Why Genshin Impact's Standard Banner is Frustrating Players

Players of Genshin Impact have expressed discontent with the functionality of the Standard Character Banner. The game currently offers two character banners, namely limited and standard. Limited banners present a selection of up to five characters, including one or two five-star and three four-star characters, and typically last for around 3-4 weeks. The current Genshin Impact banner showcasing Yae Miko and Yoimiy is set to expire on June 13, which gives players a limited amount of time to acquire the limited characters. On the other hand, the Standard Banner is the only permanent gacha mechanism within the game and currently highlights seven diverse characters, with the recent addition of Dehya, a Pyro user.

Five-star characters have a low drop rate in Genshin Impact, which means players may spend a significant amount of Acquaint Fates without receiving any. Additionally, there is only a 14% chance of getting the desired character when a five-star does drop. With each expansion of the banner's character pool, these odds become even more unfavorable. This has led to a suggestion by a Reddit user named BlameTheAftermath for HoYoverse to introduce the Epitomized Path mechanic to the Standard Banner, similar to the one available for the game's weapon banner. By allowing players to accumulate Fate Points and guaranteeing their next five-star drop will feature their desired character, this system would make the Standard Banner more appealing to players who are hesitant to spend their Primogems on it due to the difficulty of maxing out a character's constellations.

Acquiring a character to C6 in Genshin Impact can be a costly endeavor, with players often spending tens or even hundreds of thousands of Primogems. Another option to obtain Standard Banner characters is through a 50/50 loss on a limited banner, a method that some fans argue should also count as Fate Points.

To balance out the banner, some fans have suggested the addition of a new Geo character since all other elements are represented. Even Pyro has two Vision holders, Diluc and the recently added Dehya. Leaks indicate that a new character named Wriothesley may also join the Standard Banner with the upcoming Fontaine region.

Genshin Impact is available on mobile, PC, PS4, and PS5 with a Switch version also in development.