Genshin Impact Weapon Banner Hard and Soft Pity: Guide

Of all the systems in the sprawling open-world RPG Genshin Impact, few are as simultaneously thrilling and dreaded as the Weapon Event Wish, commonly known as the Weapon Banner. While character banners offer a clear path to a guaranteed five-star, the weapon banner is a labyrinth of probabilities, epitomized by its unique "Epitomized Path" system. To navigate this high-stakes gacha environment successfully, understanding the mechanics of Hard and Soft Pity is not just beneficial—it's essential. This guide will break down these hidden systems, offering strategies to maximize your Primogem investment.

The Foundation: Understanding Pity

Before diving into the specifics of the weapon banner, it's crucial to grasp the core concept of "pity." Pity is the game's built-in mercy system that guarantees a five-star item after a certain number of unsuccessful wishes. This counter is hidden but is tracked for each banner type independently on your wish history screen.

Base Five-Star Rate: The default probability of pulling a five-star weapon is 0.7%.
Soft Pity: This is not an official term but a community-discovered phenomenon. For weapon banners, evidence suggests that the probability of pulling a five-star weapon begins to increase significantly starting around wish number 65. This gradually rising chance is "Soft Pity," gently nudging you toward your guaranteed pull.
Hard Pity: This is the absolute guarantee. For the Weapon Event Wish, the Hard Pity is set at 80 wishes. This means you are guaranteed to receive a five-star weapon on your 80th wish if you have not received one prior.

Unlike the character banner, which has a 90-wish Hard Pity, the weapon banner's lower threshold of 80 comes with a critical caveat: uncertainty and the need for a fate points system.

The Epitomized Path: A Double-Edged Sword

The introduction of the Epitomized Path system changed the weapon banner from a potential nightmare of infinite duplicates into a more predictable, though still costly, endeavor. Here’s how it works:

Selection: Before you start wishing, you must select your desired rate-up weapon from the two featured on the banner.
Fate Points: If your first five-star pull is not your chosen weapon, you gain one Fate Point. If your second five-star pull is also not your chosen weapon, you gain a second Fate Point.
Guarantee: Once you have two Fate Points, your next five-star pull is guaranteed to be your selected weapon from the Epitomized Path.

This system introduces a new layer of "pity"—the path guarantee. However, there are two massive caveats:

Fate Points do not carry over between weapon banners. When the current banner ends, your Fate Points reset to zero.
The guarantee is therefore only valid within a single banner period.

This means your progress toward the desired weapon is lost if you cannot muster enough wishes within the ~3-week banner duration. This makes planning and saving absolutely critical.

The Pulling Process: A Step-by-Step Scenario

Let's walk through a typical (and unfortunate) pulling scenario to see how Hard/Soft Pity and Epitomized Path interact:

First Five-Star (at wish 75): You hit Soft Pity and get a five-star. It's the weapon you didn't select on the Epitomized Path. You now have 1 Fate Point.
Second Five-Star (at wish 75 again): Your pity counter resets. You build it back up and pull another five-star around wish 75. It's once again the wrong weapon. You now have 2 Fate Points. You have effectively spent ~150 wishes.
Third Five-Star (Guarantee - at wish 65): Your pity resets again. This time, thanks to Soft Pity, you pull your guaranteed five-star earlier, around wish 65. Because you have 2 Fate Points, this weapon is guaranteed to be your chosen one.

Total Estimated Wishes: 75 + 75 + 65 = 215 wishes. This is the worst-case scenario that the Epitomized Path is designed to prevent from spiraling further. To get your desired weapon, you must be prepared to spend up to 240 wishes (3 Hard Pities at 80 wishes each). This is why the weapon banner is considered a luxury for spenders or long-term savers.

Strategic Advice for Wishing on the Weapon Banner

Given the high cost and lack of carry-over for Fate Points, a strategic approach is paramount.

Only Pull if You Can Commit to the Guarantee: The golden rule of the weapon banner is to never pull unless you have enough Intertwined Fates (or Primogems) to hit Hard Pity three times—240 wishes. This ensures that even in the absolute worst luck scenario, you will walk away with your chosen weapon. Pulling with only 100 wishes risks getting two copies of the wrong weapon and having your Fate Points vanish, rendering your investment futile.
Both Rate-Up Weapons Should Be Valuable: The weapon banner becomes significantly more appealing if both featured five-star weapons are strong and usable by characters in your account. This way, "losing" the 50/50 (or rather, the 75/25) doesn't feel as bad. Pulling on a banner where one weapon is fantastic and the other is niche is a dangerous gamble.
Track Your Pity: Use the in-game History feature (which updates with a slight delay) or third-party tools like Paimon.moe to track your wish count. Knowing you are 10 wishes away from Soft Pity allows you to make informed decisions.
Understand the "75/25" Rule: When you pull a five-star, there is a 75% chance it will be one of the two featured rate-up weapons and a 25% chance it will be a standard banner weapon (like Amos' Bow or Skyward Spine). This is more forgiving than the character banner's initial 50/50, but the 75/25 can still be lost.
It's a Long-Term Goal: For free-to-play or low-spending players, targeting a specific weapon is a long-term project. Save Primogems across multiple patches. The weapon banner is not for instant gratification; it's a planned acquisition.

Conclusion: A Calculated Risk

The Weapon Banner in Genshin Impact is a system of layered probabilities. Soft Pity (starting ~65) and Hard Pity (80) provide a framework for when to expect a five-star, while the Epitomized Path system provides a ultimate, albeit expensive, guarantee against infinite misfortune. While the lure of a powerful signature weapon that perfectly complements your favorite character is strong, it demands respect for its mechanics.

Ultimately, success on the weapon banner is less about luck and more about preparation. By understanding the interplay of Hard Pity, Soft Pity, and the critical Epitomized Path, you can approach your wishes not as a blind gamble, but as a calculated investment into your account's power.