Aetheryte
“These massive crystals can be found throughout Eorzea, allowing adventurers to travel great distances in an instant. When first attuning to an aetheryte, adventurers will learn the spells Return and Teleport, which are necessary to use these aetherial constructs. For the ever-wandering adventurer, attuning to as many aetherytes as possible will ensure swift transport to nearly any location.
The Aetheryte system within a city is called Aethernet. While 
Return is learned on attuning to the aetheryte in the chosen starting city, 
Teleport is actually learned when attuning to a player's second major Aetheryte.
As of Patch 4.57, the main Aetherytes in the starting city-states (Limsa Lominsa, Gridania, and Ul'dah) can be used to visit other World Servers.
A Residential District Aethernet is available in each city-state that contains a player housing area, allowing players to teleport to specified wards in the residential area.
Teleport destinations
Free Companies or players with housing can place an 
Miniature Aetheryte housing item on the outside garden: when the item is placed, its destination is automatically added to the Teleport list.
Attuning
When you attune to a main Aetheryte, its location will be added to your Teleport destination list. Attuning to the Aethernet Shard will add its location to the Aethernet destination list. When you attune to all existing Aethernet Shards of a city, your Aethernet list will get the city exit gates as new teleport destinations. Some aetherytes be visited but not attuned to unless the player has sufficiently progressed in the 
Main Scenario Quests.
Instanced Zones
When an expansion or major patch is newly released, overworld zones and cities relevant in the Main Scenario Quests for the update will often be divided into multiple instanced zones to alleviate player congestion. Players can view their current instance by inputing /instance in the chat. To switch instances, players can interact with any aetheryte in the instanced zone and select "Travel to Instanced Area", which will display a list of all instances of that zone in the server along with the current player population in each.
System Messages
When attuned to all of the shards a city-state
Gridania
You have attuned yourself to all the Aethernet shards in Gridania. The Blue Badger Gate, the Yellow Serpent Gate, and the airship landing are now accessible as Aethernet destinations. You now have Aethernet access to the Blue Badger Gate (Central Shroud). You now have Aethernet access to the Yellow Serpent Gate (North Shroud). You now have Aethernet access to the airship landing.
Ul'dah
You have attuned yourself to all the Aethernet shards in Ul'dah. The Gate of Nald, the Gate of Thal, the Gate of the Sultana, and the airship landing are now accessible as Aethernet destinations. You now have Aethernet access to the Gate of Nald (Central Thanalan). You now have Aethernet access to the Gate of Thal (Central Thanalan). You now have Aethernet access to the Gate of the Sultana (Western Thanalan). You now have Aethernet access to the airship landing.
Limsa Lominsa
You have attuned yourself to all the Aethernet shards in Limsa Lominsa. The Zephyr Gate, the Tempest Gate, and the airship landing are now accessible as Aethernet destinations. You now have Aethernet access to the Zephyr Gate (Middle La Noscea). You now have Aethernet access to the Tempest Gate (Lower La Noscea). You now have Aethernet access to the airship landing.
Ishgard
You have attuned yourself to all the Aethernet shards in Ishgard. The Gates of Judgement are now accessible as an Aethernet destination. You now have Aethernet access to the Gates of Judgement (Coerthas central highlands).
Consumables
Lore
“Greetings, adventurer. Do you wish an explanation of aetherial travel? I am here to answer any queries you might have.
What is aetherial travel?
To understand aetherial travel, you must first understand the nature of aether.
Aether is the source of all life, and the underlying force that makes all forms of arcane manipulation possible.
This ephemeral substance, though unseen and unfelt, flows around and within every single living creature.
In the moment of our death, it is believed that a separation occurs between our spiritual and physical forms. Our bodies break down and are absorbed back into the aetherial river, while our souls continue on to the afterlife. This final journey is sometimes called “returning to the Lifestream.”
However, our ancestors discovered ways in which, through meditation and focus of spiritual energies, one could reduce her body to aether without losing the grip on her spirit, in turn allowing for travel upon the Lifestream. These methods have been given the names Return and Teleport.
As you travel through Eorzea, you will oft come across large floating deposits of a crystalline substance known as aetheryte. The one before us here is a fine example.
What is aetheryte?
It is said that aetheryte is the solid manifestation of the planet's lifeblood, aether, and that by touching it, the aether which makes up our bodies resonates with that contained in the crystal. This is called “attunement.”
Normally, when one's body is reduced to aether, it will naturally gravitate to the location with which it resonates the greatest─or one's “home point.” This is why upon losing consciousness in battle, many wake to find themselves back at an aetheryte.
In other words, aetherytes act as lodestones, assuring that the body, in its aetherial form, is not lost to the pull of the greater flow.
And, because signatures of past attunements are maintained within our bodies, it is possible (with some spiritual training, of course) to ignore the pull back to the strongest resonation, and travel to another beacon. Many refer to this as “Teleportation.”
What is even more amazing is that when teleporting, we can “carry” those with whom we have created a bond, such as an adventuring party─assuming they have previously attuned with the destination aetheryte.
What is the difference between Return and Teleport?
As Return merely involves allowing the body to be drawn back to the strongest aetherial beacon─one's home point─it is fairly easy to execute and requires very little spiritual exertion.
Usually, a few moments of rest is all that is needed before it is safe to attempt another jump.
Teleportation, on the other hand, comes with a greater price. A great deal of spiritual energy known as “anima” is required to fight the natural flow of the Lifestream and guide one's body and soul to a comparatively weak aetherial beacon.
If one's body lacks sufficient anima, teleporting to a location may prove impossible. Luckily for most of us, anima is restored quickly and should not prohibit regular travel. Then why, you ask, must we pay gil when using Teleport? Well, after the Calamity, many of the existing aetheryte camps were destroyed. To relocate and rebuild them required a large sum of money, much of which was lent by certain men of business from Ul'dah.
The gil you pay when either leaving from or arriving at an aetheryte goes to paying off that debt.
Sundhimal is a Yellowjacket in Limsa Lominsa. Nenebaru, a Brass Blade in Ul'dah, and Nicia, a Wood Wailer in Gridania, also have broadly the same explanations.
Aetheryte Styles
Aetherytes differ in appearance depending on where they are located in the world.
| Image | Style | Notes | Locations | Introduced |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Eorzean Aetheryte | Most locations in Eorzea, Ishgard, Camp Cloudtop in The Sea of Clouds | A Realm Reborn | |
 |
Eorzean Aethernet Shard | Ul'dah, Gridania, Limsa Lominsa, Ishgard, Idyllshire, Rhalgr's Reach, Old Sharlayan, Radz-at-Han, all residential districts except Shirogane | A Realm Reborn | |
 |
Miniature Aetheryte | Player Housing placeable object | A Realm Reborn | |
 |
Northern Aldenard Aetheryte | An older-style Aetheryte found in northern Aldenard and Labyrinthos. | Coerthas Western Highlands, Dravania, Gyr Abania, Labyrinthos | Heavensward |
 |
Vanu Vanu Aetheryte | Only known one in existence. | Ok' Zundu in the Sea of Clouds | Heavensward |
 |
Allagan Aetheryte | Only known one in existence. | Azys Lla | Heavensward |
 |
Far Eastern Aetheryte | Kugane, Onokoro in the Ruby Sea, Yanxia, The Doman Enclave, The Bozjan Southern Front, Zadnor | Stormblood | |
 |
Far Eastern Aethernet Shard | Kugane, Shirogane, The Doman Enclave, The Bozjan Southern Front, Zadnor | Stormblood | |
 |
Kojin Aetheryte | Only known one in existence. | Tamamizu in the Ruby Sea | Stormblood |
 |
Azim Steppe Aetheryte | Similar to Far Eastern Aetheryte but is decorated with a pair of horns and is brown instead of red. | The Azim Steppe | Stormblood |
 |
Eurekan Aethernet Shard | The Forbidden Land, Eureka | Stormblood | |
 |
Vrandtic Aetheryte | Most locations in Norvrandt | Shadowbringers | |
 |
Eulmoran Aetheryte | Similar to Vrandtic Aetheryte but has a different base and is decorated with pink curtains. | Eulmore | Shadowbringers |
 |
Vrandtic Aethernet Shard | The Crystarium, Eulmore | Shadowbringers | |
 |
Amaurotine (Ancient) Aetheryte | The Tempest, Mare Lamentorum, Elpis | Shadowbringers | |
 |
Sharlayan Aetheryte | A recently invented Sharlayan style aetheryte that allows one to teleport to another of the same design without needing to attune to it first. May cause aether sickness symptoms. | Old Sharlayan, Yedlihmad in Thavnair | Endwalker |
 |
Thavnairian Aetheryte | Similar to Eorzean Aetheryte but has a pinkish hue at the bottom. The one in Radz-at-Han is decorated with purple textiles and does not have the pinkish hue. | The Great Work and Palaka's Stand in Thavnair, Radz-at-Han | Endwalker |
 |
Garlean Aetheryte | Garlemald | Endwalker | |
 |
Dragonstar Aetheryte | Only known one in existence. | Reah Tahra in Ultima Thule | Endwalker |
 |
Ea Aetheryte | Only known one in existence. | Abode of the Ea in Ultima Thule | Endwalker |
 |
Omicron Aetheryte | Only known one in existence. | Base Omicron in Ultima Thule | Endwalker |
 |
Turali Aetheryte | Yok Tural, Shaaloani, Yyasulani Station, The Outskirts | Dawntrail | |
 |
Turali Aetheryte Shard | Tuliyollal | Dawntrail | |
 |
Alexandrian Aetheryte | Solution Nine, Electrope Strike, Living Memory | Dawntrail | |
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Alexandrian Aetheryte Shard | Solution Nine | Dawntrail |