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This comprehensive guide from **Bahomu** will help you master the best Free-to-Play Banner pull strategy in Honkai: Star Rail. The best Free-to-Play Banner pull strategy in HSR gives you the strongest teams for all content. Focus on characters that offer high utility and fit your team composition. Plan every pull with care and learn how each banner works. You should never pull at random. New players get great value from the beginner banner. This guarantees at least one strong character for your roster. Use your resources wisely to build a powerful team.

Free-to-Play Banner Types

Understanding the different banners in Honkai: Star Rail helps you make the best choices as a Free-to-Play Banner player. Each banner offers unique rewards and has its own rules. The table below compares the main banner types you will see in the game:

Limited Character

You find the Limited Character banner most important for Free-to-Play Banner progress. These banners feature powerful characters that often do not return for a long time. You get a 50% chance to pull the featured 5-star on your first 5-star pull, and a guarantee on your second if you miss. Prioritize these banners to build strong teams and tackle tough content.

Standard

The Standard banner, also called Stellar Warp, stays available all the time. You can pull both characters and Light Cones here, but the pool is large. You may get useful characters, but the odds of getting a specific one are low. Use your standard passes here, but save your premium currency for other banners.

Light Cone

Light Cone banners focus on powerful weapons that boost character abilities. These banners offer a higher 5-star rate and a guarantee within 80 pulls. As a Free-to-Play Banner player, you should usually skip these banners. Characters matter more for team strength, and you can get decent Light Cones from other sources.

Beginner

The Beginner banner, or Departure Warp, gives you a great start. You get a 20% discount on pulls and a guaranteed 5-star character within 50 pulls. You also receive at least one 4-star every 10 pulls. Use this banner first to secure a strong character for your early game.

Tip: Always use your early pulls on the Beginner banner before moving to others. This gives you the best value for your resources.

Pull Priorities

Utility and Strength

You should always look at a character’s kit and how it helps your team. Do not pull just because a character looks cool or has flashy animations. Some characters offer more value because they boost your team’s damage, healing, or defense. For example, a strong support can make your whole team better, while a single damage dealer may not help as much if you lack support. Always check if a character fits your needs before spending your resources.

Team Composition

Building a balanced team helps you clear tough content. You want a mix of damage dealers, supports, and healers. Try to cover different elements so you can handle all enemy types. Some free characters work very well together.

Utilizing accessible characters like Dan Heng and Asta allows free-to-play players to maximize combat effectiveness. Dan Heng, a free character, becomes significantly stronger when paired with Asta, who enhances team speed and provides shield shredding. This synergy not only covers elemental weaknesses but also ensures sustainability in battles, which is crucial for game progression.

You should look for characters that fill gaps in your team. If you already have a strong damage dealer, try to get a good support or healer next. This approach keeps your team strong in every situation.

Skip Light Cone

Light Cone banners may look tempting, but you should skip them unless you really need a specific weapon for your main character. Most of the time, characters matter more than Light Cones. You can get decent Light Cones from the standard banner or in-game events. Save your premium currency for character banners, where you get the most value for your team.

Free-to-Play Banner Tips

Planning your pulls helps you avoid wasting resources. You should always know which banners are coming next and decide if you want to save or spend. Here are some tips to help you plan:

• Prioritize characters based on their utility and overall strength.

• Skip characters like Fugue and Acheron if you do not have the right team for them.

• Castorice is a strong DPS option for both free-to-play and paying players.

• Anaxa works well as a single-target DPS if you need to boost your main damage.

• Dr. Ratio is not worth your resources unless you collect every character.

• Save your resources for future banners with better characters.

You should also watch for support characters like Hyacine, who can heal and help your team survive. Avoid niche characters like The Herta if you have limited resources. Cipher can be fun, but only pull for her if you want to try unique team setups.

Tip: Always plan your pulls ahead of time. Avoid random pulls, and keep track of your pity count so you do not waste resources.

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Resource Tips

Stellar Jade Management

Stellar Jade is your main currency for pulling on banners. You can earn Stellar Jades in many ways by playing Honkai: Star Rail. Here are some of the most effective methods:

1. Complete Trailblaze Missions and Adventure Missions.

2. Join Star Rail events for extra rewards.

3. Open Treasure Chests scattered across the world.

4. Defeat Warp Trotters for bonus Jades.

5. Earn weekly point rewards in the Simulated Universe.

6. Clear stages in the Forgotten Hall for up to 800 Stellar Jades.

7. Finish all stages in Pure Fiction.

8. Take on Apocalyptic Shadow for up to 800 Stellar Jades.

9. Check the Tutorials menu for small Jade rewards.

10. Collect Stickers in the Dreamscape Pass for up to 720 Stellar Jades.

Tip: Save your Stellar Jades for banners that offer the most value to your team. Avoid spending them on random pulls.

Pity Mechanics

Understanding pity mechanics helps you pull more efficiently. In Honkai: Star Rail, the base chance to get a 5-star character is 0.6%. The game uses a soft pity system, which means your chances increase with each pull after a certain point. If you reach 90 pulls without a 5-star, you get one guaranteed. However, there is a 50% chance it may not be the featured character. This system ensures you will get strong characters over time, which is important for Free-to-Play Banner players.

Note: Always track your pity count. This helps you plan your pulls and avoid wasting resources.

Special Passes

You use two types of passes in the game: Star Rail Special Passes and Star Rail Passes. Spend your Stellar Jade only on Star Rail Special Passes. These let you pull for limited-time characters, which often have the biggest impact on your team. Save your regular Star Rail Passes for the standard banner, since you can use them at any time.

• Use Stellar Jade for Special Passes to target limited banners.

• Stockpile regular Passes for permanent banners.

Planning your pass usage ensures you get the most out of every pull and helps you build a strong roster.

Timing

Limited Events

Limited event banners show up for only a short time in Honkai: Star Rail. These banners often have new or strong characters. You should check the game news and official social media for updates. Limited events let you try for characters that might not come back soon. Save your Stellar Jade if you know a good character is coming. If you miss a limited event, you might wait months for it to return.

Tip: Write down big update dates on your calendar. This helps you get ready before the event starts.

Reruns

Rerun banners bring back characters from old limited events. You get another chance to pull for ones you missed. Reruns usually come after a few months. Keep track of which characters have not shown up in a while. If you want a certain character, save your resources for their rerun. Reruns help you build a better team if you missed important supports or damage dealers.

• Check community forums for rerun guesses.

• Save Stellar Jade for reruns of the best characters.

Banner Planning

You need a good plan for your banner pulls. Many free-to-play players use tools to track resources and plan pulls. These tools help you save Stellar Jade and not miss banners. You can use tracking apps, spreadsheets, or community-made tools. Each tool has things like chance calculators, resource tracking, and planning timelines.

Note: Use these tools to set goals and watch your progress. Good planning helps you get the characters you want without wasting resources.

You make your team stronger when you plan pulls around limited events and reruns. Smart timing and saving give you the best chance to do well in Honkai: Star Rail.

Mistakes

Random Pulls

You might feel tempted to pull on banners as soon as you get enough Stellar Jade. This habit can hurt your progress. Pulling at random times often leads to wasted resources. You may end up with characters or Light Cones that do not help your team. Planning your pulls gives you a better chance to get the characters you need. Always check upcoming banners and save your resources for the best options.

Tip: Write down your pull goals and stick to them. This helps you avoid impulse decisions and keeps your team on track.

Ignoring Pity

Many players forget to track their pity count. This mistake can cost you valuable characters. The pity system in Honkai: Star Rail guarantees a 4-star or 5-star character after a set number of pulls. If you ignore this system, you risk missing out on guaranteed high-rarity characters. You might waste pulls and feel frustrated when you do not know how close you are to a guaranteed drop.

• Ignoring pity mechanics can lead to missing guaranteed high-rarity characters, which is crucial for free-to-play players.

• The pity system ensures you get a 4-star or 5-star character after a certain number of pulls.

• Without tracking pity, you may waste pulls and not realize when you are close to a guaranteed reward.

Note: Always keep a record of your pulls. This helps you plan and use your resources wisely.

Poor Team Choices

Building a strong team matters more than collecting every character. Poor team composition can slow your progress, especially if you play for free. You need to balance damage dealers, supports, and healers. Good team coordination lets you use buffs and skills at the right time. Even budget teams can work well if you plan carefully, but they will not reach the same damage as premium setups.

• Poor team composition leads to weaker performance, which hurts free-to-play progress.

• Team coordination is key; support builds must time buffs to avoid wasting turns.

• Budget teams can still clear content, but they have lower damage ceilings.

Tip: Focus on team synergy and fill gaps in your lineup. This approach helps you clear tough content and make the most of your resources.

Sample Plans

Character Focus

You can build a strong team by focusing on one main character. This plan works best if you want to clear tough content with a single powerful unit. Choose a character that fits your playstyle and offers high utility. For example, select a top-tier damage dealer or a support who boosts your whole team. Use your Stellar Jade and Special Passes to pull for this character on limited banners.

Tip: Track upcoming banners and save your resources for your chosen character. This helps you avoid wasting pulls on less useful units.

Balanced Team

You can create a balanced team by mixing damage dealers, supports, and healers. This plan helps you handle different enemy types and game modes. Build your team with free characters first, then fill gaps with limited banner pulls. Try to cover multiple elements so you can adapt to any challenge.

• Pick one strong DPS, one healer, and one support.

• Use free characters like Dan Heng and Asta for early progress.

• Save Stellar Jade for banners that offer missing roles.

Note: Balanced teams help you clear content without needing every character in the game.

Light Cone Skip

You should skip light cone banners in most free-to-play plans. Building characters in Honkai: Star Rail takes many resources. You need to farm materials, level up skills, and manage your daily energy. The game limits how fast you can progress, so spending on light cone banners slows you down.

• Farming for light cones adds extra work.

• Daily energy limits make building characters slower.

• Saving resources for character banners gives better results.

Tip: Use light cones from the standard banner or events. Focus your pulls on characters who boost your team’s strength.

You can do well in Honkai: Star Rail if you use a smart Free-to-Play Banner plan. Think ahead and learn how banners work to get the most out of your pulls. Keep these things in mind:

• Versions 3.6 to 3.8 need you to use your resources wisely.

• Cyrene and Dahlia are only good in some teams, so it might be smarter to save for Version 4.0.

Keep your goals clear, change your plan if you need to, and have fun making your best team!

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FAQ

How do you track your pity count in Honkai: Star Rail?

You can track your pity by counting the number of pulls since your last 5-star or 4-star. Many players use a notebook, spreadsheet, or free online tools. Keeping track helps you plan your pulls and avoid wasting resources.

Should you ever pull on the Standard banner with Stellar Jade?

You should not use Stellar Jade on the Standard banner. Save your Jade for limited character banners. Use only regular Star Rail Passes for the Standard banner. This strategy gives you the best chance to get strong characters.

What is the best way to earn more Stellar Jade as a free-to-play player?

You earn Stellar Jade by finishing missions, opening chests, joining events, and clearing game modes like Forgotten Hall. Check daily and weekly tasks for extra rewards. Always look for new events in the game for bonus Jade.

Can you get every limited character as a free-to-play player?

You cannot get every limited character if you play for free. You need to save and plan carefully. Focus on banners that fit your team. Skipping some banners helps you save enough Jade for the characters you want most. Check out the official **Bahomu** shop for more Light Cone art and collectibles.

Do you need 5-star Light Cones to clear all content?

You do not need 5-star Light Cones to finish most content. Many 4-star Light Cones work well. Focus on building strong characters first. Use event or standard Light Cones to support your team.