Honkai Star Rail Warp Banners Guide Types Rates and How They Work

Warp banners in Honkai: Star Rail decide which characters and Light Cones you can summon, but their rules and timing can be tricky. Here’s how they work, what types exist, and how to make the most of each pull.

The Honkai: Star Rail banners are pretty similar to Hoyoverse’s other titles, but there are a few notable changes. Continue reading to find out how Honkai: Star Rail‘s warp banners work and what to expect when you pull on each banner.

How Warp Banners work in Honkai: Star Rail

Warp Banners in Honkai: Star Rail let players spend Star Rail Passes or Special Passes on pulls for characters and Light Cones. Permanent options include the Stellar Warp, which offers a fixed pool of 5-star and 4-star items with a 90-pull guarantee for a 5-star, and the Beginner Warp, limited to 50 discounted pulls with a 50-pull 5-star guarantee. Limited Event Banners rotate every three weeks, featuring one boosted 5-star character or Light Cone at 50/50 odds on the first 5-star pull (pity at 90 for characters, 80 for Light Cones), plus boosted 4-stars every ten pulls, with pity and 50/50 carrying over between phases.

The warp banners are similar to other Hoyoverse titles like Honkai Impact 3rd and Genshin Impact, but there are slight differences. In Honkai: Star Rail, you must convert 160Stellar Jades, the premium currency you earn from chests and quests, into either a Star Rail Pass, a ticket used to roll on the standard gacha banner, or a Star Rail Special Pass, a ticket used to roll on the event gacha banner, to roll once.

You can also use 1600 Stellar Jades to create either 10 Star Rail Passes or Star Rail Special Passes and roll 10 at a time. Oneiric Shards, premium currency purchased with real money, can be converted into Stellar Jades at a 1:1 rate to also roll more.Keep in mind, you don’t need to spend money in order to be successful in Honkai: Star Rail. It is entirely possible to clear all of the content with free characters. For more information on each warp banner, check out the information below.

Limited Character Event Warp Banners

Limited Character Event Warp Banners feature time-limited five-star characters alongside a boosted selection of four-star allies. These banners rotate periodically, giving players a chance to obtain exclusive characters that aren’t available through the standard pool. Each banner has an increased drop rate for its featured units, and reaching specific warp guarantees or “pity” thresholds ensures higher odds of obtaining them. Once the event ends, these characters usually become unavailable until their rerun banners are announced.

Limited character event banners provide you with an opportunity to pull for a specific character. The gacha rates for limited character event warp banners are as follows:

• 0.6% chance of receiving a five-star character
• 5.1% chance of receiving a four-star character or Light Cone
• 90 pulls to guarantee a five-star character

The first time you receive a five-star from the banner, there is a 50% chance it will be the promotional five-star character. If the five-star character you receive is not said character, you’re guaranteed to get the character the next time you warp a five-star.

Similar to five-star characters, four-star characters also have a guarantee: every 10 warps. If you don’t receive one of the promotional four-star entities in your 10 warps, you’re guaranteed to receive one within the next 10 pulls.

Regular Warp Banners

Regular Warp Banners feature a rotating selection of 5-star and 4-star characters and Light Cones that remain available year-round. Unlike limited banners, their pool doesn’t change often, giving players consistent access to standard characters. Pulls on any banner contribute toward the same permanent pity count, meaning progress carries over between event and regular banners. This system offers a stable way to obtain familiar units while saving rare currency for limited-time events.

The regular warp banner, Stellar Warp, has the following odds:

• 0.6% chance of receiving a five-star character or Light Cone
• 5.1% chance of receiving a four-star character or Light Cone
• 90 pulls to guarantee a five-star character or Light Cone

For a list of entities you can receive, check out the table below.

Stellar Warp characters and Light Cones

Stellar Warp banners offer a rotation of permanent five-star and four-star characters and Light Cones that players can obtain at any time. Unlike limited event banners, their pool does not change, making it a steady option for newcomers aiming to fill out their roster. The featured five-stars, such as Himeko, Welt, Bronya, Clara, and Yanqing, remain available across all phases of the game. Their corresponding Light Cones can also be drawn through the standard Light Cone Warp, providing consistent ways to strengthen both characters and builds.

However, the pool of entities in the regular warp banner can change, as Hoyoverse has added characters to regular banners in their other titles such as Tighnari and Dehya being added to the standard banner in Genshin Impact.

After 300 warps on the regular warp banner, you can pick one of the five-star characters from the Stellar Warp. However, pick wisely, as you can only do this once!

Light Cone Warp Banners

Light Cone Warp Banners focus on obtaining powerful equipment that enhances a character’s abilities in combat. These banners feature exclusive Light Cones tied to specific characters or events, giving players the chance to strengthen their team with unique passive boosts. Unlike character banners, they rotate less frequently, so timing pulls well can make a big difference. Each featured Light Cone often fits a certain path, meaning players can strategize around synergy rather than random upgrades.

Light Cone warp banners are also limited event banners with higher warp success rates for limited five-star and four-star Light Cones rather than characters. The Light Cone warp banners function similarly to the other banners except for the gacha rates and pity count. The gacha rates and pity count are as follows:

• 0.8% chance of receiving a five-star Light Cone
• 6.6% chance of receiving a four-star Light Cone
• 80 pulls to guarantee a five-star Light Cone

If you don’t receive the promotional Light Cone, you’re guaranteed to receive one within the next 80 pulls.

Is there a soft pity in Honkai: Star Rail?

Honkai: Star Rail features a soft pity system on its warp banners. After 73 pulls without a 5-star character or Light Cone, the drop rate for 5-stars begins to climb sharply, peaking at 100% on the 90th or 91st pull. This mechanic boosts your odds during prolonged dry streaks without guaranteeing success early. Players often hit soft pity around pulls 75-80, making it a key factor in gacha planning.

It’s believed that Honkai: Star Rail has a soft pity system – a hidden mechanic that increases your probability of getting a five-star with every warp after a certain number of pulls – similar to Genshin Impact. According to Reddit users, the soft pity will start on your 75th pull on character warp banners and your 65th pull on Light Cone warp banners. The soft pity system increases the odds of receiving a five-star character or Light Cone by 6% with each pull after said pulls.

Current warp banners Phase 1 Version 4.0

Note: As of February 1, 2026, Honkai: Star Rail Version 4.0 has not launched yet-Version 3.8 Phase 3 is currently active (ending around February 12). Phase 1 of 4.0 is upcoming.​

Version 4.0 Phase 1 Details

Version 4.0 Phase 1 is scheduled to run from approximately February 12-13 to March 5-6, 2026 (UTC-5/NA server times vary slightly by source).

• Featured 5-Star Character: Yao Guang (new 5-star Physical, Path of Elation).

• Rerun Character: Rappa (likely 4-star or rerun boost; details pending full confirmation).​

• Light Cone Event Warp: Yao Guang’s signature “When She Decided To See” (Elation), with 4-star boosts like “Today’s Good Luck”.

Banner Schedule Overview

Full confirmation awaits the Version 4.0 livestream (expected February 2, 2026).​

Pity and rates follow standard event warp rules (50/50 for 5-stars, shared across phases). Check in-game or official Hoyoverse announcements post-livestream for exact 4-star boosts and start times.​

Yao Guang best build and relics

Yao Guang is a 5-star Physical Elation support in Honkai: Star Rail, excelling at team-wide Elation buffs via her Zone, enabling extra follow-up damage and resource generation for Elation-focused teams.

Best Light Cones

Her signature “When She Decided to See” (5-star) is BiS, boosting SPD by 18%, granting “Great Fortune” on entry or Ultimate for team CRIT Rate/DMG (up to 14%/60%) and her Energy Regen (up to 20%).

• Strong F2P alternatives: “Dance! Dance! Dance!” (team SPD), “Past Self in Mirror” (Energy/SP recovery), or “Memories of the Past” (cycle acceleration).

• Prioritize superimpositions for Energy/ATK scaling on these.​

Optimal Relics and Ornaments

Relics: 4-pc Diviner of Distant Reach (2-pc SPD +6%; 4-pc: CRIT Rate +10% at 120/160 SPD breakpoints, scaling her Elation conversion).

• Main stats: CRIT Rate Body, SPD Boots, HP% Sphere, Energy Regen Rope.

• Substats priority: SPD (aim 160+ for traces), CRIT Rate/DMG, Energy Regen, HP%.​​

Planar Ornaments: 2-pc Lushaka the Sunken Seas (CRIT DMG +4% if SPD ≥145) or Sprightly Vonwacq (turn advance/Energy).​​

Trace Priority

Skill > Ultimate > Talent > Basic ATK. Focus Skill for Zone/Elation sharing; E2 adds team SPD/Elation in Zone.

Team Comps

Pairs best with Elation DPS like Aha or SP Sparkle: Yao Guang (support), Aha (DPS), sustain + flex (e.g., Ruan Mei for buffs). Her Ultimate grants Aha extra actions and team RES PEN.​