Pure Fiction Team Guide: Best Teams & Strategies (2026)
Complete Pure Fiction guide for Honkai: Star Rail version 4.x. Covers best team compositions, F2P strategies, wave-clearing tactics, and character recommendations.
Overview
Pure Fiction (PF) is Honkai: Star Rail's wave-clear endgame mode. Unlike Memory of Chaos (single-target focused), PF requires AoE damage and frequent attacks to clear waves of enemies within a turn limit.
The scoring system rewards killing enemies quickly and efficiently, making Erudition characters and follow-up attackers the stars of this mode.
How Scoring Works
| Score | Stars | Requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9999 | ❌ | Failed |
| 10000-19999 | ⭐ | Clear both halves |
| 20000-29999 | ⭐⭐ | Moderate performance |
| 30000+ | ⭐⭐⭐ | Full clear (60k total needed) |
Key mechanic: Each wave of enemies has a set score value. The faster you clear, the more remaining score ticks you earn. You need approximately 30k points per side for the full 3-star clear.
Team Archetypes for Pure Fiction
S-Tier: Erudition Carry
This is the most reliable PF archetype. Stack AoE damage to clear waves instantly.
Premium Team:
| Role | Character | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | The Herta / Argenti | Best PF carries |
| Sub-DPS | Jade / Herta (4★) | Dual Erudition for maximum coverage |
| Support | Robin / Ruan Mei | Team-wide buffs |
| Sustain | Lingsha / Huohuo | Offensive utility |
How it works: The Herta's enhanced skill one-shots waves. Jade follows up on the main target. Herta (4★) triggers on kills. The entire team is a chain reaction of death.
F2P Version:
| Role | Character | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Herta (4★) | ✅ Free |
| Sub-DPS | Serval / Qingque | ✅ Free |
| Support | Tingyun / Asta | ✅ Free |
| Sustain | Gallagher / Lynx | ✅ Free |
A-Tier: Follow-Up Attack Team
FuA teams deal damage outside their turn, maximizing action economy.
Premium Team:
| Role | Character |
|---|---|
| DPS | Feixiao / Ratio / Clara |
| Sub-DPS | Topaz / Moze / March 7th (Hunt) |
| Support | Robin (critical for FuA) |
| Sustain | Aventurine / Lingsha |
F2P Version:
| Role | Character | How to Get |
|---|---|---|
| DPS | Clara | Standard 5★ or selector |
| Sub-DPS | March 7th (Hunt) | ✅ Free |
| Support | Asta / Tingyun | ✅ Free |
| Sustain | Gallagher / Lynx | ✅ Free |
A-Tier: Break Team
Break teams excel against content where enemies have Toughness bars. The Super Break damage from Harmony Trailblazer is effective in PF.
Team:
| Role | Character |
|---|---|
| DPS | Firefly / Rappa / Himeko |
| Support | Harmony Trailblazer / Ruan Mei |
| Flex | Asta / Fugue |
| Sustain | Lingsha / Gallagher |
Why it works: Break damage ignores toughness lock. Multiple breaks per wave = massive damage. Himeko in particular shines in PF.
B-Tier: DoT Team
| Role | Character |
|---|---|
| DPS | Kafka |
| Sub-DPS | Black Swan / Sampo / Guinaifen |
| Support | Ruan Mei / Asta |
| Sustain | Huohuo / Gallagher |
DoT teams are decent in PF but slower than Erudition or FuA teams. Their damage takes time to ramp up.
Character Tier List for Pure Fiction
S-Tier (PF Gods)
| Character | Why |
|---|---|
| The Herta | Best PF DPS. Enhanced skill clears whole waves. |
| Herta (4★) | Free, follow-up on kill. Your first PF carry. |
| Jade | Debt Collector FuA that triggers on waves. |
| Argenti | 90-energy ultimate nukes entire screen. |
| Robin | Team-wide advance + FuA follow-up. |
A-Tier (Strong)
| Character | Why |
|---|---|
| Himeko | Follow-up on break, AoE damage. |
| Firefly | Break damage + AoE skill. |
| Acheron | Instant ult charge from debuffs. |
| Clara | Counter-attacks on enemy wave attacks. |
| Lingsha | Healer with FuA damage. |
| Sunday | Action advance for your carry. |
B-Tier (Viable)
| Character | Why |
|---|---|
| Kafka | DoT enabler, decent wave clear. |
| Serval | Free AoE damage. |
| Qingque | RNG-dependent but functional. |
| Castorice | Strong but overkill for PF. |
F2P Team Recommendations
Team 1: The Classic Herta + Himeko
Herta (4★) + Himeko + Asta + Gallagher
This is the gold standard F2P PF team. Herta triggers on kills, Himeko triggers on breaks, Asta enables breaks with Fire damage, Gallagher heals and breaks.
Team 2: Serval Hypercarry
Serval + Tingyun + Pela + Lynx
Serval's ultimate extends shock, Tingyun charges it, Pela defends for damage. Simple and effective.
Team 3: Clara Counter
Clara + March 7th (Hunt) + Robin + Lynx
Clara counters everything in PF. March 7th provides extra FuA. Robin (even at E0) amplifies everything.
Scoring Tips
| Tip | Why It Works |
|---|---|
| Kill waves as fast as possible | Each wave's score ticks down — faster = more points |
| Use Erudition characters | They were literally made for this mode |
| Stack multiple sources of damage | FuA + DoT + AoE all contribute |
| Don't bring single-target DPS | Dan Heng IL, Seele, Ratio are bad here |
| Match weaknesses | 20% damage bonus against weakness is huge |
Wave Completion Time Targets
| Wave Type | Time Target | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trash waves | 1-2 actions | Should be one-shot by AoE |
| Elite waves | 2-3 actions | May survive one rotation |
| Final wave (boss) | 3-4 actions | Biggest HP pool |
If any wave takes more than 4 actions, your damage is too low for that side.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Bringing Hunt/single-target characters | Switch to Erudition or AoE Destruction |
| No AoE on the team | Add Herta (4★) — she's free |
| Slow supports (under 134 SPD) | Speed tune to at least 134 |
| Using Preservation shielders | Shields don't help you kill faster — use offensive healers |
| Saving ults too long | Use ults immediately — PF is about speed |
Final Verdict
Pure Fiction favors AoE damage above all else. If you're struggling:
- Build Herta (4★) — she's free and incredible in PF
- Use The Herta if you have her — she's the absolute queen
- Don't force single-target DPS — they lose you points
- Kill fast, not safe — defensive play loses you stars
The mode rewards offensive team building. Drop the shielder, add another DPS or buffer. Kill them before they kill you.