Sastasha (dungeon)

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Sastasha in the opening cutscene.

The Sastasha Seagrot (shortened to "Sastasha") is a dungeon in Final Fantasy XIV, and is the first dungeon introduced to players. 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.

Story

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)

After a period of relative silence following the Calamity, the Serpent Reavers have once again taken to terrorizing the inland hamlets of La Noscea─killing the men, kidnapping the women and children, plundering the storehouses, and burning what little they leave behind. For years, it was not known how the pirates were able to raid areas so far from the coast, until a local shepherd sighted a band of painted ruffians entering the Sastasha Seagrot, carrying large quantities of sacks and crates. Could it be that there is more to this cave than meets the eye?
Duty description

FFXIV Denn Kills Madison — Denn finishes off the unsuspecting Captain Madison.

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.

Sastasha (Hard)

FFXIV Sastasha Squid Crewmen — The abominations within the Seagrot.

Tucked deep inside the dank caverns of the Sastasha Seagrot, there is a secret port said to have been built by the pirate Mistbeard. In the years following the Calamity, the notorious Serpent Reavers claimed it as their lair, until the cutthroats were vanquished by a band of dauntless adventurers. The place subsequently came under the control of Lominsan authorities, who maintained a security presence within.
Alas, that control did not last, for an unknown faction has arisen─seemingly from the briny depths─and overwhelmed the occupying Yellowjackets. Opinion is divided over the identity of these foes. Some say that they are pirates, while others swear that they are fiends. Yet it does not take a scholar to see that these two things need not be mutually exclusive.
Duty description

FFXIV Releasing the Kraken — Captain Madison releases the kraken.

During the course of their adventures, the Warrior of Light chances upon a man at the Seventh Heaven who directs them to Commander Reyner once more. Reyner informs them that someone—or something—has taken up residence in the seagrot once more, and that the group of adventurers he sent after them came scurrying out the hole but a few minutes after entering. Entrusting his faith to the Warrior, he bids they explore Sastasha again and slay whatever lies within.

Exploring the depths, they dispatch increasingly aggressive wildlife to chance upon grotesque monstrosities—pirates with the heads of jellyfish attacking them. After further exploration, they encounter none other than the grotesque abomination that is Captain Madison, resurrected by his Sahagin overlords in his new form to protect the grotto once more. After a long, grueling fight, Madison retreats yet again, leaving the adventurers to pursue him. After they catch up, Madison releases his pet Kraken upon them, though it promptly sends Madison and his Colibri hurtling away before turning on the adventurers.

After defeating the creature, the party meets with Reyner at Aleport to deliver the truth of the encounter they bore witness to. To help verify the claims, Yellowjackets appear bearing Madison's corpse, which is promptly examined by one of Lamberteint's assistants, Ceana. She postulates that if the corruption of a man's mind through tempering can occur with the use of a little of a Primal's aether, then the corruption of his body might occur with a greater application.

Spoilers end here.

Locations

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.

Empty Room

This small room, found only in normal Sastasha, 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."

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Sastasha Seagrot

This large, open area is filled with water, which must often be crossed to reach one's destination. In normal Sastasha, a number of Giant Clams are foud interspersed through the area, and must be destroyed before they produce more Shade Seekers. In Sastasha Hard, access to the rest of the seagrot is prevented by high water, and a drainage lever must be pulled before the party may venture further into the area. In Sastasha normal, this area leads to the Cattery. In Hard, it leads to the Greeting Pond.

The Cattery

This 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.

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Greeting Pond

This section of Sastasha Hard may only be accessed after the water level is brought down, and is a small circular area containing the dungeon's first boss, Karlabos. Once he is defeated, the way forward to The Pull is unsealed.

The Pull

This watery area, found only in Sastasha Hard, separates the Sastasha Seagrot and the Dead Man's Drink. It is a straightforward, linear passage marked by a number of circular rooms containing enemies.

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 in Sastasha normal. In Hard, this area has been downsized, and only contains the Rowers' Quarters, the Waverider Gate, and the second Rambade. 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.

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. In Sastasha Hard, the area has been remodeled, and one must pass through the Rowers' Quarters in order to reach Dead Man's Drink proper.

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.

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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. In Sastasha Hard, this room does not contain bosses or scurvy dogs; however, it still leads forward into Mistbeard Cove.

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Mistbeard Cove

This secret cove appears at the end of Sastasha in both normal and Hard, and leads directly to the Sultana's Lap, the chamber with the last boss of the area. The area appears similar in nature to a port, with a wooden pavilion containing a number of boxes and other goods. In Sastasha Hard, the First Mate Haerstymm emerges from the Sultana's Lap to engage the party, summoning large quantities of Drowned Powder Monkeys to assist him.

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. In normal Sastasha, this area is the spawning grounds watched over by 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. In Sastasha Hard, these holes are uncovered, and serve as the method in which the Kraken's arms surface and attack the party.

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Maps

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Quests

It's Probably Pirates: After coming to Baderon, the proprietor of the Drowning Wench, the adventurer is tasked by Commodore Reyner with venturing into the Seagrot and slaying whatever lurks within. Upon so doing, they return to Baderon and are rewarded for their efforts.
It's Definitely Pirates: Long after first clearing Sastasha, the adventurer is found by Bloenzong at the Seventh Heaven, who asks they speak to Commodore Reyner at the Coral Tower regarding Sastasha. Reyner tasks them with clearing out Sastasha once more and slaying whomever - or whatever - is lurking inside. Afterwards, the adventurer completes the quest by speaking to Reyner in Aleport.

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