Genshin Impact 1.6 update: New weapon banner release time, pity, soft pity, and suitable characters explained

The Genshin Impact new weapons event banner is just hours away, featuring two powerful 5-star weapons and a new 4-star bow.

As version 1.6 is almost here, the 1.5 event banners have concluded. While Klee reruns on the character event banner, more players may consider wishing on the weapon banner for a few weeks. This article therefore details the banner’s release time, good characters to use with them, and the Genshin Impact pity system on weapon banners.

---

Release time for the new weapon event banner in Genshin Impact 1.6

First weapon event banner in Genshin Impact 1.6 (image via miHoYo)

The upcoming weapons event banner, the Skyward Pride and the Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds will feature two 5-star weapons. This banner will also feature a new bow, Mitternachts Waltz.

Other featured 4-star weapons on the event banner are listed below:

• Lion's Roar (Sword)
• The Bell (Claymore)
• Favonius Lance (Polearm)
• The Widsith (Catalyst)

When will the new weapon banner be released in Genshin Impact?

MiHoYo announced the release time for the new weapon banner in a recent newsletter post. The new event banners will be released at around 11:00 a.m. (UTC+8), which is as soon as maintenance hours end. Time conversions by region are below:

• America: June 8th, 11:00 p.m. EST
• UK: June 9th, 4:00 a.m BST
• India: June 9th, 8:30 a.m. IST
• China: June 9th, 11 a.m. UTC+8
• Philippines: June 9th, 11 a.m. UTC+1

Recommended characters to use with the event banner's featured weapons

Skyward Pride

All the main DPS claymore-users work well with Skyward Pride. In particular, those built for physical damage, like Eula and Razor, can benefit the most from this claymore.

Without refinement, the weapon gives an 8% buff to all damage. Also, landing hits with Bursts or normal and charged attacks triggers this claymore’s ability that deals considerable physical damage.

Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds

The best characters to use with the Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds are Ninguang, Klee, and Yanfei. This weapon rewards its user for staying on the field, so these main DPS characters can use it very effectively.

This catalyst's ability increases its wielder’s movement speed by 10%. It can also stack an Elemental DMG buff up to four times, gaining one stack every four seconds the character’s in play.

As it is a 5-star weapon, players have enjoyed getting huge damage numbers with the Lost Prayer to the Sacred Winds.

Mitternachts Waltz

Preview of Mitternachts Waltz (image via Genshin Impact)

As it is her signature weapon, Fischl is a great character to equip with the Mitternachts Waltz.

This bow will allow normal attacks to buff Elemental Skill damage and vice-versa. Fischl and her Elemental Skill’s bird, Oz, will work together to use this bow incredibly well.

This bow also provides a physical damage buff, meaning it works well for bow users who prioritize normal attacks over charged attacks.

Genshin Impact gacha pity and soft pity

Genshin Impact’s banners implement something called “pity”. Pity refers to the amount of wishes made on a banner since the player’s last 5-star wish.

On the weapon event banners, players are guaranteed a 5-star weapon once every 80 wishes. So, a player who has saved up 79 pity on the weapon banner is going to get a 5-star on their next wish.

Pity carries over whenever the banners change. So a player who had 10 pity before the update will start with 10 pity on the new weapon banner.

Players can check their pity by looking at their banner history. From there, they just need to count the number of wishes they’ve made since their last 5-star weapon.

This upcoming weapon banner features two 5-star weapons, as have all weapon banners before it. Upon making a 5-star wish, players have a 75% chance to receive one of the two featured weapons. If players don’t get one of them, their next five-star wish on the weapon banner will be a featured weapon.

The video below provides a full guide to the pity system. Weapon banner pity is discussed at around 6 minutes.

Soft Pity

In Genshin Impact, soft pity refers to the higher rates of making a 5-star wish as pity increases. Players theorize that at around 65 pity on the weapon banner, the odds of making 5-star wish go up drastically.