One of the arguably most cumbersome elements in the new Final Fantasy XIV expansion Stormblood (after Raubhan and Pipin Savage, and if you're playing, you probably know what I mean), is the return of Aether Currents.
The feature was introduced in the first expansion Heavensward, and it requires players to scour areas while crawling on the ground to find and activate spots that would finally allow them to fly, on top of completing a bunch of quests.
Stormblood possibly makes it even more difficult, since the first two areas are split in two via the main story quest, and you won't be able to complete the search for your aether currents until level 67 for The Fringes and 69 for The Peaks in Gyr Abania. This results in a lot of walking to be done.
Luckily, the community came to the rescue, pointing out the locations you need to explore in order to find those pesky currents, and quests. The dedicated Reddit community created a handy document with all the locations you need to reach, with some helpful notes.
Reading the coordinates is usually pretty easy. If you mouse over the map, you'll see the X and Y coordinates of your mouse on the top right of the map UI. The coordinates of your current position are also listed under your minimap. X indicates westr-east coordinates, and Y indicates north-south coordinates, with X:0.0 Y:0:0 being the north-western corner.
If you're not familiar with aether currents, they look like this:
Unfortunately, some aren't as easy to find as just finding their coordinates. Some require figuring out the right way to reach pretty complex spots. Luckily YouTube user Primalliquid created a series of videos featuring all spots for each area. You can see them all below.
Keep in mind that you won't have to find any aether flow in Kugane and Rhalgr's Reach, as flying isn't allowed there.
If you have trouble finding a location, remember that the Aether Compass you received during Heavensward will be activated to search for the new Aether currents close to the beginning of the new main story quest. If you lost your Aether Compass or used the new potions that let you skip the Heavensward story you can get a new one from eithe Gibrillont in the Forgotten Knight inn in Ishgard, or from Gaufrid in Rhalgr's Reach. Just put it on your action bar, and click on it to receive an indication on where the closest current is.
Gyr Abania - The Fringes
Some of the aether current and quests are accessible only after you complete the level 67 main story quest.
Gyr Abania - The Peaks
Some of the aether current and quests are accessible only after you complete the level 68 main story quest. Some quests require level 69.
Othard - The Ruby Sea
Othard - Yanxia
Othard - The Azim Steppe
Gyr Abania - The Lochs.
The quests are pretty easy to spot, and will normally appear in main quest hubs with a big "+" on their icon. Their reward also include the aether flow icon. You can see what they look like below.
Final Fantasy XIV: Stormblood is currently in early access for PS4 and PC, and will be officially released on June 20th.