At what distance can an Artificer Battle Smith command his Steel Defender?

Question

The Tasha's Cauldron of Everything brings the most recent version of the Artificer and the Battle Smith subclass, who gains a companion called Steel Defender at level 3. In the description of the Steel Defender ability, there is a part of the text that states:

[...] In combat, the defender shares your initiative coutn, but it takes its turn immediately after yours. It can move and use its reaction on its own, but the only action it takes on its turn is the Dodge action, unless you take a bonus action on your turn to command it to take an action. [...]

Altought it states that you have to take an bonus action on your turn to command it to take an action, there is no limitation regarding the distance between the two. Since nothing restricts regarding this condition, by RAW you could command it whenever you are by taking a bonus action. But this sounds off in some cases, like when they are really far apart from each other (miles away for example).

Is there any other official rules that could be used to support a maximum distance between then for the artificer be able to command it?

Answer 1

The distance is limited to the range of your ability to "command"

Things do only what they say they do - you can command it. Whether that command can be audible, visual, tactile, olfactory etc. is not specified so it is a matter of DM ruling. Once that is established, then your ability to command is tied to the effective radius of that.

Note that you do not gain a telepathic link with the Steel Defender but if you acquired one through another feature, you could presumably issue telepathic commands. And so on ...