Pondering on Machinist lore rationalisation

[RyuujinZERO]

Sorry in advance if this is the wrong forum.

I'm just pondering aloud, but how will the machinist be rationalised do you think from a narrative perspective. Assuming the Machinist isn't "locked" behind leveling a crafting class first (Which seems unlikely, though I may be wrong), the player might not know the first thing about crafting.

Yet from what I gather the machinist doesn't merely "use robots and guns", he tinkers with them, builds them etc. The GSM story arc suggests that GSM is the class traditionally associated with building automata like mammots, since the fine clockwork components are in the domain of jewellery in terms of techniques used. While the plating and rotors seen on some robots are more the domain of armoursmiths. Then of course guns, with their need for high quality, sturdy components are likely to be the domain of BSM or ARM. The ceruleum fuel used is also shown to be very bleeding edge, and is only encountered by crafters in the ixal story arc, even then most the machining is done on specialised equipment rather than with traditional crafts alone.

So how do you think it'll be rationalised that a lvl 50 machinist/level 0 crafter will be able to tinker with highly sophisticated ceruleum fuel systems and automated robots, which the lore already establishes are the domain of experienced crafters?

Will the class be in some way locked behind achieving at least a certain level in a crafting class do you think? (A move I approve of, but undoubtedly would enrage people who just want to shoot guns)

Do you suppose the story stress the player is simply using the tools he is given, not really tinkering with them himself? (Making him less of a machinist, and more an engineer?)

Or will it just be handwaved jarringly, that the player is a master machinist, yet simultaneously incapable of even the most basic workshop crafting

Obviously we won't know the answers til Heavensward comes out but, it's just something that's bugging me and I'm wondering if anyone else has thought about or has answers to I missed.

[Fenral]

Or will it just be handwaved jarringly, that the player is a master machinist, yet simultaneously incapable of even the most basic workshop crafting

This. The Warrior of Light is a magical unicorn princess with the ability to be a natural-born anything as soon as s/he picks up the required tool for the job, at the cost of forgetting all but 5 (or 10) of their other acquired skills.

Actually, I suspect it's a combination of the above plus the knowledge inside the usual Soul Crystal. A Soul Crystal that will be of absolutely no use to your armoring, blacksmithing, goldmithing, mammet-fixing endeavors.

The writers seem perfectly content with pretending the WoL is only good at whatever Job s/he's on at the time, so I suspect it'll just be more of the same.

[Ametrine]

I'm leaning on the engineer side.

The class quests have you testing the new technology some people in Ishgard are reconfiguring from Garlean tech or something.

"I'll build you cool new toys, if you use them! Just let me know how it works out and maybe we'll have a new weapon to edge out the dragons!"

I guess.

[Garlyle]

I have a feeling you'll see most of the construction-based skills taught from job quests for precisely this reason. And hey, you don't necessarily need to know how to smith the individual parts to build an engine - just what you plug that engine into.