The issue is not that there isn't a "fair" path to the forge...
I don't understand. Why isn't the waypoint a fair path?
Let's say Lae'zel uses her psionic jump ability. Finds a waypoint. Then the other characters can teleport through the Netherese waypoints.
That's the function they serve. It's not just a video game conceit; it's an actual portal that connects to other portals, but only when you (or at least one person in your party) knows where they are. Why does it work that way? I don't know, it's magic. This is a fantasy game.
So it seems to me that the path in question is as fair as any other.
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That said, I do have a problem with waypoints when they don't make sense. It's rare, but they can sometimes be abused.
You jump into the hole in the Matriarch's spider pit, for instance, and find yourself in the underdark. You can't technically climb out, but you can fast travel to an earlier waypoint.
That shouldn't be allowed, and I think it's a mistake.
For what it's worth, the game tries to stop that from happening elsewhere. Notice what happens if you follow Nettie into the back chamber and then you end up killing her while the stone doors are closed. The game won't let you fast travel via the waypoints because there's no way to get to a waypoint to initiate the teleportation. You have to figure out how to get out of the room first, by opening one of the doors.
