Not every situation in Eorzea should be solved with powerful spells or advanced sword techniques. Actually, players can use flamethrowers, bombs, and a mech, punching enemies while playing Machinist in Final Fantasy XIV.
Machinist is all about damage and is the perfect pick for those who think enemies aren’t a problem if you can quickly get rid of them. More streamlined than the other physical ranged DPS, Machinists only care about what they lay their aim on. Helping others is not among the priorities of the job, which is a departure from the other two physical ranged DPS, Dancer and Bard, who give plenty of party buffs.
How to unlock Machinist in FFXIV
While most jobs in FFXIV require players to level up a class to unlock them, Machinist is part of a select group of jobs which are not tied to any specific class. If players want to start playing Machinist, they only need to have a job at level 50. However, the “Savior of Skysteel” quest that unlocks the job is found in a location accessible only once players get to the Heavensward expansion. Once players begin navigating this unexplored cold land, they can get the quest with Stephanivien, an NPC found in Foundation at X: 8.1, Y: 10.1.
An introduction to Machinist
Introduced to the game in Heavensward, Machinist has come a long way to get to where it is now. As one of the three physical ranged DPS jobs, Machinist has a flashy visual identity to distinguish it from the others. Additionally, the whole concept behind this job’s kit makes it quite unique.
This job’s core concept is to align damage skills with buffs and specific abilities so Machinists can hit the high numbers. While Machinist may be less complex than other DPS jobs in the game, mastering it is far from an easy task. The job is very punitive when it comes to mistakes. If players fail to perform the Machinist’s rotation correctly, it leads to a major loss in damage. The job also requires attention from players to manage the resources used by some skills.
Machinists have a pretty rigid rotation and don't have procs to keep track of. This allows them to have more time to focus on solving mechanics and surviving the fight. Along with a simple single target standard combo, the job also has great abilities to use against groups of enemies.
When considering playing Machinist, especially in Extreme Trials and Savage Raids, it’s fundamental to understand that it’s expected from this job to cause a lot of damage because it lacks other functions to justify its place in a group. Machinist’s also have the unique ability to summon a mech to fight for them, increasing their personal damage. This feature strays from the typical buffs Bards and Dancers are given, which boost damage for party members. Unlike these two, the Machinist isn’t capable of offering as much utility to the team, although it has a couple of abilities that can assist the group. First is Tactician which reduces the damage taken by the player and those close to them by 10 percent. The other ability is Dismantle, which is a powerful debuff that Machinists can use on the enemy, lowering the damage dealt by 10 percent.
For a thorough look at each of Machinist's skills, players can check the Square Enix official guide.
FFXIV Level 90 Machinist skill rotation and opener
Since hitting enemies with everything players have is the bread and butter of playing Machinist, learning and using both the opener and the skill rotation is crucial. This is a very punitive job, so players might have a hard time at first as they learn to play the job.
The standard opener for Machinist is the Delayed Tools Opener which goes as follows:
- Tincture of Dexterity (-2 seconds)
- Heated Split Shot
- Gauss Round
- Ricochet
- Drill
- Barrel Stabilizer
- Heated Slug Shot
- Ricochet
- Heated Clean Shot
- Reassemble
- Gaus Round
- Air Anchor
- Reassemble
- Wildfire
- Chain Saw
- Automaton Queen
- Hypercharge
- Heat Blast
- Ricochet
- Heat Blast
- Gauss Round
- Heat Blast
- Ricochet
- Heat Blast
- Gauss Round
- Heat Blast
- Ricochet
- Drill
After the opener is finished, players should focus on performing the two-minute bursts during a fight, which are the Machinist’s peak damage.
While performing rotations accurately is crucial when playing any job, there are also a few skills that can be used between burst windows. First, players must always try to use tool skills such as Air Anchor, Drill, and Chain Saw whenever they are out of cooldown. Not using these abilities in the right moment means delaying one’s rotation, leading to a rotation that is not aligned with the other party member’s buffs. Along these abilities, players should always cast the job’s standard combo Heated Split Shot > Heated Slug Shot > Heated Clean Shot. This combo doesn't break when players use other GCD skills, such as Heat Blast.
Machinist Battery and Heat Gauges in FFXIV
In the Machinist's kit, some skills generate Battery and Heat points required by other abilities. Because having the right amount of both resources is crucial to performing the two-minute bursts, players must learn how to manage them by using both Battery and Heat Gauges.
The Machinist’s standard combo and other abilities, such as Scattergun or Barrel Stabilizer generate Heat points. Once they have at least 50 Heat points, players can use Hypercharge, allowing players to cast either Heat Blast or Auto Crossbow. The Heat gauge displays the Heat points.
On the other hand, with the Battery gauge, players can keep track of Battery points. The standard combo and skills such as Hot Shot/Air Anchor and Chain Saw generate them. Spending Battery points is required to summon the Automaton Queen, the Machinist’s powerful mech. While using this ability only requires 50 Battery points, players should try their best to always deploy the mech when they have a higher value. Doing so increases the mech’s attack potency.
Players naturally generate Heat and Battery points during fights. Players need to prevent these resources to overcap by using skills which consume them between burst windows. However, at the same time, players should always try to keep at least 50 points of both resources, allowing them to use either Automaton Queen or Hypercharge when needed.
Machinist food, pot, and gear - current for patch 6.5
Players who want to prepare before jumping into end-game content must look for the best pieces of gear. While Machinist's current BiS uses pieces from the Ascension set and Augmented Credendum set as specified in Etro.gg, players who don’t have these pieces should aim for equipment with the highest ILvL while prioritizing the following stats: Dexterity > Critical Hit > Determination > Direct Hit > Skill Speed.
When it comes to food, players should run the Baked Eggplant and the Grade 8 Tincture of Dexterity.
