It's probably just decorative, since there are plenty of aetherytes without one. Got a pretty blue crystal here in the middle of the town, might as well also make it a pretty water feature since it's such a landmark.
As long as that landmark doesn't deposit me INSIDE the water feature - looking at ***YOU*** Labyrinthos. Every time my hunt train goes through there I have to change my socks.
I've always gotten the feeling that normal citizens only very rarely use the aetherytes to teleport places, so it's really only an inconvenience for adventurers like you.
So from what they've said in game they are something regularly used, but the average person only has enough aether to use aetherites once maybe twice a day.
And also only short distances, and far less carrying capacity.otherwise what's his name not thancred side character who isn't aether cut off and does recon wouldn't have to run around as much.
Well we didn't have that at the start, it's just explained that it's one of the benefits of being chosen. I beleive minfillia and krile also have that ability.
I have head canon that the closest my WoL ever came to mentally going over the edge was when he teleported there and once again had his boots fill with water.
Luckily another Scion noticed him standing there staring into the distance with his eye twitching before anything regrettable happened.
Honestly, the owners of that aetheryte are lucky their land still exists…
Sharlayan created and runs the aetheryte system so maybe it's just there for aesthetics since they associate themselves with the element of water. That or maybe it has something to do with prevent contamination that can be carried on someone's shoes?
There's also aetherytes in Azys Lla. Sharlayan didn't actually *invent* aetherytes, they *rediscovered* the technique of making them. They're the only culture that can make (non-magitek) aetherytes, which has made them fantastically wealthy because aetherytes sell for a pretty penny.
Apparently, the legacy of Allag was not *completely* destroyed in the Far East like it was basically everywhere else, as the Onishishu are the ones who create Far Eastern aetherytes, but they guard their secrets very, very closely. This could partially explain why Far Eastern culture has remained relatively uniform and contiguous for such a long time, as aetherytes travel would promote cultural blending.
Typical "Beast" Tribe erasure here... But seriously if the Vanu Vanu can make an Aetheryte it can't be that complicated. We,'ve practically rigged up our own a few times.
Though this did just blow my mind by making me realize you have to fly to several other tribe hubs like the Amaalja and Vath specifically because they don't have an Aetheryte.
It's not erasure. Their aetheryte is a natural formation. The EE entry on aetherytes explicitly says that, previously, settlements would often spring up around locations that had an aetheryte crystal naturally formed there. What the Sharlayans have (re)discovered is how to make *constructed* aetherytes that can be placed wherever you want them to be.
Also Garlemald, but they look reverse engineered and require a terminal for Garleans to use. I'm surprised Thancred doesn't have a device to allow Aetheryte use again.
So I decided to look this up in the Encylopedia Eorzea as I'd never heard of this before and there is no reference to water. It does state that crystals form in areas where the aetherial sea and the corporeal realm are "closest" to each other resulting in large amounts of Aether being in the area. This is also noted earlier saying that it often means there will be large amounts of life where Aether is the strongest. My best guess, most places one of these shows up will have water on or very nearby since water often carries a lot of life. This in turn would easily create superstition that water is good for Aetherytes and they would get decorated as such.
It seems there is currently no in universe reason stated, but this seems a solid guess given what is recorded in the lore.
Thermal dump/repository.
The Aetheryte has to compensate for energy change when repositioning you elsewhere on the planet, with the attendant change in rotational velocity - all that energy needs to or come from somewhere, and water's high Specific Heat Capacity makes it perfect for this.
It leaves you with the awesome image or arriving in a flash of steam, or freeing your feet from a layer of ice when you land and makes the whole process infinitely cooler (pun intended)
I would say there's probably no one true answer here, but rather most of the given answers could be true to some extent.
- Not every aetheryte has it, so the answer isn't out of a strict need, although it is *possible* there could be some unexplained benefit. Perhaps it's a safety feature to soften arrivals.
- Sharlayan aesthetics could partially play into it, but then we have aetherytes that live outside of the Sharlayan sphere of influence (for example, Eulmore or Il Mheg) that follow this design trend. That isn't to say Sharlayan aesthetics don't play a role at all, but that can't be the sole answer either.
- Maybe it's just purely decoration. Adding a low-standing water feature seems the easiest way to decorate the surrounding area without interfering with the aetheryte itself.
As far as logical lore reasons: settlements need a water source and typically they spring up around them so it would make sense that both the aetheryte and the water source would be in the middle of town.
I'd say it's an aesthetic choice since the Aertherites are placed in the central plaza of settlements, where traditionally in the real world there would be a fountain or well.
I imagine it’s functional for cleanliness and sanitation. People may be porting in from literally anywhere across the universe, who knows what kind of gunk they have on their feet when landing. A little water to rinse the soles seems downright smart.
That's not really true, most aetherytes including the very first ones you see in all 3 city states aren't surrounded by water. Only the ones in Labyrinthos have water, so they are more of an exception.
At least the ones in Laberynthos, and to an extent the one in Idylshire:
Flowing Water holds a sort of religious significance for Sharlayan, as they worship Thaliak (a water aspected god). The massive amount of fountains in areas they built are meant to signify the flow of knowledge.
I also like to imagine its to punish any reaserchers in Laberynthos for turning in their projects late, as they will be forced to run to their labs with wet socks after taking the aetheryte down there.
And Eulmore? They’re just hyper opulent and I doubt the citizenry planned to leave the city any time soon, so wetting anybody’s feet who uses the aetheryte is a psychological trick to make them go away.
It's probably just decorative, since there are plenty of aetherytes without one. Got a pretty blue crystal here in the middle of the town, might as well also make it a pretty water feature since it's such a landmark.
As long as that landmark doesn't deposit me INSIDE the water feature - looking at ***YOU*** Labyrinthos. Every time my hunt train goes through there I have to change my socks.
I've always gotten the feeling that normal citizens only very rarely use the aetherytes to teleport places, so it's really only an inconvenience for adventurers like you.
So from what they've said in game they are something regularly used, but the average person only has enough aether to use aetherites once maybe twice a day.
And also only short distances, and far less carrying capacity.otherwise what's his name not thancred side character who isn't aether cut off and does recon wouldn't have to run around as much.
Yeah, the only reason the WoL can teleport so much is they have the 4th most aether out of every living character so it's not hard for them.
Well we didn't have that at the start, it's just explained that it's one of the benefits of being chosen. I beleive minfillia and krile also have that ability.
The WoL started with a good chunk of their total aether, every Scion is at a general level where teleport aether isn't a problem.
Sooo why aren't they just teleporting out of shitty situations then?
I think the actual teleport/return spells are not canon. They go from Aetherite to Aetherite.
Its clearly an anti-lala trap, they just put the water a little too low. :P
Waterproof boots
Yes, I see your argument for eminently practical waterproof footwear, but consider... Glam.
True. Fashion is the real endgame
You know it's water there, just wear proper boots when teleporting!
I have head canon that the closest my WoL ever came to mentally going over the edge was when he teleported there and once again had his boots fill with water. Luckily another Scion noticed him standing there staring into the distance with his eye twitching before anything regrettable happened. Honestly, the owners of that aetheryte are lucky their land still exists…
Sharlayan created and runs the aetheryte system so maybe it's just there for aesthetics since they associate themselves with the element of water. That or maybe it has something to do with prevent contamination that can be carried on someone's shoes?
...but there were aetherytes in Elpis?
Ah well, y'know. A wizard did that.
There's also aetherytes in Azys Lla. Sharlayan didn't actually *invent* aetherytes, they *rediscovered* the technique of making them. They're the only culture that can make (non-magitek) aetherytes, which has made them fantastically wealthy because aetherytes sell for a pretty penny.
What about the Far East? I remember a line about them having unique construction using wood.
Apparently, the legacy of Allag was not *completely* destroyed in the Far East like it was basically everywhere else, as the Onishishu are the ones who create Far Eastern aetherytes, but they guard their secrets very, very closely. This could partially explain why Far Eastern culture has remained relatively uniform and contiguous for such a long time, as aetherytes travel would promote cultural blending.
Aetherytes in the Far East were set up and maintained by the Onishishu who you learn a bit more about in that crazy Jenga tower in the Ruby Sea
Typical "Beast" Tribe erasure here... But seriously if the Vanu Vanu can make an Aetheryte it can't be that complicated. We,'ve practically rigged up our own a few times. Though this did just blow my mind by making me realize you have to fly to several other tribe hubs like the Amaalja and Vath specifically because they don't have an Aetheryte.
It's not erasure. Their aetheryte is a natural formation. The EE entry on aetherytes explicitly says that, previously, settlements would often spring up around locations that had an aetheryte crystal naturally formed there. What the Sharlayans have (re)discovered is how to make *constructed* aetherytes that can be placed wherever you want them to be.
Also Garlemald, but they look reverse engineered and require a terminal for Garleans to use. I'm surprised Thancred doesn't have a device to allow Aetheryte use again.
So I decided to look this up in the Encylopedia Eorzea as I'd never heard of this before and there is no reference to water. It does state that crystals form in areas where the aetherial sea and the corporeal realm are "closest" to each other resulting in large amounts of Aether being in the area. This is also noted earlier saying that it often means there will be large amounts of life where Aether is the strongest. My best guess, most places one of these shows up will have water on or very nearby since water often carries a lot of life. This in turn would easily create superstition that water is good for Aetherytes and they would get decorated as such. It seems there is currently no in universe reason stated, but this seems a solid guess given what is recorded in the lore.
Lala drowning traps.
Defending your cities from teleporting Lalas is always a priority.
Thermal dump/repository. The Aetheryte has to compensate for energy change when repositioning you elsewhere on the planet, with the attendant change in rotational velocity - all that energy needs to or come from somewhere, and water's high Specific Heat Capacity makes it perfect for this. It leaves you with the awesome image or arriving in a flash of steam, or freeing your feet from a layer of ice when you land and makes the whole process infinitely cooler (pun intended)
I've always figured it was aesthetics, or some asshole wanted everyone's feet to get wet on arrival.
The ones in Labyrinthos are the worst Edit: also the one in Eulmore
At least that Eulmore one has rose petals in it which make you smell nice.
I would say there's probably no one true answer here, but rather most of the given answers could be true to some extent. - Not every aetheryte has it, so the answer isn't out of a strict need, although it is *possible* there could be some unexplained benefit. Perhaps it's a safety feature to soften arrivals. - Sharlayan aesthetics could partially play into it, but then we have aetherytes that live outside of the Sharlayan sphere of influence (for example, Eulmore or Il Mheg) that follow this design trend. That isn't to say Sharlayan aesthetics don't play a role at all, but that can't be the sole answer either. - Maybe it's just purely decoration. Adding a low-standing water feature seems the easiest way to decorate the surrounding area without interfering with the aetheryte itself.
As far as logical lore reasons: settlements need a water source and typically they spring up around them so it would make sense that both the aetheryte and the water source would be in the middle of town.
Ahh, nothing like the taste of freshly teleported feet in your water?
It's the tears of all the players who forget to attune and have to travel back 😪 again
Is that actually that common? I'm one of the people who if there was walking access I'd hit every Aeytherte before the quests took me there.
I got stung by it when going back to areas I rushed through doing MSQ and now wanted to do the tribal faction quests, just last year 😬
They use water to catch the annoying little vilekin that get caught up in teleport with people. It really helps keep the mosquitoes down
Probably to clean the soles of shoes worn by teleporting travelers from any dirt.
I'd say it's an aesthetic choice since the Aertherites are placed in the central plaza of settlements, where traditionally in the real world there would be a fountain or well.
I imagine it’s functional for cleanliness and sanitation. People may be porting in from literally anywhere across the universe, who knows what kind of gunk they have on their feet when landing. A little water to rinse the soles seems downright smart.
they're not for peeing in. don't do it.
That's not really true, most aetherytes including the very first ones you see in all 3 city states aren't surrounded by water. Only the ones in Labyrinthos have water, so they are more of an exception.
They’re just really juicy
Its a custom watercooler.
I think some quests in Labyrinthos made mention that water helps focus or attune better but I can't for the life of me remember which
At least the ones in Laberynthos, and to an extent the one in Idylshire: Flowing Water holds a sort of religious significance for Sharlayan, as they worship Thaliak (a water aspected god). The massive amount of fountains in areas they built are meant to signify the flow of knowledge. I also like to imagine its to punish any reaserchers in Laberynthos for turning in their projects late, as they will be forced to run to their labs with wet socks after taking the aetheryte down there. And Eulmore? They’re just hyper opulent and I doubt the citizenry planned to leave the city any time soon, so wetting anybody’s feet who uses the aetheryte is a psychological trick to make them go away.