And while some are used for their secondary effects, for this ranking we’ll be looking at Servants who use their AOE NP to deal pure unadulterated damage. There’s certainly no shortage of AOE damage-dealing Servants in FGO. But we’ll be ranking only best here, looking across all card types and rarities.
5. Arash
While Arash’s NP damage pales in comparison to some of the other Servants on this list, his utility in a party is unmatched – especially for free-to-play players. Arash’s NP deals huge damage considering his low rarity, with the caveat that he takes his own life in the process. This allows for a free switch into your backline, which then allows for additional damage-dealers or support Servants to join the battle for the more difficult second and third waves. Although really, this spot could also go to another low rarity Servant: Chen Gong. But instead of sacrificing himself, he sacrifices the leftmost party member.
4. Spartacus
Spartacus is another low rarity Servant that may go unrecognized by newcomers to FGO. However, Spartacus’ AOE NP is great for farming, because it ignores damage buffs to all enemies. Couple this with buffs to his Buster performance, and an NP battery attached to his skills, and you have a great farming Buster Servant on your hands.
3. Arjuna Alter
The Double Koyanskaya System is still a ways off. And Buster looping does not seem to have taken off in the same way Quick and Arts looping has done. Still, when it comes to raw damage, Arjuna Alter is positively unmatched. If you’re bored playing FGO and want the game to simply play itself, feel free to summon for Arjuna Alter and watch as his AOE Buster NP nukes any enemy into oblivion.
2. Edmond Dantes
The Quick meta has fallen out of favor recently on the JP side of FGO. But that does’t mean Dantes is useless, nor does it retroactively diminish his position at the top of the meta for two years. When used in conjunction with the Double Skadi System, Edmond Dantes becomes the premier Quick looper; able to three-turn farm almost any node with ease. The Quick meta does require a lot more setup than the Arts meta (including things such as a Kaleidoscope and occasional NP Generation buffers). However, Dantes is still perfectly viable to this very day – should you have the necessary resources to make him work.
1. Space Ishtar
Topping things off we have the Queen of the Arts meta herself: Space Ishtar. Having already placed the King of Buster and the King of Quick on this list, it goes without saying that the most powerful Servant in the current meta has to take first on this list. Space Ishtar, when used in conjunction with the Double Castoria System, is unmatched in terms of raw damage output and looping potential. There are arguments to make that Summer Musashi at NP4 or above is actually more viable than Space Ishtar, since fewer buttons need to be pressed to maximize her damage. But unless you’re a hefty whale capable of minimizing microseconds of time loss in exchange for thousands of Saint Quartz, Space Ishtar at NP2 or above will satisfy any looping needs just fine. Space Ishtar, as an Avenger, has a massive attack stat. And her ability to change her NP type means that her AOE NP will be viable in almost any meta from here until the eventual release of FGO2 (and the forbidden fourth card type!) If you want a Servant whose AOE NP will stand the test of time & who’s essentially future-proof, Space Ishtar is your gal.
