Genshin Impact now has several months under its belt, and its players are finally acclimating to the game’s various features, mechanics, and storylines. The game recently received its second major update, dubbed Version 1.2, which introduced an entirely new region known as Dragonspine, alongside several other new forms of content.

That being said, some integral Genshin Impact features have remained unchanged since the game’s launch. Among these rather standard features are the game’s “Wishes,” which allow the player to summon new playable characters and powerful four and five-star weapons.

Although “Wishing” is straightforward in that players simply wish for a new character/weapon, it becomes a bit more complex in that there are several distinct kinds of Wishes in Genshin Impact. Basically, players can either wish for:

  • a chance at a new character or “older” weapon, including characters from the most recently released pool of four/five-star characters (“Special Character Banner”) a chance at a powerful weapon, including four and five-star weapons from the most recently released pool (“Weapons Banner”) a chance at an “older” character or weapon (“Standard Banner”)

Each of these types of Wishes can be performed by using one of the game’s two different “Fate” items, Acquaint Fate or Intertwined Fate. Intertwined Fates, which are used to Wish on the Special Character and Weapons Banners (1 and 2 above), are the rarer of the two. While Acquaint Fates can even be earned for Leveling Up, unfortunately, Intertwined Fates are effectively only available for purchase. Players can exchange varying forms of currency for Intertwined Fates, as well as claim one at Levels 10, 20, 30, and 40, of the paid Gnostic Hymn Battle Pass.

Intertwined Fates can generally be purchased for 160 Primogems each, but players also have the option of trading in Masterless Starglitter and Stardust in exchange for the valuable items. Players have the option of either buying 5 Intertwined Fates per month at a price of 75 Masterless Stardust each or freely purchasing them for 5 Masterless Starglitter a piece. Starglitter is exceedingly rare, however, so players should take caution before using it to buy Intertwined Fates. Although these forms of summons are hard to come by, the game’s developer miHoYo often gifts free Primogems, so there are often chances to buy some Fates for gems.

Moreover, the main difference between the Special Character Banner and the Standard Character Banner is the fact that players can earn the game’s newest five-star(s) and four-star(s) from the Special one. Which is to say, unless a player specifically wants the game’s currently featured five-star or four-star, Intertwined Fates are hardly worth the struggle.

Genshin Impact is available now on the App Store, Google Play, PC, and PS4, and is currently in development for PS5 and Switch.