So I have a reasonably good idea on how to build a support/control artificer.
How would you build a high damage one? Espicially early on before lvl 11. Doesn't have to be 100% focused on damage eg Artillerist can grant temp hp.
Do you splash a level of something for weapon masteries?
Damage only has to be high by artificer standards. Any ideas?
Repeating heavy crossbow seems like the start.
Levels 1 to 4 are a bit on the lower side compared to others. Your option for high damage there is just... True Strike the cantrip with a +1 weapon. You use your level 1 spell slots for either Tasha's Caustic Brew*, Catapult*, (upon hitting level 3) your subclass spells, or Absorb Elements if you can pull it off. If your Bonus Aciton is free (and it should be until level 3 at least), coat your weapon with Basic Poison.
Alchemist gets Ray of Sickness, but no other damage boosts. Artilerist grabs a gun, but keeps using True Strike with it, and uses BA to fire Eldrtich Cannon; definite upgrade. BattleSmith gets no damage spells at this level, but Martial Weapons and Steel Defender for a damage boost; later on, though, you get some great spells to put in Enspelled Weapons. Cartographer gets Guiding Bolt. Reanimist gets a pet too.
Armorer gets two 1st level damage spells... despite everything, their at-will damage actually goes
down at this point compared to using True Strike, +1 Light Crossbow and Basic Poison. If you're not using poison, then only the Infiltrator is dealing slightly more damage. Even when you get Extra Attack at level 5, your damage output is just going to be roughly on par with a level 1 magic missile, and as the Artificer becomes more and more capable of leveled spells as it levels up, its at will attacks become less and less useful. You can't improve them with a magic item, the best damage-oriented feats, nor spells like Magic Weapon. Ironicallly, thanks to its spell list and heavy armor, Armorer actually becomes one of the best blaster options of all Artificers at higher levels.
* these spells are from Tasha's and Xanathar's, which might not be available in a 2024 game, check with your DM. If not, then you literally have no level 1 damage spells for the first two levels beyond Absorb Elements, and that might not trigger.
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Level 5 sees a bit of damage upgrade. You get level 2 spells. All subclasses give either magic damage boost (with constraints), or Extra Attack. You get a Homunculus Servant; at minimum, you need its base damage to keep up with others when dealing at will damage. Giving it a Wand of Magic Missiles (and transmuting to Wand of Webs) is possible, as is casting Dragon's Breath on it and letting it go to town. These make it giant targets, however. So there's a trade off.
There's also a chance we're looking at having Rare Items at this point in time, at least according to DMG distribution. Could be a +2 weapon, or it could be a Wand of Fireballs. You might be using your RMI at this point to fill out holes in your group's equipment, or it might be a linchpin. Either way, the only way your level 6 RMI will improve your damage is with a Spell-Restoration Ring and if you can use, or give your homunculus, the Wand of Magic Missiles / Web combo.
And... we're basically capped on damage for the most part until level 9. Most subclasses see some kind of minor damage boost, though Alchemist and Cartographer get support. But the big thing is level 3 magic. If you haven't grabbed Spell-Restoring Ring by now, its a great time to.
Cartographer is kinda bullied at this point, because of the lackluster spells and the tier 5 damage boost relying on Faerie Fire. That said! You could theoretically just scribe a bunch of Guiding Bolt scrolls on the quick and spam them as long as the gold keeps up. 25 gold per scroll (21 with Crafter feat?), which isn't a terrible drain at level 5+; eventually you just get the slots to pull it off naturally, and you can supplement with other magic items. The larger issue, imho, is that Cartographer ends up kind of monotonous - expecting you to just use 1 cantrip, faerie fire, guiding bolt, and Call Storm for the majority of your damage.
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Level 10 & 11, we shift into your tier 3 style. An increasing amount of attuned items possible, and Spell Storing Item. The highest damage potential at this point is for one of your pets to take the SSI, and you take a Wand (or cast) of a high damage spell, and you both cast tier 3 spells in the same turn. 12d8 / 16d6 damage every round for nearly the entire day is something even Sorcerers respect when it comes to pure damge output.
Mark of Making gives Conjure Barrage, so if that is available, then Alchemist and Cartogrpher have something to put in the SSI.
Level 10's big boost to magic items is all Uncommon Wonderous, and +2 weapons/wands/shields. By now, you should have +2 or better, but if you're not following the DMG guidelines or you need a backup, its good. My personal favorite options, though, are Dust of Disappearance, Elemental Gems, Keoghetom's Ointment, and Winged Boots (or Broom). Be sure to take a look at Thayan Spell Tattoos and, if available, Spellwrought Tattoos from Tasha's.
Tier 3 and 4 mainly just involves your SSI and making wands / enspelled weapons with good damage spells. You can attune up to 6 items, so expect to have a couple just... wands and backup wands and stuff to hold onto and pull out for more damage.
Level 14 you can get a Necklace of Fireballs for even more shinanigans. Look even closer at spellwrought tattoos, if available.
Level 15 is subclass. Alchemist is really, really good. So is Artilerist. Battle Smith and Reanimator are decent damage boosts. Cartographer is niche. Armoror is just flat out bad.
For the most part, that's it. You get level 5 magic at level 17, but most of the spells are either utility or control, not damage. You can attune a sixth item. Soul of Artifice has a "get out of death free" card and more Flash of Genius. Nothing really big to write home about in the damage department.
