How the Honkai: Star Rail Pity System Works

gameranx.com:

Before Honkai: Star Rail Version 1.1 drops, you should get a firm handle on the game’s pity system. For any Genshin Impact players, you should be familiar with HoYoverse’s system – it’s exactly the same in Star Rail. But for players new to gacha mechanics, just know that HoYoverse has a slightly more forgiving system than many other games. But what does it all mean?

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Many mobile games have taken a free-to-play (F2P) approach, allowing players to opt into purchases if they want to. HoYoVerse took this format and expanded it beyond the standard, creating AAA titles that are accessible without a paywall. In exchange, HoYoverse games operate on gacha.

Gacha is a highly controversial subject in the gaming world, primarily for its similarities to gambling. You have a certain amount of materials you can use to get what you want – in the context of Star Rail, you use Stellar Jade to pull for a character or Light Cone. Your chances of getting what you want are slim without spending money. The ethereal nature of mobile games doesn’t help – the average lifespan for a mobile game is around 3 years.

Many developers and players in the F2P gaming space believe that paying for game updates is a more equitable, moral system for players over gacha. However, there are pros and cons to both approaches. Both systems rely on the player becoming immersed in the world and characters of the game. Either you want a character enough to pull for them or you enjoy the game enough to continually spend money when a new update drops. One relies on gambling psychology, the other relies on putting