I grew to dislike it in the later Bethesda games (and open world games themselves as a genre), although in their third TES game they made it right. There were multiple paid or magical systems like teleports, transportation and spells, all not ideal, but when you go from A to B you start to chain them like you do while commuting to the other side of a city IRL. Not only that doesn’t harm immersion, it makes the world feel more connected and makes you obey the rules of that world. Some of them are accessible right from the start, some are unlockable by buying a scroll\spell or finding an item. Sometimes it feels even rewarding when you find an efficient way to cross these ash deserts. Not to say that gamedevs can add to worldbuilding by adding this or that traveling hub on the map and repeatedly put you in places they want you to stay in more and notice quests, shops, factions to join.
I grew to dislike it in the later Bethesda games (and open world games themselves as a genre), although in their third TES game they made it right. There were multiple paid or magical systems like teleports, transportation and spells, all not ideal, but when you go from A to B you start to chain them like you do while commuting to the other side of a city IRL. Not only that doesn’t harm immersion, it makes the world feel more connected and makes you obey the rules of that world. Some of them are accessible right from the start, some are unlockable by buying a scroll\spell or finding an item. Sometimes it feels even rewarding when you find an efficient way to cross these ash deserts. Not to say that gamedevs can add to worldbuilding by adding this or that traveling hub on the map and repeatedly put you in places they want you to stay in more and notice quests, shops, factions to join.