If there’s anything one could associate Fate/Grand Order with, it would probably be “gacha.” This is especially the case with the game’s offering of 5-Star Servants. With the game barely offering players a chance to acquire them, these 5-Star Servants have become some of the most coveted characters in the title.
However, for players who do have a chance to acquire 5-Stars via guaranteed events and Limited-Time promos, there are some they might want to pay close attention to. Which are the best Fate/Grand Order 5-Star Servants?
Updated on January 10, 2023, by Rhenn Taguiam: With the Fate franchise spawning two (2) new series in the form of anime Fate/strange Fake: Whispers of Dawn and RPG Fate/Samurai Remnant, fans of the acclaimed Type-Moon series might be eager to see the characters from these media become some of the best 5-Star Servants in Fate/Grand Order. And while a lot of hit characters from these upcoming series have already arrived in Fate/Grand Order, some of them didn’t necessarily cut some of the game’s best characters. Fans looking to build the perfect team might rely on the likes of Artoria as a Caster, a tactician from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a hero from the Mahabharata, and even one of the world’s greatest artists.
15 Altria (Caster)
Alternate to Type-Moon mascot Saber Artoria and her Excalibur would be her Caster counterpart, an “ordinary village girl” that turns out to be Child of Prophecy. In the context of Fate/Grand Order meta, Altria (Caster) immediately transforms the meta as one of the most consistent Arts NP loopers out there, making her extremely viable for farming. Her NP Chargers alone can grant all party members up to 30 percent NP Gauge, and grant another 50 percent to a single target - making her into an NP charger for some of the game’s fiercer attackers.
Not only that, her damage modifiers transform her into one of the best offensive supports. For instance, her Sword of Selection and Charisma of Hope can grant Altria massive boosts to Arts Performance and base Attack, transforming her Around Caliburn (Noble Phantasm) incredibly effective against Threat to Humanity enemies. Not only that, her NP has an incredible Enforcement Defense buff that grants Invincible to the party that isn’t affected by Ignore Invincible penalties.
14 Sima Yi (Reines, Rider)
Similar to the Pseudo-Servant Zhuge Liang/Lord El-Melloi II, Sima Yi (Reines, Rider) is an amalgamation of the tactician Sima Yi of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Reines El-Melloi Archisorte of the real world. In Fate/Grand Order meta, Sima Yi is a support Arts Rider capable of supporting almost any kind of team.
At its core, Sima Yi specializes in general attack and defense buffs with nifty NP Charge effects, making her an ideal fit for any party that doesn’t have Zhuge Liang or Altria (Caster). Not only that, she possesses the means to grant an ally a two-hit Invincible Perk as well as Unspoken Formation (Noble Phantasm) that ignores Class Disadvantage - practically making Berserkers useless. Players should be aware that Sima Yi lacks party-wide damage buffs, and her lack of Star Gathering skills makes her difficult to pair with Critical specialists.
13 Ashiya Douman (Alter Ego)
Players looking for a reliable Alter Ego to boost the performance of their Critical specialists in Fate/Grand Order meta should look no further than the eccentric Ashiya Douman (Alter Ego). His toolkit primarily involves securing his team with buffs while cursing opponents with heavy debuffs, with decent synergies to both Critical-oriented Servants as well as more sinister Evil-tag and Chaotic-tag allies.
For instance, Ridicule Cat EX inflicts massive Confusion, Terror, Attack Reduction, and Defense Reduction against all enemies. When paired with the right AOE Servant, his Onyx Life can buff the Critical Strength of Evil-tag and Chaotic-tag allies while giving him two (2) stacks of Guts. Meanwhile, his Douman’s Curse gives him up to 80 percent NPC while once again buffing his allies and cursing his opponents. As a finisher, his Mad Maelstrom (Noble Phantasm) is a massive AOE that can pave the way for an easy floor wipe. Unfortunately, players need to be patient with Douman, as his skills do have high cooldowns.
12 Arjuna (Alter, Berserker)
Compared to his nigh-omnipotent Lostbelt counterpart, Arjuna (Alter, Berserker) is a reformed variant, using his prowess in the Buster skill that still makes him one of the best attackers in the Fate/Grand Order meta. Key to his arsenal is his Mahapralaya (Noble Phantasm), which lowers the Buster resistance of enemies right before dealing massive Buster Damage. Arjuna can become an even more potent zone-clear specialist when this NP is paired with Madness Enhancement EX’s Buster boosts, Anti-Evil (Unique)’s attack boosts, and Clairyovance (Transcendant)’s Star Gathering via Buster boosts.
However, his nature as an Alter Servant does mean his survival and defenses could do some work. His Soul Light’s Guts effect can become a lifesaver in case of emergencies, but his lack of defenses and utilities do make Arjuna a one-trick pony kind of character.
11 Leonardo Da Vinci (Rider)
Compared to other Arts Servants in Fate/Grand Order meta that are usually team supports, Leonardo Da Vinci (Rider) wreaks havoc not only with an awesome Fate franchise story but also with quick-charging NPs that deal massive damage to opponents. Key to her toolkit is Beautiful Journey B (Noble Phantasm), one of the best AOE Arts NPs in the game, and the fact that Da Vinci can actually recharge this in different ways.
First, Da Vinci can rely on Golden Rule (Body) EX which gives her a 20-percent NP gain per turn, Second, she can use Dream Upon the Star D which grants her a 10-percent NP gain instead. Lastly, she also gains a 20-percent refund on her Noble Phantasm as soon as she uses it - a benefit that spreads to all her allies. Not only that, Accel Turn B gives her decent evasion and healing boosts that last until she’s hit. However, despite her sheer strength in damage numbers, players do need to take note that she’s still weak on the burst damage front and doesn’t have a lot of survival options, unlike other meta Servants.
10 Enkidu (Lancer)
The ever-faithful companion of Gilgamesh in the Epic of Gilgamesh, Enkidu proves one of the most competent 5-Star Servants. Enkidu’s kit becomes a decent boss killer, provided players can use his skills efficiently. Enuma Elish (Noble Phantasm) not only is a decent damage dealer, but it also stuns opponents. Pulling off his 5-Hit Arts with a decent NP Gain can help him spam star generation for him and his allies as well. Finally, his Perfect Form A (Skill) can restore a huge chunk of his lost HP.
The only setback for Enkidu is his middling damage output, especially when compared to other Lancers. Enkidu becomes vulnerable if he doesn’t pull off his stun NP properly, which downgrades him into a sub-DPS. Not only that, his lack of invulnerability or dodge prior to his Rank-Up Quest leaves him vulnerable in higher-level dungeons.
9 Super Orion (Archer)
This super-charged form of Orion comes to save the day in the Atlantis Lostbelt questline, reflecting the love Artemis has bestowed upon him. With his toolkit, Super Orion becomes a deadly card damage dealer. His primary damage output has less to do with the attacks themselves, but rather with scoring the card combos.
His NP Artemis Agnos isn’t a damage-dealing super, but rather provides him with larger attack buffs, star generation, and immunity to both debuffs and invincible status effects. This works well with skills such as Stout Art Of Brutality, Tri-Star Archer, and Moon Goddess’s Pressure. Overall, Super Orion is a must-have for the sake of maximizing damage output regardless of the cards stacked on the table.
8 Tamamo-No-Mae (Caster)
When Tamamo-No-Mae cut eight of her nine tails as a form of repentance for her mischievous past, this Caster becomes one of the best NP-spammers and Arts support in the game. Her Fox Eightfold Blessing Of Amaterasu (NP) is a nifty heal and skill cooldown reducer for allies, which works in tandem with damage-boosting Curse (Skill) and Arts-buffing Fox Wedding (Skill). Tamamo-No-Mae is the perfect companion for pure Arts teams.
Tamamo-No-Mae's weakness is that she doesn’t shine as much outside of Arts teams. With the lack of these blue cards to augment NP Gain, Tamamo-No-Mae gets much less in terms of NP-spamming. While still potent outside Arts teams, she shines more with precise Arts builds.
7 Nero Claudius (Bride, Saber)
A far cry from her popular depiction as an emperor, Nero Claudius (Bride) is a redesign that follows a storyline of Nero being presented as a bride-to-be. While she looks like she's in a hurry to get to the altar, this Nero iteration is one of the best support-damage hybrids in the game. At first glance, her Fax Caelestis (NP) seems to cement her damage-dealing status. However, the rest of her kit proves her competence to support her team as well.
Stars For The Sky (Skill) can boost an ally's NP Gain, whereas Flowers For The Earth (Skill) boosts both attack and critical rate. Lastly, Love For The People (Skill) can boost both their defense and heal HP. Nero can also use these skills on herself, meaning she can either boost her own performance or an ally's. If players can ensure Nero stays in the match, she can transform any team into a juggernaut.
6 Kama (Assassin)
Despite her charming appearance, Kama is one of the best Assassins in the game, especially following the Quick-Meta. Her Kama Sammohana (NP) and its single-target nature already cement her place as an Assassin, but the chance of stunning its target via Charm makes her more competent in boss fights.
Additionally, Blessing Of The Goddess (Skill) can give her a nifty heal and allow her NP to Overcharge, which with Ananga EX (Skill) can give her boosted damage alongside nifty invulnerability via Guts. More extreme is her Mara Papiyas, which not only boosts her NP Gauge and critical strength but also practically guarantees Charm via her NP. Most importantly, she’s one of the rare Servants that can manipulate her Class Affinities, with Mana Papiyas allowing her to deal more damage to Alter Ego Servants.
5 Arjuna (Alter, Berserker)
When Arjuna of Chaldea severed his link to the gods, he became an alternate self compared to his Lostbelt iteration. Contrary to the original Arjuna, this iteration is one of the best Buster Servants in the game, capable of dishing out incredible damage through Mahapralaya (NP) provided players can find a way past his glass cannon nature.
Toolkit-wise, Arjuna does possess incredible Buster-buffing Skills. His Anti Evil (Unique) (Skill) boosts his attacks, especially against enemies with debuffs. His damage output increases further with Clairvoyance (Transcendant) (Skill), which boosts his NP Gauge and critical rate. While Arjuna lacks defenses compared to his other counterparts, his Soul’s Light (Skill) does give him gradual heals as well as Guts.
4 Space Ishtar (Avenger)
Hailing from outer space, Space Ishtar is perhaps one of the most straightforward Avengers in the game. She focuses on dishing out damage as often as possible, with a toolkit that allows her to boost her damage exponentially while also regaining her NP at a much faster rate. Her Edin Shugurra Quasar (NP) not only deals damage to all opponents but also increases the attack of her Extra Card combos.
Her damage-focused output fares well with attack-boosting Devil’s Sugar (Skill). Not to mention, NP Gauge-boosting Multiple Starling (Skill) also has an 80% chance of boosting the effectiveness of any one Card Type. And with Venus Driver (Skill) allowing her to charge her own NP Card alongside NP Strength and Invincibility benefits, Ishtar can combo her NP into almost any card combo. Of course, the 80% reliability rate of Starling’s damage boost may make Space Ishtar a bit unreliable when it comes to “guaranteed” combo strings.
3 Zhuge Liang (Caster)
Perhaps one of the best NP-based support Casters available, Zhuge Liang (El-Melloi II) is a must-have for any team. His Unreturning Formation (NP) alone not only deals damage-per-turn but also reduces enemy defense and Charge, hindering their powerful super attacks by one turn.
The rest of Zhuge Liang’s toolkit also emphasizes battlefield maneuvering. Discerning Eye (Skill) works well with boosting both the NP Gauge and critical attack. Tactician’s Advice (Skill) also fills up the team’s NP Gauge at a small amount but also boosts the team’s defense. Lastly, Tactician’s Command (Skill) boosts the team’s overall attack and NP Gauge. Zhuge Liang’s only setback is his lack of offensive firepower.
2 Merlin (Caster)
Hailed as one of the best Buster-based support Casters in the game, Merlin proves his worth. His Garden of Avalon (NP) gives not only per-turn healing but also per-turn NP Gauge fills to all allies. This works well with his damage-boosting and NP Gauge-boosting Dreamlike Charisma (Skill), especially for critical fights. Defense-wise, Merlin can cast Illusion A (Skill) to boost the team’s critical damage while applying Invincible for a turn. His Hero Creation EX (Skill) can boost an ally’s Max HP and critical damage as well as Buster Card efficiency.
Perhaps the biggest hole in Merlin’s potency is his lack of defense boosters, making him a target for bosses that can render Invincibility useless. Moreover, if Merlin can’t charge his NP frequently, his offensive presence may not be as viable.
1 Scathach-Skadi (Caster)
Perhaps the most competent support Caster, Scathach-Skadi is a great all-rounder to add to any team due to her focus on survivability. Her Gate of Skye (NP) not only boosts the team’s critical damage but also gives them nifty Evade and Death Immune bonuses, ensuring survival against peskier boss fights. Even her slate of Skills is straightforward in terms of benefits. Primordial Rune is a great Quick support, Shivering Blizzard decreases enemy defenses, and Allfather’s Wisdom boosts an ally’s NP Gauge for the finisher.
She works best teamed with other AOE Quick Servants, especially since her Quick boosts can make their NPs repetitive. However, her lack of offensive attacks limits the team’s offensive output. And with her lack of healing and stalling skills, Skadi can become vulnerable once enemies start piercing her defenses.
Fate/Grand Order is available to play on iOS and Android.