Zardnaar
Legend
So I thought I would do a review of the 2024 Artificer. Overall I think I like it more than the 2014 one. Generally I regarded the 2014 one as one of the weaker classes. It was good later on around level 9 or 10 but it took to long to get there. The "best" subclass was the battle smith which was kind of mediocre while the Alchemist was essentially trash. Its main problem was it was a half caster that lacked damage cf Ranger/Paladin, lacked skills, spells, damage and being good at tools mostly didn't matter. Wasn't very good at support either. You could give away your infusions sure but you made yourself that much worse. The class was also very DM dependent perhaps more so than the wizard. For example how many magic items does your DM hand out, how much time do you have to create items. Does your DM allow you to create items etc.
2024 has changed a few things. Creating magic items are baked into the rules a bit more along with guidelines on how many magic items to hand out. This helps establish a baseline to compare the artificers abilities against at least. I think I would play an artificer in 5.5 so thumbs up for that. As per usual I will focus more on the first 6 levels of the class and after level 12ish or so I don't care to much. Usual reasons apply. If you're playing with a random DM are you really going to think "yay at level 10 I'm going to be great". All artificers get a great ability at 11 so there is also that.
Basic Traits.
Intelligence and con saves. Con saves on a half caster. Medium armor simple weapons. Basically worse than half casters and most clerics. Better than wizards. Decent skill list and 2 tool proficiencies. Half casters now get spells at level 1 and you have a good cantrip list including guidance. Thieves tools for free. Half cast rogue almost no sneak attack. Spells I like as well stand outs are cure wounds, expeditious retreat, faerie fire, jump. Half caster you don't know many however. Tinkers magic mending and you can create various object. I'm liking a lot of this its just a nice package. Level 1 lots of useful stuff. Arcana is basically a required spell for all of them.
Class Features.
Level 2 Replicate Magic Items. One of the major features. Similar to the 2014 ability but they added Wand of the War Mage which is interesting and overall a few more items than the anemic 2014 list. 2 items at level 2, 3 at 6, 4 at 10. +1 shield and a weapon or wan will always be useful. Level6 has lots of interesting options.
Level 3. Subclass. I'll do those below.
Level 4 ASI. Fairly standard.
Level 6. Magic Item Tinker. Flavorful ability but I don't consider this that great but you can do things like drain an almost depleted wand I suppose for some spell slots and recreate it later. Transmute item I suspect could be very useful.
Level 7. Flash of Genius. Intelligence bonus to ability check or save. I like making saves. Its a reaction.
Level 10. Magic Item Adept. Attune 4 items. Very campaign dependent. Lets you attune 4 items you create at the minimum. Potentially very good depending on how many items the DM or adventure hands out,
Level 11. Spell Storing item. The next major feature of your class. In effect its pick a level 1,2,3 spell and cast it 8-10 times. Mostly its cast a level 3 spell 8-10 times. This is where the subclasses diverge a lot in power. What level 3 artificer spells do you want to cast a lot. More hastes or fly spells are always good but do you need them that often? Subclass however makes a huge effect. This ability is very good. Should probably come online way earlier and scale up to level 3 spells at level 11 IMHO. Minor nitpick.
Level 12-20. Mostly more attuned items and extra use of flash of genius. Very campaign dependent. Not really very exciting vs other class high level abilities. All comes down to magic items. Epic boon and capstone. Glorified death ward effect that is situational. Lots of flash of genius to go around. Solid abilities but nothing super exciting either. Its level 20 who cares though.
Overall nothing super exciting the major features are replicate magic item and infuse item. Flash of genius and more spells are also very nice. Generally solid but a huge amount of power is subclass related. Features are thematic as well. A little bit front loaded but a lot of classes are like that in 5.5. I suspect that in a lot of games the spell storing item will be your capstone in effect.
Subclasses.
Alchemist
The old alchemist was a contender for the worst subclass in 5.0. The new one is much better IMHO and it leans into a support role due to its abilities and spell list.
Tools of the Trade. Level 3
More tools and you're faster at crafting potions. Potion crafting it quite nice as you can rapidly make potions of healing for example. Even in campaigns where you lack the time to create more advanced options you should be able to use this occasionally.
Alchemist Spells.
Healing word is nice along with mass healing word.
Experimental Elixir
Each long rest you get two of these elixirs for free and you can create another one via a level 1+ spell slot. I like all of the effects and they are also fun IMHO. Concentration free buffs that scale and a super cure wounds spell slot free at level 9+. Extra movement, flight, bless effect (that stacks with bless)and +1 AC are all good effects. Overall this ability is a B and it scales into a B+ later on and its fun and interesting. Bonus action to use.
Alchemical Savant.
Add your intelligence modifier to spells that deal acid, fire or poison damage. And any spell that restores hit points. Basically a potent cantrip effect plus healing. You know the appropriate spells as well but I think I would want to combine it with Aberrant Dragonmark or Magic Initiate for spells like sorcerous burst or chromatic orb (mainly Sorcerous Burst TBH). A bit more damage on your base damage with healing boost is nice.
Restorative Regents Lvl 9
You can cast lesser restoration a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. I'm a big fan of lesser restoration. This ability is kind of C tier however it is situational when you need lesser restoration and how often do you really need it. 4 or 5 tmies a day probably not. Nice when you need it, Great when you need it a lot. I just don't see it happening that often.
Spell Storing Lvl 11
Thought I would include this here. Your subclass has gaseous form or mass healing word. You can't use mass healing word with spell storing. Gaseous form you probably don't want 8-10 times per day and your lower level subclass spells aren't great. Bit off a whiff here. I would probably let you put an upcast cure or whatever in the item. Best bet here is a generic artificer spells.
Chemical Mastery.
Lots of things going on here. More damage, 2 resistances, immunity to poisoned condition and can cast tashas bubbling cauldron. All of these are good abilites and you get all of them. I would be very happy reaching level 15.
So overall I like the alchemist. Would I play one/ probably not due to opportunity cost with other subclasses but it doesn't make me recoil in horror either. I would at lest consider playing it as a secondary healer and skill monkey in a party lacking those things. I think its a solid subclass. You wont be doing lots of damage but skill monkey, magic items, support etc. On a tier list I would rate it a B. Big improvement from 5.0
Armorer
One of the better artificers in 5.0. It just took a bit to long to "get good" switching on around level 9/10. You're basically D&D Iron Man.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an armorer. Crafting magic armor in half the time may never get used so kind of a ribbon ability. Very campaign dependent.
Armorer Spells
Generally fairly lackluster. Mostly damage dealing which is weak for a half caster. Mirror image and the level 4+ ones are good. The spell list pays off later however see below.
Arcane Armor. Level 3.
Ignoring strength requirement sign me up for heavy armor. Spellcasting focus as well. You can also don and doff it fast. Mostly not relevant but its a cute ribbon.
Armor Model lvl 3.
The bread and butter of the subclass. Dreadnought, Guardian, infiltrator. On paper these abilities look great. However damage is nothing spells really and you don't really qualify for any of the weapon type feats that boosts damage. You're still really a half caster based off intelligence. Most of the attacks have a rider though so there is that plus other abilities.
Level 5. Extra attack. Self explanatory. More damage always useful.
Level 6. Replicate magic Item. Armor +1 and sentinel shield are now available. Thought its worth mentioning.
Level 9. Improved Armorer. Your armor weapons are now +1 to hit and damage. You know an extra plan and can create an additional item as long as its armor related. that is 4 items and a 5th one at level 10. Hell happy to take it.
Level 11. Spell Storing Item. Worth mentioning here. Your level 3 spells are lightning bolt and hypnotic pattern. I'm not the biggest fan of direct damage but you're getting a lot of these for cheap. Also you don't have to be the one using it ally or homunculus. If you have a Rogue: thief in the party just saying.......
Level 15. Perfected Armor. Upgraded everything for your armor. What's not to like? Its very good.
The first option for lots of damage as an artificer. Lots of damage being relative. On top of the base class however its looking quite nice. By artificer standards this is an A- tier class.
Artillerist.
Say hello to my boom stick. I quite like the art work as well.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an artillerist. Ranged weapons, tool, and crafting wands at half the speed I rate highly as far as magic item creation goes.
Artillerist Spells.
You have shield. All artificers kind of want that spells you get it without a feat. Mostly boom spells you'll probably never cast that often and some wall spells. Generally a weak list outside of shield and fireball isn't that exciting at level 9. Of course having fireball on your list pays off later......
Eldritch Cannon.
Flamethrower, 2d8 force damage, or protector. Lots of damage or a heap of temporary hit points. Every round. As a bonus action. All of these abilities are good but I would lean towards ballista or protector. I can see DMs targeting the cannon a bit more if protector is near the front to buff the front liners. At level 3 an extra 2d8 force damage plus whatever you're getting up to with your action is a lot of damage potential. More than the rogue.
Level 5. Arcane firearm. Probably want to use your firearm to cast cantrips since you do not get an extra attack. 5d8 (or 2d10+ 3d8) damage approximately. Still hitting hard but maybe not as much as the martial multi attacks. Or protector.
Level 9. Explosive Cannon. Your cannon can detonate or deal/buff hit points by an extra d8.
Level 11. Spell Storing Item. Worth mentioning here. Your level 3 spells are fireball and Wind Wall. See armorer for additional comments. 8-10 fireballs.
Level 15. Fortified Cannon. Now you have 2 cannons each dealing 3d8 damage plus a cantrip dealing 3 dice+1d8. 10d8 damage at will approximately. and +2AC for everyone within 10'. Protector is a bit weaker since they don't stack but you can have one do that and the other pick a different option.
Overall the artillerist is quite good. It has large damage spikes at certain levels. On paper it looks good but you're not out damage the rogue by that much and it will fall off a cliff if your cannon gets destroyed. Best subclass so far its an A by artificer standards. Lots of damage comparatively or an annoying temp hp buffer. Potentially absurd at level 11.
Battle Smith
Formerly the best artificer it probably retains that title. Its basically a pet class that can LARP as a beastmaster ranger with a smite spell. You can probably see where this is heading.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an Battlesmith. Basic magic weapons can be crafted reasonably quickly so you should be able to use that feature.
Battle Smith Spells.
A fairly loaded spell list. You get shield. Shining smite is another important one allowing you to RP as a Paladin light. Aura of Vitality and conjure barrage work well with spell storing item.
Battle Ready. Proficient with martial weapons and you can key them off intelligence.
Steel Defender.
You're a pet class. The pet has a reasonably low amount of H but its easy enough to replace. Its basically a faster spiritual weapon that you always have. Later on it seems you can also have ith wield your spell stored item . Mechanical monkey incoming. Solid damage if its alive.
Level 5. Extra Attack.
Basically what it says on the can. Except you can substitute in your steel defenders atack roll. Your defender may actually deal more damage than you and its also force damage.
Level 9. Arcane Jolt.
Extra damage or healing when your steel defender hits someone in combat.
Level 11. Spell Storing item. You get aura of vitality and conjure barrage. You don't need to worry about hitting allies with conjure barrage. RAW it seems your steel defender can use the item. Bonus action 5d8 damage 8-10 times per day. Or gift it to another ally say a Rogue: thief.
Level 15.
Basically arcane jolt upgrades. One of the weaker level 15 abilities when compared with the others IMHO as you do not get that many uses of it.
Overall the Steel Defender is a very good artificer. At level 11 its the best one easily S tier by artificer standards and probably up there with other powerful classes as well. Until level 11 though its just good. You'll probably want to use your replicate items on yourself though eg weapon and shield level 3+ or armor and weapon 6+ if you use a two handed weapon.
Cartographer.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an Cartographer. Basic scrolls can be crafted reasonably quickly so you should be able to use that feature fairly often.
Cartographer Spells.
Fairly solid spell list especially level 1. One of the better lists in terms of usefulness.
Adventurers Atlas.
1d4 bonus to initiative is a minor bonus but you can do 4-6 targets and target them with spells even if you lack line of sight. Minor bonus that's always on and situational spell targeting. Solid but nothing super exciting.
Level 3. Mapping Magic.
Illuminated Cartography. You can cast faerie fire without using a spell slot equal to your intelligence modifier per day. I like faerie fire. Its not as good as 5.0 as advantage is a lot easier to come by. You also gain portal jump which seems to be an action free teleport effect. Seems good. Lots of faerie fire when you lack that many spell slots and a cheap teleport effect. Seems good to me.
level 5. Guided Precision.
This may as well read when you cast call lightning or hit an opponent with guiding bolt you can add your intelligence modifier to damage. Additionally concentration on Faerie Fire cant be broken via damage. In effect this makes the cartographer very weak at dealing damage. Casting cantrips is your best bet.
Level 9. Ingenious Movement. When you use your flash of genius you or a willing creature within 30' can teleport up to 30'. I'm always a fan of teleport effects and its on top of a very good ability that is easy to trigger quite often. Until you run out. Good ability.
Spell Storing item
You can stick call lightning or aura of vitality in your item. A basic call lightning at level 11 is very so so. An aura of vitality that you can spam however is very good. Healing is kind of a B tier ability but this is a lot of healing. 80d6-100d6 levels of healing. That is a lot.
Superior Atlas.
Super death ward effect +teleport and you can cast find the path 1/long rest.
The Cartographer is a hard one to rate. Its damage is anemic and weak even by artificer standards. There is just not much you can do to fix that with its class features, spells or weapons. D tier for damage. is the class bad? I don't think so it may even be good. However it takes a certain mentality to play this class. I think you have to be happy casting faerie fire a lot and playing pure support as a back up healer. And give away your created items. At level 11 you can become a primary healer. You're still an artificer. You're still a skill monkey if you build it right. Spamming scrolls is cheap and easy. The internet doesn't like this class but I think its better than the internet assumes. Its just bad at dealing damage. If you played this class right I think you would be very popular with the rest of the party and effective. Faerie fire spam is even very good especially at low level. Unfortunately you are probably better off having a life cleric or some sort of bard built around support. Its really hard to rate. Everyone else will love having you in the party. You have to enjoy ,making others better and taking one for the team. I'll be generous and give it a B-.
Conclusions
Overall I think the Artificer is a big improvement over the 5.0 version. Much like the 5.0 version its a late bloomer with very powerful level 11 ability across 4/5 of the subclasses. 3/5 of them can deal decent damage in a variety of ways. The spell storing item is a bit of a hot mess however balance wise and fun wise as I suspect RAI you can put upcast lower level spells in it. RAW you cannot. The subclasses also peak power wise all over the place. Steel Guardian for example is reasonably smooth, the Artillerist is good at certain levels.
There is also way to much campaign variance in its power. Specifically how much time you have to craft items. How the DM handles the crafting rules and how many items the DM hands out. On paper a few sublcasses also stand out at level 11 but that equation changes a lot in short campaigns (6-10 sessions) and if you fail to reach level 11.
Overall I'm giving is a B. It gets nudged up or down (B to a B= then A- etc). The better subclasses might hit A tier overall while a level 11+ Battlesmith may be S tier as well not just cf any other artificer.
+1. The DM is stingy at handing out magic items.
-1 The DM is generous at handing out magic items.
-1 If the DM doesn't like magic item creation rules or time is very tight.
+1 If you hit level 11/high level in general (better items, more attunement, that level 11 ability)
+1 If the DM is generous with time and magic item creation.
Generally I like the class and would be happy enough to play any of them. Probably wouldn't play the Battlesmith as I don't really like pet classes. Its a lot better at lower levels than the 5.0 version IMHO.
2024 has changed a few things. Creating magic items are baked into the rules a bit more along with guidelines on how many magic items to hand out. This helps establish a baseline to compare the artificers abilities against at least. I think I would play an artificer in 5.5 so thumbs up for that. As per usual I will focus more on the first 6 levels of the class and after level 12ish or so I don't care to much. Usual reasons apply. If you're playing with a random DM are you really going to think "yay at level 10 I'm going to be great". All artificers get a great ability at 11 so there is also that.
Basic Traits.
Intelligence and con saves. Con saves on a half caster. Medium armor simple weapons. Basically worse than half casters and most clerics. Better than wizards. Decent skill list and 2 tool proficiencies. Half casters now get spells at level 1 and you have a good cantrip list including guidance. Thieves tools for free. Half cast rogue almost no sneak attack. Spells I like as well stand outs are cure wounds, expeditious retreat, faerie fire, jump. Half caster you don't know many however. Tinkers magic mending and you can create various object. I'm liking a lot of this its just a nice package. Level 1 lots of useful stuff. Arcana is basically a required spell for all of them.
Class Features.
Level 2 Replicate Magic Items. One of the major features. Similar to the 2014 ability but they added Wand of the War Mage which is interesting and overall a few more items than the anemic 2014 list. 2 items at level 2, 3 at 6, 4 at 10. +1 shield and a weapon or wan will always be useful. Level6 has lots of interesting options.
Level 3. Subclass. I'll do those below.
Level 4 ASI. Fairly standard.
Level 6. Magic Item Tinker. Flavorful ability but I don't consider this that great but you can do things like drain an almost depleted wand I suppose for some spell slots and recreate it later. Transmute item I suspect could be very useful.
Level 7. Flash of Genius. Intelligence bonus to ability check or save. I like making saves. Its a reaction.
Level 10. Magic Item Adept. Attune 4 items. Very campaign dependent. Lets you attune 4 items you create at the minimum. Potentially very good depending on how many items the DM or adventure hands out,
Level 11. Spell Storing item. The next major feature of your class. In effect its pick a level 1,2,3 spell and cast it 8-10 times. Mostly its cast a level 3 spell 8-10 times. This is where the subclasses diverge a lot in power. What level 3 artificer spells do you want to cast a lot. More hastes or fly spells are always good but do you need them that often? Subclass however makes a huge effect. This ability is very good. Should probably come online way earlier and scale up to level 3 spells at level 11 IMHO. Minor nitpick.
Level 12-20. Mostly more attuned items and extra use of flash of genius. Very campaign dependent. Not really very exciting vs other class high level abilities. All comes down to magic items. Epic boon and capstone. Glorified death ward effect that is situational. Lots of flash of genius to go around. Solid abilities but nothing super exciting either. Its level 20 who cares though.
Overall nothing super exciting the major features are replicate magic item and infuse item. Flash of genius and more spells are also very nice. Generally solid but a huge amount of power is subclass related. Features are thematic as well. A little bit front loaded but a lot of classes are like that in 5.5. I suspect that in a lot of games the spell storing item will be your capstone in effect.
Subclasses.
Alchemist
The old alchemist was a contender for the worst subclass in 5.0. The new one is much better IMHO and it leans into a support role due to its abilities and spell list.
Tools of the Trade. Level 3
More tools and you're faster at crafting potions. Potion crafting it quite nice as you can rapidly make potions of healing for example. Even in campaigns where you lack the time to create more advanced options you should be able to use this occasionally.
Alchemist Spells.
Healing word is nice along with mass healing word.
Experimental Elixir
Each long rest you get two of these elixirs for free and you can create another one via a level 1+ spell slot. I like all of the effects and they are also fun IMHO. Concentration free buffs that scale and a super cure wounds spell slot free at level 9+. Extra movement, flight, bless effect (that stacks with bless)and +1 AC are all good effects. Overall this ability is a B and it scales into a B+ later on and its fun and interesting. Bonus action to use.
Alchemical Savant.
Add your intelligence modifier to spells that deal acid, fire or poison damage. And any spell that restores hit points. Basically a potent cantrip effect plus healing. You know the appropriate spells as well but I think I would want to combine it with Aberrant Dragonmark or Magic Initiate for spells like sorcerous burst or chromatic orb (mainly Sorcerous Burst TBH). A bit more damage on your base damage with healing boost is nice.
Restorative Regents Lvl 9
You can cast lesser restoration a number of times equal to your intelligence modifier. I'm a big fan of lesser restoration. This ability is kind of C tier however it is situational when you need lesser restoration and how often do you really need it. 4 or 5 tmies a day probably not. Nice when you need it, Great when you need it a lot. I just don't see it happening that often.
Spell Storing Lvl 11
Thought I would include this here. Your subclass has gaseous form or mass healing word. You can't use mass healing word with spell storing. Gaseous form you probably don't want 8-10 times per day and your lower level subclass spells aren't great. Bit off a whiff here. I would probably let you put an upcast cure or whatever in the item. Best bet here is a generic artificer spells.
Chemical Mastery.
Lots of things going on here. More damage, 2 resistances, immunity to poisoned condition and can cast tashas bubbling cauldron. All of these are good abilites and you get all of them. I would be very happy reaching level 15.
So overall I like the alchemist. Would I play one/ probably not due to opportunity cost with other subclasses but it doesn't make me recoil in horror either. I would at lest consider playing it as a secondary healer and skill monkey in a party lacking those things. I think its a solid subclass. You wont be doing lots of damage but skill monkey, magic items, support etc. On a tier list I would rate it a B. Big improvement from 5.0
Armorer
One of the better artificers in 5.0. It just took a bit to long to "get good" switching on around level 9/10. You're basically D&D Iron Man.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an armorer. Crafting magic armor in half the time may never get used so kind of a ribbon ability. Very campaign dependent.
Armorer Spells
Generally fairly lackluster. Mostly damage dealing which is weak for a half caster. Mirror image and the level 4+ ones are good. The spell list pays off later however see below.
Arcane Armor. Level 3.
Ignoring strength requirement sign me up for heavy armor. Spellcasting focus as well. You can also don and doff it fast. Mostly not relevant but its a cute ribbon.
Armor Model lvl 3.
The bread and butter of the subclass. Dreadnought, Guardian, infiltrator. On paper these abilities look great. However damage is nothing spells really and you don't really qualify for any of the weapon type feats that boosts damage. You're still really a half caster based off intelligence. Most of the attacks have a rider though so there is that plus other abilities.
Level 5. Extra attack. Self explanatory. More damage always useful.
Level 6. Replicate magic Item. Armor +1 and sentinel shield are now available. Thought its worth mentioning.
Level 9. Improved Armorer. Your armor weapons are now +1 to hit and damage. You know an extra plan and can create an additional item as long as its armor related. that is 4 items and a 5th one at level 10. Hell happy to take it.
Level 11. Spell Storing Item. Worth mentioning here. Your level 3 spells are lightning bolt and hypnotic pattern. I'm not the biggest fan of direct damage but you're getting a lot of these for cheap. Also you don't have to be the one using it ally or homunculus. If you have a Rogue: thief in the party just saying.......
Level 15. Perfected Armor. Upgraded everything for your armor. What's not to like? Its very good.
The first option for lots of damage as an artificer. Lots of damage being relative. On top of the base class however its looking quite nice. By artificer standards this is an A- tier class.
Artillerist.
Say hello to my boom stick. I quite like the art work as well.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an artillerist. Ranged weapons, tool, and crafting wands at half the speed I rate highly as far as magic item creation goes.
Artillerist Spells.
You have shield. All artificers kind of want that spells you get it without a feat. Mostly boom spells you'll probably never cast that often and some wall spells. Generally a weak list outside of shield and fireball isn't that exciting at level 9. Of course having fireball on your list pays off later......
Eldritch Cannon.
Flamethrower, 2d8 force damage, or protector. Lots of damage or a heap of temporary hit points. Every round. As a bonus action. All of these abilities are good but I would lean towards ballista or protector. I can see DMs targeting the cannon a bit more if protector is near the front to buff the front liners. At level 3 an extra 2d8 force damage plus whatever you're getting up to with your action is a lot of damage potential. More than the rogue.
Level 5. Arcane firearm. Probably want to use your firearm to cast cantrips since you do not get an extra attack. 5d8 (or 2d10+ 3d8) damage approximately. Still hitting hard but maybe not as much as the martial multi attacks. Or protector.
Level 9. Explosive Cannon. Your cannon can detonate or deal/buff hit points by an extra d8.
Level 11. Spell Storing Item. Worth mentioning here. Your level 3 spells are fireball and Wind Wall. See armorer for additional comments. 8-10 fireballs.
Level 15. Fortified Cannon. Now you have 2 cannons each dealing 3d8 damage plus a cantrip dealing 3 dice+1d8. 10d8 damage at will approximately. and +2AC for everyone within 10'. Protector is a bit weaker since they don't stack but you can have one do that and the other pick a different option.
Overall the artillerist is quite good. It has large damage spikes at certain levels. On paper it looks good but you're not out damage the rogue by that much and it will fall off a cliff if your cannon gets destroyed. Best subclass so far its an A by artificer standards. Lots of damage comparatively or an annoying temp hp buffer. Potentially absurd at level 11.
Battle Smith
Formerly the best artificer it probably retains that title. Its basically a pet class that can LARP as a beastmaster ranger with a smite spell. You can probably see where this is heading.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an Battlesmith. Basic magic weapons can be crafted reasonably quickly so you should be able to use that feature.
Battle Smith Spells.
A fairly loaded spell list. You get shield. Shining smite is another important one allowing you to RP as a Paladin light. Aura of Vitality and conjure barrage work well with spell storing item.
Battle Ready. Proficient with martial weapons and you can key them off intelligence.
Steel Defender.
You're a pet class. The pet has a reasonably low amount of H but its easy enough to replace. Its basically a faster spiritual weapon that you always have. Later on it seems you can also have ith wield your spell stored item . Mechanical monkey incoming. Solid damage if its alive.
Level 5. Extra Attack.
Basically what it says on the can. Except you can substitute in your steel defenders atack roll. Your defender may actually deal more damage than you and its also force damage.
Level 9. Arcane Jolt.
Extra damage or healing when your steel defender hits someone in combat.
Level 11. Spell Storing item. You get aura of vitality and conjure barrage. You don't need to worry about hitting allies with conjure barrage. RAW it seems your steel defender can use the item. Bonus action 5d8 damage 8-10 times per day. Or gift it to another ally say a Rogue: thief.
Level 15.
Basically arcane jolt upgrades. One of the weaker level 15 abilities when compared with the others IMHO as you do not get that many uses of it.
Overall the Steel Defender is a very good artificer. At level 11 its the best one easily S tier by artificer standards and probably up there with other powerful classes as well. Until level 11 though its just good. You'll probably want to use your replicate items on yourself though eg weapon and shield level 3+ or armor and weapon 6+ if you use a two handed weapon.
Cartographer.
Tools of the Trade Level 3.
All thematically appropriate for an Cartographer. Basic scrolls can be crafted reasonably quickly so you should be able to use that feature fairly often.
Cartographer Spells.
Fairly solid spell list especially level 1. One of the better lists in terms of usefulness.
Adventurers Atlas.
1d4 bonus to initiative is a minor bonus but you can do 4-6 targets and target them with spells even if you lack line of sight. Minor bonus that's always on and situational spell targeting. Solid but nothing super exciting.
Level 3. Mapping Magic.
Illuminated Cartography. You can cast faerie fire without using a spell slot equal to your intelligence modifier per day. I like faerie fire. Its not as good as 5.0 as advantage is a lot easier to come by. You also gain portal jump which seems to be an action free teleport effect. Seems good. Lots of faerie fire when you lack that many spell slots and a cheap teleport effect. Seems good to me.
level 5. Guided Precision.
This may as well read when you cast call lightning or hit an opponent with guiding bolt you can add your intelligence modifier to damage. Additionally concentration on Faerie Fire cant be broken via damage. In effect this makes the cartographer very weak at dealing damage. Casting cantrips is your best bet.
Level 9. Ingenious Movement. When you use your flash of genius you or a willing creature within 30' can teleport up to 30'. I'm always a fan of teleport effects and its on top of a very good ability that is easy to trigger quite often. Until you run out. Good ability.
Spell Storing item
You can stick call lightning or aura of vitality in your item. A basic call lightning at level 11 is very so so. An aura of vitality that you can spam however is very good. Healing is kind of a B tier ability but this is a lot of healing. 80d6-100d6 levels of healing. That is a lot.
Superior Atlas.
Super death ward effect +teleport and you can cast find the path 1/long rest.
The Cartographer is a hard one to rate. Its damage is anemic and weak even by artificer standards. There is just not much you can do to fix that with its class features, spells or weapons. D tier for damage. is the class bad? I don't think so it may even be good. However it takes a certain mentality to play this class. I think you have to be happy casting faerie fire a lot and playing pure support as a back up healer. And give away your created items. At level 11 you can become a primary healer. You're still an artificer. You're still a skill monkey if you build it right. Spamming scrolls is cheap and easy. The internet doesn't like this class but I think its better than the internet assumes. Its just bad at dealing damage. If you played this class right I think you would be very popular with the rest of the party and effective. Faerie fire spam is even very good especially at low level. Unfortunately you are probably better off having a life cleric or some sort of bard built around support. Its really hard to rate. Everyone else will love having you in the party. You have to enjoy ,making others better and taking one for the team. I'll be generous and give it a B-.
Conclusions
Overall I think the Artificer is a big improvement over the 5.0 version. Much like the 5.0 version its a late bloomer with very powerful level 11 ability across 4/5 of the subclasses. 3/5 of them can deal decent damage in a variety of ways. The spell storing item is a bit of a hot mess however balance wise and fun wise as I suspect RAI you can put upcast lower level spells in it. RAW you cannot. The subclasses also peak power wise all over the place. Steel Guardian for example is reasonably smooth, the Artillerist is good at certain levels.
There is also way to much campaign variance in its power. Specifically how much time you have to craft items. How the DM handles the crafting rules and how many items the DM hands out. On paper a few sublcasses also stand out at level 11 but that equation changes a lot in short campaigns (6-10 sessions) and if you fail to reach level 11.
Overall I'm giving is a B. It gets nudged up or down (B to a B= then A- etc). The better subclasses might hit A tier overall while a level 11+ Battlesmith may be S tier as well not just cf any other artificer.
+1. The DM is stingy at handing out magic items.
-1 The DM is generous at handing out magic items.
-1 If the DM doesn't like magic item creation rules or time is very tight.
+1 If you hit level 11/high level in general (better items, more attunement, that level 11 ability)
+1 If the DM is generous with time and magic item creation.
Generally I like the class and would be happy enough to play any of them. Probably wouldn't play the Battlesmith as I don't really like pet classes. Its a lot better at lower levels than the 5.0 version IMHO.
