How to start a Machinist?

Dear All,

- I have reached level 50 with my 'big' char and unlocked machinist and npc named "Rostnsthal" is available for 'Master of Marksmanship' quest
- I have levelled a completely new char to 30 archer + 15 lancer just to be machinists

My question would be the following:
- Will my low-level character (30arch/15lanc) be able to take machinist as his first job (and if yes what is needed [story line progress, ect..]) ?
- or only the lvl 50 (black mage) will be able to re-roll as a lvl30 gunner and machinize?

Many thanks in advance for every kind soul who takes the time to answer my question

I don't think I understand the phrasing correctly but let me try explaining specific game points and maybe that's the answer you were looking for.

FFXIV as you have probably known by now, has a unique character system, you're able to level all professions including gathering/crafting on one character. With that, it's up to you which of your characters become your so called "main" and doesn't have any additional restrictions besides the level restriction itself. In easy words, if you unlocked machinist (MCH) you can play it at that level 30 and level it all the way to 60 (70 in upcoming expansion), it does not matter if your black mage (BLM) is only level 15/30/50/55/60 because it doesn't effect the actual machinist job by itself.

However, when switching back to your black mage as example, you would be only the level you stopped at. You're not automatically the same level as your machinist (that only works for the duo job aka smn/sch) and would have to level that job if you're interested in playing it.

The only time were it matters that you have a level 50 character already, and finished the ARR story line, is the moment you want to play Machinist (MCH), Astrologian (AST), Dark Knight (DRK) because these jobs are not unlocked at character creation and can only be unlocked in Ishgard. You won't be able to access the Heavensward expansion (HW) without having finished the orginial/base game (ARR). But you did that already.

With that out of the way, if you're staying on that one character (in your case your black mage lvl 50) and level all your jobs there, then there's no additional requirements/restrictions applied and you can "main" your machinist if you chose to do that. But if you're now making a new character on the same server/other server then this doesn't automatically unlock the new jobs on that alt/new character. You would have to go through the whole procedure again:

Level 1 character of war/magic to level 50
Finish the whole Final Fantasy Reborn base game
Enter Ishgard and pick up one of the new jobs that were only added with the expansion.

I hope that gives you some clarity or maybe other people can answer your question better.

First you want to get cross traits to 50 at some point. Second Mechanic shines based on Dex and how you use your ammo. Quest line is based on on Job only. So technically you continue to level 60 on mech if you wanted it's an extra job. If you don't want to be put down makes sure you have all your cross class done to insure you are at your best. Just a tip.

All your characters are separate and progress does not share between them at all. However you can have all classes/jobs on one character, though they all level separately. To unlock Machinist you need to be 50 and have completed the A Realm Reborn main story quests up to the quest "Before the Dawn" (the last quest from patch 2.55) and then done the quest following that which lets you enter Ishgard. Once you enter Ishgard you can go pick up the quest to become a Machinist there and unlock the job. Machinist is not available as a starting job. If the second character you're talking about is not the same one as your character that's a Black Mage, then your second character will not be able to play Machinist until you've unlocked Ishgard on that character.

Many thanks Luna!!

English is my second language and I'm still elarning it so apologies for the mistakes in grammar and in phrasing.
This was the part i was looking for:
"
But if you're now making a new character on the same server/other server then this doesn't automatically unlock the new jobs on that alt/new character. You would have to go through the whole procedure again:

Level 1 character of war/magic to level 50
Finish the whole Final Fantasy Reborn base game
Enter Ishgard and pick up one of the new jobs that were only added with the expansion.
"

My question would have been, to avoid gringing levels for machinigst with the black mage, and enjoy levelling it with the new low level char - whether it is possible or not?!
Buy you answered it. Thanks again!

If your BLM decides to pick up a gun(as it sounds like you have it unlocked now), you dont default to your BLM level. Your machinist level would start at 30(the HW jobs start at 30, the other classes currently available start at 1), and you would start leveling it up from there. So you would be going through the 30-50 level range again(and potentially on to 60 and beyond), just without having to replay the quests.