Quote Originally Posted by ZedxKayn View Post
have YOU ever played anything else? how is 200hrs+ of cutscenes to reach endgame NOT a massive grind?
I have: WoW, LOTRO, and ESO, all for years. Compared to those when each expansion was current content, ie TBC's original release, very little in FFXIV is an actual grind. I remember doing the dailies in TBC to get the drake mount and unlock flying; it was a nightmare. Getting Aether Currents in this game is MUUUUUCH easier. A similar thing can be said about the soul crystals/shards/whatever they are that require exploration in ESO; there are more of them per zone, many of which aren't anywhere near a quest path. You've got to go way out of your way to get them all and there's no device like an Aether Compass to help you find them.

Yes, the cutscenes in FFXIV are daunting when returning after years of being gone or just starting out now. I've been there, experienced that. If someone is primarily interested in getting to end game ASAP, there's the option to skip most, if not all, of them. Sitting through all 200 hours is personal choice, just like grinding anything else with significant requirements in an MMO.

All in all, while Aether Currents are an inconvenience, they're minor compared to many other things in different MMOs out there these days. The above posters are right, if you snag AC while doing the MSQ chain, you should get most of them by the time you're out of the zone. If not, a quick internet search and a few short side quests should net the rest.