When new Trailblazers first start playing Honkai: Star Rail, the first thing most of them dig into is the game’s gacha system. Like most gacha games, Honkai: Star Rail has a dedicated beginner-only banner that comes with a common rule: a 50-pull pity guarantee for a maximum rarity 5-star character. New players almost always have the same two questions: how do you pull on the beginner banner to get the most value, and is it actually possible to pull limited characters here? This guide breaks down all common rules and pulling tips to answer both questions.
Can You Get Limited Characters on the 50-Pull Beginner Banner?
In most gacha game design, the beginner banner is a welcome bonus meant to help new players build a solid core team quickly. Because of this, almost all units on the beginner banner are standard permanent characters, and limited characters are never added to the pool.
Limited characters almost always get their own separate limited rate-up banner, which is only available during a specific event window. Once the event ends, the banner closes and the character goes into a waiting period for a future rerun, and they will never be randomly added to the beginner or standard permanent banners. Unless the game’s official team posts a special announcement confirming that limited rewards have been added to the beginner banner, it is practically impossible to pull a limited character from this pool.
How to Pull the Most Value From the 50-Pull Beginner Pity
1. Claim and use all beginner banner discount perks first
Nearly every gacha game’s beginner banner comes with steep pulling discounts to help new players get started. Common discounts include half off your first 10-pull, or discounted pricing on your first few 10-pulls overall, which makes pulling here far cheaper in terms of in-game resources than pulling on the standard permanent banner. We recommend new players use up all available beginner banner discount perks before moving on to any other banner, as it saves you a ton of resources long-term.
2. Stop pulling once you hit your pity early, don’t force all 50 pulls
The 50-pull pity rule for the beginner banner almost always works like this: if you don’t pull a max rarity character within your first 49 pulls, the game will guarantee you get one on your 50th pull. If you already get your guaranteed max rarity character at 20 pulls or 30 pulls, that means the pity mechanic has already triggered and completed. You don’t need to keep pulling just to hit the full 50 pulls, and you can save your remaining pulling resources for other banners.
3. Save your resources for limited rate-up banners if you have limited resources
Since the beginner banner only includes standard permanent characters, you’ll still have a chance to pull any of these characters from the standard permanent banner down the line. Limited characters, on the other hand, will go into a months-long rerun wait if you miss their event window. If you don’t spend much money on the game and only have a limited amount of free pulling resources, you should save all your extra resources after getting your beginner banner pity for the limited characters you actually want. This gives you the best possible return on your resources.
Common Beginner Gacha Misconceptions Cleared Up
A lot of new players incorrectly believe that “you have to pull all 50 times on the beginner banner or you’re missing out.” This idea is totally wrong. Once you get your guaranteed pity reward early, the pity mechanic is already complete, and there are no extra rewards for pulling the remaining spots. Forcing a full 50 pulls just wastes perfectly good resources you could use elsewhere. You also shouldn’t pull on the beginner banner with the mindset that “maybe I’ll get lucky and pull a limited character.” The odds of this are practically zero, so don’t waste your resources trying.
Overall, the 50-pull pity beginner banner is just a welcome bonus for new players getting started. As long as you follow the core rules of “use all discounts, stop pulling once you get your pity, save extra resources for limited units,” you’ll maximize your pulling value, and you don’t need to overthink whether you should pull the full 50 times or not.