A new Pure Fiction phase is now live in Honkai Star Rail, and the key to success in Deceitful Chaos is popping off Ultimates as quickly as possible. There are a ton of optimal teams for Deceitful Chaos, and the Cacophony buffs make a few characters exceptionally powerful.
Best Pure Fiction Teams for Deceitful Chaos
For this phase of Pure Fiction, Ultimate attacks will inflict enemies with a debuff called Shatter that deals damage to the target and adjacent units every turn. To make the most of this debuff, you’re going to want to use characters that can use their Ultimate abilities often. Relics that buff Energy Regeneration Rate will be a huge help here.
Surprise, surprise, the newly-released Acheron is an all-star character for this phase of Pure Fiction, too. Some rounds have enemies like the exploding Dragonfish that inflict debuffs on enemies when defeated. These debuffs add stacks of Slashed Dream for Acheron’s Ultimate so she can use it more often, and popping Ultimates is the way to win.
Stage 1
You’re only up against level 55 enemies in Stage One, so you should be set with any decent team of level 70-80 characters. Try these teams to cross the 60,000-point threshold.
- Team 1
- Dan Heng Imbibitor Lunae
- Black Swan
- Acheron
- Kafka
- Team 2
- Guinaifen
- Hook
- Tingyun
- Asta
Of course, you don’t need all those 5-Star characters but they do help. If you need some F2P-friendly alternatives, then Dr. Ratio is a great fit for the first team and most players already have him since he was given away for free. Serval is also an excellent choice since she naturally charges her Ultimate rather quickly. The same can be said for Luka, Herta, Yukong, and Gallagher, too.
The first team should use Sympathetic Detonation since the Scalded effect gives Acheron stacks of Slashed Dream. If you’re not using an Acheron team, then Inducement is a good alternative. The second team also works well with Inducement since they consume a ton of skill points, leading to more Shatter stacks via this Cacophony buff.
Stage 2
Things start to heat up a little bit in Stage Two, but with only level 65 enemies standing in your way, you can easily knock this one out. Try these teams to make quick work of Stage Two.
- Team 1
- Black Swan
- Qingque
- Blade
- Fu Xuan
- Team 2
- Serval
- Kafka
- Herta
- March 7th
There are plenty of great Quantum and Wind 4-Stars that you can use if you need alternative units for the first team. Try using Xueyi, Sampo, Lynx, or Dan Heng if you need to fill a spot. For the second team, you can swap out Kafka with any other Electric or Ice unit for the same effect. I’m rather fond of Pela, myself. Physical characters like Luka also work well for the second team since most enemies have a Physical weakness as well.
Splash is the way to go for team one since Blade and Qingque can deal insane damage with the 100% damage buff after using their Ultimates. Splash is also the best bet for team two since it’ll let Kafka and Serval keep their DoTs going while also allowing the team to output more damage.
Stage 3
Stage Three of Deceitful Chaos is the first real roadblock that you’ll face during this Pure Fiction phase since the enemies are particularly annoying. Thankfully, their elemental weaknesses line up perfectly to allow for some great lineups. Try these team compositions if you’re struggling with this stage.
- Team 1
- Asta
- Guinaifen
- Clara
- Gallagher
- Team 2
- Acheron
- Black Swan
- Kafka
- March 7th
The first group is extremely weak to Fire, which is where Asta, Guinaifen, and Gallagher come in. Clara can make quick work of the rest of the enemies, too. If you need a Physical alternative, try Luka or Physical MC. You can swap in Himeko or Hook for Fire characters as well. This team should choose Splash since Clara can clear waves with ease with the damage buff provided after using her Ultimate.
The second team uses Acheron to carry them to victory, but if you don’t have her, you should try a different lineup instead. Herta, Jingliu, Tingyun, Dr. Ratio, Imbibitor Lunae, and Welt are all solid choices if you don’t want to use an Acheron team for this fight. Sympathetic Detonation is the best Cacophony buff for the Acheron setup, but you can use Splash if she’s not on your team.
Stage 4
The fourth and final stage of Deceitful Chaos is a true challenge, pitting you against Gepard and Cocolia back to back. You’re going to need some solid 5-Star characters for this one. Try these team compositions if you’re struggling to clear this stage.
- Team 1
- Jingliu
- Ruan Mei
- Clara
- Fu Xuan
- Team 2
- Acheron
- Black Swan
- Kafka
- Bailu
To take down Gepard, you’ll need some strong Physical and Ice characters. Jingliu is the perfect hypercarry for this team with Fu Xuan supporting and Ruan Mei buffing. Clara’s there for some additional damage, too. If you don’t have Jingliu, then Yanqing can be useful with a good build. Imaginary characters also work well against Gepard, so bring Imbibitor Lunae or Dr. Ratio if you’d rather go that route. Hanya also works instead of Clara if you need another Harmony unit to buff your hypercarry.
Your chosen Cacophony buff can also be the difference between life and death in these fights. The first team should choose Splash because Clara and Jingliu benefit greatly from it. The Acheron team for fight two should choose Sympathetic Detonation so she can pop her Ultimate more often. If you swap out Acheron, then change the buff to Inducement to gain more Shatter stacks.
Your sustain units are crucial for these two battles, so don’t neglect them. Fu Xuan and Bailu are the best fits, but Gepard and March 7th work well for the first fight and Natasha and Gallagher can be swapped in for the second battle.
You also really need a DPS hypercarry unit to clear this stage with three stars. Jingliu and Acheron are the stars of the show here. Imbibitor Lunae, Yanqing, Argenti, and Herta are strong replacements for the first team. The battle with Cocolia allows for much more flexibility, so you can bring Himeko, Jing Yuan, or Seele for a hypercarry. If you don’t have those 5-Stars, then E6 Qingque is great as always. Sparkle is also an immensely helpful support unit against Cocolia if you have her.
