Gacha & Pity System Guide
Everything you need to know about ZZZ's gacha mechanics — soft pity, 50/50, hard pity, pull currencies, and how to maximize your Polychrome as a free-to-play player. Based on community-verified data from zzz.rng.moe.
🎰 How the Pity System Works
Zenless Zone Zero uses the same gacha model as other HoYoverse titles (Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail). Every pull on a limited banner has a chance to drop an S-rank agent or W-Engine. The system guarantees you will get one within a certain number of pulls through "pity."
Soft Pity Explained
After a certain number of pulls without an S-rank, your odds increase dramatically each pull. This is called "soft pity" — and it is the real mechanic that determines when you get your S-rank.
| Banner Type | Soft Pity Starts | Rate After Start | ~95% by Pull | Hard Pity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Character Banner | Pull #74 | ~6.6% → increases each pull | Pull #82 | Pull #90 |
| W-Engine Banner | Pull #65 | ~7% → increases each pull | Pull #71 | Pull #80 |
| Bangboo Banner | N/A (separate currency) | Fixed rates, no pity | N/A | N/A |
Key takeaway: "Hard pity" (90 for character, 80 for weapon) is mostly theoretical. In practice, the overwhelming majority of players get their S-rank between pulls 75–82. Going to 90 is a ~1 in 13 million chance — it essentially never happens.
🎯 The 50/50 System
When you pull an S-rank on a limited character banner, there is a 50% chance it is the featured agent and a 50% chance it is a standard S-rank (the "50/50").
If You Lose the 50/50
- Your next S-rank on any limited character banner is 100% guaranteed to be the featured agent.
- This guarantee carries over between limited character banners — it does not expire. If you lose 50/50 on Norma's banner, save your guarantee for Remielle.
- The guarantee is banner-type specific: character guarantees only apply to character banners, weapon to weapon banners.
If You Win the 50/50
- Your next S-rank will again be a 50/50 — there is no "win streak" protection.
- Your pity counter resets to 0 after pulling any S-rank.
💰 Pull Currencies Explained
| Currency | Used For | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| Polychrome | Convert to Master Tapes (160:1) | Dailies, events, story, Hollow Zero, Shiyu Defense, codes |
| Encrypted Master Tape | Limited character/weapon banners | Convert from Polychrome, events, battle pass |
| Master Tape | Standard (Stable) banner only | Character ascension, battle pass, shop, events |
| Boopon | Bangboo banner only | Hollow Zero weeklies, events, shop |
| Fading Signal (shop currency) | Buy more Master/Encrypted Tapes | Earned automatically from pulling A-rank and S-rank dupes |
Pro tip: Never convert Polychrome to Master Tapes (standard banner). Only convert to Encrypted Master Tapes for limited banners. The standard banner will naturally progress from free Master Tapes earned in-game.
📊 F2P Polychrome Income
Per Patch (6 Weeks) — Recurring Sources
- Daily Commissions: 60/day × 42 days = ~2,520
- Hollow Zero (weekly): ~640/week × 6 = ~3,840
- Shiyu Defense (biweekly): 720/cycle × 3 = ~2,160
- Events (per patch): ~1,500–2,500
- Redeem Codes: ~300 per patch
- Inter-Knot Membership ($5/month): +90/day = +3,780 per patch
Total F2P per patch: ~12,000–15,000 Polychrome (enough for ~75–94 pulls)
With $5 monthly pass: ~16,000–19,000 Polychrome (enough for ~100–118 pulls)
One-Time Sources for New Players
- Main Story + Commissions: ~10,000–15,000
- Exploration & Achievements: ~5,000–8,000
- Character Trials & Tutorials: ~2,000–3,000
- First-Time Clear Rewards: ~3,000–5,000
New player one-time pool: ~30,000+ Polychrome. That is enough to guarantee at least one limited S-rank agent right away.
🧠 Pull Strategy Tips
For Free-to-Play Players
- Never pull on a banner unless you can guarantee. Going in with less than ~22,000 Polychrome and losing 50/50 leaves you empty-handed.
- Wait for livestream before pulling. Current banners are always active during the preview. See the next patch's characters before spending on the current one.
- W-Engine banner is optional. For F2P, A-rank W-Engines and the battle pass weapon are competitive alternatives. Only pull W-Engines if you have spare pulls after securing your target agents.
- Supports age better than DPS. Top-tier supports (Sunna, Astra Yao, Yuzuha) stay relevant across many team compositions. A new DPS may be powercrept in 3–6 months.
- Build one team before a second. A hyper-invested 3-agent core can clear most content. Spreading resources across 6+ agents too early slows progress dramatically.
Pity Counter Tracking
You can check your exact pity count in-game from the banner history page. Alternatively, use third-party trackers like zzz.rng.moe (community warp tracker) to log your pulls and visualize your pity progress.