Greyshire Glacial Grotto

Greyshire Glacial Grotto, known just as Greyshire Grotto on its map and in the Japanese version, is a dungeon in Final Fantasy XV that becomes accessible in Chapter 3. It is an ice cavern hidden behind a waterfall west of Lestallum. An ice cave in a location that otherwise is not a snow field is a recurring type of location in the Final Fantasy series. Greyshire Glacial Grotto may thus be an allusion to the Cavern of Ice from the first Final Fantasy.
The player can fight a midgardsormr on the grounds outside the grotto. Completing the dungeon and retrieving the royal arm is part of the game's main quest. The player receives the quest from Talcott Hester in Lestallum. The player can travel to the grotto and retrieve the royal arm before talking to Talcott, and if so, he will tell Noctis about the waterfall and the party will explain they already retrieved the weapon.
==Almanac==
Behind the waterfall at the entrance to the grotto.
:Fabled "waterfall cave" tucked away behind Callatein's Plunge. The waters spilling forth from Loch Thriocess conceal congealed caverns whose winding halls have vexed many an adventurer hoping to plumb their depths.
:A legendary sword connected to the royal family is said to slumber within the recesses of the cave, but its existence has not yet been confirmed. Although countless hunters have attempted to follow up on these rumors, the monstrous midgardsormr slithering around outside the grotto has served as a strong deterrent.
==Story==
In an unknown time period a king and an Oracle sealed a powerful daemon they deemed a "menace" in a hidden dungeon in the depths of Greyshire Glacial Grotto. The king left behind monoliths for the Chosen King whom he believed one day to be strong enough to banish the threat for good. The king known as the Wanderer is found entombed in the grotto, the time frame likewise unknown. The About the Kings of Yore document in Final Fantasy XV: Comrades posits that royal tombs were erected as a memorial to the king or queen who claimed that land in the name of Lucis, suggesting the waterfall cavern was claimed as part of Lucis during the rule of the Wanderer.
After hearing rumors of a royal tomb being located nearby behind a waterfall, Prince Noctis's party heads out to investigate. They find there is an ice cavern behind the waterfall and scale its depths until they come to a locked door. Noctis has a key for it, and inside they find a royal tomb and Noctis retrieves another of his royal arms: the Swords of the Wanderer.
After Noctis proves his worth to Ezma Auburnbrie, the leader of the Hunters, she yields the sealbreaker's key to open the door to the maze below the grotto. Noctis and his friends descend into the depths where they discover monoliths left behind by the king who once sealed the daemons in the maze, and fell the "menace" locked therein.
==Items==
*Fossil Shell
*Potion x2
*Rusted Bit x2
*Ether
*Carbon Bangle
*Elixir x2
*Fossil Shell
*Star Pendant
*Fossil Wood x2
*Ammonite Fossil
*Ancient Dragon Tooth
*White Choker (Map)
*Friendship Band
*Oracle Ascension Coin (area with a Fire deposit and several paths, take the lower path into a central chamber where imps spawn and the coin is along the small alcoves on the left)
*Phoenix Down
*Hi-Elixir
*Swords of the Wanderer (royal arm)
At the the Menace Dungeon the player can find various items (see full list below), but the main treasures are the Executioner firearm (final floor), Vigilantes daggers (from the first haven) and the Black Belt and Safety Bit accessories.
==Enemies==
*Flan
*Imp
*Arachne
*Tarantula
*Ronin
*Mindflayer (boss)
*Ariadne (hunt)
*Kokyangwuti (hunt)
At the Menace Dungeon portion the player will face:
*Yojimbo
*Cryonade
*Skeleton
*Elder Coeurl
*Royalisk
*Kingatrice
*Kengo (boss)
==Quests==
===Photo Op: Waterfall===
PhotoOp-Waterfall-Map-FFXV.png
Photo-Op-Waterfall-FFXV.png
===Retrieve the royal arm===
Greyshire Grotto is a frozen labyrinth with various levels, slippery slopes and narrow ledges. The Almanac entry (Windows and Royal Editions) is outside on the ledge behind the waterfall.
Soon after entering the player can find a Fossil Shell. The party is soon attacked by flan, daemons resilient to normal weapons; elemancy and royal arms take them out faster. Sliding down the slope leads to the lower level with a group of imps. The path leads up and it has a Rusted Bit along the way before arriving at another slide.
Holding on to the right while sliding the player finds an area with an Ether. It can also be reached from the other side. Continuing down the slope drops the party next to an arachne who can spawn tarantulas. Continuing along finds an ice deposit and a Hi-Potion. The path leads to three flan.
The map has a section the player couldn't explore behind them. If the player landed on the ledge while going down the slide, they may have been able to explore a part of that area. Otherwise, the player should go through the small opening after defeating the flan and pick up the Carbon Bangle on the right side and cross the bridge; this is the place where the Ether was. Passing through the opening finds Fossil Wood. The player can fight ronin, a mini-boss who spawns with two imps. It is best to kill the imps first. Exploring this part of the grotto finds Ammonite Fossil. Jumping down gets back to the beginning of the dungeon. The player can leave for a bit to save, if they wish.
As he player falls down from the slide, they should head right and cross the narrow ledge, and return to the place where the arachne was. Falling from the slide, there is a narrow ledge on the right. There is a fire deposit. Heading to the right finds a Friendship Band and imps. The player can also go to the bottom of the grotto that is guarded by an arachne, imps and tarantulas. There is another Rusted Bit and an Oracle Ascension Coin. Exploring the pathway on the lowest level, in the corner, finds a Phoenix Down.
From the fire deposit the player can cross the bridge and fight the arachne along the way. After crossing the stone bridge there is a lightning deposit and another piece of Fossil Wood. Heading right from the lightning deposit spawns a ronin and a second ledge. Crossing leads to the last area.
Three mindflayers spawn as the dungeon's boss battle. Killing them gives access to the royal tomb. The end has a sealed door that cannot be opened until Chapter 15.
===Scraps of Mystery XIV===
South of Fort Vaullerey (the imperial base northeast from Malmalam Thicket) there is an abandoned car in the middle of the two forking roads. The treasure is in the Greyshire Glacial Grotto, down the first two "ice slides" on the north side.
Scraps of Mystery XIV location from FFXV.png
Scraps of Mystery XIV Glacial Grotto from FFXV.png
Scraps of Mystery XIV treasure in Glacial Grotto from FFXV.png
===Hunts===
===Menace Sleeps in the Grotto===
In Chapter 15 the player can do the Menace Beneath Lucis sidequest after completing the following optional dungeons: Costlemark Tower, Crestholm Channels, Balouve Mines, and Daurell Caverns. At Meldacio Hunter HQ Ezma Auburnbrie will yield the Sealbreaker's Key (does not carry over to New Game Plus or when using chapter select) that the player can use to open the sealed door in Greyshire Glacial Grotto. The recommended level for this dungeon is 65. The Windows and Royal Editions add monoliths to the dungeons, which the player can read to fill out their Datalog and get further lore.
The sealed door at Greyshire is at the deepest reaches of the grotto. The player must descend through a series of caverns with rooms holding strong monsters the player must slay to proceed. Clearing all floors completes the quest. The player can pick up an item in each room. There are havens along the journey, so the player can replenish health and cook. The goal is to defeat the boss at the bottom. The path branches in certain floors, and one should look for paths that lead downward when backtracking from a dead end.
The dungeon contains various cryonades, ice bombs that grow until they explode and can deal massive damage and scatter multiple small cryonades that can grow into full-sized ones. The player can engulf them in fire elemancy for a quick win, although party members tend to get caught up in the blast (they could wear Thermal Suits to become immune to fire). The yojimbos' and elder coeurls' instant death can be blocked with Medjay Assassin's Robes, Safety Bits, Ribbons or Magitek Exosuits, or the Death-Defying food buff.
The end boss is a samurai-type daemon called kengo. Entering the boss room closes off the rest of the dungeon, so the player should make sure they have gotten every other worthwhile treasure they want before proceeding to the end, as the final stretch has various branching paths.
The player can use the Ring of the Lucii and the Magitek Exosuit to pass through the maze.
The special treasures in the dungeon are the Executioner firearm (final floor), Vigilantes daggers (first haven), and the Black Belt (+50% damage to larger enemies for Gladiolus) and Safety Bit (immunity to Instant Death) accessories.
====List of floors====
==Other appearances==
===Final Fantasy Record Keeper===
===Final Fantasy Brave Exvius===
==Gallery==
Waterfall-FFXV.png|The waterfall concealing the entrance.
Greyshire-Glacial-Grotto-FFXV.png
Greyshire-Glacial-Grotto-Bridge-FFXV.png
Greyshire-Glacial-Grotto-Lightning-Deposit-FFXV.png
Greyshire-Glacial-Grotto-Depths-FFXV.png
Greyshire-Glacial-Grotto-Tomb-Entrance-FFXV.png
Greyshire-Grotto-Battle-FFXV.png
Inheriting-Swords-of-the-Wanderer-FFXV.png|Noctis inherits a royal arm.
==Etymology==
"Greyshire" is a Japanese play on words. The Japanese katakana rendering for the English terms "grey" and "shire" compound to make , the Japanese rendering for the English term "glacier". This play on words is less obvious in English, so the word "Glacial" was added to its name in in-game text to preserve the second meaning.
ru:Грейширский грот
Category:Locations in Final Fantasy XV
Category:Caves