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Honkai Star Rail Warp Banner guide

Upcoming 5 star characters and how the gacha system works.

Artwork showing Honkai Star Rail character Seele posing during a night time scene.
Credit: Hoyoverse

If you want to pull for new characters in Honkai Star Rail you will need to know how its complicated gacha system works. But if you've played Genshin Impact before you'll get a distinct sense of deja vu when you try to bag a 5 star character for the first time.

Seeing as both games are made by HoYoverse, it stands to reason they would share a lot in common. That's most apparent in Honkai Star Rail's Warp system, which is very similar to Genshin Impact's Banners system, and is similarly used to unlock new characters. If you're thinking of jumping into Honkai Star Rail we've rounded up everything you need to know about how Warps work.

We've got details on how to obtain new Warps in Honkai Star Rail, why you'll need Stellar Jades to Warp for characters, the chances of getting a 5 star or 4 star character and details on the first two Warp events that have been announced for version 1.0.

How does the Honkai Star Rail Warp system work?

To get new 5 star and 4 star characters in Honkai Star Rail, and high tier Light Cones (aka weapons) you will need to use the Warp system. As with other gacha games, this is a chance based system where you could strike it lucky or end up empty handed.

There are four different types of Warps which offer different items and differing chances of success.

Image showing what players can claim with a regular Warp in Honkai Star Rail.
Credit: Hoyoverse

What can you get with each Warp?

Not sure which Warp to choose? We've got details below on the different Warp types, what items you can get and what it'll cost you:

  • Starter Warp - Star Rail Pass - 5 star character within 50 Warps, 4 star character every 10 Warps
  • Regular Warp - Star Rail Pass - 5 star character within 90 Warps, 4 star character every 10 Warps -
  • Character Event Warp - Star Rail Special Pass - Promotional 5 star and 4 star characters
  • Light Cone Event Warp - Star Rail Special Pass - Promotional 5 star and 4 star items

Before you jump in and start Warping for new characters there are a few important things to point out.

The Starter Warp, which is also known as the Departure Warp, is only available for new players. Unlike other Warps, you need to purchase 10 Warps at a time to use the Starter Warp - but there's a 20 percent discount on the amount of Star Rail Passes you'll need. Plus, it offers the best 5 star rate of any Warp. Once you've Warped 50 times on the Starter Warp the banner disappears.

The Character Event Warp and Light Cone Event Warp are where you'll need to head to get limited-time promotional items. Newly released 5 star characters and weapons, which are a highlight of each major update, will be available via these Warps.

The Regular Warp is a permanent banner which is also known as the Stellar Warp. It offers 5 star and below characters and Light Cones.

Why do you need Stellar Jades to Warp?

The in-game Stellar Jade currency is used to purchase Star Rail Passes, which are needed to Warp. One Star Rail Pass costs 160 Stellar Jades.

Star Rail Special Passes also cost 160 Stellar Jades, and these passes can also be purchased with 10 Starlights or 150 Embers.

Image detailing what players will be able to get with the phase one event warp for the first major Honkai Star Rail update.
Credit: Hoyoverse

What are the Warp events for version 1.0?

During the Honkai Star Rail stream that was held ahead of the game's launch HoYoverse detailed the first two Warp events for version 1.0.

In phase one the promotional 5 star character that players can Warp for is Seele. She will be available via the Butterfly on Swordtip Character Event Warp. The In the Night Light Cone will be available alongside Seele with a Light Cone Event Warp.

In phase two the promotional 5 star character that players can Warp for is Jing Yuan. Jing Yuan will be available via the Swirl on Heavenly Spear Character Event Warp. The phase two Light Cone Event Warp will offer the Before Dawn Light Cone.

What is the 5 star rate in Honkai Star Rail?

The likelihood of getting a 5 star item depends on which Warp you've chosen. The Starter Warp offers the best 5 star rate, guaranteeing a 5 star item within 50 Warps. But this banner is only available for 50 Warps and then it disappears.

With the Regular and Character Warps you'll get one 5 star item per 90 Warps, and with Light Cone Warps, it's one 5 star item per 80 Warps.

With Character and Light Cone Warps if you manage to pull a 5 star item there's a 50 percent chance it will be a promotional item. If not, you'll be guaranteed a promotional item next time you pull a 5 star item on that Warp.

Image detailing what players will be able to get with the phase two event warp for the first major Honkai Star Rail update.
Credit: Hoyoverse

What is the 4 star rate in Honkai Star Rail?

Whatever Warp you choose, you will have the same 4 star rate. For every 10 Warps you will receive at least one 4 star item.

This rate is the same for Starter Warps, Regular Warps, Character Event Warps and Light Cone Event Warps.

The Character and Light Cone Warps also have three promotional 4 star items with increased drop rates.

Does Honkai Star Rail have a Pity system?

Honkai Star Rail does have a Pity system. With the Standard and Character Event Warps you will get a 5 star character after 90 Warps. With Light Cone Events you will get a 5 star item after 80 Warps.

Key artwork for new mobile game Honkai Star Rail showing a selection of the new main characters posing.
Credit: Hoyoverse

Want to know more about Honkai Star Rail? Head to our Honkai Star Rail codes page and visit our Honkai Star Rail Tier List to give yourself the perfect start to your adventures aboard the Astral Express. For more HSR help find out what to use Credits for in Honkai Star Rail and have a look at our Honkai Star Rail Weakness Table.

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About the Author
Dion Dassanayake avatar

Dion Dassanayake

Contributor

Dion has wanted to be a video games journalist ever since he first saw copies of GamesMaster and Official PlayStation Magazine in his local newsagent as a kid and realised there was a job that combined his two biggest passions - gaming and writing.

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