Flying in FFXIV saves so much time and energy. Using a flying mount is the fastest way to travel and is necessary for some areas.
For example, there is a lot of content locked behind flying in the Sea of Clouds. Of course, the name kind of gives that away.
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To fly in Final Fantasy XIV, complete A Realm Reborn’s MSQ. That unlocks flying for the base game. To unlock flying in expansions, collect all aether currents in the region. You must do this separately for each area within each region.
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How to Fly in FFXIV
In FFXIV, you must unlock flying in each area separately. But for the technical “flying” unlock, all you have to do is complete the MSQ for A Realm Reborn.
To fly, you also must have a mount because the Warrior of Light cannot fly. However, you do not have to unlock flying for each mount.
If you can fly with one, you can fly with them all. But to do that, you have to complete the My Little Chocobo questline.
The questline starts with a blue quest that pops up after you join a Grand Company in the MSQ.
It’s good practice to do this quest as soon as possible because it’s faster to travel with a mount, even on land.
The quest always tracks in the top left of the screen under MSQ. Click on it, and you will be directed to the quest location.
Heavensward and Beyond
For areas beyond the base game, you have to put in work to unlock flying. It does not happen passively.
Collect Aether Currents
Aether currents are a series of wisps you need to attune to unlock flying in each area beyond A Realm Reborn.
To find them, use your Aether Compass, which is in your collections. It’s a good idea to put it on your hotbar so you can use it like an ability.
When you use it, a prompt pops up on your screen telling you how far away the aether current is and in which direction.
The process takes a bit to get used to, but after a few tries, it becomes much easier. The distance is shared in yalms, but you can just start walking in the direction of the aether current.
Use the aether compass as often as you like. There is no cooldown, so you can use it every 100 yalms without any repercussions.
It always tracks the closest aether current, so if the distance changes too much, it’s likely because you’re getting closer to a different one.
Quest Aether Currents
Quest aether currents are those locked behind a quest. Not the MSQ, but quests that have the sole purpose of granting you another current.
These are found in the area where you are collecting currents. They are gold quests throughout each region.
Each of these quests requires a certain MSQ, so you can’t complete them all as soon as you get to the area.
For extensive info on everything you need to know about where to find aether currents, check out our aether current guide.
Swimming with a Mount
To swim with a mount, you must have flying in that area. You can still swim alone, but the mounts are unable to touch water unless you have flying.
Once you do have flying, you can travel much faster underwater with a mount. This doesn’t come in handy often, but there are exceptions.
For example, the Ruby Sea is a pain to travel through without a mount. Once you have a flying mount in the Ruby Sea, doing the Kojin beast tribe quest becomes much easier.
Now you know how to fly in Final Fantasy XIV.
Which area is your least favorite to travel through without a flying mount? Let me know in the comments!
