Artificer - D&D 2024 Class Optimisation Guide

Tinkerer’s with plenty of magic capable of providing lots of utility and buffs.

Artificers are the inventors and engineers of the D&D universe and are most synonymous with the Eberron setting. Combining magical acumen with technological prowess, they arm themselves with empowered suits of armor (like Ironman), alchemical elixirs, robotic companions, artillery and even magical maps.

With a little more magic than your average half caster (but not a lot, they get cantrips) but a decent amount less than a full caster (they only get spell levels up to level 5), they occupy an unusual place as a 2/3 caster. However, they make up for this primarily through spell storing items (allowing them to cast more spells than the average caster) and magic item creation, granting them more enhanced items more easily, than any other class.

The base class still comes off as a little underpowered, but subclasses matter much more for artificers than most classes, transforming how the class plays. Subclasses like the battle smith and armorer can make decent frontline warriors, while alchemists and artillerists prefer to use ranged tactics.

Even between these subclasses, there’s a lot of variation in tactics and capabilities. This can also make artificers really hard to play. They aren’t tough like paladins and rangers or as magically competent as wizards and clerics. Instead, they fit more of the utility mould occupied by bards (but with less of a silver-tongue). They’re tricky to play, but rewarding and interesting if you can make them work.

With the release of Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, we now have a refreshed artificer for D&D 2024 along with 4 refreshed subclasses and a brand new subclass in the form of the cartographer. This guide will take you through how to play, optimise and build your very own artificer for the new rules.

At a glance

Choose an artificer if you want…

To play a spellcaster
To create and use lots of magic items
Want to play a utility class
Want to buff allies

An artificer might not be for you if…

You don’t want to cast spells
You prefer an easy class to play
Prefer more powerful spells over many uses of spells

What’s changing for artificers in D&D 2024?

The artificer has had some fairly significant changes since the 2014 version, even if it largely still plays in the same kind of way as it did previously. These changes include:

Prepared spells calculated more easily – Rather than doing some light maths to work out intelligence modifier plus half level rounded down to work out how many spells you know, it’s just written there in a table. This is easier to work out and follows a relatively similar progression that you’d have experienced with the 2014 artificer, but not exactly the same. Artificers that prioritise intelligence increases (which many will) are likely to find that at certain levels, they know 1 or 2 less spells this way whereas those that had optimised for other ability scores (though that might be rare in an artificer) may find a similar number or more. Overall, I think this is a slight debuff, but you gain some streamlining which I like.
No optional firearm proficiency – If you want to use firearms, you’ll need to choose a subclass that has the appropriate weapon proficiency now.
Tinker’s magic replaces magical tinkering – You no longer create the equivalent of a distraction, instead you can quickly create a standard item and you know the mending cantrip. The effects of these items are considerably more useful and versatile than the old feature.
Items aren’t infused, now they’re replicated – You create magic items rather than infuse existing ones (though the 2014 artificer could create some items too). The infusion options you had before exist now as items anyway (other than homunculus servant which is now a spell). Notably, you have a few new wands you can replicate (like the wand of magic missile and wand of web) as well as options to create most magic items of an appropriate rarity for your level (other than potions, scrolls and cursed weapons). All of this means that you can create more different types of magic items.
Cartographer is a new artificer subclass – We finally have a new artificer subclass, and based on a recent Unearthed Arcana, we may be getting more in the future, including the reanimator.
No more tool expertise – You no longer get expertise with a type of tool.
But you do get magic item tinker – This lets you recharge magic items, regain spell slots from magic items, or instantly transform a magic item into another one that you know. This allows for some really fluid transferal of magical capabilities.
Less wasted uses of flash of genius – Flash of genius now works when an ability check or saving throw is failed instead of deciding to use it before the dice are rolled. This makes it much more worthwhile and less prone to being wasted.
Magic item adept – This no longer speeds up crafting times for some magic items.
Level 3 spell storing – You can now use spell storing item on level 3 spells. This means you can store spells like fly, haste and fireball (if you’re an artillerist)! This is a major buff and a 20 intelligence artificer will have 10 of these to use per long rest. That’s a big boost to spell slots and spell slots that can be shared with allies and summons allowing you to increase your output per turn considerably.
Refreshed genius – At level 14, this lets you regain uses of flash of genius on short rests. It replaces the ability to attune any magical item regardless of any restrictions.
Epic boon feat – Like all classes, your an epic boon feat at level 19.
Soul of artifice – You no longer get a saving throw boost, but when knocked to 0HP you recover HP equal to the number of magic items you disintegrate x20 (rather than just 1HP). You also regain all uses of flash of genius when you take a short rest.

Tactics

Artificers are primarily a utility and buff class meaning much of their capabilities revolve around how they can use items they create for a range of situations and enhancements. They can do this for both themselves and allies so make a great friend to have in the party.

As mentioned, their roles adapt considerably depending on the subclass you take. This means that while the below tactics are applicable to all artificers, different subclasses will work in different ways and have different tactics they use:

A tool for every occasion

Tools in D&D 2024 became more useful and more clearly defined. And artificers can create the tools they need, when they need with the tinker’s magic feature.

It’s considerably more useful than the 2014 equivalent of this feature which was basically a minor distraction. Now you can just produce some ball bearings to trip your attackers or manacles to restrain a captive. Grappling hooks, traps and rope are all useful, but may not always be available. It’s not mind-blowingly good, but it has decent utility, and it’s cheap. Up your intelligence to use this more often.

Magic items on demand

You can create magic items, but the number is limited. Kind artificers may want to share what they create and that can be a good team tactic, but part of what makes an artificer good is having these items available. You’ll want at least one of these items for yourself. Something you can hold on your hand like a weapon or shield so you can use it as a spellcasting focus and worry less about item juggling for spellcasting. I’d also choose your magic items carefully. Pick those that will be most useful to you.

Using wands to grant others spells

Artificers can use replicate magic item to create wands that can cast different spells. As a starting point, you can use this to expand your number of spell slots, but you can also hand these wands to others. This could be other party members, but could also be things with less useful things to do with their actions like a familiar or a homunculus servant.

By level 6, you can have these things casting handy spells like magic missile and web through wands you’ve created. In the case of the wand of web, this also means an extra concentration spells in the mix as you can concentrate on another spell if the wand was used by another creature. By level 14, you can be creating things like a wand of fireball, wand of binding (for hold monster and hold person) or a wand of fear. All of these are more powerful options with a couple of great AoE options available.

Great ally for saving throws and ability checks

Flash of genius lets you enhance a failed saving throw or ability check by an amount equal to your intelligence modifier. This is a pretty great feature for preventing nasty conditions or problematic ability check failures. Use carefully as a low roll enhanced with this can easily still fail. Instead, use it for borderline failures.

Attune more magic items than anyone else

Magic items that require attunement tend to be some of the more powerful magic items. You can eventually attune up to 6 of these; double that of most characters. And because you can produce your own magic items, you can easily be wielding a bunch of powerful magic items.

Spell storing item gives you even more spells to share around

Similar to giving allies wands, you can now store a spell in certain items (like weapons or items you can use as a spellcasting focus). You then get twice your intelligence modifier in uses of that spell. It doesn’t have to be you that uses these spells either, it could be an ally or a summon. This is great if you have certain artificer spells you’d like to be used a lot or want someone else concentrating on.

The 2014 version only let you use spells up to level 2. You now get access to level 3 spells. But, some of an artificer’s best spells come from their subclass spells. Fortunately, these also count as artificer spells. The 2014 artificer had this explained in the subclass spell features, but you can find this explanation in the main spellcasting feature for artificers.

This makes your subclass’ prepared spells even more important from mid to high levels as the main artificer spell list isn’t amazing. There are things like dispel magic, fly, invisibility, web and haste, but an armorer has shatter and hypnotic pattern, artillerists have scorching ray and fireball and cartographers have guiding bolt and call lightning. It’s worth being aware you can only store spells that can be cast with an action so mass healing word and shield, for example, are out for the question. This really limits the alchemist in this regard.

How good is the 2024 artificer?

The 2024 artificer is more streamlined and better than the 2014 version. True, it gets a couple of abilities that are less effective, but this is balanced out by a few abilities that receive significant buffs. Most notably level 3rd level spells as part of spell storing item and a much wider range of magical items to replicate.

The hard part about an artificer is knowing how to use them most effectively. A casual read might lead to the assumption that they simply get to enhance with magic items and have more low level spells than anyone else, but this is missing a trick. Sharing wands and spell storing items around means more spells can be cast by the party, and this gets even better with summons like the homunculus servant who can use these too. This means maintaining haste on 2 creatures simultaneously or casting 2 fireballs in a round. A sorcerer can manage the former, but there are few ways to accomplish the latter.

Artificers also have very impactful subclasses that completely change how the class is played and layer even more options onto the class.

That’s not to say that artificers don’t have challenges (because they do). They suffer from the same issue as bards, being a jack of all trades but master of none. Perhaps more so as bards actually get level 9 spells and are very charismatic. Artificers only get level 5 spells and lack much in the charisma department. Even with subclasses, some lean into the martial category, but struggle to keep up with dedicated martials, others lean into the ranged and spellcasting aspects, but similarly struggle to keep up with sorcerers and clerics there.

If played well, artificers can be great, but you need to play to their strengths and be prepared that you may not possess the attributes that are traditionally considered powerful, needing to be creative to keep pace with other classes.

4/5

How to optimise an artificer

Battle smith artificer: Wizards of the Coast

Optimising an artificer means building into their strengths as a utility class and spellcaster as well as adapting to the needs of your subclass.

Below I’ve given loads of advice on exactly how you can do that.

Ability scores

Recommended options

Intelligence: Your spellcasting ability and the one you’ll use for a lot of your best features like flash of genius and spell storing item. Subclasses often rely on a high intelligence too for things like weapon attacks. Intelligence is your most important attribute and one to get as high as you can as soon as you can.
Dexterity: If you have medium armor, you’ll want this to attack least 14 for the AC boost. As a rogue alternative, you may need this for things like unpicking locks and stealth too.
Constitution: All classes benefit from more resilience and artificers are no different. This will also help you concentrate more easily on spells. Frontline artificers like battle smiths and some armorers may find they need this more than most artificers.

Options to avoid

Strength: Dump, you’ve got no use for strength.
Wisdom: Only useful for some skills and saving throws, otherwise, not worth investing in.
Charisma: This is mostly for face skills and these don’t come naturally to an artificer so I wouldn’t invest much here either.

Ability score	Point Buy	Standard Array
Strength	8	8
Dexterity	15	14
Constitution	15	13
Intelligence	15	15
Wisdom	8	12
Charisma	8	10

Skills

Recommended options

Arcana: Common knowledge skill and you have the intelligence to back it up.
History: Another common intelligence skill.
Investigation: Investigation comes up a fair bit and as one of the few intelligence based classes, you’re in a good place to help here.
Nature: This feels like the domain of rangers and druids, but as an intelligence skill, this is another that am artificer is well placed to focus on.
Perception: Perception is always useful, especially if you’ll be filling in for a rogue.
Sleight of hand: Great option if you don’t already have a rogue with this.

Stealth proficiency isn’t available as standard for an artificer, but it’s worth considering as artificer can do well in the role of a rogue if you have no one better. An appropriate background or feat can help here.

Species/race

As a utility and spellcasting class, I’d focus on the following traits:

Resilience: Make yourself tougher or more evasive through things like more hit points, resistances or flight. Both frontline and backline artificers will benefit from this for maintaining concentration, staying in the fight longer and/or evading enemy attacks altogether.
Innate spellcasting: The more spells you possess the better. And as a utility caster, an expanded range will benefit you a fair bit.

Recommended options

Aasimar (2024): Damage resistances as well as some light healing for recovering allies are solid. But you’re mainly here for temporary flight which will keep you a lot safer in nasty battles.
Elf (2024): An extra skill and darkvision are both helpful. You’re mainly here for the innate spellcasting though. High Elf is a good option for misty step and an extra cantrip. Drow is good for buffs and debuffs with the likes of faerie fire and darkness while Wood Elf works nicely for a more stealthy artificer.
Gnome (2024): Extra magic resilience is great as you’ll undoubtedly be the target of some spells. Minor illusion and speak with animals are better options than what the Rock Gnome gives.
Human (2024): If you need to boost your skill proficiencies to take full advantage of all those knowledge skills or add in stealth proficiency, then Human’s a good option. The consistent supply of heroic inspiration is useful too. However, the extra origin feat is probably the trait you want most, especially if you want to grab something like the tough origin feat, which is normally only available with backgrounds that don’t work for the artificer.
Shifter (2024): Temporary hit points and a choice of benefits. Beasthide for the extra AC and swiftstride for the faster movement and the extra safety are good options. The skills aren’t the best for an artificer, but everything else works well.
Tiefling (2024): 4 extra spells known is mainly what you’re after here. I’d favour the infernal legacy.
Warforged (2024): More AC, poison resilience, a skill and tool proficiency and a few other buffs all work really well for an artificer that wants to be tougher and have more skills at their fingertips.

Backgrounds

Backgrounds are much more important now in D&D 2024 with ability score increases, origin feats and skills all now linked to your background.

For an artificer, I’d prioritise intelligence and then one of dexterity or constitution with the below being your best options:

Name	Ability scores	Origin feat	Skill proficiencies	Tool proficiency
Criminal	Dexterity, constitution, intelligence	Alert	Sleight of hand, stealth	Thieves’ tools
Merchant	Constitution, intelligence, charisma	Lucky	Animal handling, persuasion	Navigator’s tools
Sage	Constitution, intelligence, wisdom	Magic initiate (wizard)	Arcana, history	Calligrapher’s tools
Scribe	Dexterity, intelligence, wisdom	Skilled	Investigation, perception	Calligrapher’s tools

I’d go with criminal for a stealth build or sage for more of a spellcasting and knowledge build.

Choosing your subclass

Like all classes in D&D 2024, artificers get their subclass at level 3. The subclasses below are the ones that have been released for D&D 2024. Unreleased 2014 subclasses are compatible with the new rules, but as all artificer subclasses have been refreshed for 2024, this is all the options you have (which is better than it’s ever been for an artificer).

More than any other class, artificer subclasses are crucial to your playstyle. I’ll be covering this in separate articles soon to help you choose which subclass is best for you.

Alchemist

Mixers of elixirs and potions, alchemist’s are buff specialists with a decent dose of spellcasting and healing in their repotoire.

Alchemist

Armorer

With a powerful suit of armor that can turn you into a stealth specialist or a frontline tank, armorers make a more martial option for an artificer.

Armorer

Artillerist

With powerful projectiles and eldritch cannons at their disposal, artillerists are capable of bringing considerable firepower to a battle.

Artillerist

Battle smith

Melee specialists that are assisted by a robotic sidekick, battle smiths make a decent martial option for an artificer.

Cartographer

Able to traverse all sorts of environments easily through teleportation and able to locate allies through the use of their adventurer’s atlas.

Cartographer

Feats

Origin feats

I’d say the below are your best origin feats for an artificer. Ironically, crafter is a poor option for an artificer who can do the things the crafter feat suggests in better ways usually:

Alert: You’ll often want to blast an AoE spell or 2 (with the likes of wands, spell storing items and just your own spells) before others take their turns and get in the way and this will enable you to do so.
Lucky: Advantage on d20 tests and disadvantage on your aggressors is universally useful. Especially as avoiding getting hit is one of the best ways to not lose concentration.
Magic initiate: Grab some extra spells known from another spell list. A good way to make yourself even more flexible with spellcasting.
Musician: A generally excellent origin feat for helping your allies out with some heroic inspiration (kind of like a slightly better lucky, you give to your friends).
Skilled: If the party needs a bit more proficiency in knowledge skills or you need to fill in for a rogue, then this works well for you. This can bump up your number of skill proficiencies a decent bit.
Tough: Really valuable extra hit points, especially for an armorer or a battle smith.

General feats

At level 4, you can start picking up general feats. These are some of the better options for a artificer:

Fey touched: Misty step is great for staying safe. Plus you get more spells known. You can read my fey-touched guide for more advice.
Genie magic: Another spell to cast and there’s plenty of utility here as you can simply choose any that’s on the sorcerer spell list.
Mage slayer: Great for disrupting spellcasters and gives you something similar to legendary resistance.
Ritual caster: If you feel like you’re struggling to have enough of the spells you want available to you, then this is the best way to boost your utility with more spells gained through this feat than any other. You can check out my full guide to ritual casting for more tips.
Shadow touched: Invisibility and an illusion spell are great for a caster class. Especially one built for stealth.
Speedy: A good option for martial artificers that want to use hit and run tactics.
Weapon master: A good option for a battle smith or those using true strike to make weapon attacks.

Epic boon feats

At level 19, you can choose an epic boon which will grant you a super feat and an ability score increase that also allows your ability scores to go above the usual maximum of 20!

Recommended options

Boon of the night spirit: Great for keeping safe with invisibility and resistances.
Boon of fate: Universally useful for ensuring crucial d20 rolls are passed or failed.
Boon of fortitude: More hit points for a sometimes melee class lacking in durability.
Boon of dimensional travel: Free uses of misty step every turn keeps you safe or allows you to move easily between targets.
Boon of recovery: Good option if you want to boost your durability, which remains low for a sometimes martial.
Boon of truesight: Never let invisibility or illusions trouble you again.

Weapons

For many artificers, true strike with weapon attacks will be one of your most potent options. It will even work alongside guided precision for a cartographer (so long as they’re affected by faerie fire). Similarly, an artillerist’s arcane firearm will work here, as can an alchemist’s alchemical savant (though you’ll need to use your alchemical supplies as the spellcasting focus).

A light crossbow could always work for the above subclasses while an artillerist will do well with a pistol (muskets would prevent you using a shield).

Armorers and battle smiths both get extra attacks so this ends up balancing a little differently. They also have more of an inclination towards melee combat. Armorers will work best with the weapons built into their armor. Battle smiths will often do best going for a sword and shield build as they can use their weapon as a spellcasting focus and this will give them the most protection (something they’ll need in close combat).

Armor

Most artificers will do best with medium armor as they don’t need dexterity for attacks so likely won’t want to prioritise this. Half plate will give you the best protection, but if you don’t want to be hampered for stealth, then a breastplate is best.

A shield is a great option for a lot of artificers for the extra protection.

Artificer quick builds

If you’re looking for an easy, optimised build, I’ve got a couple of examples for you below built for a level 3 artificer:

Ranged damage dealer

Good for

Dealing lots of damage from a distance.

Creating a ranged damage dealer

Ability Scores (Point Buy/Standard Array)

Strength: 8/8
Dexterity: 15/14
Constitution: 15/13
Intelligence: 15/15
Wisdom: 8/12
Charisma: 8/10

Skills: Arcana (sage), history (sage), investigation, nature

Species: Forest Gnome

Background: Sage – Add +2 to intelligence and +1 to constitution

Subclass: Artillerist

Spells known

Cantrips: Mage hand (magic initiate wizard), minor illusion (Forest Gnome), speak with animals (Forest Gnome), thunderclap, true strike
Level 1: Cure wounds, false life, detect magic, feather fall, shield (magic initiate wizard)

Weapons: Weapon +1 (pistol), quarterstaff

Armor: Half plate, shield +1

Melee damage dealer

Good for

A secondary warrior with a combination of offensive and defensive capabilities as well as spellcasting.

Creating a melee damage dealer

Ability Scores (Point Buy/Standard Array)

Strength: 8/8
Dexterity: 15/13
Constitution: 15/14
Intelligence: 15/15
Wisdom: 8/12
Charisma: 8/10

Skills: Sleight of hand, arcana, investigation (scribe), perception (scribe), history (skilled), acrobatics (skilled), stealth (skilled), religion (Warforged)

Species: Warforged

Background: Scribe – Add +2 to intelligence and +1 to dexterity

Subclass: Battle smith

Spells known