All Star Tower Defense How to Summon: Pity & Banner Strategy

Summoning is the heartbeat of All Star Tower Defense, and knowing exactly how the Gate works separates players who waste thousands of gems from those who build unstoppable rosters. Whether you are chasing a specific 5-star unit or just want to understand the all star tower defense summon rates before you spend, this guide breaks down every banner type, the pity system, and the smartest pull strategies for 2026. Get ready to make every gem count.

The Summon Gate in All Star Tower Defense refreshes with new featured units every hour, which means the meta shifts constantly and your pull strategy needs to adapt just as quickly. Many players report spending hours grinding Story Mode for gems only to blow them on the wrong banner without understanding the odds they were facing. That is exactly why this all star tower defense summon guide exists — to give you the mechanical breakdown and the strategic framework you need before you ever press that summon button.

Understanding the Summon Gate and Banner Types

The Summon Gate is your primary source for new units in All Star Tower Defense, and it offers several distinct banner types that rotate on different schedules. Each banner has its own cost structure, featured unit pool, and rates, so understanding what you are pulling on is the first step toward efficient spending.

According to the official Roblox game page for All Star Tower Defense, new things appear in the Summon Gate and Emote Shop every hour, which means the featured unit rotation is fast-paced and demands regular check-ins if you want to catch specific characters. The game, developed by Top Down Games, has built its entire progression loop around this gacha-style system, and players who master it gain a significant advantage in Story Mode, the Infinity Tower, and raid content.

Hero Summon Banner Breakdown

The Hero Summon banner is the most accessible option for new players because it uses the standard gem currency that you earn from completing stages. This banner features a rotating pool of units that changes hourly, and it is where most players will spend the majority of their early-game gems.

The Hero Summon banner is your bread-and-butter option, and it is where you will likely get your first few 5-star units through the pity system. Because the featured unit changes every hour, you can wait for a character you actually want rather than pulling on a banner with a unit you do not need. This hourly rotation is a double-edged sword though, because it creates FOMO pressure that can lead to impulsive spending if you are not disciplined.

Special Summon Banner Explained

The Special Summon banner is a premium option that costs more per pull but offers better rates and exclusive units that do not appear in the standard Hero Summon pool. This is where you will find limited-time characters, collaboration units, and some of the strongest meta-defining units in the game.

The Special Summon banner offers double the base 5-star rate compared to Hero Summon, which makes it mathematically more efficient if you are chasing high-rarity units. However, the doubled cost per pull means you need to save up significantly more gems before you can do meaningful pulls on this banner. The event-based rotation also means you cannot wait for a specific unit to appear — when the banner changes, the featured units are gone until the next event.

Dual Starhunt Banner Rotation

The Dual Starhunt banner is the newest addition to the summoning lineup, and it introduces a unique mechanic where two featured units share the banner simultaneously. This banner type appears during special events and offers the best value for players who want specific featured units.

The Dual Starhunt banner gives you a 1.5% chance at each featured unit, which means a combined 3% chance at either featured 5-star. This makes it an excellent choice when both featured units are ones you actually want, because you are effectively getting double the value from your pity progress. The official All Star Tower Defense Twitter account regularly announces when these banners go live, so following them is essential for staying ahead of the rotation schedule.

All Star Tower Defense Summon Rates and Pity System

Understanding the exact all star tower defense summon rates is critical for making informed decisions about where to spend your gems. The pity system is your safety net, but knowing how it works mathematically will help you plan your pulls around it rather than just hoping for luck.

The base rates we have listed are based on community testing and reports from players who have tracked thousands of pulls across multiple banner types. According to community data collected over the past year, the actual rates appear to be consistent with what the game displays, though there is always some variance in small sample sizes.

5-Star Pity Mechanics

The all star tower defense 5 star pity system works differently depending on which banner you are pulling on, and this is one of the most misunderstood mechanics in the game. The pity counter tracks your pulls on a specific banner type, and once you reach the threshold, your next pull is guaranteed to be a 5-star unit.

The pity counter does not carry over between banner types, which means you cannot build pity on Hero Summon and then switch to Special Summon expecting your progress to transfer. Each banner type has its own independent counter, and switching banners resets your progress on the banner you left. This is a crucial detail that many players overlook, and it leads to wasted pulls when they switch banners without understanding the reset mechanic.

According to All Star Tower Defense on Roblox, summoning units in the game is performed by spending in-game currency at the summoning portal, with the cost and rarity odds for each unit tier clearly listed in the portal’s interface.

Rate Calculation and Expected Value

When you calculate the expected value of each banner type, the math reveals some surprising insights about where your gems are best spent. The Special Summon banner costs twice as much per pull but offers double the 5-star rate, which means the cost per 5-star is roughly equivalent between Hero and Special Summon.

The Dual Starhunt banner offers the best pity-adjusted value because the shared pity counter means you are effectively building progress toward two units simultaneously. When both featured units are desirable, this banner is mathematically superior to both Hero and Special Summon in terms of gems per 5-star unit.

How to Summon Efficiently in All Star Tower Defense

Now that you understand the rates and pity mechanics, the next question is how to apply this knowledge to your actual summoning strategy. Efficient summoning is about more than just knowing the numbers — it is about timing your pulls, managing your gem reserves, and knowing when to hold back.

The all star tower defense how to summon question really comes down to a few core principles: never pull without a target, always track your pity progress, and save for banners that offer the best value for your specific needs. Players who follow these principles consistently build stronger rosters than those who pull impulsively whenever they have enough gems for a 10-pull.

Step-by-Step Summoning Process

Before you spend a single gem, follow this step-by-step process to ensure you are getting the maximum value from every pull: first, check the current banner's featured unit and its summon rates, since a limited-time special summon with a boosted 5-star pity counter is almost always a better investment than the standard pool. Next, save your gems until you have enough for at least 10 consecutive summons, which guarantees a 4-star or higher unit and builds your pity meter faster toward the hard pity cap. Finally, avoid pulling on dual starhunt banners unless you need both featured heroes, because splitting your pity across two units dilutes your chances of landing the specific all star tower defense hero you are actually building your team around.

• Step 1: Check the current banner rotation and identify which featured units are available. Wait for a banner featuring a unit you actually need rather than pulling on whatever is currently active.

• Step 2: Verify your gem balance and calculate how many pulls you can afford. Remember that a 10-pull is always better value than single pulls, so save until you have enough for a full 10-pull.

• Step 3: Track your pity progress on the banner you plan to pull on. If you are close to the pity threshold, it may be worth pulling even if the current featured unit is not ideal, because the guaranteed 5-star could be a game-changer.

• Step 4: Execute your pulls and evaluate the results. If you hit the featured unit early, consider stopping and saving your remaining gems for the next banner rotation.

• Step 5: Feed duplicate units to your existing roster to increase their star levels. Duplicate 5-star units are incredibly valuable for awakening and star-up progression, so never sell or discard them.

Gem Management for Summoning

Gem management is arguably more important than summoning strategy itself, because even the best banner strategy fails if you do not have enough gems to execute it. The most efficient gem sources in All Star Tower Defense are Story Mode completions, daily login rewards, and active codes, and you should be farming all three consistently.

The key insight here is that gem income is steady but limited, which means you need to be selective about when and where you spend. A good rule of thumb is to maintain a reserve of at least 3,000 gems at all times, so you can take advantage of unexpected banner rotations or limited-time events without having to grind first. For a deeper dive into maximizing your gem income, check out our ASTD summon guide 2026 which covers advanced farming routes and daily gem optimization strategies.

Advanced Pull Tactics for the 2026 Meta

Once you have mastered the basics, advanced summoning strategies can push your roster to the next level. These strategies focus on maximizing the value of every gem through careful planning, timing, and resource allocation—specifically by exploiting the dual starhunt banner's shared pity counter. Instead of spending gems impulsively on the standard hero summon, track your pull count toward the 5-star pity threshold, then switch to the special summon banner once you are 10 pulls away. This guarantees your pity break lands on a limited unit, effectively turning every 100-gem pull into a step toward a meta-defining 2026 unit rather than a random 3-star duplicate.

The meta in All Star Tower Defense shifts with every banner rotation, and players who stay ahead of the curve by predicting which units will be strong are the ones who dominate in endgame content. This requires not just understanding the current summoning system, but also tracking how the game evolves and adapting your strategy accordingly.

When to Pull and When to Save

Knowing when to pull is just as important as knowing how to pull, and the best players in the game are masters of delayed gratification. The hourly rotation on Hero Summon means there is always another chance coming, so there is no need to rush your pulls.

• Pull immediately when a banner features a unit that fills a critical gap in your roster or is considered S-tier in the current meta.

• Save your gems when the current banner features units you already own or units that are rated below A-tier. Your gems are better spent on future banners.

• Wait for events like the Dual Starhunt banner, which offers better value and often features limited-time units that do not return for months.

• Track the official Twitter account for All Star Tower Defense, because banner announcements and rotation schedules are posted there first. Being early to a new banner can give you a significant advantage.

Building Around Your Summons

Summoning is only half the battle — the other half is knowing how to build your team around the units you pull. A single S-tier unit can carry your team through early and mid-game content, but endgame content requires synergistic team compositions that maximize your units' strengths.

When you are deciding which banners to pull on, think about what roles your current roster is missing rather than just chasing the newest shiny unit. A balanced team with good synergy will outperform a team of individually strong units that do not work well together. If you are struggling with team composition, our luck guide for ASTD covers how to identify the best units for your specific playstyle and team needs.

Summoning Errors That Empty Your Gem Bag

Even experienced players make summoning mistakes, and understanding the most common pitfalls can save you hundreds of thousands of gems over your All Star Tower Defense career. These mistakes range from simple oversights to fundamental misunderstandings of how the system works.

The most expensive mistakes are usually the ones that seem harmless at the time, like doing a single pull "just to see" or switching banners without checking your pity progress. Over time, these small mistakes compound into massive gem losses that could have been avoided with a little discipline and planning.

The Biggest Gem Wasters

• Pulling without a target — spending gems on banners where you do not actually want the featured unit. This is the single biggest gem waster in the game.

• Ignoring pity progress — switching banners when you are close to pity on another banner, effectively resetting your progress and wasting all the pulls you already invested.

• Chasing rate-up units — spending thousands of gems trying to get a specific unit without understanding that the rates are still low even with the rate-up bonus.

• Selling duplicate 5-stars — selling or discarding duplicate 5-star units instead of using them for star-up progression. Duplicates are incredibly valuable for awakening.

• Spending on cosmetic banners — using gems on cosmetic items or emotes when those gems could be spent on summoning. Cosmetic items do not improve your gameplay.

How to Recover from Bad Luck

Bad luck streaks happen to every player eventually, and the key is to have a recovery plan rather than doubling down on your losses. The worst thing you can do after a bad streak is to keep pulling in frustration, because emotional spending almost always leads to worse outcomes.

The most effective recovery strategy is to step back and refocus on gem farming for a few days. This gives you time to build up your reserves while also breaking the emotional cycle that leads to impulsive spending. When you return to summoning, you will be in a better mindset and have more gems to work with. For more detailed information on the gacha system and how to optimize your pulls, check out our ASTD gacha system guide which covers advanced rate calculations and banner analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best banner to summon on in All Star Tower Defense?

The Dual Starhunt banner offers the best value when both featured units are desirable, because the shared pity counter means you build progress toward two units simultaneously. However, the Special Summon banner is better when you want a specific limited-time unit, since it offers double the base 5-star rate compared to Hero Summon.

How does the pity system work in All Star Tower Defense?

The pity system guarantees a 5-star unit after a set number of pulls on each banner type. Hero Summon has a 50-pull pity threshold, Special Summon has a 30-pull threshold, and Dual Starhunt has a 40-pull threshold. The pity counter resets after any 5-star pull and does not carry over between banner types.

Can I get 5-star units from single pulls?

Yes, single pulls have the same 5-star rates as multi-pulls, but multi-pulls are more efficient because they guarantee at least one 4-star unit. The all star tower defense summon rates are applied per pull regardless of whether you do a single or multi-pull, so there is no rate advantage to either method.

How often does the Hero Summon banner rotation change?

The Hero Summon banner features a new unit every hour, according to the official Roblox game page. This means you have 24 chances per day to catch a specific featured unit, but it also means you need to check regularly if you are waiting for a particular character to appear.

What should I do with duplicate 5-star units?

Never sell duplicate 5-star units—they’re your fastest path to star-up progression. Feed them to your existing unit to raise its star level, boosting stats and unlocking stronger abilities. This beats pulling new units, especially when you’ve already mastered the summon banner odds.