Blue Archive Soft Pity Explained
If you've ever wondered why 5โ characters seem to "always" come at pull 1-200, that's soft pity working exactly as designed. Here's the precise math.
What is soft pity?
Soft pity is the range of pulls where the base rate ramps up dramatically. In Blue Archive, the base rate is 3%, but starting at pull 1 it rises by no soft pity โ every single pull until hard pity.
The math
- Pulls 1-: flat 3% per pull
- Pulls 1-: 3% + no soft pity ร (pull number past the threshold)
- Pull 200: 100%
By pull , your per-pull chance is around {int(100 0.006 + 0.06 ({"wuwa": 14, "genshin": 16, "hsr": 16, "zzz": 16}[game] - 1)):.0f}% โ nearly 1 in {int(100 / (100 0.006 + 0.06 ({"wuwa": 14, "genshin": 16, "hsr": 16, "zzz": 16}[game] - 1))):.0f}.
Why the design?
Soft pity smooths out the worst-case spending while keeping the average cost of a 5โ reasonable. Without it, players could hit hard pity every single time โ the 100% guarantee exists but soft pity makes it rare to actually need it.
What the odds really look like
Across 200 pulls from zero pity, the cumulative chance of pulling at least one 5โ is well over 99%. Most players see their 5โ in the 1+ range, which is why budget planners should assume 1-200 pulls per 5โ rather than the theoretical average.
Plan around it
- Assume **200 pulls per 5โ ** for budget planning (worst case)
- Assume **200 ร 2 pulls** to guarantee a featured character (no 50/50 (200-pull spark) loss + second pity)
- The **Blue Archive Pity Calculator** computes exact cumulative odds for your current pity โ use it before deciding to pull
Related
- Blue Archive Pity System Explained โ full breakdown
- How Many Pyroxene Per Month โ income planning
- Blue Archive Pull Planner โ project your savings before a banner ends