This Fate/Grand Order tier list is what I built after running through the New Year 2026 Yamato Takeru rotation, the Valentine’s Andromeda banner, and enough 90++ farming nodes to lose track of how many Bond points I burned. The meta is in a weird transition state — JP is rapidly shifting around U-Olga Marie and Lord Logres, NA is still living in the Castoria-Koyanskaya-Oberon trinity, and a few older Servants quietly climbed half a tier from January’s buff wave.
Here’s what I’m covering:
- Every relevant Servant ranked EX through C for 2026
- Separate breakdowns for Damage Dealers, Supports, and Welfare/Free picks
- The JP vs NA meta gap and what NA players should plan around
- 90++ farming Servants vs Challenge Quest Servants (different priorities)
- Whether to chase Andromeda, Yamato Takeru, or save quartz for U-Olga Marie
I learned the hard way that an NP1 SSR you just pulled doesn’t beat an NP5 welfare you’ve ignored. I rolled Yamato Takeru on his banner without enough Mooncells to NP3 him, then went back to looping with my NP5 Mash + Bond CE setup for actual farming. The premium banner tier list and the practical “what actually clears 90++ on three turns” tier list are different lists.
Table of Contents
How These Tiers Are Built
Quick framework before the tables. FGO’s tier list math is more nuanced than most gachas because of NP levels, append skills, servant coins, and class advantages.
I’m following the GamePress methodology where:
- 5★ SSRs assume NP1 with 10/10/10 skills
- 4★ SRs (non-welfare) assume NP1 with 10/10/10 skills
- 4★ Welfare SRs assume NP5 with 10/10/10 skills (because you can max them through events)
- 1-3★ Servants assume NP5 (non-story-locked) or NP1 (story-locked)
- Double Servant compositions are considered (you bring a Support friend Servant)
Three filters drive placements:
- 90++ farming viability — can the Servant clear 3-wave nodes in 3 turns reliably
- Challenge Quest performance — boss damage ceiling, survivability, gimmick coverage
- Long-term meta presence — does the Servant age out fast or stay relevant across years
The current meta in 2026 heavily rewards Arts looping (Castoria), targetable charge (Koyanskaya of Light, Oberon), and class affinity coverage (U-Olga Marie’s UnBeast typing). Anything outside those structures pays a meaningful tier penalty.
Fate/Grand Order EX Tier: The Servants That Define 2026‘s Meta
These are the Servants that bend the game around them. Each one creates entire team archetypes that other Servants slot into.
| Servant | Tier | Class | Why They’re Here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altria Caster (Castoria) | EX | Caster | The Arts loop foundation, transforms entire accounts |
| Koyanskaya of Light | EX | Pretender | Targetable 50% NP charge, Buster meta anchor |
| Oberon | EX | Pretender | 70% targetable NP charge, finishing piece for nukes |
| U-Olga Marie (UnBeast) | EX | Beast/UnBeast | Two forms in one slot, class advantage cheat |
| Lord Logres | EX | Saber | New Year 2026, strongest AoE Buster DD in the game |
Castoria is still the Servant I’d recommend pulling above everything else if you don’t have her. Her targetable 50% NP charge per skill, Arts performance buffs, and team-wide kit literally rebuild the way you play FGO. If you only roll for one premium Servant in this game, make it Castoria.
Koyanskaya of Light is the Buster equivalent. Her targetable 50% NP charge plus cooldown reduction lets Buster Servants loop their NPs without enemy refund. Combined with Oberon for the closing nuke, you get the strongest Buster team archetype in the game.
Oberon completes the trinity. His 70% NP charge to a single ally, plus the massive NP Damage Boost from his third skill, is the finishing piece for both farming setups and Challenge Quest nukes. He’s the most-pulled Pretender in the game for a reason.
U-Olga Marie is the wild new EX-tier addition. Her UnBeast class is unique, ignoring most class disadvantages. She has two complete forms — Ascension 1/2 is offensive, Ascension 3 is supportive — with two separate skill sets on the same spirit graph. She’s role compression at a level no other Servant has matched. Summon priority is genuinely second only to Castoria.
Lord Logres is the New Year 2026 Saber and broadly considered the strongest AoE Buster damage dealer in the game now. Her skill 1 gives 50% NP charge per turn for 5 turns (absurd), skill 2 gives party 20% ATK + 30% crit damage + 50 stars, skill 3 reduces cooldowns by 2 turns plus self 50% Buster up plus 2 stacks of Special Invincibility. Her NP gives party 20% ATK + 20% NP charge + 1 overcharge stage + 2000 HP heal. She excels in single-core, multi-core, CQs, and crit setups. The trade-off — using skill 3 puts her into uncleansable sleep after 3 turns, which barely matters because most fights end before then.
Fate/Grand Order S+ Tier: The Servants Just Below the Ceiling
These are the elites that comfortably anchor any team without redefining the meta themselves.
| Servant | Tier | Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Andromeda | S+ | Caster | Valentine 2026 release, instant top-tier support |
| Yamato Takeru | S+ | Saber | New Year 2026 Arts Saber, multi-core specialist |
| Tamamo no Mae | S+ | Caster | Arts party support, ages perfectly |
| Merlin | S+ | Caster | Buster king for years, niche after Castoria |
| Scathach-Skadi (Caster) | S+ | Caster | Quick Servant Anchor, still meta |
| Space Ishtar | S+ | Avenger | Triple-card NP, fits everywhere |
| Morgan | S+ | Berserker | AoE Buster damage with self-loops |
| Melusine | S+ | Lancer/Ruler | Dual-NP form, single-target nuke |
| Arjuna Alter | S+ | Berserker | AoE Buster nuker, removes enemy buffs pre-damage |
| Solomon (Pretender) | S+ | Pretender | Free NP5 reward Servant, completely breaks the curve |
| Aesc | S+ | Berserker | Multi-core specialist |
| Caster of Limbo | S+ | Caster | Niche but elite, Pretender support |
Andromeda claimed S+ status immediately on the Valentine’s 2026 banner. She’s a Caster support that fits into the Castoria-led Arts meta without overlapping — she enables certain compositions Castoria alone can’t run.
Yamato Takeru is the New Year 2026 Saber and represents a new standard for Arts Sabers. Targetable NP charge plus powerful self-buffs make her function as both primary DPS and sub-support. The “multi-core” approach (running multiple damage dealers in one team) leans heavily on her.
Solomon is the cheat-code Servant. Reward NP5 SSR completely breaking the FGO power curve — every player can obtain him at NP5 for free, drastically lowering the barrier to top-tier damage dealers. His party battery works seamlessly with Koyanskaya of Light for stable looping. As a Grand Caster, his class affinity is excellent, ignoring most class disadvantages. If you haven’t completed his story unlock yet, do it.
FGO S Tier: The Premium Damage Dealers
These are the SSRs you build teams around, but who don’t quite redefine the meta the way EX-tier does.
| Servant | Tier | Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ibuki-Douji (Berserker) | S | Berserker | Arts loop NP refund, Castoria’s best partner |
| Summer Skadi (Ruler) | S | Ruler | Quick support specialist |
| Achilles | S | Rider | Best AoE Rider damage, taunt utility |
| Enkidu | S | Lancer | Single-target Lancer with Divine stun |
| Karna (Santa) | S | Saber | AoE Saber buster nuker, Christmas welfare |
| Vlad III (Extra) | S | Berserker | AoE Berserker, Christmas welfare |
| Hokusai | S | Foreigner | Foreigner class advantage vs Beast |
| Kama (Avenger) | S | Avenger | Massive damage + utility debuffs |
| Sherlock Holmes | S | Ruler | Crit support, Castoria adjacent |
| Bedivere | S | Saber | Saber loop with Castoria, Galahad-tier |
| Iskandar (Caster) | S | Caster | AoE Caster buster nuker, niche |
| Vritra | S | Avenger | Avenger class flexibility |
| Beni-Enma | S | Saber | Arts loop Saber, niche but strong |
| Sei Shonagon | S | Archer | Arts Archer with refund |
Ibuki-Douji is the Castoria partner I’d recommend for new players first. Her Arts NP has insane refund stats and her self-buffs let her loop in Castoria comps without needing a third support.
Bedivere went from B-tier to S in the past year specifically because of Castoria. He was always a strong NP Damage Servant — Castoria gave him the looping tools he was missing. Same story for Beni-Enma and Sei Shonagon.
FGO A and B Tier: Strong Servants With Specific Niches
These don’t anchor top teams but they comfortably clear all major content with proper investment.
| Servant | Tier | Class | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lady Avalon (Pretender) | A+ | Pretender | Arts stall team specialist |
| Caenis | A+ | Lancer | Quick Lancer with Skadi |
| Summer BB (MoonCancer) | A+ | MoonCancer | Niche broken status |
| Kingprotea | A+ | Alter Ego | AoE Alter Ego Buster nuker |
| Sitonai | A+ | Alter Ego | Triple-class triple-NP |
| Tezcatlipoca | A+ | Foreigner | Foreigner farming option |
| Castoria (alt builds) | A | Caster | Variant assumption ranking |
| Quetzalcoatl (Saber) | A | Saber | AoE Saber Buster |
| Drake | A | Rider | Rider Buster nuker |
| Sigurd | A | Saber | Single-target Saber, Dragon trait |
| Iskandar (Original) | A | Rider | AoE Buster Rider |
| Ozymandias | A | Rider | AoE Rider hybrid |
| Astolfo (Saber) | A | Saber | AoE Saber, mid |
| Edmond Dantes | A | Avenger | AoE Avenger |
| Jeanne d’Arc Alter | A | Avenger | AoE Avenger |
| Nero Bride | A | Saber | Arts Saber, Castoria adjacent |
| Tristan (Saber) | A | Saber | Single-target, Castoria adjacent |
| Astrea | A- | Ruler | Niche Ruler nuker |
| Hijikata | B+ | Berserker | NP refund Berserker |
| Mordred | B+ | Saber | AoE Saber, dated |
| Brynhildr | B+ | Lancer | Single-target Lancer |
| Heracles | B+ | Berserker | Tank + damage, evergreen |
| Cu Chulainn (Caster) | B+ | Caster | F2P-friendly Caster |
| Kukulkan (Foreigner) | B+ | Foreigner | Niche, “play the piano” |
| Lancer Artoria (Alter) | B | Lancer | Buster Lancer, dated |
| Gilgamesh | B | Archer | Pre-Castoria meta darling |
| Merlin (Prototype) | B | Caster | Niche stall support |
| Saber Lancelot | B | Saber | Anti-King utility, niche |
Kukulkan deserves the awkward placement note. She’s currently in a weird spot — requires careful skill ordering (“playing the piano”) to reach her damage ceiling, has no favorable farming nodes, and lacks the “Existence Outside the Domain” passive that would boost her significantly. If you lack strong Buster Servants, she’s a decent choice. Otherwise skip.
Lady Avalon is the Arts stall team specialist who replaced Merlin as the go-to for stall comps. Her NP increases max HP, which functionally heals. In farming, she’s a conditional replacement when Castoria is overworked.
Heracles staying in B+ despite being from the game’s launch year is the kind of staying power FGO Servants rarely have. He’s a tank-DPS hybrid who survives anything thanks to Guts mechanics, and he’s free.
Fate/Grand Order C Tier: Functional but Replaceable
Older units that haven’t aged well in the current meta. Most still work in early-game progression but get outclassed for endgame.
| Servant | Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Altria Pendragon (base) | C+ | Iconic but mid until Buffs land |
| Saber Alter | C+ | AoE Buster Saber, dated |
| Cu Chulainn (Lancer) | C | Tank Lancer, Heracles is better |
| Robin Hood | C | Single-target Archer, niche |
| Stheno | C | Charm specialist, niche |
| Medea | C | Caster nuker, dated |
| Marie Antoinette | C | Charm Rider, niche |
| Tamamo Cat | C | AoE Berserker, dated |
| Boudica | C | AoE Rider, dated |
| Frankenstein | C | Single-target Berserker, dated |
| Kiyohime (base) | C | Single-target Berserker, niche |
There’s no D-F tier in modern FGO worth ranking — the gap between C and “actually unplayable” is small enough that even C-tier Servants find use in early game progression. Older Servants tend to receive Strengthening Quests and Rank-Ups that bump them up half a tier, so don’t write off your C-tier Servants permanently.
NA vs JP: The Two-Year Gap That Matters
This is the part most generic FGO tier lists skip. NA server is approximately two years behind JP in content releases.
What that means for tier list practical use:
JP players in 2026 have access to U-Olga Marie, Lord Logres, Yamato Takeru, Andromeda, and the full multi-core meta.
NA players in 2026 are still living in the late LB7 / Ordeal Call meta — Castoria, Koyanskaya of Light, Oberon trinity rules, with newer servants like Caster Limbo, Aesc, and Morgan being the recent meta defining additions.
The practical takeaway for NA players: save quartz for U-Olga Marie. She’s coming. Her release will reshape NA’s tier list within a week of landing, and her first-form-second-form mechanic gives her uses no other Servant has. She’s the highest-priority future-pull for NA accounts.
If you’re on NA and you don’t have Castoria, that’s still your highest immediate pull priority. She’s been on the JP meta for 4+ years and shows no signs of dropping. The investment is permanent.
90++ Farming Servants vs Challenge Quest Servants
These are different roles requiring different Servants. Here’s the split:
Best 90++ Farming Servants (3-turn clears with Support):
- Lord Logres + Castoria/Koyanskaya — Buster wave clear
- U-Olga Marie + Castoria — class-flex looping
- Ibuki-Douji + Castoria + Castoria support — Arts loop
- Morgan + Koyanskaya + Oberon — Buster wave clear
- Space Ishtar + Castoria/Skadi — triple-card flexibility
Best Challenge Quest Servants (single-target boss damage):
- U-Olga Marie — class advantage cheat
- Melusine (Lancer form) — 80% self-charge nuke
- Enkidu — Divine stun + boss-killer kit
- Sigurd — Dragon trait specialist
- Brynhildr (with Love) — Male enemy specialist
Knowing which Servants belong in which role decides whether you waste materials. Don’t grail an Enkidu hoping he’ll farm. Don’t ascend Lord Logres expecting her to handle every CQ alone.
Pull Priority for 2026 Saint Quartz
This is the question that decides whether your account progresses or stalls. Framework:
- Always pull on: EX-tier banners — Castoria, Koyanskaya of Light, Oberon, U-Olga Marie (when she lands on NA), Lord Logres (when she lands on NA).
- Pull selectively on: S+ tier banners with units that fit your account. Yamato Takeru is incredible if you already have Castoria. Andromeda is incredible if you’re building Arts comps but unnecessary if you’re not.
- Save for: The next major event. FGO’s lottery events, anniversary rate-ups, and GSSR (Guaranteed SSR) tickets are where pulling efficiency lives. Burn quartz on those, not on impulse rolls.
- Skip: Older banners with units that are no longer meta-defining. Pre-Castoria-meta SSRs (Gilgamesh, Saber Alter, etc.) are skippable for new accounts.
GSSR is the F2P player’s best friend. The New Year and Summer GSSRs guarantee an SSR from a category, dramatically increasing your odds of locking down EX-tier supports. Do not skip those.
FAQs
Is Castoria still worth pulling years after release?
Yes, and probably for years more. She’s the foundation of the Arts loop meta and fundamentally rebuilds how you play the game. Every Arts SSR released after her was designed to work in her teams. She has not been power-crept and likely won’t be in the foreseeable future.
What’s the difference between SSR and SR Servants?
SSR (5★) Servants have higher base stats and more powerful kits but pull at very low rates (~1% per banner). SR (4★) Servants are pull-able more frequently and several (Solomon as NP5 reward, welfare SRs at NP5) outperform many SSRs at NP1. Don’t dismiss SRs.
Can I clear endgame content without EX-tier Servants?
Yes for most content. Welfare Servants at NP5 + Heracles + Mash + a friend Castoria can clear 95% of FGO content. EX-tier Servants make farming 3-turn-clears trivial and Challenge Quests easier — they don’t gate progression.
Why is Solomon (Pretender) so highly ranked?
He’s a free NP5 SSR earned through story progression. Free NP5 means he hits the same damage ceiling as a 5-Forma’d whaled SSR with zero rolling required. As a Grand Caster, he ignores most class disadvantages. He’s the single highest-value Servant in the game for F2P players.
How do append skills change a Servant’s tier?
Significantly. Append 1 (NP Generation), Append 2 (NP Damage), and Append 3 (Class-specific damage) can shift a Servant’s effective tier by half a tier each. Append 4 (Specific Trait Damage) and Append 5 (Class-specific Resist) are situational but powerful for Challenge Quests. Always unlock at least Append 1-3 for your core team.
Should I pull on Yamato Takeru if I’m on JP?
If you have Castoria and you don’t have a top-tier Arts Saber, yes. Yamato Takeru is the new standard for Arts Sabers and her multi-core support utility is genuinely unique. If you have Castoria and Bedivere or Beni-Enma already, she’s a “nice to have” rather than mandatory.
Will the FGO tier list change much in 2026?
Yes, especially on JP. U-Olga Marie’s release shifted the entire class affinity meta. Lord Logres redefined Buster damage ceilings. JP gets new EX-tier Servants every 6-12 months. NA shifts more slowly because of the 2-year content gap.
Is Andromeda worth pulling on the Valentine’s banner?
Yes if you can. She’s an instant S+ Caster support and the Valentine’s banner has limited rate-ups. If you don’t have Castoria yet, prioritize Castoria over Andromeda — they fill different team roles, but Castoria is the more universally needed Servant.
Wrapping Up
That’s my Fate/Grand Order tier list for 2026. Castoria, Koyanskaya of Light, Oberon, U-Olga Marie, and Lord Logres are the EX-tier Servants defining JP’s meta, NA is still living in the trinity meta, and Solomon (Pretender) is the F2P savior every account should claim.
If you only roll for one Servant, make it Castoria — full stop. After that, prioritize Koyanskaya of Light, Oberon, and U-Olga Marie when she lands on your server. Save Saint Quartz for confirmed EX-tier banners and GSSR tickets.
Tier lists shift every banner, but the core trinity has held for years and will continue to. I’ll re-rank when U-Olga Marie hits NA and the meta shake-up actually lands stateside. Until then, build your supports first, level your welfare Servants to NP5, and don’t roll on banners outside the EX-tier.
May your gacha gods be kind. See you in Chaldea.