With the debut of Pure Fiction in version 1.6 of Honkai Star Rail, it was only a matter of time before a new tier list appeared to rank how each character performed in this type of content. If you don’t know, this instance tasks players with defeating hordes of enemies as fast as possible, making it different from other fights in the game. Curiously enough, some of the best characters in the game in normal content aren’t doing so hot in this new game mode, so you better choose carefully who to bring.
Honkai Star Rail: Pure Fiction Tier List (1.6)
This permanent game mode works a bit similarly to the Forgotten Hall in terms of structure. You have different stages, each with increased difficulty and a few effects to help you. However, this game mode focuses on taking down enemies fast, meaning that any previous tier list for Honkai Star Rail won’t work the same for Pure Fiction. Still, we’ve listed the best characters you can bring to this content so you can earn that coveted Stellar Jade for your monthly pulls.
| Rank | DPS/Sub-DPS | Support/Buffer/Debuffer/Tank | Healer |
|---|---|---|---|
| S+ | Argenti Himeko Herta Clara Blade | Ruan Mei Bronya | Luocha |
| S | Kafka Imbibitor Lunae Jingliu Blade Jing Yuan Guinaifen Qingque Serval | Asta Pela Tingyun Fu Xuan | Huohuo |
| A | Welt Topaz Xueyi Seele Trailblazer (Physical) Sampo | Hanya Trailblazer(Fire) Yukong | Lynx |
| B | Hook Arlan Luka | March 7th Gepard Silver Wolf | Natasha |
| C | Yanqing Dan Heng Sushang | Bailu |
As you can see, many characters who perform well on other types of content aren’t at the top of this Pure Fiction tier list for Honkai Star Rail. It might be surprising to see Lynx and Silver Wolf at the bottom, but there’s a reason behind it.
The Best Characters for Pure Fiction
We should explain why we selected those in the S+ and S ranks. Previously, the game focused on content that would pit you against a strong enemy without a time limit to beat it. This means that single-target damage dealers and a few Splash DPS characters would shine. However, Pure Fiction is all about a race against the clock, and you must defeat enemies in a few turns to get a high score. This means that AoE damage dealers and follow-up attackers who never shined, like Jing Yuan, Herta, and Himeko, are at the top of the food chain this time.
Himeko and Herta are fantastic characters due to their follow-up attacks, with the former being the best character for Pure Fiction. For AoE attackers, Argenti is the best you can have right now, followed closely by Blade and Jing Yuan. These characters shine at taking several enemies down in one fell swoop, and their energy regeneration rate isn’t too bad, meaning they can attack hard and fast in a few turns.
Sadly, healers such as Huohuo or Lynx aren’t too useful this time because of how long they take to set up their DPS party members. While Huohuo provides energy, it’ll take away skill points and time to prepare her ultimate. In this case, Luocha is the best healer you can have due to its passive healing that can trigger without wasting skill points.
Ultimately, you can mix and match any of the characters from our Pure Fiction tier list for Honkai Star Rail, but we recommend you start building those AoE DPS. They might’ve been benched for a while, but it is time for them to become the protagonists in this new game mode.
