“Just how obscure is that job crystal in lore terms?”: a heirarchy

All of the soul crystals still require from the user hard work, and experience in the discipline, to activate:

The wisdom in a soul crystal, however, is not so easily drawn forth - an untrained neophyte cannot simply pick up one of these gems and expect his mind to be flooded with the knowledge of advanced spellcraft or combat techniques. Without first attaining sufficient proficiency and tempering one’s soul to mirror the maturity of the crystal’s contributors, a prospective student will be denied even the slightest glimpse of enlightenment. Thus, as is the case with the more contemporary disciplines, the key to mastering the secrets of a soul crystal lies in diligent study and training.

Below I will attempt to detail how tough the crystals are to come by, and some of the challenges in obtaining and retaining them. I wrote it based on impressions from the lore book, and the quests up to level 40 or so.

Make sure to read the notes for corrections and expansions, as I’m sure people will have some to add!


Tier 1: Freely Available - literally just show up

The only challenges in obtaining these soul crystals is in getting to the location in which they are handed out, and in attaining the level of notoriety as a dependable fighter that’s needed to persuade the people in question that you’re worthy.

Machinist

Region: Ishgard
Era: Recent
Discipline: Handheld firearms and aetherotransformer technology
How to obtain: Stephanivien de Haillenarte seems perfectly content to shove a soul crystal into the hands of any accomplished-seeming adventurer who would take one.
Challenges: The soul crystal doesn’t actually contain any knowledge to speed learning, so your character would be learning at an average pace, not an accelerated one. Lastly, firearms are not legal in all of the city-states - Limsa Lominsa is noted for requiring a firearms license in order to carry one within city limits.


Tier 2: Military - available via Grand Companies or other paramilitary organisations who will recruit outsiders

These soul crystals are theoretically available to people of any background. However, the character must attain a high level of military success within the given city-state before they will be given a chance to come into contact with such a crystal.

Bard

Region: Gridania
Era: 11th Century, 6th Astral Era
Discipline: Bow and arrow, harp, voice
How to obtain: The Order of the Twin Adder is considering the integration of bards and their traditional battlesongs into their company’s regular army.
Challenges: Battlesong is a lost art, so crystals are relatively rare. Although the Order of the Twin Adder is the most reliable method to come into contact with a crystal, there is no guaranteed route to obtaining one.

Paladin

Region: Ul’dah
Era: Between the years 960 and 970, Sixth Astral Era
Discipline: Sword, shield, defensive and restorative aether
How to obtain: Until recently, the only way to obtain a Paladin soul crystal was to join the Sultansworn. However, there are now free paladins - those who are believed to be worthy of a crystal, but who are not sworn in duty to the Sultana.
Challenges: Obtaining the approval of the Sultansworn still involves making a good impression upon them; as the organisation is Royalist, money and self-serving acts are unlikely to sway their decision.

Warrior

Region: Abalathia’s Spine
Era: Unknown (pre-11th Century, 6th Astral Era)
Discipline: Axe, control of the Inner Beast
How to obtain: The Maelstrom have formed a provisional unit of elite troops who are being trained in the ways of the Abalathian warriors. 
Challenges: One must attain a highly decorated position before being considered by the Maelstrom for training. Alternatively, one must have originated from one of the scattered Hellsguard tribes of Abalathia’s Spine.


Tier 3: Historic - rare, but not heavily restricted

These soul crystals are rare - they are usually from forgotten or persecuted arts from ages past, and so looking for them is like looking for a needle in a haystack in a restricted historical digsite. However, although these disciplines can be dangerous, they are not common enough to be explicitly outlawed by the Eorzean Alliance.

Dark Knight

Region: Ishgard
Era: Year 968, Sixth Astral Era
Discipline: Greatsword, Dark Arts
How to obtain: I would say these soul crystals are among the least reliable to obtain. They are probably mostly found on the corpses of late dark knights. Although it seems an order of dark knights loosely exists, there is very little formal organisation to it, and seeking one out directly would be folly. More reliable would be to engage in acts of vigilante justice within Ishgard’s territories, and wait for them to notice you.
Challenges: The Dark Arts are illegal within Ishgard, and while not necessarily explicitly illegal elsewhere, they certainly would look questionable at best. Furthermore, the act of controlling the crystal - and not being consumed by it - is a challenge in itself. Lastly, the scattered nature of other Dark Knights means that obtaining a crystal on purpose is going to be very difficult.

Scholar

Region: Nym
Era: Fifth Astral Era
Discipline: Arcane support
How to obtain: Scholar soul crystals are most commonly excavated from Nymian ruins upon Vylbrand. The tonberries of the Wanderers’ Palace are - being Nymian themselves, although no longer capable of utilising soul crystals - another important resource when it comes to harnessing the power of the Scholar.
Challenges: The tablets which accompany Scholar soul crystals are not written in a modern language, and must be translated. Without guidance from an archaeologist, or from a tonberry, it is unlikely that many would be able to make sense of the Scholar discipline. Furthermore, finding a crystal in the first place - even when looking for one on purpose - is an endeavour that requires either connections, money, time, or luck in large quantities.

Summoner

Region: The Allagan Empire
Era: End of the Third Astral Era
Discipline: Harnessing residual aether from a Primal
How to obtain: Summoner soul crystals are most commonly excavated from late Allagan ruins such as those around the Crystal Tower. The Sons of Saint Coinach and related Sharlayan scholars guard these soul crystals and give them to promising students who are recorded as having survived an encounter with a weaker embodiment of Ifrit, Titan, or Garuda.
Challenges: Not only must have one obtained a base amount of skill in arcanima, but one must also have survived the defeat of a Primal with one’s mind in tact. It is possible, but rare, for this to happen to people without the Echo. Additionally, because the egi look very similar to actual Primals, users of this discipline may face questions from the authorities when working in public. Association with an official organisation such as the Sons of Saint Coinach may serve to curb the risk there.


Tier 4: Restricted - only available to decorated citizens of a certain nation

These disciplines are usually only available to members of elite military units to specific, non-Alliance nations. They are generally not open to outsiders (unlike the Rank 2 crystals, which can be obtained by high-ranked foreign levy members).

For purposes of this section, Ishgard is listed as non-Alliance, because their rejoining of the Alliance coincided exactly with the presumed retiring of the Dragoon discipline.

Astrologian

Region: Sharlayan
Era: Onset of the Sixth Astral Era
Discipline: Astromancy, divination
How to obtain: Be Sharlayan by citizenship - i.e. by birth. Astromancy is one of the disciplines that the Sharlayans kept to themselves, refusing to teach to foreign students.
Challenges: Astromancy can be dangerous - which is why its teaching is restricted. Sharlayan forbids disciplines that could be utilised in war to be taught to outsiders, and astromancy is one of them. If your character showed any propensity to aiding in foreign wars, it is unlikely they would be granted lessons.

Dragoon

Region: Ishgard
Era: 6th Century, Sixth Astral Era
Discipline: Lance, acrobatics, harnessing of the Inner Dragon
How to obtain: Be Ishgardian. Join the military. Kill a dragon. Be selected for joining the Knights Dragoon. Survive the brutal hazing, and the relentless, traumatic training. Claim your drachenmail and your soul crystal.
Challenges: Although the path of the dragoon is open to highborn and lowborn alike, it is a much sought after method of ascending the ranks into knighthood. Competition for dragon kills is fierce - and lesser dragonkin, such as aevis and tulihand, are not counted. It must be a true, fully-grown dragon. Another barrier to outsiders learning this discipline - besides Ishgard’s xenophobia - is that the “Inner Dragon” harnessed for the Dragoon’s Jump and other such skills is a uniquely Ishgardian trait, one that sets Ishgardians apart as their own sub-species. If your character has no Ishgardian blood, then they cannot master the path of the Dragoon (the Warrior of Light being the exception, not the rule). Finally, this discipline is effectively retired during the course of the MSQ. New recruit numbers will be low, if they exist at all - the number of (post-3.3) currently active Knights Dragoon is listed as 10.

Monk*

Region: Ala Mhigo
Era: 6th Century, Sixth Astral Era
Discipline: Martial arts, chakra manipulation
How to obtain: Be Ala Mhigan. Have been part of the Fist of Rhalgr, which was destroyed in 1552 - so your character must be of a certain age, too.
Challenges: King Theodoric did his best to wipe the monks out, so survivors are few and far between. Outsiders are extremely unlikely to come by a soul crystal, and even if they did, the chances of them resonating with the crystal’s essence enough to activate it are dwindlingly small.

Ninja*

Region: Hingashi
Era: Unknown
Discipline: Twin shortblades, ninjutsu
How to obtain: Be from Hingashi or Doma. Work your way up through their military ranks, gaining respect from your peers and superiors. Earn your surname upon mastering ninjutsu.
Challenges: Although it’s unclear what social standing one must possess in order to train as a shinobi, it’s clear the training itself requires single-minded dedication. They are also shown to be a part of the establishment in the cities they are present in, so anti-law characters are unlikely to become shinobi. Because this soul crystal does not originate in Eorzea, the chances of outsiders finding one, for example, laying on a corpse is somewhat smaller. The only thing that raise those chances again is the existence of Garlemald-aligned shinobi.

* This was written during late Heavensward. New information on these two disciplines is likely to come out during Stormblood; be prepared for that.


Tier 5: Illegal - those in possession without permission from the authorities will be marked for death

Black Mage

Region: Mhach
Era: Fifth Astral Era
Discipline: Black Magic
How to obtain: Mhachi ruins, or get lucky and loot one from a corpse. If your character is high-ranking law enforcement - especially Order of Nald’thal - it’s possible they could come into contact with one via confiscated contraband.
Challenges: Black magic is highly illegal and easily detected, due to the method which it uses to draw aether for a spell. It’s also lethal when attempted without a soul crystal. Because of this last fact, soul crystals are in high demand by outlaws with a lust for power, so those who take the black must be prepared to not only live outside the law, but also to defend themselves from all sorts.

White Mage

Region: Ampador
Era: Fifth Astral Era
Discipline: White Magic
How to obtain: Be born Padjali. Or… be a decorated Hearer and/or high-ranked Conjurer who is chosen by the Padjal and the Elementals to take the white. This kind of sanction is incredibly rare, and the number of people in the lore with it is very restricted. By some player consensuses, it can be counted on one hand - by other consensuses, on one finger (i.e. the WoL).
Challenges: White magic, like black magic, draws aether from the surrounding world in a unique way. It has a bloody history, and its power was taken away from the races of man on purpose by the Elementals of the Black Shroud. Any caster attempting it without sanction may well be killed - either by a vengeful tree or by some vengeful Gridanians.