If you know anything about me, you know that I’m an extremely impatient person who lets all minor inconveniences get under his skin.
This year I was asked by a few colleagues to make an alt on another data center so I could complete Savage Raids with them, which meant having to redo the story of FFXIV and I have to say the biggest gripe I had was the fact that I couldn’t fly everywhere.
Even though I lived through the Dark Ages of not being able to fly in A Realm Reborn areas, I hardly even remember how awful it was trying to get around since I’ve been able to fly in these areas for a few years now.
For the most part, players can fly in all areas in FFXIV except for the major cities and some instanced areas such as Eureka, the Forgotten Land and Bozja, though players will have to complete a few tasks before this is made accessible to them. Luckily players can complete these tasks as they are going through the main story, but I will cover the steps you need to complete to make sure you don’t have to turn back and redo anything.
So let’s get you your wings and make sure you’re flying because moving around Eorzea is never going to never feel daunting again once you’re in the air.
Note: If you have any questions about FFXIV that you want me to cover feel free to leave them in a comment below, you can also ask me while I am streaming on Twitch, YouTube or in our community discord.
HOW TO UNLOCK MOUNTS IN FFXIV
Before a player can even think about flying players must begin their journey by unlocking Mounts. I was a silly little potato who thought that if I bought a Mount off the Marketboard I could simply ride it on my alt. Luckily I’m very aware of what Mounts sell for reasonable prices since I’ve been pretty obsessive about making Gil, but I was quite sad when I realized there was no workaround.
In order to unlock mounts players must begin a side quest called “My Little Chocobo.” Funnily enough, yesterday I saw a Sprout in yell chat say that they were refusing to complete the quest because it was a waste of time and Chocobos don’t seem important anyway.
You can imagine how active the chat channel became as players began questioning if they were being trolled since this quest is necessary if the player wants to use any Mounts at all.
Players can begin the “My Little Chocobo” quest line as soon as they finish the level 20 MSQ “Wood’s Will Be Done”. “My Little Chocobo” is obtained from one of the NPCs related to the Grand Company you’ve allianced.
Maelstrom can receive the quest from R’ashaht Rhiki at Limsa Lominsa Upper Decks (X:13.1, Y:12.8)
Twin Addler can receive the quest from Vorsaile Heuloix at New Gridania (X:9, Y:11)
Immortal Flames can receive the quest from Swift at Ul’dah – Steps of Nald (X:8, Y:8)
This quest provides players with their first Mount being the Company Chocobo which also acts as the Companion Chocobo that can fight by your side.
As soon as the Company Chocobo is unlocked players will be able to summon any of the Mounts they unlock and will be able to access them using the Character Menu then selecting Mount Guide. It is here that players can also choose to Favourite Mounts or even utilize the Mount Roullete.
SO HOW DO YOU UNLOCK FLYING IN THE DIFFERENT ZONES?
There are two ways a player will need to unlock flying, however, this is only because flying wasn’t meant to be possible in A Realm Reborn areas.
For A Realm Reborn, in particular, players must simply complete the main storyline up to the quest “The Ultimate Weapon” and every region in A Realm Reborn will become an air space. If you are a returning player who has not played since flying was made possible in these areas you will be able to fly immediately as long as you have passed this main story quest.
As it is somewhat related, if players pay for a story skip they will be able to fly in the zones they have paid the story skip for, meaning if your Story Skip takes you to the end of Shadowbringers you will be able to fly in A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers areas without having to complete any of the tasks mentioned below.
Now, for those of you who are doing the MSQ by yourself, I’m going to warn you that unlocking flying is tedious and I strongly recommend that you focus on it while completing your main story quest. There are two types of tasks a player must complete in order to fully unlock flying in the area and they are locating Aether Currents and completing side quests for Aether Currents.
Aether Currents are interactive objects located in every area that has flying. Players simply need to have these areas unlocked in order to locate them and all Aether Currents are in the exact same place for every player.
Players must utilize their Aether Compass which is unlocked during the level 50 Main Story Quest “Divine Intervention”. After the Aether Compass is unlocked players can locate it in the Key Items tab in their Inventory (typically the 5th tab, though this varies depending on what settings you have for your inventory.)
As it is possible to discard the Aether Compass players will need to know that they can reclaim it by hitting the Duty Menu and then clicking Collection. To my knowledge the Aether Compass will automatically disappear from your inventory when you have unlocked flying in all of the current zones, however, I do not remember if it automatically returns to your Key Items when a new expansion comes out. Nonetheless, there is no reason to discard the Aether Compass as the Key Items section of your inventory never really fills completely.
I recommend that all players assign the Aether Compass to a hotbar space for easy access or potentially assign it to a keybind as you will be regularly spamming this button if you are not using a guide or map for their locations. I personally rarely use a guide for Aether Current locations as the Aether Compass is easy to use and I will typically spam it while completing the main story since many of the Currents are nearby where the main story takes you anyway.
Some Aether Currents will be more difficult to obtain as players need to locate secret passageways or must understand the lay of the land better in order to find them, so don’t worry about rushing this too much as you will need to progress through the main story far enough for Aether Current quest to unlock anyways.
Every time a player utilizes the Aether Compass it will tell you how many yalms away the Aether Current is and which direction to head into. This can be a bit frustrating as it will always lead to the closest Aether current which may currently be inaccessible due to map restrictions. To avoid this I recommend running around or continuing your main story if you get into this position. As mentioned you will have to complete these anyways to unlock the side quests that unlock Aether Currents.
Impatient players can request the assistance of a friend to chauffer them to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible due to map restrictions from not completing enough quests. Being chauffered will not greatly impact the speed at which you unlock flying, however, it will make the locating Aether Currents portion quite a bit faster.
HOW DO YOU CHECK WHAT AETHER CURRENTS YOU ARE MISSING?
One of the biggest frustrations players will face is not knowing which Aether Currents they have unlocked. Luckily, this is somewhat easy to check, though I will warn you that most guides I have seen mislabel which Aether Current is which. I will do my best to make sure I have labelled them correctly in this guide, however, I strongly ask that you let me know if any are incorrect as at the moment I do not have a character that is missing any so I can double check and have used other player’s playthroughs to collect this information.
I will ensure that during Dawntrail I catalogue this information as I am completing it to make sure your completion is as smooth as possible.
I digress, the way you check what Aether Currents you have is by selecting the Travel Menu and then hitting Aether Currents. Here players will see all of the areas that have Aether Currents and each time they collect one the correlated Aetheryte will glow in this tab.
All green Aetherytes are located in the wild and those which are yellow are those attached to side quests. To easily tell what side-quests are attached to Aether Currently players will look for blue quest markers with a little plus sign near them. Realistically I would recommend players complete all quests with this symbol as it typically means you will unlock content this way, whether it’s a Dungeon, Trial, Minion or Aether Current.
There is unfortunately no way in-game to confirm which Aether Current is associated with which marker, thus bringing on my frustration of inaccurate guides. This is why I tend to use the Aether Compass versus guides as it doesn’t matter how far away you are from the Aether Current, it will always tell you what direction one is in. In my opinion, the best way to ensure that you are moving toward the correct Aether Current is to have a guide open while also using your Aether Compass to ensure that the Aether Current labelled on the guide is the one associated with the one you want.
Please note: the section below is under development. I will update this information as soon as I get the chance.
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN HEAVENSWARD
There are 6 areas in Heavensward that a player must unlock Aether Currents in, they are Coerthas Western Highlands, The Dravanian Forelands, The Dravanian Hinterlands, The Churning Mists, The Sea of Clouds and Azys Lla.
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN COERTHAS WESTERN HIGHLANDS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN COERTHAS WESTERN HIGHLANDS
- X:30.6, Y:33.7
- X:31.5, Y:11.8
- X:9.3, Y: 15.0
- X:15.8, Y: 22.3
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN COERTHAS WESTERN HIGHLANDS
- Once players have completed the main scenario quest “Disclosure” players can unlock the quest “Bridge Over Frozen Water” which is a level 50 quest located at X:32.4, Y: 35.8
- Once players have completed the main scenario quest “Sounding Out the Amphitheatre” players can unlock the quest “For All the Nights to Come” which is a level 51 quest located at X:16.8, Y:22.8
- Once players have completed the main story quest “Sounding Out the Amphitheatre” players can unlock the quest “Baby Steps” which is a level 51 quest located at X 16.7, Y 22.8
- Once players complete the main scenario quest “Camp of Convictors” players can unlock the quest “Protecting What’s Important” which is a level 51 quest located at X:16.4, Y:22.4
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE DRAVANIAN FORELANDS
There are 5 Aether Currents in The Dravanian Forelands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE DRAVANIAN FORELANDS
- X:37.8, Y:28.3
- X:31.2, Y:16.8
- X:12.9, Y:14.0
- X:30.6. Y:36.2
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE DRAVANIAN FORELANDS
- Once players have completed the main scenario quest “A Gnathic Deity” players can unlock the quest “A Gnathic Deity” which is a level 53 quest at X:16.4, Y: 23.0
- Once players have completed the main story quest “Where Chocobs Roam” players can unlock the quest “Some Bad News” which is a level 52 quest at X:31.9, X:23.9
- Once players have completed the main scenario quest “A Gnathic Diety” players can unlock the quest “The Hunter Becomes the Kweh” which is a level 53 quest at X:31.9, Y: 23.9
- Once players have completed the main scenario quest “The Nonmind” players can unlock the quest “Stolen Munitions” which is a level 52 quest at X:24.9, Y: 19.7
- Once players have completed the main scenario quest “Lord of the Hive” players can unlock the quest “Mourn in Passing” located at X:23.0, Y:19.
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE DRAVANIAN HINTERLANDS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE DRAVANIAN HINTERLANDS
- X:7.6, Y:25.8
- X:7.3, Y:20.3
- X:18.9, Y:11.0
- X:11.2, Y:15.2
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE DRAVANIAN HINTERLANDS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE CHURNING MISTS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE CHURNING MISTS
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE CHURNING MISTS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE SEA OF CLOUDS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE SEA OF CLOUDS
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE SEA OF CLOUDS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN AZYS LLA
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN AZYS LLA
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN AZYS LLA
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN STORMBLOOD
There are 6 areas in Stormblood that a player must unlock Aether Currents in, they are: The Fringes, The Ruby Sea, The Peaks, Yanxia, The Lochs and The Azim Steppe.
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE FRINGES
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE FRINGES
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE FRINGES
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE RUBY SEA
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE RUBY SEA
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE RUBY SEA
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE PEAKS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE PEAKS
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE PEAKS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN YANXIA
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN YANXIA
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN YANXIA
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE LOCHS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE LOCHS
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE LOCHS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE AZIM STEPPE
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE AZIM STEPPE
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE AZIM STEPPE
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN SHADOWBRINGERS
There are 6 areas in Shadowbringers that a player must unlock Aether Currents in, they are: Lakeland, Amh Araeng, Il Mheg, Kholusia, The Rak’tika Greatwood and The Tempest.
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN LAKELAND
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN LAKELAND
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN LAKELAND
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN AMH ARAENG
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN AMH ARAENG
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN AMH ARAENG
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN IL MHEG
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN IL MHEG
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN IL MHEG
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN KHOLUSIA
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN KHOLUSIA
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN KHOLUSIA
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE RAK’TIKA GREATWOOD
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE RAK’TIKA GREATWOOD
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE RAK’TIKA GREATWOOD
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THE TEMPEST
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THE TEMPEST
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THE TEMPEST
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN ENDWALKER
There are 6 areas in Endwalker that a player must unlock Aether Currents in, they are: Labyrinthos, Thavinair, Garlemald, Mare Lamentorum, Elpis and Ultima Thule.
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN LABYRINTHOS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN LABYRINTHOS
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN LABYRINTHOS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN THAVINAIR
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN THAVINAIR
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN THAVINAIR
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN GARLEMALD
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN GARLEMALD
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN GARLEMALD
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN MARE LAMENTORUM
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN MARE LAMENTORUM
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN MARE LAMENTORUM
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN ELPIS
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN ELPIS
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN ELPIS
WHERE ARE THE AETHER CURRENTS IN ULTIMA THULE
There are 5 Aether Currents in Coerthas Western Highlands that are associated with quests and 4 that can be found in the wild. Players can obtain them in the following ways:
GREEN AETHER CURRENTS IN ULTIMA THULE
YELLOW QUEST AETHER CURRENTS IN ULTIMA THULE
CAN ALL MOUNTS FLY IN FFXIV?
Returning players who have taken several years off the game will understand the struggle of having to ensure that your mount was able to fly. Years ago each mount had a purpose, some were land-bound, some were able to fly and some would allow you to swim. Though interesting in theory, this was extremely inefficient as players would either need a Hotbar with all three types of mounts or would have to limit their Mount Roullete to only flying Mounts who also had the ability to swim.
Returning players rejoice because this is no longer a thing. Now all Mounts can fly and swim in the game, meaning you will no longer need to worry about choosing the right mount. This means that players can freely use the Mount Roullete if they are a player like me who gets excited by seeing all the different “toys” he’s collected over the years.
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