Artificer Guide 5e: Infusions, Tools, and Complete Builds

An Artificer can improve the party’s equipment before a fight, control space during one, and make a crucial save more likely to succeed once Flash of Genius comes online. Build around something your party regularly needs. Your infusions and subclass can give you a dependable answer while your prepared spells change with the job.

This guide uses the Artificer from Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything with 2014 D&D 5e rules. The revised class appeared in the 2025 supplement Eberron: Forge of the Artificer, and has its own comparison below.

Artificer quick build

Start as a rock gnome with Intelligence 17, Dexterity 14, and Constitution 16. Wear scale mail and take a light crossbow and thieves’ tools. Learn Mending and Fire Bolt. Prepare Cure Wounds, Faerie Fire, and Detect Magic at level 1. At 2, learn Repeating Shot and Enhanced Defense and use them on your crossbow and armor. At 3, take Battle Smith to attack with Intelligence using your infused crossbow and to gain a Steel Defender.

Tools, preparation, and spellcasting

Intelligence sets your spell attack and save DC, determines your preparation count, and powers several class features. Dexterity 14 fills the usual medium armor Dexterity allowance. Constitution helps you keep concentration and Artificers already have Constitution saving throw proficiency.

Legacy Artificer spells require a qualifying focus in hand, even when a spell normally has no material component. Start with thieves’ tools or artisan’s tools you are proficient with. From level 2, you can also use an item bearing one of your infusions. An infused shield can solve the focus hand problem for your Artificer spells. You still need the actual priced or consumed material when a spell calls for it. This class-specific focus rule does not extend to spells you cast as another class. Spell components and focuses

Prepare a number of Artificer spells equal to your Intelligence modifier plus half your Artificer level rounded down, with a minimum of one. You can revise the list after a long rest. Subclass spells are always prepared at the listed levels and do not count against that total. You can ritual-cast a prepared Artificer spell with the ritual tag. At 5 you have four 1st-level and two 2nd-level slots, which return on a long rest.

• At level 1, Faerie Fire can help the party focus on exposed enemies, and Cure Wounds gets an ally up if you can reach them. Detect Magic is a useful ritual when there is time.
• At level 5, Web can interrupt a charge, while Aid can improve the party’s staying power for several encounters without concentration. If you already have a strong concentration spell running, use a cantrip or another spell that leaves it in place.
• Before an encounter, decide where your reaction will matter. At 7, Flash of Genius can add your Intelligence modifier to an ability check or save for you or a creature you can see within 30 feet. In the legacy rules you react just after the roll and before its effects apply. You have a number of uses equal to your Intelligence modifier, at least one, per long rest.

Infusions and how to allocate them

At Artificer 2 you know four infusions and can have two infused items active. After a long rest, apply an infusion you know to a suitable nonmagical object. Check each infusion’s item type and attunement requirements. Each object can bear only one infusion at a time, and each infusion generally occupies only one object at a time. Replicate Magic Item can be learned separately for different items. If you exceed your active item cap, the oldest infusion ends. Keep a note of what you handed out and what would vanish or lose its magic if replaced.

Early choice	What it contributes	Planning detail
Enhanced Defense	+1 AC on suitable armor or a shield at level 2	Use it on someone who takes attacks often, or keep it on the shield you cast through
Enhanced Weapon	+1 to attack and damage with a suitable weapon at level 2	A simple way to give an ally a magic weapon
Repeating Shot	+1 to attack and damage, ignores loading, and supplies its own ammunition when needed	Requires attunement and a suitable ranged weapon. A light crossbow still takes two hands to fire
Enhanced Arcane Focus	+1 to spell attacks and lets the holder ignore half cover for spell attacks	Requires attunement and a rod, staff, or wand
Replicate Magic Item	Access to a specific magic item option, such as a Bag of Holding	Select the item when learning the infusion, and budget an active slot for it

Revisit the allocation after a long rest when you know what lies ahead. A crossbow that attacks twice thanks to Repeating Shot will usually serve a Battle Smith better in a fight than a bag. On a retrieval job, you might prioritize carrying capacity and let an older infusion end if needed. Plan the order in which you apply new infusions, since you cannot dismiss an active infusion at will. An infused item is also a potential focus for its creator, so decide what you will cast through before giving away your last infusion.

Artificer progression by class level

Level	Milestone
1	Magical Tinkering, tool-based Spellcasting, and two cantrips
2	Infuse Item, four known and two active
3	Specialist subclass and The Right Tool for the Job
4	Ability Score Improvement or optional feat
5	2nd-level spells and subclass feature
6	Tool Expertise, six infusions known and three active
7	Flash of Genius
8	Ability Score Improvement or optional feat
9	3rd-level spells and subclass feature
10	Magic Item Adept, four attunement slots, third cantrip, and eight infusions known with four active
11	Spell-Storing Item
12	Ability Score Improvement or optional feat
13	4th-level spells
14	Magic Item Savant, five attunement slots, and ten infusions known with five active
15	Subclass feature
16	Ability Score Improvement or optional feat
17	5th-level spells
18	Magic Item Master, six attunement slots, fourth cantrip, and twelve infusions known with six active
19	Ability Score Improvement or optional feat
20	Soul of Artifice helps saves while attuned and can keep you at 1 HP by ending an infusion under its conditions

At 11, after a long rest, the legacy Spell-Storing Item lets you store an eligible 1st- or 2nd-level spell from the Artificer list in a simple weapon, martial weapon, or one of your spellcasting focuses. Choose a spell with a one-action casting time, even if you did not prepare it. A creature holding the item can use the Use an Object action to produce the effect with your spellcasting ability and handles concentration if required. You get a number of uses equal to twice your Intelligence modifier, with a minimum of two, and storing another spell ends any remaining uses. For example, put Web in the item and give it to a companion who can spare their action and concentration.

Choosing an Artificer specialist

The four options below use the versions in Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything. The class and these subclasses come from a supplement.

Specialist	Choose it for	Tradeoff
Battle Smith	Intelligence-based attacks with magic weapons and a Steel Defender at 3, then Extra Attack at 5	Commanding the defender competes for your bonus action, and your weapon has to be magical for Intelligence to apply
Artillerist	A cannon that offers ranged damage, area damage, or protection, plus a stronger spell damage roll at 5	Creating the cannon takes an action, and using it on later turns takes a bonus action
Armorer	A heavy-armor option and a choice between Guardian defense or Infiltrator mobility and ranged attacks	The armor model shapes your position and role, and model changes require the feature’s rest and tool conditions
Alchemist	Elixirs, support spells, and a boost to qualifying spell rolls at 5	Your free daily elixir’s result is random, and extra chosen elixirs cost a spell slot apiece

Three complete legacy Artificer builds

All builds use 27-point buy in Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma order. Start with two simple weapons (dagger and quarterstaff), a light crossbow and 20 bolts, scale mail, thieves’ tools, and a dungeoneer’s pack, plus your background equipment. Scale mail imposes disadvantage on Stealth. Shields and any focus wands mentioned below are purchases. Fixed HP increases are used. At level 5 all have slots 4/2. These builds require Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything for the class and subclasses and use 2014 rules for equipment, race, spells, and background.

Rock gnome Battle Smith marksman

• Scores. Start 8, 14, 15, 15, 10, 8. Rock gnome adds two Intelligence and one Constitution for 8, 14, 16, 17, 10, 8. At 4 raise Intelligence and Wisdom by one each. At 8 raise Intelligence to 20.
• Skills and tools. Guild Artisan grants Insight and Persuasion. Take Investigation and Perception as class skills. Choose jeweler’s tools from the background and carpenter’s tools from the class, then gain smith’s tools at 3.
• Spells and infusions. Learn Fire Bolt and Mending. At 1 prepare Cure Wounds, Faerie Fire, and Detect Magic. At 5 prepare those three plus Grease, Aid, and Web. Battle Smith also gives you Heroism, Shield, Branding Smite, and Warding Bond by 5. Learn Repeating Shot, Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Weapon, and Replicate Magic Item for a Bag of Holding at 2. Keep Repeating Shot on your crossbow and Enhanced Defense on your armor.
• At 5. AC 17 before Shield, HP 43, spell save DC 15, and spell attack +7. Attack twice with the infused crossbow at +8 for 1d8 + 5 per hit. The Steel Defender uses your +7 spell attack modifier for its Force-Empowered Rend.
• Turn. Fire twice from a clear position, then use a bonus action to command the defender to attack on its turn, which follows yours. Leave it beside an ally when its defensive reaction could help. The defender competes with any other bonus-action plan, and your crossbow leaves no room for a shield while firing.

Human Artillerist battlefield support

• Scores. Start 8, 13, 15, 15, 9, 11. Standard human adds one to each for 9, 14, 16, 16, 10, 12. Raise Intelligence by two at both 4 and 8.
• Skills and tools. Sage grants Arcana and History. Take Investigation and Perception as class skills. Choose smith’s tools at 1 and gain woodcarver’s tools at 3.
• Spells and infusions. Learn Fire Bolt and Mage Hand. At 1 prepare Cure Wounds, Faerie Fire, and Detect Magic. At 5 prepare those three plus Aid, Grease, and Web. Artillerist also prepares Shield, Thunderwave, Scorching Ray, and Shatter by 5. Learn Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Arcane Focus, Enhanced Weapon, and Replicate Magic Item for a Bag of Holding at 2. Use Enhanced Defense on a purchased shield and Enhanced Arcane Focus on a purchased wand. At 5 make that wand your Arcane Firearm.
• At 5. AC 19 before Shield, HP 43, spell save DC 15, and spell attack +8 while holding the infused wand. Fire Bolt cast through the Arcane Firearm deals 2d10 + 1d8 on a hit. The Protector cannon can grant 1d8 + 4 temporary HP to qualifying creatures within 10 feet when you activate it.
• Turn. If the cannon is already in position, cast Web as an action and activate Protector as a bonus action to help allies who will hold the near side. You can create a cannon once per long rest for free and spend slots to create another under the feature. A cannon lasts up to an hour, so creating one too early can waste its free use.

Hill dwarf Alchemist field medic

• Scores. Start 8, 14, 13, 15, 13, 9. Hill dwarf adds two Constitution and one Wisdom for 8, 14, 15, 15, 14, 9. At 4 raise Constitution and Intelligence by one each, then raise Intelligence to 18 at 8.
• Skills and tools. Acolyte grants Insight and Religion. Take Medicine and Nature as class skills. For the class’s starting artisan’s tool proficiency, choose brewer’s supplies and gain proficiency with alchemist’s supplies at 3.
• Spells and infusions. Learn Fire Bolt and Guidance. At 1 prepare Cure Wounds and Detect Magic. At 5 prepare those two plus Faerie Fire, Aid, and Lesser Restoration. Alchemist also prepares Healing Word, Ray of Sickness, Flaming Sphere, and Melf’s Acid Arrow by 5. Learn Enhanced Defense, Enhanced Weapon, Enhanced Arcane Focus, and Replicate Magic Item for a Bag of Holding. Infuse your purchased shield with Enhanced Defense and put Enhanced Weapon on a companion’s eligible weapon. Buy alchemist’s supplies for use as your spell focus.
• At 5. AC 19, HP 48 including Dwarven Toughness, spell save DC 14, and spell attack +6. A 1st-level Healing Word cast with alchemist’s supplies restores 1d4 + 6 through Alchemical Savant. Keep the supplies in the hand opposite your shield for that bonus.
• Turn. Use Healing Word to revive an ally at range and Fire Bolt through your supplies as your action cantrip. When possible, distribute an elixir before a fight so the recipient can choose when to spend their action drinking it. For a specific extra elixir, budget a spell slot and an action to create it.

Feats, multiclassing, and field decisions

Intelligence improves your spell DC, preparation count, and later Flash of Genius. It can also improve your subclass’s signature moves. War Caster (2014 Player’s Handbook) adds advantage on concentration saves caused by damage, even though you already have Constitution save proficiency. It does not remove the Artificer’s focus requirement. Sharpshooter from the same book can fit a Battle Smith who regularly shoots at long range or through cover. Decide whether the accuracy penalty on its optional damage trade is worth taking against the current target.

Multiclassing requires Intelligence 13 for Artificer and the other class’s prerequisite. When combining Artificer with a class that also has Spellcasting, Artificer levels contribute half, rounded up, to shared slots. You still prepare spells for each class separately. A Wizard level adds options but delays Artificer subclass features, infusions, and Flash of Genius. Taking Artificer after another starting class does not grant its Constitution saving throw proficiency.

Before an expedition, ask who will carry each infused item and who has a hand free to use it. In a collapsing ruin, the best preparation may be an infused shield you can cast through, an open concentration slot for Web, and a Flash of Genius use saved for the ally trying to secure a rope.

Revised Artificer for the 2024 rules

Eberron: Forge of the Artificer released the revised class in 2025. Use the rules from the book your table chose, including its subclass and spell versions.

Topic	Tasha’s Artificer	Forge of the Artificer
Spell preparation	Intelligence modifier plus half class level, rounded down	Fixed preparation count from the class table and one cantrip swap after a long rest
Level 1 invention	Magical Tinkering gives small objects minor effects	Tinker’s Magic teaches Mending and can create eligible mundane gear with a Magic action
Level 2 equipment	Infuse a suitable nonmagical item using an infusion you know	Replicate Magic Item uses learned plans to create eligible magic items
Level 6 tools and items	Tool Expertise doubles proficiency for applicable tool checks	Magic Item Tinker can recharge, drain, or transform replicated items under its own limits
Flash of Genius	React after the roll, before applying its effects	React when an eligible check or save fails. Advanced Artifice adds short-rest recovery for one use at 14
Spell-Storing Item	Stores eligible 1st- or 2nd-level spells	Can also store eligible 3rd-level spells, but cannot store a spell with a consumed material component
Specialists	Alchemist, Armorer, Artillerist, and Battle Smith	Revises those four and adds Cartographer
Level 19	Ability Score Improvement or optional feat	Epic Boon or another feat you qualify for

If your build revolves around Repeating Shot, check the revised item’s entry and plan requirements before converting.

Artificer FAQ

Do I have to hold my tools if I have an infusion? Starting at level 2, an item bearing one of your infusions can also serve as your legacy Artificer focus. Some subclass features specifically reward using a particular focus, such as alchemist’s supplies for Alchemical Savant.

Can I put Enhanced Defense on an already magical shield? Legacy Infuse Item starts with a suitable nonmagical object. A mundane shield is eligible if it meets the infusion’s requirements.

Does my Steel Defender always use my bonus action? It can move and use its own reaction without a command. It normally Dodges on its turn unless you spend a bonus action to command a different action, with an exception when you are incapacitated.

Rules sources. Tasha’s Cauldron of Everything, the official legacy Artificer overview, and the 2014 Sage Advice Compendium cover the class. SRD 5.1 supports the general 2014 rules used in the builds. The comparison uses Eberron: Forge of the Artificer and the official revised Artificer overview. Builds and examples are original.