Wuthering Waves Soft Pity Explained
If you've ever wondered why 5★ characters seem to "always" come at pull 66-80, 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 Wuthering Waves, the base rate is 0.8%, but starting at pull 66 it rises by +6% per pull — every single pull until hard pity.
The math
- Pulls 1-: flat 0.8% per pull
- Pulls 66-: 0.8% + +6% per pull × (pull number past the threshold)
- Pull 80: 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}% — 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 5★ reasonable. Without it, players could hit hard pity every single time — the 100% guarantee exists but soft pity makes it rare to actually need it.
What the odds really look like
Across 80 pulls from zero pity, the cumulative chance of pulling at least one 5★ is well over 99%. Most players see their 5★ in the 66+ range, which is why budget planners should assume 66-80 pulls per 5★ rather than the theoretical average.
Plan around it
- Assume **80 pulls per 5★** for budget planning (worst case)
- Assume **80 × 2 pulls** to guarantee a featured character (50/50 loss + second pity)
- The **Wuthering Waves Pity Calculator** computes exact cumulative odds for your current pity — use it before deciding to pull
Related
- Wuthering Waves Pity System Explained — full breakdown
- How Many Astrite Per Month — income planning
- Wuthering Waves Pull Planner — project your savings before a banner ends