My Pure Fiction Highlights: Top Characters from Version 2.0

I still remember the electrifying moment when I first plunged into Honkai: Star Rail’s Pure Fiction mode back in version 2.0. It was a brand-new permanent challenge that promised endless waves of respawning enemies, and as a Trailblazer hungry for Stellar Jades, I couldn’t resist. The mode had just arrived in version 1.6, but it truly hit its stride in 2.0, reshaping the endgame entirely. Even now, in 2026, as the stars have shifted through countless updates, my thoughts drift back to those frantic battles and the characters who carried me to victory.

Whenever I think of version 2.0, an image of Kafka always pops into my head—not because she dominated Pure Fiction, but because her Nihility path embodied the delicate dance of debuffs and damage that defined the meta. She wasn’t the queen of that particular mode, but seeing her illustration still gives me a wave of nostalgia. Back then, I was scouring community hubs like Reddit, desperate for any edge, when I stumbled upon a comprehensive chart by a user named naocanyo. The chart displayed Pure Fiction utilization rates, and it became my bible for team building. The top spots weren’t filled with the usual hypercarry suspects. Instead, the support virtuosos and AoE specialists reigned supreme. Ruan Mei took the crown, her all-resistance penetration and break efficiency buffs making every wave collapse like a house of cards. Right behind her was Sparkle, whose skill point regeneration and massive crit damage boosts turned even my half-built units into monsters. Huohuo completed the trinity, cleansing debuffs and funneling energy so my team could unleash ultimates almost on cooldown.

But the top 10 list held more surprises. Fu Xuan anchored many teams with her matrix of prescience, sharing damage and preventing one-shots, while Himeko’s follow-up attacks triggered endlessly against waves of fire-weak enemies. Luocha’s automatic heals kept everyone alive without using a single skill point, and Tingyun’s benediction supercharged my main damage dealers. Jing Yuan, once considered sluggish, found his redemption here because his Lightning Lord could obliterate entire screens at once. Even the four-star Herta made the cut—her talent, which procs follow-up attacks whenever an enemy’s HP drops below 50%, turned her into a kuru-kuru machine gun. Lastly, the newly introduced Black Swan snuck into the ranks, her Arcana stacks spreading like wildfire through the respawning hordes.

I threw together my own version of the meta squad: Ruan Mei, Himeko, Tingyun, and my lifeline Huohuo. The strategy was simple but exhilarating—spin up Himeko’s follow-ups while Ruan Mei delayed enemy breaks, all the while Tingyun and Huohuo kept the engine running. Each cleared wave granted score points that I could later exchange for precious Stellar Jades and other lavish items. I’ll never forget the rush of beating Stage 2 and receiving a free copy of Lynx, the four-star Quantum healer. Snagging her unlocked so many new comps, especially when I needed to tackle frosty foes like Frigid Prowler and Ice out of Space.

As the community celebrated our triumphs, whispers of version 2.1 began circulating. Leakers promised at least 20 free pulls for free-to-play players, and a first-anniversary commemoration was on the horizon. My heart raced at the thought of new Penacony characters. Acheron, a Nihility lightning-wielder with a mysterious edge, and Aventurine, a Preservation gambler who could shield and follow-up in style, were both slated to debut. Gallagher, a new four-star, would also join the gacha lineup, and reruns of fan favorites like Fu Xuan and Topaz were confirmed. Based on early calculations, the update would land on March 27—a date I circled eagerly on my calendar.

Interestingly, the leaks also hinted at tweaks to Pure Fiction itself. Trotters, elite enemies, and bosses were set to drop fewer points, meaning that clearing the same number of stages wouldn’t yield as many rewards. The enemy lineup would also become more menacing in later stages, ensuring our builds and strategies would be tested even further. That news pushed me to farm relics like crazy, desperate to stay ahead.

Looking back from 2026, Pure Fiction has evolved massively. New modes like Apocalyptic Shadow and expanded Simulated Universe nods have kept the meta fresh, but the core philosophy of version 2.0 still echoes: utility, synergy, and area-of-effect dominance. Ruan Mei and Huohuo remain staples in many accounts, and whenever I use Sparkle’s skill on my DPS, I’m transported back to those cluttered battlefields. The chart that naocanyo shared might be ancient history now, but it taught me a lesson that transcends any specific patch—a well-supported team with smart buff stacking will always topple sheer brute force. As I type these words, I’m already gearing up for the next endgame labyrinth, but a part of me will forever cherish that chaotic, beautiful dance through Pure Fiction’s endless waves.