Thought I'd document this here.

Some weeks ago I decided I'd find the smallest font packages I could find but that would still cover the biggest amount of Unicode.

After consulting with Reddit I came up with the following list:

• ttf-dejavu because some programs just need it and it's a pretty global "default" font in open source.
• ttf-liberation an extremely good looking alternative to some MS fonts. Excellent for default serif, sans-serif and monospace fonts.
• adobe-source-han-sans-otc-fonts for full CJK support.
• ttf-noto-nockj for big coverage of Unicode that isn't CJK.

Just thought I should share that, considering some other people may be looking for the same thing some time in the future. :)