What is pity in games?

How it works

Each pull still has the published chance. A pity counter tracks how many pulls you've made without the rare item. When the counter reaches the limit, that pull is guaranteed, and the counter resets. Some games call it bad luck protection or a pity timer.

Pity cuts off the unlucky tail. It changes the worst case far more than the average, because most players get the item before the counter runs out.

In the games we track

• Apex Legends: EA says you can't open more than 30 Apex Packs without a Legendary item.
• League of Legends: Riot guarantees an Exalted result within 80 draws.
• Naraka: Bladepoint: NetEase guarantees an Extreme item within 100 opens.
• Genshin Impact: HoYoverse says a 5-star item is guaranteed within 90 Chronicled Wishes.

How pity works has the maths, with worked examples from these rates. To see what a guarantee does to your own odds, use the Apex Legends, League of Legends or Naraka: Bladepoint pity calculator, or the drop rate calculator for any rate and guarantee.