Cave (洞窟, Doukutsu?) is a recurring type of location throughout the Final Fantasy series. They almost always appear as dungeons, save some rare exceptions.
Appearances[]
Final Fantasy[]
Of the nine caves and cavern systems in the game, some are dungeons, while others are home to NPCs who will aid the player's quest.
- Matoya's Cave is home to Matoya and her brooms. Its theme is an iconic track of Final Fantasy.
- The Marsh Cave is the resting spot of the Crown, which is guarded by strong Piscodemons.
- Mount Duergar, known as the "Dwarves' Cave", is populated by a community of hearty dwarves.
- The Cavern of Earth houses the Earth Crystal, and was desecrated by the Lich and his minion, the Vampire.
- The Giant's Cave is home to a rock-eating Titan. A Ruby must be offered to him to be granted passage.
- The Sage's Cave is home to Sadda, the sage. He will offer the Warriors of Light the Earth Rod.
- The Cavern of Ice houses a Levistone and several monsters.
- Several dragons, including Bahamut, reside in the Dragon Caves at the Cardian Islands.
- The Waterfall Cavern holds rare treasure and a Lufenian robot.
Final Fantasy II[]
The game's seven caves and cavern systems house random encounters.
- The Semitt Falls are Mythril mines.
- The Snow Cave houses the Goddess's Bell.
- Deist Cavern has a spring deep inside where wyverns deposit their eggs for them to hatch.
- The Black Mask Cave lies at Tropical Island .
- The Cave of Mysidia houses the Crystal Rod, but its entrance is protected by a doppelganger.
- Jade Passage is an underground lake that contains a passage to the palace of Hell, Pandaemonium.
- Raqia is the heavenly counterpart to the Jade Passage that leads to the town of Machanon.
Final Fantasy III[]
Final Fantasy III has the most named caves and cave systems in the series. The game opens with the (soon-to-be) Warriors of the Light finding themselves trapped in a cave.
- Altar Cave is the first location explored and houses the Wind Crystal.
- The Mythril Mines at Kazus hold useful Mythril weapons for the party.
- The Sealed Cave is home to the nefarious Djinn who cursed Sasune.
- The Tozus Tunnel connects Tozus and the area south of the Viking's Cove.
- The Vikings' Cove is a viking settlement with a small port and holds many treasure.
- The Gulgan Gulch is home to the prophetic Gulgan, a race of blind seers.
- The Dwarven Hollows are a dwarven settlement on an island to the north of the Floating Continent that has a Subterranean Lake.
- The Molten Cave is filled with lava and is the resting place of the Fire Crystal.
- The Cave of Tides is located near the Temple of Water. It was sealed by the Water Maidens to protect the Water Crystal it houses.
- The Cave of the Circle is a small cove accessible through Doga's Manor.
- The Sunken Cave is a underwater cavern accessible only by diving with the Nautilus.
- Unei's Shrine is Unei's home where she keeps her eternal sleep.
- The Cave of Shadows is filled with dividing enemies. Deep inside lies the Fang of Earth.
- Doga's Grotto is a cave accessible through a gateway activated by Doga at his manor.
- Bahamut's Lair is home to the king of the dragons.
Final Fantasy IV[]
The majority of caves work as passages between other locations or paths to special areas.
Final Fantasy IV -Interlude-[]
The Sealed Cave and the Cave of Eblan are the only accessible caves.
Final Fantasy IV: The After Years[]
List of caves:
- The Mist Cave connects the kingdom of Baron with the village of Mist.
- The Underground Waterway connects Kaipo with Damcyan.
- The Antlion's Den is home to the tame Antlions and several other monsters.
- The Ancient Waterway is an underground path filled with monsters between the town and castle of Baron.
- The Lodestone Cavern is home to the Dark Elf who stole the Troian Earth Crystal. It has a magnetic field to stall intruders.
- The Cave of Eblan is a refuge for the scattered population of Eblan, and a way into the upper levels of the Tower of Babil.
- The Sealed Cave houses a Dark Crystal and deadly traps.
- The Lunar Path is a series of caves on the Red Moon.
- The Lunar Subterrane is a deep cave that leads to the Lunar Core, where Lunarians sleep, and works as the final dungeon.
- The Passage of the Eidolons is a cave that leads to the Feymarch, the homeland of Eidolons.
- The Sylph Cave is inhabited by Sylphs who have a residence deep inside.
- The Lair of the Father is home to the god of Eidolons, Bahamut.
Final Fantasy V[]
Relatively few caves exist in this world, and mainly serve as hideouts and non-hostile areas.
- The Pirates' Hideout is home to Faris and her crew, and has a dock for their ship.
- The Jachol Cave is explored by many adventurers who seek to loot the relics left inside. It is later discovered to be an ancient way into Castle of Bal.
- The Underground Waterway is located in the forest near the Gloceana desert.
- Ghido's Cave is home to the sage, Ghido. It sinks, but can be revisited once the party has access to Xezat's submarine.
- The Gil Cave connects Bal with the Big Bridge. It holds many treasures, but it is also home to the dangerous Gil Turtles.
- The Great Sea Trench is an underground that has an ancient Tablet. It becomes the new resting spot for the Fire Crystal.
- The Istory Falls hide a cave where an ancient Tablet can be found. It is home to the summon Leviathan and becomes the resting spot for the Water Crystal.
- An Unknown Cave is the home for the mysterious Mr. Clio.
- A portion of the Interdimensional Rift is a large series of caverns.
- The Sealed Temple contains Titan's Grotto and Shinryu's Lair, two different networks of caverns with the latter being lava-filled.
Final Fantasy VI[]
Caves are monster dens. Some exist only in the World of Balance, and become inaccessible after a certain story event, while others exist only in the World of Ruin.
- The Narshe Mines are home to the esper Valigarmanda. The moogles live in another mine.
- South Figaro Cave connects the Figaro desert with South Figaro.
- The Crescent Mountain Cave is merely an entrance to the Serpent Trench.
- The Cave to the Sealed Gate is the only passage between the Esper World and the human world.
- The Esper Caves are a land of great magical force which naturally attracts espers, due to the presence of the Warring Triad.
- The Cave on the Veldt is a cave that appeared after to the cataclysm and is located in the middle of the Veldt in the World of Ruin.
- The Phoenix Cave is located on the star-shaped mountain range north of Tzen, and the legendary Phoenix magicite can be found inside.
- The Yeti's Cave is located deep into the Narshe Mines and it is home to Umaro.
- The Ancient Castle is accessible through a burrow located in the mountain range that splits Figaro from Kohlingen.
Final Fantasy VII[]
The majority of caverns are small and mainly house treasure.
- The Mythril Mine is an abandoned mining site connecting the Grasslands Area to the Junon Area. It is short, and can be traversed in as few as two screens.
- The Cave of the Gi is a haunted cavern behind Cosmo Canyon. The Gi tribe attempted to use this underground path to launch a surprise attack on the denizens of Cosmo Canyon, but their efforts were thwarted.
- Gaea's Cliff is a series of cave systems punctuated with climbing segments that take place outside in the freezing cold.
- The Northern Cave is the final dungeon, and the game's most elaborate cave system, reaching the Core of the Planet, where the final battle takes place.
- Lucrecia's Cave is the resting place of Vincent Valentine's former lover Lucrecia. Her body remains preserved in a giant crystal.
- Several difficult-to-reach Materia Caves exist across the planet, and special breeds of chocobo must be raised to explore them.
Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-[]
- Many of the missions take place in underground caves. The Great Cavern of Wonders is where Zack eventually finds the superboss Minerva.
- The final dungeon is the Banora Underground, a gigantic cave under the village of Banora.
Final Fantasy VIII[]
The only true cavern is the Fire Cavern, where the Fire-elemental Guardian Force Ifrit resides. The game also has two excavation sites that appear as dungeons: the Centra Excavation Site and the late-game bonus dungeon Deep Sea Research Center.
Final Fantasy IX[]
With the exception of Fossil Roo and Mount Gulug, caves are short and straightforward. Many become blocked off in endgame.
- The Ice Cavern is a natural path between Dali and the lower lands of the Alexandria kingdom. It becomes inaccessible in endgame.
- Gizamaluke's Grotto connects Lindblum to Burmecia. It is the home of Gizamaluke, a draconic creature worshiped by Burmecians.
- Gargan Roo is an ancient natural tunnel dug by Iifa Tree's roots where Gargants live. It was once used as a fast transport between Alexandria and Treno.
- Fossil Roo is a wide series of caverns that, like Gargan Roo, is inhabited by Gargants that can open a path between the Mist and Outer Continents.
- Mount Gulug used to be inhabited by the now extinct race of mole people. It is sealed by the Gulug Stone.
- Daguerreo is a small scholarly retreat in an open cavern filled with ruins. It has no random encounters and the player can complete a few sidequests by speaking with the denizens.
- The Earth Shrine houses the Earth Mirror. It is located in a cave on the desert of the Outer Continent.
- The Wind Shrine houses the Wind Mirror. It is located in a cave on a valley on the Forgotten Continent.
- The Fire Shrine houses the Fire Mirror. It is located near Mount Gulug.
- The Water Shrine houses the Water Mirror. It is located in cave on in the Forgotten Continent's coast.
Final Fantasy X[]
- The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth is an optional dungeon. It is infested with fiends and its Chamber of the Fayth houses Yojimbo's fayth.
- The first mandatory cave system is Mt. Gagazet that features submerged areas where only Tidus, Wakka, and Rikku can traverse.
- The Omega Ruins is a bonus dungeon located underground.
Final Fantasy X-2[]
In addition to the caves from its predecessor, this game introduces additional caves to explore. Many serve as bonus dungeons, accessible only in Chapter 5.
- The Besaid Cave must be unlocked with ciphers. The Flame Dragon guards the White Mage dressphere at the back of the cave.
- Mi'ihen Highroad's Fiend Colony.
- The Den of Woe in Mushroom Rock Road is opened after collecting all the Crimson Spheres.
- The Fiend Haunt, home to the Zalamander, which must defeated to prepare for Yuna's concert on the Thunder Plains in Chapter 4.
- The New Cave is filled with machina.
- The Cavern of the Stolen Fayth is still accessible, and the party can fight Yojimbo here during the optional "Tourist Trap" mission.
- Mt. Gagazet's Mountain Cave.
Final Fantasy XI[]
Due to the sheer size of the world, many caves are available for the adventurer to explore. Many areas are also partially cavernous, with other parts such as ruins inside of the area.
- Horutoto Ruins
- Maze of Shakrami
- Garlaige Citadel
- King Ranperre's Tomb
- Yughott Grotto
- Ordelle's Caves
- Monastic Caverns
- The Eldieme Necropolis
- Zeruhn Mines
- Palborough Mines
- Gusgen Mines
- Crawlers' Nest
- Ranguemont Pass
Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart[]
- Korroloka Tunnel
- Quicksand Caves
- Kuftal Tunnel
- Gustav Tunnel
- Labyrinth of Onzozo
- Sea Serpent Grotto
- Den of Rancor
Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia[]
Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan[]
Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess[]
Final Fantasy XII[]
Four cavern zones appear:
- The Lhusu Mines located in the floating archipelago, Purvama.
- The sandy Zertinan Caverns located between the Ordalian Sandseas and the Dalmasca and Bancour regions.
- The monster-ridden Henne Mines.
- The ancient Sochen Cave Palace under the metropolis of Archades.
Final Fantasy XIII[]
The Mah'habara Subterra is a series of tunnels dug by the fal'Cie Atomos in the land of Gran Pulse. It was once used as a mining facility, but is now home to a series of resilient automata. It connects the Archylte Steppe with the Sulyya Springs.
Final Fantasy XV[]
There are many caves in Lucis, some of them tricky to find. Caves contain optional content, and reward adventurers with things like new equipment from royal tombs. Because caves are dark, enemies usually only encountered at night appear in them, making them often tougher than other areas. Menace Beneath Lucis is a sidequest the player can do in Chapter 15 that opens up optional areas in dungeons the player has already cleared.
- Keycatrich Trench is an abandoned underground compound in Leide.
- Balouve Mines is an abandoned mine and an optional dungeon in Leide.
- Fociaugh Cavern is a cave in Duscae region that is part of the trial of Ramuh.
- Daurell Caverns is an optional dungeon in south Duscae.
- Greyshire Glacial Grotto is an ice cavern in Cleigne region.
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest[]
The Wintry Cave is the only cave found.
Final Fantasy Adventure[]
There are a total of five caves; Cave in Floatrocks, Cave of Marsh, Cave of Medusa, Cave of Ruins, and Sealed Cave.
Final Fantasy Legend II[]
Cave of North is the first dungeon the player visits. Both the Cave of Mountain and Cave of Light are visited on Apollo's World.
Final Fantasy Legend III[]
The Southeast Cave is the first visited in the Past. The caves serves as a optional dungeon filled with valuable treasures.
Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade[]
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call[]
A cavern and cave appears as the FMS and BMS for several dungeon and battle themes throughout the series:
- Dungeon* from Final Fantasy II
- Crystal Cave* from Final Fantasy III
- Mini-Boss Battle* from Final Fantasy Origins
- Battle 1* from Final Fantasy III
- Battle 1* from Final Fantasy IX
Pictlogica Final Fantasy[]
World of Final Fantasy[]
Gallery[]
- Battle backgrounds