It's time to Mount up in FFXIV!

2) How can you fly in FFXIV?

Ok, before I begin, can we just take a moment to appreciate how awesome and welcoming mounts are? I mean…can you imagine traversing giant open fields on foot? Having to stop and wait for the stamina bar to replenish before carrying on…Or constantly having to use stamina potions? Let me tell you, its not fun. Those of you who play Zelda will know. The game only gives you a mount much later on and the stamina you start off with is terrible. And that’s why, 90% (if not all) open-world games, have some sort of a mount system.

Not forgetting to mention that some mounts simply look amazing (some even have unique abilities – game depending) – what an added bonus! I am super thankful for whoever the first developers were, that stopped and thought: “You know what? Riding creatures around seems like a much better idea than running around on foot.” A million times thank you. Some of you reading this are probably thinking: “What about fast travel?” Yes, fast travel exists but only to a certain extent and there is always some sort of limitation. You can’t fast travel to a place you haven’t discovered for example. What better way to get there to discover it, than riding on the back of a creature you’ve tamed? (Or bought – sneaky sneaky) Mounts are especially essential to have in MMO’s and what better mount to have in the Final Fantasy series, than a Chocobo?

How to acquire the Chocobo mount?

Chocobo’s. Just typing the word out brings tears to my eyes. Jokes aside, my love for these birds started back in Final Fantasy 7 on PS1. I can’t tell you how many countless hours I spent trying to breed the perfect Gold Chocobo to race it at the Golden Saucer. (Without an S+ Golden Chocobo there is no way in hell you are beating Zack.) I remember having to breed a blue Chocobo (can cross rivers) with a green one (can cross mountains.) Breeding those 2 made a black Chocobo that could cross both rivers and mountains. Oh, the good old days. I think I spent more time focusing on my Chocobo’s than I did playing the story. Thankfully, FFXIV has allowed players like me to dive into some of that nostalgia by introducing these lovable creatures as mounts into the game. So, how can you get your hands on one?

First of all, you need to be level 20. That shouldn’t be a problem for most of you. And for those newish players, getting to level 20 isn’t very difficult. So don’t fret. You will be a Chocobo owner soon enough. As you progress through the story, you are asked to join one of the games three Grand Companies. They are:

1)The Immortal Flames from Ul’dah

2)The Maelstrom from Limsa Lominsa

3)The Order of the Twin Adder in Gridiania

Once you’ve chosen your Grand Company and pledged allegiance to them, you will receive a quest called “The Company You Keep.” It varies slightly depending on which Grand Company you choose. Once you have completed this quest you will be put into the “ranks” of your Grand Company. The next part is where it gets a bit tedious. You are tasked to complete specific quests to unlock Grand Company-specific currency.

Next, you will want to accept the quest: “My Little Chocobo”. Remember the Grand Company currency I mentioned earlier? This is where they come in. You will need:

• x200 Company Seals

Once you have the required number of seals, you will need to buy an item called “Chocobo Issuance” from your Grand Company Quartermaster.(Lack of FFXIV Gil to do so? Buy it now) You will need to give this item to the stablemaster at the Chocobo Stables. They will then issue you with the Chocobo Whistle, which allows you to summon your Chocobo. Please note that this is the mount, not the battle companion. That unlocks at level 30. You will also need to finish a quest called: “My Feisty Little Chocobo”.

If you wish to give your Chocobo mount the ability to fly, you will first need to finish A Realm Reborn. I’ll dive deeper into flying mounts shortly. All you need to do now is to name your Chocobo and there we go! You now have your very own Chocobo mount. You can summon your Chocobo by dragging and activating the mount icon from the Mounts Menu or by blowing the Chocobo Whistle. You can also change the look and color of your Chocobo (I always stick with the original yellow color) or raise its stats. This will help you out a lot while exploring FFXIV’s huge open world. Changing the look or color of your Chocobo doesn’t improve its stats in any way so don’t be disappointed when the game tells you so. Because, well…I told you so.

A game-changer for some, a game-breaker for many. There has been a lot of controversy since flying mounts were introduced back in Heavensward. Some players argue that it makes the game unbalanced (makes the world feel smaller and makes the game less challenging since you can get from A to B while skipping all the enemies.) Whilst in the air, it travels at 200% the speed of a regular ground mount. Impressive or unbalanced? Some players are angry because it’s locked behind missions. (A bit lazy, are you?) Before I dive into how you can fly in FFXIV – you should know that flying mounts won’t work in all areas of the game, rather just the locations specific to Heavensward. (Ishhgard, Coerthas Western Highlands etc.) Being able to fly in every area would definitely break the game, considering that FFXIV was never built from the ground up to be an open-world flying game.

So how can you get a flying mount?

Well, chances are you already have one. (The super-awesome loveable Chocobo you learned to unlock earlier has the ability to fly.) While some ground mounts can fly, others can’t. But flying in FFXIV is more about knowing how to fly and unlocking the ability to do so. So, let’s get straight into it. The very first thing you need to do is to complete the Main scenario quest: “Divine Intervention”. This will reward you with an Aether compass. What is an Aether Compass you ask? It’s an item that will allow you to track down Aether Currents. Once you have discovered their location, you will need to attune these currents before being able to fly in these zones. If somehow you manage to lose your Aether Compass (I have, don’t ask me how), you can always obtain a new one from Gibrillont at the Forgotten Knight.

There are 15 currents in all of the Heavensward zones, and all of them must be attuned to before you can fly in that zone. You can keep track of how many of them you still need to attune by opening your Aether Currents menu.

This is what your Aether Currents menu will look like. Once you have attuned all the currents, you will be able to soar across the sky whilst making the players on the ground envy you. What are you waiting for? Go summon your mount and take to the skies!

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