Cities are special sanctuary zones containing a variety of NPCs, merchants, quests, and other services and activities. Players can teleport throughout a city using the Aethernet - an interconnected system of smaller attuning crystals. The three starting cities are occasionally decorated for Seasonal Events such as Valentione's Day and Starlight Celebration.
Major Cities
Major Cities are a type of Zone found throughout Eorzea and beyond. They function as an introductory hub to their expansion's content, and in the case of A Realm Reborn cities, act as gateways for the World Visit and Data Center Travel systems.
As A Realm Reborn and Heavensward were designed for the Playstation 3's limited resources, those Major Cities were split into multiple zones. From Stormblood onwards, Major Cities consist of a single zone.
Minor Cities
Minor Cities are a type of Zone found throughout Eorzea and beyond. They function as a hub to their expansion's endgame content and are typically fully unlocked near the end of their expansion's Main Scenario Quest chain.
Special areas
There are a few other special zones. They work similarly to cities, but they serve as the staging points for specific game modes or activities.
Abalathia's Spine
Gyr Abania
Norvrandt
The Northern Empty
Yok Tural