Dungeons & Dragons' newest class doesn't have a ton of options just yet, but the ones it does have are extremely varied and powerful.

The Artificer is the first full class added to Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition after its initial release, a unique concept centered around the use of magically-infused technology to battle opponents. First released in Eberron: Rising from the Last War, they saw a wider release in Tasha's Cauldron of Everything.

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As 5e's newest class, the Artificer has the fewest subclasses available at a mere four. Known as "Artificer Specialists," these four archetypes are nonetheless creative and serve to fulfill a number of player fantasies, with each well-suited to different playstyles. Some are more powerful than others, though, creating distinctly more capable characters or being far more flexible.

Since the artificer was developed after D&D 5e was already out, a lot of the playtesting for this class happened in the public eye where players could help contribute and shape the final form of the class. Most of the other Artificer Specialists started in Unearthed Arcana articles, but the Archivist never made it out again. This subclass is more focused on utility and research than on combat, though it does have some potent damage-dealing capabilities.

In addition to a spell list with strong utility spells like Detect Thoughts, Tongues, and Legend Lore, the Archivist gains an Artificial Mind, a small magical companion that can be used to power various effects both in and out of combat. The Artificial Mind functions in a similar way to a familiar, with the artificer being able to see through its eyes and even cast spells through it. The Archivist isn't as fully fleshed out as the official artificer subclasses, but it does provide a fun option for campaigns that are willing to include some unplaytested content.

The only new Artificer Specialist released since the class' introduction, the Armorer centers around creating an enchanted suit of armor for adventuring, using its strengths to supplement the artificer's own. Many draw comparisons to characters like Iron Man, seeing the class' clear inspiration.

The Armorer is a versatile Artificer Specialist, having two subtypes a player can switch between, each with its own strengths. The Guardian is a melee fighter and tank, hitting enemies up-close and giving them disadvantage to hit any of the artificer's allies, alongside later abilities like moving them around. The Infiltrator is a lighter and sneakier type, giving advantage to Stealth checks and a ranged attack that deals additional damage.

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The Armorer is flexible, particularly when paired with the artificer class' other broad capabilities. However, this comes at the cost of doing nothing very well. Although it can hold its own in combat, it deals far less damage than even the game's other half-casters, only getting two attacks without a significant damage buff. It can sneak, but not as well as a number of other potential builds. It can tank, but does so with a d8 hit die and limited ability to boost itself with temporary hit points. As such, many consider it the weakest Artificer Specialist.

The artificer is a versatile class, but it has a particular focus on supporting allies. It can heal, it can create magical items to benefit the entire party, and its spell list involves no small number of buffs and support spells. The Alchemist takes this one step further, being centered almost entirely around healing and empowering allies.

A lot of the Alchemitst's features are spell-focused. They get free castings of high-level spells artificers usually cannot get. An Alchemist adds their Intelligence modifier to spells that deal certain damage types, giving them reasonable damage-dealing capabilities. They also add their Intelligence modifier twice to healing spells, becoming one of the best healers in the game. The Alchemisti's central ability is to create Experimental Elixirs, items that grant allies potentially-powerful buffs.

However, Alchemists have to deal with some mechanical awkwardness. The Elixirs the artificer gets at the beginning of each day are random, potentially creating things not at all useful. Choosing specific ones costs a valuable spell slot. In addition, each Elixir takes an action to drink, meaning that players potentially have to waste most of their turn for an in-combat buff. The Alchemist is underwhelming to some players, but its strong utility capabilities are enough to make it a solid choice anyway.

One of the more straightforward Artificer Specialists, the main focus of the Artillerist is to deal damage. The subclass is based around the ability to create turrets, with two of the three available focusing on damaging opponents. One fires blasts of force damage at enemies within 120 feet, while the other shoots a cone of fire at nearby enemies.

Requiring an action to place, each Eldritch Cannon takes a bonus action on each turn to fire after, providing the Artillerist with some of the best bonus action damage in D&D. In addition, they get a powerful bonus spell list with a focus on offensive and defensive spells, and an Arcane Firearm which increases the damage of all of their spells by a d8. As such, they have some of the best damage of any Artificer Specialist.

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Artillerists are not one-trick ponies, however. Their other Eldritch Cannon provides allies with temporary hit points every turn, potentially absorbing a lot of damage over the course of a combat. Even later, they provide cover to all allies near their cannons, giving them a lot of ability to control the battlefield and provide aid to allies. As such, the Artillerist is a very popular subclass for the artificer.

The Artificer has an even split between its subclasses that focus on attacking with weapons and those that prefer spells, with the Battle Smith Specialist fitting firmly into the former. When wielding a magical weapon - something any Artificer can create - they use their Intelligence modifier to determine their attack and damage bonus, making them an effective warrior without having to invest in other stats.

In addition, their central mechanic is having a pet known as a Steel Defender. This construct is a perfectly capable creature in combat, being able to attack for reasonable damage with a bonus action. But it also serves as a protector, causing attacks against nearby allies to be made at disadvantage. As such, the Battle Smith, in addition to being a capable fighter itself, has an entire second creature on the battlefield with a variety of useful roles.

The Battle Smith gets more, however. They benefit from a good bonus spell list, and the feature Arcane Jolt lets them either deal additional damage or heal nearby allies as a side-effect of attacking. Alongside the Artificer's natural versatility, the Battle Smith becomes a flexible powerhouse capable of contributing to a fight in a dozen different ways and doing each effectively. As a result, it is often considered to be the best Artificer Specialist available.

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