Thanks to the FTC's new rules for Genshin Impact spending and lootboxes in the US, we can now see exactly how much each wish costs. So that got us wondering – what would it cost for the most unlucky player to get every limited five-star?
There are a lot of variables here, so let's set the scene. Let's say someone starts from zero primogems, with no guarantee, and no pity. We're pulling from ground zero, people.
In the worst case scenario, it takes 180 wishes to get any limited five-star – you could, theoretically, go to maximum pity of 90 and lose the 50/50, then go to maximum pity again before you get the limited character. This is rare, but it can happen. I got a standard five-star at 90 pity, then Genshin Impact's Nahida at 89, so I've been there.
As of writing, there are 44 limited five-star units in the game. We're not including the eight standard banner five-stars, Aloy, or the Traveler. So, if you want to get every single limited character (up to Genshin Impact's Escoffier, as that's where we are at the time of writing), here's how much it could cost if you lose every single 50/50 and constantly go to maximum pity.
- 44 x 180 (max pity) = 7,920 wishes
- 7,920 x 160 = 1,267,200 primogems
Archons above, what a ridiculous number. Ok, so what about the cost? Well, there are some different ways to go about it. If you had never purchased any bundles before, you get double the currency the first time, which cuts your spending down a little. Genshin does now have the potential cost written on each banner – in its words, "the cost of obtaining a five-star event-exclusive character may vary from $1.98 to $475.2 (if purchased in USD)." Good, that does some maths for us.
- 44 x $475.2 = $20,908.8
There you have it. You could spend $21k, or more, depending on which packs you buy to top up and if you choose the Welkin Moon subscription, to fill your account with every five-star. Thankfully, this is a very, very, very rare scenario. A lot of players get double five-stars in ten pulls every so often, or find Genshin Impact's Alhaitham coming home at 0 pity (it's me, I had this happen), which reduces the cost significantly.
Hoyoverse did add the Capturing Radiance mechanic, which can trigger a 50/50 win, with a fun yellow and pink animation. This usually happens after a loss, but I actually got it for a C1 Escoffier, with no 50/50 loss previously.
We wanted to get funky with it and work out what it would cost to get every standard banner five-star and four-star, too, but unfortunately, there's literally no guarantee that you'll ever get a specific character from either pool – so the answer is you could spend infinite money. I got flashbacks to the 240 wishes I spent to get one singular Candace five minutes before her debut banner ended while trying to get an Ifa. I spent 60 saved wishes and didn't get Genshin Impact's Ifa, but instead, claimed seven Laylas, whereas my fellow staff member Tilly got him in five wishes. It also took me three and a half years to get a single Diluc.
If you're not in a position to spend $21k on a game, we have the new Genshin Impact codes here to get you some currency, and a Genshin Impact tier list to narrow down who you want to pull for.