Final Fantasy 14 Players trying WOW?

[EzekielBook]

People are jumping on flying, so here's flight from a leveling perspective:
In WoW, you get flight at lvl 30. Doesn't matter where you are, what you're doing, at lvl 30, you can buy flight training. At lvl 40, you can buy faster flight. That flying is good for all expansions except the current one (Shadowlands) and the previous one (Battle for Azeroth). If you're leveling your character in BfA, by the time you hit lvl 40, you'll be a good chunk of the way to have the requirements for flying in that zone. Additionally flying in older zones is an account-bound achievement, so all your characters will be able to purchase flying without having to grind the achievement. Now, flying in the current zone is a bit of a grind, but, again, you get most of it just by playing through the campaign storyline, and essentially just waiting out the time limits (which don't exist for new players - you can grind out flying fairly quickly, actually).

In FF, you get flying in ARR fairly easily, just by doing the MSQ. But all the others? You're doing a lot of exploring, and in zones that will either be too difficult at the start *or* that you just plain can't get to because they're blocked by lack of progression in the MSQ. This character is currently some portion through Stormblood, lvl 70, and I can't fly there. I also can't fly in Heavensward, because I didn't take the time to explore every single nook and cranny of the world to get the currents. I don't even know how many I need. I have no idea how long it will take to get flying, just that I really can't get it until I don't need it so much anymore.

WoW has changed how flying works many times over the years - they might well change it again, although they seem to like the current system of needing rep with some faction or another to get it. But if you're getting into the game *now*, not flying isn't going to stop you for very long. And getting into the game *now* is what the thread was about.

[Jojoya]

People are jumping on flying, so here's flight from a leveling perspective:
In WoW, you get flight at lvl 30. Doesn't matter where you are, what you're doing, at lvl 30, you can buy flight training. At lvl 40, you can buy faster flight. That flying is good for all expansions except the current one (Shadowlands) and the previous one (Battle for Azeroth). If you're leveling your character in BfA, by the time you hit lvl 40, you'll be a good chunk of the way to have the requirements for flying in that zone. Additionally flying in older zones is an account-bound achievement, so all your characters will be able to purchase flying without having to grind the achievement. Now, flying in the current zone is a bit of a grind, but, again, you get most of it just by playing through the campaign storyline, and essentially just waiting out the time limits (which don't exist for new players - you can grind out flying fairly quickly, actually).

In FF, you get flying in ARR fairly easily, just by doing the MSQ. But all the others? You're doing a lot of exploring, and in zones that will either be too difficult at the start *or* that you just plain can't get to because they're blocked by lack of progression in the MSQ. This character is currently some portion through Stormblood, lvl 70, and I can't fly there. I also can't fly in Heavensward, because I didn't take the time to explore every single nook and cranny of the world to get the currents. I don't even know how many I need. I have no idea how long it will take to get flying, just that I really can't get it until I don't need it so much anymore.

WoW has changed how flying works many times over the years - they might well change it again, although they seem to like the current system of needing rep with some faction or another to get it. But if you're getting into the game *now*, not flying isn't going to stop you for very long. And getting into the game *now* is what the thread was about.

And WoW only changed access to flying because they're steadily losing players due to their lack of respect for player time.

They still don't respect player time with the end game grinds they're forcing players through before they're able to fly in end game zones.

You've got a rather distorted view of obtaining flying here, probably because you assumed it would be just as grindy as Pathfinder. It's not.

Grab the exploration aether currents as you do MSQ - they're right along the MSQ path. Zones like Fringes and Peaks are not a problem because the MSQ will return you to the other half of those zones later in the story. You'll be able to unlock the remaining currents at that time.

Do the sides quests that unlock currents as you go as well. When you complete the final MSQ quest for a zone, flying unlocks as long as you've acquired all the other currents (the last or next to last MSQ quest for a zone rewards the final current needed).

Doing it as you go only takes about an extra 10 minutes per zone (not including the currents unlocked by dungeon side quests). Doing it after you finish MSQ means about 30-45 minutes to unlock flying per zone.

I've had flying in every Endwalker zone since I completed the MSQ on December 7th. That was less than 5 days to unlock flying for an entire expansion.

Compare that to Pathfinder that had players gated without flying for several months. Compare that to the reports from the 9.2 PTR that say it's going to take players several weeks to unlock flying in a single zone.

Getting flying here is far far better than it's been in WoW since they stopped using flight training and switched to Pathfinder in WoD.

edit: to see how many currents you still need in a zone, go to Aether Currents in the Travel menu. Zones are grouped by expansion.

Top row of diamonds - currents unlocked by MSQ or side quest. Yellow are completed.
Bottom row of diamonds - currents unlocked by exploration. Green are completed.