Aetheryte

Aetheryte is the name given to massive shards of crystallized aetheric mist, precisely cut and fused to arcane machinery. While it is not known when or by whom these devices were originally constructed, their teleportational qualities have become the backbone of everyday transportation throughout the realm, with most managed and operated by individual city-states.

Though the exact mechanism behind teleportation via Aetheryte is still largely a mystery, one theory states that when a sentient being approaches one of the portals, the aether that makes up its body resonates with the aether of the crystals, which in turn results in a complete breakdown of the being's mass, allowing it to temporarily return to the invisible aetheric streams that course throughout the planet. The being's soul, which cannot be broken down, then guides the particles to a pre-determined destination, and upon arrival, the corresponding Aetheryte receptacle reconfigures the mist back into its original form. This whole process takes only a matter of moments, allowing for nearly instant transportation to faraway destinations.

However, being broken down to the aetheric level can take its toll on one's body, and rest is often required after several consecutive jumps, especially as the distance becomes greater. As a precaution, most city-states strongly discourage over-teleporting, as it can lead to irreversible damage.

Using Aetheryte teleportation magic requires the expenditure of Anima, the player begins with 100 Anima and regenerates 1 Anima every 4 real hours (logged in or logged out), for a total of 6 per Earth day. This was the only way to replenish Anima until patch 1.22 (March 24th, 2012) introduced Hamlet Defense battles, which can reward players with anywhere from 3 Anima to several hundred depending on their score at the end of the battle.

It costs at most 6 Anima to teleport, which is halved for Towns and Favored Locations. There is a 1/3 discount for teleporting within the same region (i.e., Gridania to another part of Black Shroud).

Uses
In addition to being the method of teleportation in Final Fantasy XIV, the Aetheryte also has uses besides teleportation. Aetheryte is also the location where you initiate that area's Levequests. In addition, you can also check your faction standing, and read a tutorial regarding Final Fantasy XIV at the Aetheryte. It is also possible to set one's Home Point at any Aetheryte point, allowing players to Return there once every 15 minutes or after being incapacitated.

Aetherial Gate
Aetherial Gates are small fonts of energy that are connected to the Aetheryte of the region it is located in. They are a sort of checkpoint found in sub-regions of areas. A player can use the Aetherial Gate to teleport to the Aetheryte of the region. These Aetherial Gates are permanent, costing a small amount of Anima to use.

Aetherial Node
Aetherial Nodes appear when the player has completed a Levequest. When they appear, they instantly restore the player's HP and MP, and also allow them to teleport back to the Aetheryte at the base camp if they so choose. The Aetherial Node only lasts for a short time, however, dissolving when the player wills it to disappear or when the player teleports back to the base camp.

Achievements
There is an Achievement Category for arriving at Aetheryte Camps and Nodes, the prerequisite to using it as a teleport destination. A large portion of the Aetherial Nodes are found in areas populated by monsters above level 70, if not in the high 80s or 90s, while the current player Level Cap is 50, making these achievements more challenging than they sound. Traveling to these nodes serves as a good method to practice avoiding detection by monsters, many of which can demolish even the stoutest of adventurers in seconds.

2.0
As the in-game geography will undergo drastic changes in late 2012, it is expected that the locations of Aetheryte nodes will change. Square-Enix has neglected to mention whether or not players will still have access to the nodes they have visited before, or how the achievements will be affected.

Concept art released at the announcement of 2.0 depicts an Aetheryte crystal that has changed to a reddish-orange and begun to levitate, anchored to the ground by large chains. Furthermore, screenshots released at E3 2012 show newly-designed Aetheryte Crystals with oblique rings around them. It is unknown what exactly will happen to the Aetheryte crystals, but the Aetherial turbulence involved in the Seventh Umbral Era are the most probable cause.

Trivia

 * Aetheryte Crystals are the FFXIV equivalent to Home Point crystals in Final Fantasy XI, though they serve more functions. Both are like Save Points in that they allow players to more-easily reattempt nearby challenges should they fall in battle.