Honkai: Star Rail is a turn-based JRPG that employs gacha mechanics for players to Warp (pull) for desired characters and Light Cones (weapons). As with any gacha game, it's important to understand how its banners work so you can save up enough resources to get a guaranteed five-star.
Here's everything you need to know about Star Rail's gacha system—but keep in mind that the information below is based on the final closed beta and may change at launch.
The standard banner is called the Stellar Warp and is expected to run indefinitely, with only occasional changes to the character and Light Cone pool. Each Warp costs x1 Star Rail Pass or x160 Stellar Jade. Standard banners are not ideal for free-to-players, as there is no way to target which five-star you get at pity.
Additionally, there is no way to ensure that your guaranteed five-star is a character or Light Cone—it's completely random with equal rates for either. Pity resets as soon as you get a five-star entity.
| Star | Soft Pity | Guaranteed Pity |
|---|---|---|
| Five-star character or Light Cone | 75 Warps | 90 Warps |
| Four-star character or Light Cone | - | 10 Warps |
Soft pity refers to a number that triggers a dramatic increase in the chances of obtaining a five-star entity. Every Warp you make after the soft pity will continuously increase your chances of getting a five-star, with a 100 percent guarantee at 90 Warps.
Five-star selection ticket (one-time reward)
If you Warp 300 times in the standard banner, you'll be eligible to pick a five-star of your choice from a limited character pool: Himeko, Welt, Bronya, Gepard, Clara, Yanqing, and Bailu. This is a one-time reward with no deadline.
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The limited banner runs for approximately two weeks and features one five-star and three four-star characters on rate-up. Each Warp costs x1 Star Rail Special Pass or x160 Stellar Jade. This banner is perfect for players looking to target specific characters, as you're guaranteed to get the featured characters after a number of pulls.
All five-stars are also guaranteed to be characters, so no Light Cones will spook your hard-earned pity. Pity resets as soon as you get a five-star entity.
| Star | Soft Pity | Guaranteed Pity |
|---|---|---|
| Five-star character | 75 Warps | 90 Warps |
| Four-star character or Light Cone | - | 10 Warps |
Soft pity refers to a number that triggers a dramatic increase in the chances of obtaining a five-star entity. Every Warp you make after the soft pity will continuously increase your chances of getting a five-star, with a 100 percent guarantee at 90 Warps.
Guaranteed featured character mechanics
Honkai: Star Rail offers a 50-50 guarantee to get the featured four and five-star characters in the limited banner.
- When you pull for your first five-star, there is a 50 percent chance for you to get the featured character. If you lose this gamble, you will instead receive a standard banner character. However, when this happens, then the next five-star you get is guaranteed to be the featured character.
- When you pull for your first four-star, there is a 50 percent chance for you to get one of the three featured characters. If you lose this gamble, you will instead receive a standard banner character or Light Cone. However, when this happens, then the next four-star you get is guaranteed to be one of the featured characters.
Yes, pity carries over across all limited banners. If you manage to Warp 20 times on the first limited banner, then you only need to Warp 70 times on the next banner for a guaranteed five-star character.
The 50-50 pattern also carries over to all limited banners. So if you managed to get the featured character on Seele's banner, there's a 50 percent chance for your next five-star to not be the featured character, even if your next Warp is in another limited banner.
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The limited "weapon" banner runs in conjunction with the limited character banner. It features a five-star Light Cone that compliments the event character, as well as three four-star Light Cones on rate-up. Each Warp costs x1 Star Rail Special Pass or x160 Stellar Jade. This banner is perfect for players looking to target specific Light Cones, as you're guaranteed to get the featured Light Cone after a number of pulls.
All five-stars are guaranteed to be Light Cones. Pity resets as soon as you get a five-star entity.
| Star | Guaranteed Pity |
|---|---|
| Five-star Light Cone | 80 Warps |
| Four-star character or Light Cone | 10 Warps |
Guaranteed featured Light Cone mechanics
Honkai: Star Rail offers a 75-25 guarantee to get the featured four and five-star Light Cones in the limited banner.
- When you pull for your first five-star, there is a 75 percent chance for you to get the featured Light Cone. If you lose this gamble, you will instead receive a standard banner Light Cone. However, when this happens, then the next five-star you get is guaranteed to be the featured Light Cone.
- When you pull for your first four-star, there is a 75 percent chance for you to get one of the three featured Light Cones. If you lose this gamble, you will instead receive a standard banner character or Light Cone. However, when this happens, then the next four-star you get is guaranteed to be one of the featured Light Cones.
Yes, pity carries over across all Light Cone banners. If you manage to Warp 20 times on the first Light Cone banner, then you only need to Warp 60 times on the next banner for a guaranteed five-star Light Cone.
The 75-25 pattern also carries over to all Light Cone banners. So if you managed to get the featured Light Cone on the current banner, there's a 25 percent chance for your next five-star to not be the featured Light Cone, even if your next Warp is in another Light Cone banner.
Duplicate pulls, Undying Starlight, & Exchange Shop mechanics
For every Warp you make in any banner, you're entitled to receive a number of Undying Starlights and Embers, which can be used to purchase goods in the Starlight Exchange.
| What you obtained | Reward |
|---|---|
| Five-star duplicate character (second to seventh duplicate) | x1 Eidolon of the character and x40 Undying Starlight |
| Five-star character duplicate (eighth or higher duplicate) | x100 Undying Starlight |
| Four-star duplicate (second to seventh duplicate) | x1 Eidolon of the character and x8 Undying Starlight |
| Four-star duplicate (eighth or higher duplicate) | x20 Undying Starlight |
| Five-star Light Cone | x40 Undying Starlight |
| Four-star Light Cone | x8 Undying Starlight |
| Three-star Light Cone | x20 Undying Embers |
For more information on Honkai: Star Rail's banner system, check out Honkai Star Rail: Current banner & who will be next? here on Pro Game Guides.
Published: Feb 16, 2023 03:19 am