Fiction. Regardless, this choice is a marathon, not a sprint. Don't rush it with Jades.
How to Track Your Pity Like a Pro
Checking your history is the only way to know where you stand. In the Warp menu, there’s a "View Details" button, and then a "Records" tab. It’s tedious. You have to count the rows. Each page shows 5 pulls.
- Go to your records.
- Find your last 5-star.
- Count every pull made after that 5-star.
- If you haven't pulled a 5-star on that banner type yet, count every pull from the beginning.
Keep in mind that records can take up to an hour to update after you pull. If you just did a 10-pull and it's not showing up, just wait. Don't keep pulling thinking your pity didn't count. It did.
Real Examples of Pity Management
Let's look at a hypothetical (but very common) situation. You have 80 pulls saved. You are at 0 pity, and you have no guarantee (meaning your last 5-star was a limited character).
You start pulling. You get to 74 pulls. No gold. Now you're in the "Soft Pity" zone. Every single click now has a massive chance to be a 5-star. If you hit it at 77, you now face the 50/50. If you win, awesome. If you lose and get Himeko, you have 3 pulls left and a "Guaranteed" status.
Now, say a new, even better character is coming out in three weeks. You should stop. Don't "build pity." Building pity is a myth that people use to justify gambling addictions. If you have a guarantee, you save it for the character you absolutely must have.
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Common Misconceptions That Ruin Accounts
One of the biggest lies in the community is that some "ritual" or location in the game increases your pity. Standing on the Astral Express or sitting in Fu Xuan’s chair does nothing. The math is server-side. It's all RNG and the pity counter.
Another mistake is thinking the "Departure Warp" (the beginner banner) shares pity with the standard banner. It doesn't. Once those 50 pulls are gone, that banner disappears, and those pulls don't count toward your 300-pull selector.
Lastly, 4-star pity is a thing too. You are guaranteed a 4-star (character or light cone) every 10 pulls. If you go 9 pulls without a 4-star, the 10th is guaranteed to be one. This is why 10-pulls always show at least one purple.
Strategy for F2P and Low Spenders
If you're playing on a budget, you have to be a math nerd. Assuming you get about 60-90 pulls per patch through events and dailies, you can roughly guarantee one 5-star every version update. But because of the 50/50, you can only truly guarantee a character you want every two patches.
Plan your pulls around the 75-pull mark. Always assume you will lose the 50/50. If you want a character, you need 150-160 pulls to be "safe." Anything less is a gamble.
- Always check your "Guaranteed" status before a new banner drops.
- Save your Undying Starlight for Special Star Rail Passes if you are close to pity, or save 600 of them to buy a 5-star Light Cone from the shop (Bronya’s "But the Victory Is Mine" is usually the best value).
- Ignore the "Building Pity" advice. If you don't want the current 5-star, don't pull. Getting an early 5-star you don't want resets your pity to zero and ruins your guarantee.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Pull Session
Before you spend your next batch of Jades, do these three things. First, open your Warp records and actually count your current pity. Don't guess. Second, look at the upcoming character leaks or official announcements. If you're at 70 pity and a character you love is coming in 20 days, close the Warp menu immediately.
Third, decide if you actually need the character's Signature Light Cone. If the character has a good 4-star option (like "Memory of the Past" for Harmony characters or "Swordplay" for Hunt), your Jades are almost always better spent on a new character rather than a weapon. The Honkai Star Rail pity system is designed to be fair over the long term, but it punishes impulsive pulling. Treat your Jades like a bank account, not a slot machine, and you'll eventually have the roster you want.