Artillerist Artificer: D&D 2024 Optimisation Guide

Blast your enemies to smithereens with this ranged, damage dealing subclass.

Artillerists are artificers that specialise in creating and shooting firearms, cannons and basically anything that causes projectiles and explosives to be launched across the battlefield. They’re a ranged subclass that focuses on high damage effects.

They also happen to be one of my favourite subclasses. I played a Gnome artillerist a few years ago with the 2014 rules so was keen to see how things have changed for the 2024 version. I’m pleased to say that Wizards of the Coast have taken what was already a strong subclass, and made it even better!

Below I’ll go into detail on the changes to the 2024 artillerist, how to use its features, how good it is and how best to build one.

At a glance

Half caster with lots of utility
Great at buffing allies
Excel at dealing damage at range with AoE spells and an eldritch cannon

5/5 – The highest damage artificer subclass also happens to be the one that works most easily. Artificers tend to be at their best at range and it takes effort to make them more of a close combat specialists. The artillerist is the epitome of what works well for artificers with enhanced spells, a great spell list and bonus action attacks via the eldritch cannon. The artillerist is a top subclass.

What’s changed in D&D 2024?

The artillerist gets a few quality of life tweaks in Forge of the Artificer that make it even better. These changes include:

More tools of the trade: The 2014 artificer allowed an optional rule for the base class to have firearm proficiency. Firearms are standard in D&D 2024, but proficiency with them isn’t standard for artificers. Fortunately, the artillerist gets proficiency with all ranged martial weapons now. This means you can go for a heavy crossbow or a pistol and a few other things too. You also get crafting time halved when crafting wands.
Eldritch cannon is all cannons at once: In the 2014 rules, you had to choose which type of cannon you were creating, now you just create the cannon and choose which type of cannon you want to use each turn. This makes it way more flexible and easier to use the right tactics for the situation. I love this buff as it allows for a much more fluid approach for your cannon.
Arcane firearm can now be a ranged martial weapon: This makes item juggling easier as you can just keep the weapon in your hand and either shoot or cast a spell with it.
Improved explosive cannon: Your cannon can now be detonated with a reaction, which is far kinder on your action economy. It also scales temporary hit points alongside damage which it didn’t do before.
2 cannons can now be created when using spell slots: But you must expend 2 spell slots to do so. This is also kinder on your action economy.

Artillerist features

Tools of the trade (Lv3) – 2/5

Mostly, these are ribbon features, but access to martial ranged weapons does mean access to pistols. This is useful with true strike for your highest damage attack without using spell slots.

Once you reach level 5, you can use ranged weapons as a spellcasting focus or you can simply use a magic item you’ve replicated for this at level 2. With a pistol, this means you can grab a shield and still have hands available for your spellcasting focus (though you may still need to do some juggling for material components).

Artillerist spells (Lv3) – 4/5

Artillerists have the best offensive spells of any artificer subclass. And your known spells from levels 1-3 are more important here as artificers actually have a limited number of spells to use for their quite powerful spell storing items. If you take an artillerist, not only do you have access to damage dealers like thunderwave, scorching ray and shatter (as well as shield for some defence), you also get fireball. You can store this in an item, hand it to a homunculus servant and both be casting fireballs in the same turn for some large-scale damage.

Eldritch cannon (Lv3) – 5/5

You can now produce a cannon using your action which can either shoot a single target, create a flamethrower effect in a cone or provide temporary hit points.

You can choose which type of cannon is used each turn making it more tactical than it was previously. You’ll want to make sure it moves into the right places for maximum effect. Close range for the flamethrower against tightly packed enemies (or even just 2 enemies near each other). Lots of nearby allies is great for the temporary hit points from protector or if you’re staying at long range, you can use the force ballista.

The action needed to create the cannon is a little bit of a pain, but it lasts long enough that you can create it ahead of combat if you have a little time to prepare. The effects of your eldritch cannon are almost certainly greater than most bonus actions you could use making it your go to strategy. This also leaves space for you to use your action how you like (unlike something like extra attack which you only benefit from when you make the attack action). That means you’re more able to cast spells like shatter and thunderwave.

Arcane firearm (Lv5) – 4/5

An extra 1d8 to a damage roll of a spell is decent. Apply this to a pistol +1 or a repeating shot pistol you’ve created through your replicate magic item feature, cast true strike and you’ve got even more powerful cantrips.

However, the best use of this is actually with AoE spells. Single target or multi-target spells (like scorching ray) will only enhance the damage against one target, but AoE spells like shatter and fireball will affect multiple targets (as they’re still a single damage roll). This means the extra damage increases with the number of creatures hit by these spells. The extra damage is also more than you’d get from casting fireball with 1 higher spell slot.

Explosive cannon (Lv9) – 5/5

A more powerful cannon is always useful and the cannon types that affect multiple targets (flamethrower and protector) increase in potency by the number of targets affected making the buff here more significant for them. Of course range is the challenge here so it’s still a good buff for the force ballista which is usually an option, but if you can get it close to allies or enemies, the buff here is better, but perhaps riskier.

Detonate is a great emergency option if you know the cannon’s likely to be destroyed. The fact you can detonate it with your reaction means there’s little burden on your action economy. This is particularly useful for artillerists that like to flamethrower their enemies.

Fortified position (Lv15) – 5/5

Double the cannons means a lot of extra damage/temporary hit points and half cover means +2 AC for nearby allies. These are pretty huge buffs and you can expect your artillerist to have a lot of damage output at this stage.

How good is the artillerist subclass?

Artillerists were already really good and the added flexibility with their eldritch cannons now makes them even better. They are easily the highest damage artificer subclass in the game and are able to do this from the safety of the backline.

You still need to dice with vulnerable cannons if you want to go for higher damage, higher risk flamethrower tactics. But the risk is much lower than for something like a battle smith who has to rush headlong into melee combat.

Artillerists also have the benefit of the best spell list for artificer subclasses. Fireball is especially coveted now that spell storing items can store level 3 spells. This allows artillerists at level 10 to cast a fireball, have someone/something else cast fireball with their spell storing item and use their bonus action to fire their eldritch cannon which can lead to huge amounts of damage.

Even if you’re going frugal on spell slots, artillerists can also cast more powerful cantrips and use a pistol with true strike for even better, single target damage.

Plus, they go around blowing stuff up, what’s not to love!

5/5

Building an optimised artillerist

eberron — Artificer: Wizards of the Coast

Artillerists are built in largely the same way as most artificers, but there is some nuance, especially when it comes to weapon selection.

Below I’ve put together some advice for building an optimised artillerist:

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.
Dexterity: If you have medium armor, you’ll want to get this at least 14 for the AC boost. As a rogue alternative, you may need this for things like unpicking locks and stealth too. You might also use it for your ranged weapons, though cantrips will usually be more powerful.
Constitution: All classes benefit from more resilience and artificers are no different. This will also help you concentrate more easily on spells too.

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

Species/race

I’d look for species with the following qualities:

Resilience: Make yourself tougher or more evasive through things like more hit points, resistances or flight. Being evasive is probably more important for an artillerist. Flight can be really useful for this.
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 artillerist, 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.

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 for a class on the lower end of these.

General feats

At level 4, you can start picking up general feats. These are some of the better options for an 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 if your go to cantrips will be true strike as you can use it for your main weapon.

Weapons

Artillerists are definitely best using their actions for spells rather than weapon attacks. However, one of their best cantrip options is true strike (which uses a weapon attack in the casting)which will work with arcane firearm and gives you your highest damage, single target cantrip. You’re best off with a ranged weapon here and a pistol will be your highest damage option that allows you to also wield a shield.

Armor

Most artillerists will do best with medium armor as they don’t usually need dexterity for attacks as spells will serve them better 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 artillerists for the extra protection. Just be aware that you may need to juggle spell components if you’re also wielding a shield.