Template:Sideicon The Lifespring Grotto is one of the four bonus dungeons in the Dawn of Souls version of the original Final Fantasy, and one of the five in the 20th Anniversary Edition and iOS versions. It is accessible after defeating Kraken.
The Lifespring Grotto was originally the place where men and mermaids could live together in peace, according to the mermaid who resides by the entrance. It is located within a whirlpool off the coast of Mount Duergar, and reached via boat. Bosses from Final Fantasy V appear here.
The Lifespring Grotto has 20 floors, and its 20th-floor bosses are the toughest in the game. Floor 5 involves a mini-quest that results in the party discovering and fighting Gilgamesh, who has been skulking around a mermaid community. Floor 10 holds the gaping Atomos, who knows the dreaded Wormhole attack.
The final floor offers a choice, much like the Earthgift Shrine and Hellfire Chasm. Either Shinryu or Omega can be fought at Floor 20, but not both during the same run through the Lifespring Grotto. Both are superbosses, so the player will have a difficult fight no matter which entity they select. There is also the option of bypassing either boss and exiting the Lifespring Grotto through a teleporter (only possible at 5th and 10th floors).
Items
Treasure lists are static on each floor, the number of chests each floor has varies, and these are randomly sorted for each run.
There is only one map where ten treasure chests can appear. This map is a castle with narrow walkways of invisible tiles (the tiles will occasionally flicker so players can see where they are). The ten chests will always appear, regardless of which floor the map was found on.
If the player chooses to fight Shinryu, apart from getting Shinryu's treasure, there is a treasure chest on the right. If the player chooses Omega, there is no treasure chest.
Enemies
- Gilgamesh (Boss)
- Atomos (Boss)
- Shinryu (Boss)
- Omega (Boss)
- Black Dragon
- Black Goblin
- Blue Dragon
- Blue Troll
- Dark Eye
- Death Elemental
- Death Manticore
- Desertpede
- Dragon Zombie
- Gloom Widow
- Green Dragon
- Holy Dragon
- Killer Shark
- Python
- Red Dragon
- Revenant
- Sahagin Queen
- Silver Dragon
- Skuldier
- White Dragon
- Wild Nakk
- Yellow Dragon
- Yellow Ogre
Musical themes
In the 20th Anniversary and its subsequent remakes, a remix of the Final Fantasy V boss theme plays while fighting the bosses in this dungeon.
In addition, a remix of "Clash on the Big Bridge" from Final Fantasy V plays during the battle against Gilgamesh.