Genshin Impact’s Gacha System and Pity Mechanic – How it Works

Genshin Impact’s Gacha System and Pity Mechanic

HoYoVerse, formerly known as MiHoYo, has made a name for itself with its action-RPG live service game called Genshin Impact. The game features a traveling twin pair as the main characters who get separated in the land of Teyvat and are guided by Paimon, a strange creature who serves as the player’s companion throughout their adventure.

Genshin Impact is known for its large, sprawling fantasy world and its wide selection of playable characters. In fact, there is a fairly long list of 68 playable characters in Genshin Impact. However, the game’s Gacha system has caused controversy and criticism over the years.

How Genshin Impact’s Pity System Works

The game’s Wish system involves players depositing Primogems into Genshin Impact to draw from a collection of five- or four-star characters and four- or three-star items and weapons. The rates for the items are the highest and are around 95% of the drop rate. The probability of drawing characters is around 5%, and these odds change depending on the banner.

However, Genshin Impact follows the rule that a player, when they reach a total of 90 pulls on any character banner, is guaranteed a five-star character, even the limited-upgrade characters. There is also a rule that if a player manages to snag a five-star character with their 0.6% drop rate, they have a 50:50 chance of getting either the limited character or a standard character like Diluc. If fans “lose” this 50:50 gamble by getting the standard character, then they are guaranteed the limited character on the next five-star pull.

The weapon banners also use a similar pity system, but players must lose two 50:50 chances before they get the higher-value weapon with pity.

The High Promises of Genshin Impact and Its Problems

While looking at Genshin Impact’s pity system and guarantees, some players may understand why Genshin fans and loyalists are constantly pulling for characters or collecting free Primogems without thinking much about it. With the idea that it only takes 90 pulls to get a limited character like Yoimiya, saving up for a new character sounds easy. However, this can harm fans just as much as other free Gacha games.

The phrase “there’s always a chance” is associated with game addiction for a reason. Having a 90-pull guarantee is good, but players will likely keep pulling until they reach the guaranteed thresholds. This is a big problem because Primogems are hard to come by in the game, and 90 pulls worth of Primogems cost over a hundred dollars if you want to buy the premium currency with real money. Additionally, these guarantees only apply to the five-star characters, and while the five-star characters in Genshin Impact are highly sought after for a reason, that reason doesn’t extend to the four-star characters. While there is a 50:50 ratio between limited and standard four-star characters, these pulls can be as far apart as possible. It has often happened that players have managed to get duplicates of a limited five-star banner and none of the four-star banners.

Ultimately, HoYoVerse should try to balance the pity mechanic a bit more as the flaws hinder what could serve players well with adequate support. Genshin Impact is available on mobile devices, PC, PS4, and PS5.

Source: Gamerant.com.