REQUEST: Remove Aether Currents

[forumaccount]

Remove the aether currents mechanic in its entirety, and/or do not lock flying behind any task once it has been granted to the player upon the completion of ARR content.

Updated TL;DR response to post replies:

- No one in the thread has provided any reasoning as to why aether currents should be included in the game. As far as zones and areas that are not meant for the player to access, there are many simple solutions that do not involve removing (gating) a feature the player has already unlocked. Flying does not have to be locked (after the point at which it was initially unlocked).

- The player unlocks flying upon completion of ARR content. This is removed (gated) in subsequent expansions for reasoning unrelated to the main story scenario. It slows progression of the linear story content to a crawl. This in itself, as well as the contradicting nature of the alleged intent of the mechanic, is reason to remove the feature. I am not requesting the removal of content, but the removal of the removal of content. Removalception.

- As far as the suggestion to buy (pay for with real world money) a story skip to skip this feature along with the story, I will not address. The forum rules strictly prohibit the discussion of commercial matters and the criticism of SE. As such, I will not comment on the suggestion to pay real world money to skip the arbitrary removal (gating) of a mechanic (flying) unlocked through gameplay in a game with a box price and subscription fee. Although, the fact that a story skip is an option, only serves as evidence to contradict the alleged intent of the aether currents mechanic ( to force the player to experience the story at a certain pace ).

- As far as personal attacks go, I will not respond. This is not a troll account. I have not been banned before. Nor have I had any infractions on this forum account nor my in game subscription account.

A SECOND UPDATE:
As the conversation has evolved, I see that many of you are very sentimental about arbitrary game mechanics that are of no consequence to gameplay or lore, other than the inhibition of player movement. I didn't initially realize that my main concern is the restriction of flight in expansion content, rather than the aether currents mechanic itself (though on its own merit it's still unenjoyable). I wouldn't mind if aether currents remained in the game, unlinked to flying. I would change the title of the post or start a new post, but the restriction of flight is still intrinsically linked to the aether currents mechanic.

[Iscah]

Flying has to be locked somehow or other to begin with - there are lots of zones that rely on your initial inability to fly to keep you out of areas you're not supposed to get to yet.

[MsMisato]

Remove the aether currents mechanic in its entirety, and do not lock flying behind any other task once it has been granted to the player.

Request denied.

[Tsiron]

God, I wish...

[MagicAura]

I love the aether currents, it's like a mini-puzzle, figuring out where they are with the compass while exploring the land. It feels like a proper achievement to find all of them and unlock flying in a zone.

And of course, as Iscah said above their purpose serves to lock part of each area until you've progressed the MSQ enough to reach it.

[Nezerius]

Remove the aether currents mechanic in its entirety, and do not lock flying behind any other task once it has been granted to the player.

Request granted, but the initial task is replaced with the Pathfinder system from WoW.

[MsQi]

Request granted, but the initial task is replaced with the Pathfinder system from WoW.

Just what I was thinking. Complete so much content in the area that you have little need to fly once you get it.

Personally I think the aether current system is just the right amount of gating. Most of the time I have all of them before I get the last one from a quest.

[Iscah]

If it was up to me, I think it would be better to give the land speed boost sooner (or just make it the default) and maybe remove the ones from sidequests - or at least stop putting them on part 1 of a long story chain so I can leave the whole thing aside until later.

[DarkMasamune]

Althought I understand aether currents are a pain in the neck, I feel like there should be something to lock flying behind.

I'd rather have the ones in the sidequests removed really.

[linayar]

Given how ARR unlocks flying, I think it would make sense if subsequent expansions have both aether currents and ARR-style unlock as options.

ARR - complete 2.0 MSQ and unlock flying in all zones.
Subsequent expansions - do quests/aether currents to unlock flying sooner/individually per zone as you do MSQ or wait until you complete 3.0/4.0/5.0/etc MSQ to unlock flying for all associated zones.