I know sometimes I’m a grognard for many reasons, but I feel like one of the genuine critiques of more recent editions is that they progressively water down Artificer each edition. We quit 4e before I could try them, but I read that they were just a casting leader class. In their 3.5 form, though, when Eberron was fresh from @HellcowKeith 's mind, Artificer was a casting class that had both arcane and divine "infusions" that were neither truly arcane or divine, and iirc, they had to be cast on an object every time.
— Christmas Isn't In Fucking November (@steamboat28) November 11, 2021
What I miss most from the 3.5 Artificer is Spell Storing Item, an infusion that let you potentially create up a one-use wand of nearly any low-level spell. It was risky and had a cost, but it was great for the MacGuyver “I can make just what we need” moments. I like 5E's approach to artificers using tools as their spellcasting foci—something I discuss in more detail in Exploring Eberron—but there are definitely things I miss from the 3.5 class.
— Keith Baker (@HellcowKeith) November 11, 2021