ZZZ Pity System Explained — Soft Pity, 50/50 & Guarantee | Zenless Zone Zero

Hard pity is the maximum number of pulls you'll ever need to guarantee an S-Rank. On the character banner (Exclusive Channel) that number is 90 Signal Searches. On the W-Engine (weapon) banner it's lower: 80 pulls.

The base S-Rank rate is very low — 0.6% for Agents and 1.0% for W-Engines — and every 10 pulls you're guaranteed at least one A-Rank. Each pull costs 160 Polychrome or 1 Encrypted Master Tape, so a full 90 pulls runs about 14,400 Polychrome.

Soft pity is the zone just before hard pity where the S-Rank rate ramps up sharply, so in practice you rarely go the full 90. HoYoverse hasn't published official numbers, but per community tracking the character banner's soft pity kicks in around pull 74-75. From there most players land their Agent somewhere in the 75-85 range.

On the W-Engine banner the community finds soft pity starting earlier (around pull 65). Treat 90 (or 80) as the worst case — you'll usually spend fewer.

On the character banner, when you hit your first S-Rank there's a 50% chance it's the featured rate-up Agent and 50% it's a standard S-Rank Agent (a "loss" / off-banner). But if you lose, your very next S-Rank on that banner is a 100% guaranteed rate-up Agent — no more coin flip.

So the absolute worst case to secure a featured Agent is 180 pulls (90 to lose + 90 guaranteed), but thanks to soft pity the real number is usually far lower.

The W-Engine banner uses its own, more forgiving rules. When your first S-Rank drops, there's a 75% chance it's the featured W-Engine (instead of 50%). If you still lose it, your next S-Rank is a 100% guaranteed featured W-Engine.

Its hard pity is also lower (80 instead of 90). Note: the W-Engine banner's pity is completely separate from the character banner's — pulling on one does not build pity on the other.

This is what worries most newcomers: when one character banner ends and a new one begins, your pity count is NOT wiped. If you pulled 20 times without an S-Rank, you only need 70 more on the new banner to reach hard pity.

Even better: your 50/50 status carries over too. If you're in a "lost" state (owing the guarantee), the next banner's rate-up Agent is guaranteed. So don't be afraid to pull partway when a banner is about to change — your progress transfers fully. Just remember this only applies across character banners, NOT across to the W-Engine banner.

Before pulling on a banner, check two numbers: what pull you're at, and whether you're "owing the guarantee" (already lost a 50/50). You can see both in the in-game Search History.

• If you're holding the guarantee (your next S-Rank is locked in): pulling is very worthwhile — you can't lose the Agent you want.
• If you're near soft pity (around 70+ pulls): consider continuing to ride the rising rate.
• If you're fresh (low pity) and can't reach 90: better to stop, save more Polychrome, and come back — your pity is still there next time.