How to Unlock Flying in Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn to Dawntrail
Flying in Eorzea: what to know up front
You can fly almost everywhere in Final Fantasy XIV, but there is no single switch. The requirements depend on the expansion: the starter zones only ask for story progress, while zones from later expansions make you track down Aether Currents and finish a few side quests.
Flight unlocks per zone. That helps, because you can take to the skies in a region long before you finish the whole expansion story. You only need to meet the conditions for the specific area.
In practice it works out like this. A newcomer below level 50 should not worry about flying yet: story and the first mount come first. If you have already finished the original game, head straight to Heavensward for the compass. And if you are returning after a break, open the Aether Currents window in the zone you need and see how many are left.
Below, in order: A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, later expansions up to Dawntrail, the Aether Compass, the takeoff setting, and the unusual flying vehicle from a limited-time event.
A Realm Reborn: one story quest
This one is simple. Reach level 50 and finish the last main scenario quest of the original game, The Ultimate Weapon. Right after that, flying turns on in every zone of the expansion.
La Noscea;
Thanalan;
the Black Shroud;
Coerthas Central Highlands;
Mor Dhona.
You do not need to collect Aether Currents in these zones. If you come back to the old regions on a new character, finishing the 2.0 story is enough to open the sky.
Heavensward and the Aether Compass
Heavensward changes the rules. The main story starts with Bridge Over Frozen Water, and at level 50 you reach Divine Intervention. That quest hands you the Aether Compass along with the Black Chocobo Whistle and starts Aether Current collection.
To fly in a Heavensward zone, you must attune to all of its currents. Some lie in the open world, while others come from blue side quests, and you cannot find those by exploring alone.
The compass shows the bearing and distance to the nearest current you have not collected yet. It saves hours of wandering across large maps.
The compass is not only for the first Heavensward zone. It stays with you in every later expansion, and checking it as you enter a new area saves a lot of time. You do not need to buy or upgrade it separately.
If you lose the compass, you can get it again from Gibrillont in Ishgard (the Forgotten Knight) or from Gaufrid in Rhalgr's Reach.
Using the compass and the current log
Since Endwalker (patch 6.0) the compass lives in the Collection tab of the Duty menu instead of Key Items. Open the Duty menu, switch to that tab, and use the compass from there.
drag the compass to your hotbar so it takes one button press;
head in the indicated direction until the distance drops;
when you spot the current, walk up and attune to it.
You can check progress for each zone in the Aether Currents window in the main menu, under Travel. It shows how many currents the zone has, how many you have collected, and which ones come through blue quests. If you are unsure what is missing for flight, start with that window.
Later expansions and Dawntrail
From Heavensward on, the recipe repeats. Every new zone asks for three things: the required part of the main story, attunement to every Aether Current, and the blue quests that unlock the remaining currents.
Dawntrail zones have about 15 currents each: roughly 10 in the open world and 5 from quests. Some of the quest currents open as you progress through the story in that zone, so flight may only appear closer to the end of a region.
Each new expansion has lowered the number of currents required in older zones, so returning to them on a fresh character goes noticeably faster than the first run.
For a quick check before you go hunting for currents, ask yourself two things: have you progressed the zone story far enough, and are there blue quests in your journal you have not picked up yet? Often the last current that keeps flight from turning on comes from a quest you skipped. If the counter in the current window is almost full, look for the missing one among quests rather than in the open world.
Expansion | What you need to fly |
|---|---|
A Realm Reborn | The Ultimate Weapon quest, level 50 |
Heavensward | Divine Intervention, the Aether Compass, all currents in the zone |
Later expansions | Zone story, all currents, blue quests |
Dawntrail | The same, about 15 currents per zone |
A practical tip: do not chase currents separately from the story. Play through the zone, and after each notable stage pull out the compass. That way you collect most currents along the route and return to the blue quests only when they actually unlock.
Flight stays useful afterwards: it speeds up travel across the zone and opens spots that take long to reach on foot.
Flight is unlocked but you cannot take off
Most often it comes down to settings. To take off, mount a flying mount and jump. By default one jump is enough, but the options let you switch takeoff to a double jump.
Check Character Configuration, then Control Settings and the General tab: the option is called Flying Mount Takeoff. Menu layouts can shift a little after updates, so look for it by name if needed.
If the setting is fine and you still cannot fly, check three things:
that you picked a flying mount and not a ground one;
that you attuned to all currents in that specific zone;
that you completed the blue quests that grant the missing currents.
Riding and the flying car
Before flying you need a basic mount. Riding opens at level 20: join a Grand Company, complete the chocobo quests, name your bird at the Chocobokeep, and summon it from the mount menu. Buying the chocobo from the company costs 200 company seals.
Riding matters for another reason too: flight is tied to mounts, so without your own mount you cannot take off even when every zone condition is met. The order is therefore chocobo first, then the story to level 50, then the compass and the currents.
For something unusual there is the four-seat Regalia Type-G flying car. You earn the right to buy it through the event questline A Nocturne for Heroes: The Man in Black, In the Dark of Night, and Messenger of the Winds. You need level 50 and The Ultimate Weapon done. Kipih Jakkya in Ul'dah (Steps of Nald) gives the first two quests, Noctis in New Gridania gives the last one, and the finale is a fight against Garuda.
The mount is not a quest reward. You buy it for 200,000 MGP from the Ironworks vendor in the Gold Saucer. The event is limited, so check whether it is running before you start saving points.
The short order of operations
If you only need the gist, keep this list in front of you when you enter each new zone.
Reach level 50 and finish The Ultimate Weapon: the old zones are open.
In Heavensward, complete Divine Intervention and pick up the Aether Compass.
In each new zone, follow the story and use the compass.
Track progress in the Aether Currents window and do not skip the blue quests.
If flight is unlocked but not working, check the takeoff setting.