The Falsehood to Fact rotation of Pure Fiction is live in Honkai Star Rail 4.3, and clearing it rewards Stellar Jade along with other materials. The big change this cycle is Starward Mode, which now runs across the endgame modes and adds a third Node you must clear to grab the exclusive rewards. Stage 4 is where the difficulty spikes, so the picks below are built around the specific bosses and their weaknesses.
Quick answer: Bring a Physical/Ice/Wind hypercarry against Zandar in Node 1, a Fire/Lightning/Quantum team against Cocolia in Node 2, and an Elation-focused team against Kafka in the Starward-only Node 3.
Falsehood to Fact node buffs
Before each stage, you pick one of three node buffs. Choose the buff that matches your team’s main damage type so you generate Grit fast and make the most of the Surging Grit window.
| Buff | Effect |
|---|---|
| Toccata | Increases all allies’ Ultimate and Follow-Up ATK damage by 40%. During Surging Grit, the Dejection effect stacks 2 times per stack. |
| Mirthful Cadence | Hitting enemies with an Elation Skill inflicts Indulgence, raising their damage taken by 15% for two turns. All allies gain 40 Punchlines on triggering Surging Grit. |
| Variation | When an ally hits enemies with a Basic ATK, Skill, or Ultimate, it lowers the target’s DEF for two turns. |
Node 1 teams (Zandar)
Node 1 of Stage 4 puts you against Zandar, who is weak to Physical, Ice, and Wind. Any of the three lineups below can push for a high score, with the trade-offs noted next to each.
| Main DPS | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phainon | Phainon, Cyrene, Sunday, Cerydra | Strong score ceiling, but you must brute-force the early waves since they aren’t weak to Physical. |
| Castorice | Castorice, Cyrene, Hyacine, Evernight | Lean on RES PEN against the boss; Cyrene and Evernight bring Ice to break its weakness. |
| The Herta | The Herta, Herta, Dan Heng • Permansor Terrae, Tribbie | The most reliable option. Both Herta units deal Ice damage, and the 4-star adds follow-up hits. |
If you only want one safe pick, The Herta dual-DPS team handles the node cleanly thanks to its consistent Ice coverage and AoE follow-ups.
Node 2 teams (Cocolia)
Node 2 features Cocolia, the Jarilo-VI native, who is weak to Fire, Lightning, and Quantum. Build around those elements to land weakness breaks and keep your damage flowing.
| Main DPS | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ashveil | Ashveil, Mortenax Blade, Tribbie, Hyacine | Hits both the Fire and Lightning weaknesses and puts out very high damage. |
| Firefly | Firefly, The Dahlia, Fugue, Lingsha | A solid fallback if you lack the dual-DPS pair. Firefly is more relevant after the Novaflare changes. |
| Kafka | Kafka, Black Swan, Hysilens, Aventurine | DoT team paired with Aventurine for shields and buffs. |
Node 3 teams (Starward Mode exclusive, Kafka)
The Starward Mode-only third Node pits you against Kafka alongside supporting enemies. She is weak to Physical, Wind, and Imaginary, and this Node rewards an Elation-based composition.
| Main DPS | Members | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Silver Wolf LV999 | Sparxie, Silver Wolf LV999, Yao Guang, Huohuo | A slower dual-DPS lineup, but it hits enemies hard. |
| Evanescia | Evanescia, Yao Guang, Elation Trailblazer, Huohuo | Hypercarry build that spams Elation Skills to keep damage rolling. |
Both teams pair well with the Mirthful Cadence buff, since landing Elation Skills raises the damage Kafka and her escorts take.
How to confirm a full clear
Pure Fiction scores you on how many enemies you defeat within a limited number of cycles, so the three-star objective and the Starward rewards both depend on your total points. You know a Node is fully cleared when the stars fill in on the stage screen and the rewards, including Stellar Jade, become claimable. Clearing the Starward Node 3 is what unlocks the mode’s exclusive rewards this cycle.
Note: Pure Fiction favors AoE and Blast damage because wiping the smaller enemies in later waves chips away at the boss and speeds up your point gain. If a run falls short, it is usually because you spread damage too thin instead of clearing add waves quickly, or you mismatched the node buff to your team’s damage type.
