Sastasha

The Sastasha Seagrot (shortened to Sastasha) is the first dungeon that players will encounter in Final Fantasy XIV. This grotto is a den for the Serpent Reavers, pirates aligned with the Sahagin and led by Captain Madison. It requires a minimum level of 15 to enter, with higher players level synced to 18. Being the first dungeon, it is not particularly difficult, serving as a tutorial of sorts for new players.

As of Patch 2.4, there is also a hard version of Sastasha requiring experienced adventurers who have saved Eorzea to return and purge the caverns of enemies again. This version requires adventurers to have a level of 50 and an average item level of 80. In contrast to the original version, Sastasha (Hard) is considered among the toughest dungeons.

Story
Tasked by Commodore Reyner of Limsa Lominsa to investigate Sastasha and see if the claims of pirates have any merit, the Adventurer gathers stalwart companions and enters the dungeon. Inside, the group initially finds only wildlife—however, after opening a secret passageway, the adventurers stumble upon the den of a group of Serpent Reavers.

Not long after doing so, they encounter the Captain, Madison, and send him fleeing past his crew's main quarters. Upon finding the man and beating him again, he once more flees, this time to the spawning grounds of his Sahagin masters. Their leader, Denn the Orcatoothed, is displeased with this, and executes the captain for his troubles, then turning his blade on the adventurers. After defeating him, the party returns to the surface and reports to a grateful Reyner that the caverns are once more cleared.

Wauling Pond
This area serves as the entrance to the Sastasha Seagrot. In both normal and Hard Sastasha, it is a linear path that curves above the waters below, leading to the Sastasha Seagrot proper. In Sastasha normal, there is a branch in the path that leads to the Empty Room.

The party will at first encounter two Black Bats here, followed by two more. Finally, a Cave Aurelia and two Black Bats are fought.

Empty Room
This small room contains a bloody memo that should be examined by a member of the adventuring party before proceeding. This note contains a piece of information regarding the coral formations found in The Cattery, informing the party of which they should touch so as to avoid triggering the trap. The note will state that "The Capten lykes" an object and its color, indicating the correct color coral formation to pick. The options are "his sees Bloo," "his wyne Redd", and "his kebbage Greene".

The Cattery
This large, open area is filled with water, which must often be crossed to reach one's destination. A number of Giant Clams are found interspersed through the area, and must be destroyed before they produce more Shade Seekers. This area leads to the Cattery.

The enemies fought here are Cave Aurelia, Fossilshell, Giant Clam, Shade Seeker and Sastasha Orobon. As mentioned, Shade Seekers are produced from Giant Clams which must be destroyed before more are produced.

The ending open room serves as the first boss chamber for Sastasha. In order to find the boss, the party must first select the correct coral formation as indicated in the earlier memo. Selecting the wrong formation inflicts poison on the person interacting with it, and spawns a Cave Aurelia. Upon picking the correct formation, a suspicious switch appears on the far side of the Cattery; touching this switch will summon the first boss, Chopper. This area leads into the beginning section of Dead Man's Drink, The Rambade.

Chopper's only real move is an aoe attack which forms a red circle that must be avoided. Aside from that, there are no mechanics to this boss. After this, a treasure drops. It can drop either Plundered Goggles, Plundered Celata, Plundered Cuirass, Plundered Haubergeon, Plundered Jacket, Plundered Bliaud, Plundered Gauntlets, Plundered Trousers, Plundered Sabatons, Plundered Duckbills, or Plundered Moccasins.

The Rambade
This small room, found only in normal Sastasha, contains the second boss, Captain Madison, as well as his two pirate cohorts. Before properly defeating him, Captain Madison will run away, unsealing passage beyond the Rambade and into Dead Man's Drink in the process.

Dead Man's Drink
This large, wood-covered area contains the living quarters of the Serpent Reavers, and shoots off into a number of side passages. It is also the name of the small, rectangular area in which the party faces off against the second boss, Captain Madison. This small area leads to the Waverider Gate.

Enemies fought here prior to Captain Madison are Scurvy Dogs and Shallowclaw Reavers; Madison is fought with two Shallowtail Reavers. These should be killed immediately before fighting Madison, who will run on low HP. This will reward players with a treasure coffer, which may drop: Aetherial Brass Bastard Sword, Aetherial Brass Knuckles, Aetherial Iron War Axe, Aetherial Iron Spear, Aetherial Ash Shortbow, Aetherial Brass Knives, Aetherial Ash Wand, Aetherial Brass Cudgel, or Aetherial Hard Leather Grimoire.

Following this, a room full of Shallowscale Reavers, Shalloweye Reavers and Scurvy Dogs will be found; the party can choose to visit the side rooms for more experience, though only a few are mandatory. The enemies will drop a key to the captains' quarters, which in turn will allow them to access it, and gain keys for the other rooms. Once finished, the players want to leave to the Waverider Gate and the Rambade.

Rowers' Quarters
The Rowers' Quarters is a small room containing a few of the Serpent Reavers. In Sastasha normal, this area is a side room that is completely optional, and is usually avoided, as it is one of the only side rooms that does not possess any treasure.

The Hole
The Hole is the area in which the Serpent Reavers keep their captives before giving them to their Sahagin masters. The area is sealed off from the rest via a gate, with a key found next to the door by a few Reaver guards. Inside of The Hole are several captives and a treasure coffer.

Deckhands' Quarters
The Deckhands' Quarters is a side passage in Dead Man's Drink containing an alarmingly high quantity of Serpent Reavers. Thankfully, when the party enters the room, the group begins fighting amongst themselves, allowing the adventurers to loot the coffer in the area without drawing attention.

Navigator's Quarters
This area is a small room off to the side of Dead Man's Drink, containing only a couple of Serpent Reavers and a treasure coffer.

Captain's Quarters
Unlocked by a key dropped by a Serpent Reaver not far outside the door, this area does not, as one might expect, contain the Captain, but instead possesses one of the Captain's loyal minions, who upon death drops the key to the Waverider Gate.

Waverider Gate
This gate leads from the Dead Man's Drink out to the second Rambade, and in normal mode may only be unlocked by a key dropped by the Serpent Reaver in the Captain's Quarters.

The Rambade
The second of its kind in Sastasha normal, this Rambade is where the second boss fight against Captain Madison is fought. In this fight, Captain Madison will halfway through signal for the release of the Scurvy Dogs, previously gated to the side of the room. Upon his defeat, Captain Madison again runs away, unlocking the path to Mistbeard Cove in the process.

The possible drops in the chest are Warded Round Shield, Nightprowler's Targe, Plundered Cavalier's Hat, Pirate's Bandana, Plundered Plate Belt, Plundered Rope Belt, or Plundered Leather Belt.

Mistbeard Cove
This secret cove appears at the end of Sastasha, and leads directly to the Sultana's Lap, the chamber with the last boss of the area.

The Sultana's Lap
The Sultana's Lap is the area where the final boss of the dungeon is fought in both versions of Sastasha. The area appears similar in nature to a port, with a wooden pavilion containing a number of boxes and other goods. Enemies here are a retread of enemies previously fought; Scurvy Dogs, Shallowclaw Reavers, Shallowtail Reavers, Shallowscale Reavers and Shalloweye Reavers are all fought before the player can proceed.

The final boss is Denn the Orcatoothed, and it contains a number of grates covering holes leading to water. These grates must be periodically interacted with during the fight, when ripples appear through the grate, to prevent Denn's Baleen Guard from entering the fight. Once defeated, the final treasure will be dropped: Foestriker's Tabard, Acolyte's Robe, Foestriker's Mitts, Acolyte's Halfgloves, Foestriker's Skirt, Acolyte's Skirt, Foestriker's Boots, or Acolyte's Thighboots.

Chests
Throughout the dungeon, the player may also encounter the following optional chests:


 * Treasure Coffer 1 (15, 8): Potion or Ether.
 * Treasure Coffer 2 (13, 9): Potion or Seagrot Water.
 * Treasure Coffer 3 (11, 14): Aetherial Rope Belt, Aetherial Bronze Plate Belt, Aetherial Brass Gorget, Plundered Ear Cuffs, Plundered Earrings, Aetherial Brass Wristlets, Potion, or Ether.
 * Treasure Coffer 4 (10, 13): Aetherial Hard Leather Ringabands, Aetherial Bronze Gauntlets, Aetherial Padded Hempen Trousers, Aetherial Cotton Tights, Aetherial Bronze Sabatons, Aetherial Hard Leather Boots, Potion, or Ether.
 * Treasure Coffer 5 (7, 13): Aetherial Ash Mask, Aetherial Hunting Hat, Aetherial Bronze Celata, Aetherial Cotton Tabard, Aetherial Cotton Cowl, Aetherial Bronze Cuirass, Potion, or Ether.

Wauling Pond

 * Black Bat x2
 * Black Bat x2
 * Black Bat x2, Cave Aurelia

Sastasha Seagrot

 * Cave Aurelia x2

The Cattery

 * Giant Clam, Shade Seeker x4+ (Giant Clams will summon up to 2 Shade Seekers when they open if less than 4 are alive)
 * Cave Aurelia, Fossilshell
 * Giant Clam, Shade Seeker x4+
 * Fossilshell x2
 * Giant Clam, Shade Seeker x5+
 * Cave Aurelia, Fossilshell, Sastasha Orobon
 * Giant Clam, Shade Seeker x4+
 * Giant Clam, Shade Seeker x6+
 * Giant Clam, Shade Seeker x8+
 * Cave Aurelia (if wrong switch is pushed)
 * Cave Aurelia (if wrong switch is pushed)
 * Chopper (boss)

Dead Man's Drink

 * Scurvy Dog x2, Shallowclaw Reaver

The Rambade

 * Captain Madison, Shallowtail Reaver x2 (boss)

Dead Man's Drink

 * Scurvy Dog, Shalloweye Reaver
 * Shallowclaw Reaver, Shalloweye Reaver
 * Shalloweye Reaver, Shallowscale Reaver, Shallowtail Reaver
 * Scurvy Dog, Shallowscale Reaver (drops Captain's Quarters Key)
 * Shallowtail Reaver x2

Rower's Quarters

 * Shallowclaw Reaver, Shalloweye Reaver

Navigator's Quarters

 * Shalloweye Reaver, Shallowtail Reaver

Deckhand's Quarters

 * Shallowclaw Reaver x4, Shallowscale Reaver x2 (fighting amongst themselves, can be ignored)

The Hole

 * Shalloweye Reaver, Shallowscale Reaver

Captain's Quarters

 * Shallowtail Reaver (drops Waverider Gate Key)

Waverider Gate

 * Shallowtail Reaver x2

The Rambade

 * Captain Madison, Shallowtail Reaver x2, Scurvy Dog x4 (boss)

The Sultana's Lap

 * Scurvy Dog, Shalloweye Reaver, Shallowtail Reaver
 * Shallowclaw Reaver, Shalloweye Reaver, Shallowscale Reaver
 * Scurvy Dog, Shallowtail Reaver x2
 * Shallowclaw Reaver, Shallowscale Reaver x2
 * Shallowscale Reaver x3
 * Denn the Orcatoothed, Baleen Guard x0-9

Musical themes
"From the Depths" is the theme that plays in the background of Sastasha. Like many low-level dungeons, the theme that plays when fighting regular battles in Sastasha is "The Promise of Plunder", the theme for boss battles is "A Fine Death", and the final boss's battle theme is "Nemesis".

Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Sastasha was the setting for the Easy and Normal tiers of the Flames of Vengeance Challenge Event, whereupon both Y'shtola and Thancred could be recruited into the player's army. No story background was given during the event, which ran globally between September 18 and October 1, 2015.

Trivia

 * Sastasha is possibly a homage to the Pirates' Hideout in Final Fantasy V, both locations are the first dungeon in the game.