Whale vs F2P: A Pull Plan That Actually Works
The same pity math, three budgets. Here's how many characters you can realistically secure as F2P, with a monthly pass, or as a light spender.
First, the numbers that matter
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| 1 pull | 160 Astrite (1 Lustrous Tide) |
| Soft pity window | pulls 66–80 |
| Hard pity (one 5★) | 80 pulls / 12,800 Astrite |
| Full guarantee (50/50 worst case) | 160 pulls / 25,600 Astrite |
Everything below builds on the monthly Astrite calculator — run your own numbers there, these are the typical baselines.
F2P: ~50 pulls per month, one target per patch
A fully active F2P player earns roughly 7,500–8,000 Astrite per month (~47–50 pulls) from dailies, events, Tower of Adversity and the free battle pass. Patches run ~6 weeks, so per patch you're looking at 70–75 pulls — almost one hard pity, not quite.
The F2P plan:
- Never pull on the weapon banner. Your Astrite is for characters — weapon event banners are a luxury the free budget can't absorb.
- One featured character per patch, max. Save everything else. If you lose the 50/50, you still bank the guarantee for next patch's character.
- Skip reruns. New characters are usually stronger and have fresher events; reruns come back.
- Never pull below 160-pull safety for a character you must have. If you can't cover the worst case, you're gambling — accept that or save.
Monthly pass ($5): the best value in the game
The Lunite Subscription adds 3,000 Astrite/month (300 upfront + 90/day) for $5 — roughly 18.75 extra pulls. That lifts you to ~67–69 pulls/month, ~100 per patch: a full hard pity every patch with change.
The pass plan:
- Now you can afford one guaranteed character every patch (160 pulls over two months of saving + income).
- Still skip the weapon banner — or pull it only when you have 80 pulls of surplus and the weapon is a clear upgrade for a character you own.
- Consider the paid battle pass ($10) only in patches where you're actively pulling — it's ~6 extra pulls plus upgrade materials, not a long-term commitment.
Light spender ($30–50/month): characters + the occasional weapon
At this tier you're buying one or two top-up packs per month on top of the pass. That's roughly 110–130 pulls/month (75 from income + 40–60 from packs). This funds:
- Every new character you want, with guarantee coverage on most of them.
- One weapon per version — pull weapons only for your main DPS; supports' 4★ weapons are fine.
- Sequence 1 (S1) on your favorite DPS if you're disciplined elsewhere — otherwise skip sequences entirely.
The trap at this tier is sequence creep: S1 often feels "close" after you've pulled the character, but each duplicate costs another full 160-pull cycle. Decide the sequence budget before the banner, not after the second copy.
Whale: the math stops mattering — the discipline doesn't
At whale tier (S6 characters, maxed weapons), the pity system is just a speed limit: 160 pulls per copy, 1,120 pulls per S6 character in the worst case. Two things still matter:
- Buy in the right order: the first-time-purchase bonus and monthly packs are dramatically cheaper per Astrite than direct top-ups — clear the bonus packs before touching the shop.
- Spread the pain across patches: pulling an S6 over two banner appearances (S0 now, sequences on the rerun) costs the same Astrite but spreads the real-money hit.
The universal rules
- Guarantee > luck. Only pull when you can cover the worst case for characters you truly want.
- Pity is an asset. Check your counter with the pity calculator — near-soft-pity pulls are worth more than fresh ones.
- Weapon banners are a surplus purchase at every budget.
- Sequences are the real money sink — budget them in advance or not at all.
Frequently asked questions
Around 70–75 pulls (7,500–8,000 Astrite per month) with full activity — almost one hard pity, short of a guarantee.
Yes — $5 for ~18.75 extra pulls/month is the highest value purchase in the shop, roughly doubling a F2P player's pull rate.
Rarely. The free budget can't reliably fund weapon pity without sacrificing character guarantees.
Up to 1,120 pulls (7 copies × 160) in the absolute worst case — typically far less, but that's the budget a whale should plan around.