In this section, I put the three aforementioned races together because they all have one similar problem: Potential Unleashed is the only conventional transformation they have outside of their race specific specialities. I did not include Giant, Purification, or Power Pole Pro in this comparison because their gameplay styles are radically different. It isn't so much a damage/performance issue as it is a playstyle issue, so I cannot speak to the preferences of others.

So here's a breakdown of Beast Specifically with Potential Unleashed (PU) as well as a context-based analysis of the other races.

1. General Things to Know: Potential Unleashed (PU) Vs. Beast

For all races, you can do a straight up damage comparison; PU gives 15% to all attacks, Beast gives a 30% bonus to all attacks. Easy math there. Here's where it gets more interesting; Beast takes a 20% damage increase to all damage taken, whereas PU gets a 5% decrease to all damage taken. That means that theoretically, A Beast player vs. a PU player would have an outcome of 25% damage output for the Beast player (30% - 5% dmg reduction from PU) vs. a 35% damage output for the PU player (15% + the 20% damage taken by the Beast Player). So in this hypothetical match-up, PU is theoretically the stronger transformation.

Here's some other stuff to note too:
- PU gets speed buffs, Beast does not
- PU just has a 500 ki requirement to transform, whereas Beast consumes 500 ki for its transformation

So on paper, Beast kinda looks bad. But here's yet another interesting factor at play in this comparison:

- Beast gives teleportation in its combos like Saiyans get
- Beast gets a custom combo that is BY FAR the strongest in the game.

So, with all this in mind... is it worth it?

2. Earthlings

First, a reminder of Earthling Racial Traits:
- well balanced in all damage types
- ki auto regeneration (stacks with ki gained from combos, as well as super soul effects)
- arguably the best combo strings in the game
- average health pool
-[Male] bonus to strike supers
-[Female] bonus to ki supers
- Arguably the most noob-friendly race out of all the characters


Beast is definitely fun to use with Earthlings. You get to play in a power scale of Super Saiyan Gods, and your damage output is outrageous. Earthlings are versatile in all damage types, and their ki regeneration will pair very nicely with Beast's increased ki recovery. PU is certainly the safer choice for an Earthling CaC, but Beast is certainly an extremely viable option for Earthling players. The biggest potential pitfalls are a) the long transformation time, and b) some of the Earthling combos get replaced with Beast combos. Some sweaty online players love Earthlings for their combos, so this might actually prove to be a downside for you.

3. Namekians

Pros:
- high stamina regen rate -> 15% higher than other races by default
- regen health when at critical (10%)
- high health bonus
- increased benefits from item and capsule use
- versatile in skills -> strike or ki supers, doesn't seem to matter too much
- Giant form is one of the most unique play styles in the game
- stretchy arms with substantially increased hit range

Cons:
- lowest all-around damage output in the game
- combos on the slower side, low hit priority in PvP

Beast is a MASSIVE yes for Namekian CaC's. First, their damage output is the lowest of all characters. Finally there is an option to put their damage potential up there with SSB/SSBE tier characters. Namekians are tanks that get health regeneration when at critical levels, so the increased damage received is no big deal. Conversely, a lot of online players complain about Namekian regeneration being too OP, so increased damage taken with Beast might well be a welcomed nerf. Being able to teleport with their combos gives them even better reach advantage when combined with their stretchy arms. Of all the Xenoverse 2 races, I would argue that Beast helps out Namekians the most.

4. Majins

Pros:
- [Female] fastest stamina break recovery in the game
-[Male] one of the highest health bonuses in the game
-high defence-> reduced stamina damage taken from attacks, reduced damage taken when stamina is high
- versatile in ki or strike supers, fairly balanced stats
-purification is a pretty powerful transformation -> high damage bonuses, and you regenerate stamina at all times (even during combos or charging ki)
- stretchy arms with somewhat increased hit range

Cons:
- the lower your stamina, the more damage you take (as high as 30%)
- Male majins just kind of suck, they are extremely slow in their combos with not amazing damage output

For Majins, I would say Beast is certainly a welcome option. Purification is actually quite a strong contender these days, but its an entirely different playstyle because it basically just turns you into a clone of Kid Buu. Majins are tanky as well, but lose their damage resistance as their stamina gets lower. This is a case where Beast becomes a high risk-high reward situation, but I think the benefits outweigh the costs. Beast does no stamina penalties, which is an essential stat for Majin mains. It buffs ki recovery, and the damage increase is not too big of a deal if you manage your stamina well. Otherwise, Potential Unleashed is most certainly a safer option.

Note: I do not compare Potential Unleashed in this section because I cover it in the previous section. Look there if you are interested.

So here we have a breakdown for the Saiyan race, as it is the most likely character people are going to want to use this skill with. Given how the damage output is comparable with top tier Saiyan transformations, is beast worth it for Saiyans? I would argue no.

Here are their basic race traits:
Pros
-High basic attack damage
-[Male] bonus to strike supers
-[Female] bonus to ki supers (comparable to that of Frieza race)
-most transformations of any race
-Zenkai boost-> 10% damage boost when revived after being knocked out

Cons:
-[Female] worst health pool in the game
-[Male] on the lower spectrum of health

Reason 1: Ki Management

Both SSB (Super Saiyan Blue) and SSBE (Super Saiyan Blue Evolution) had their ki drain concerns addressed in the latest patch. SSB formerly had a ki drain of 20%, now it is reduced to a much easier to manage 10%. SSBE used to be 28% ki drain, and now it is only 18% which is still less than SSB's original ki drain rate. Pretty much any super soul addition that adds ki auto recovery will mitigate this loss now. Add Burst Charge or Divinity Unleashed to the equation, and you will have no concerns about running out of ki any time soon.

Reason 2: Damage Taken

Both SSB and SSBE give damage reduction now. SSB had it's original damage taken debuff of 12% changed to a damage REDUCTION of 5%. That's a 17% difference in damage taken now! Whereas Beast takes 20% damage from all sources.

Reason 3: Stamina Gain

SSB and SSBE have MAD stamina recovery benefits that Beast lacks. While Beast does not take stamina penalties like SSJ3 or Kaioken does, if you're taking 20% increased damage from all sources stamina management becomes all the more important. Not only do the SSB/SSBE transformations take less damage, but their stamina recovery game is unparalleled.

Reason 4: Pure Game Mechanics

SSB/SSBE have speed buffs, whereas Beast does not. SSB/SSBE have shorter animation times, whereas Beast has the longest window of opportunity for a stamina break due to its long (albeit super cool and cinematic) transformation animation.

Here it is, the whole reason I wrote this guide in the first place; of all the races that Beast could apply to, it shakes up the options of Frieza Race players the most. Here's why:

Pros:
- one of the highest ki damage outputs in the game
- regens stamina during combos
- golden transformation has high ki blast damage buff and cool unique normal ki blast beams
- fastest race in the game

Cons:
- second lowest health pool in the game
- basic attack damage is on the low end of average
- this race is optimised for ki blast builds only, strike supers not well supported

Frieza Race CaCs are already the glassiest of canons. This is further complicated by the fact that their Golden form got a damage received nerf of 15% a few updates back, meaning they take even more damage in their signature form. Golden form used to generate more ki from combos, but that also got nerfed. So here's what's fun about Beast:

- Frieza race do not inherently receive bonuses to strike supers or basic attack combos. Beast puts them on par with every other race by giving them a 30% all-around damage boost
- Beast further optimises the ki damage potential of the Frieza race, making them far deadlier than ever, The difference between Beast's ki blast damage and Golden Form's ki damage is only 5% in favour of Golden.
- 20% damage taken from Beast is barely much more than the 15% damage taken in Golden form
- Frieza Race now benefits from the most powerful combo in the game inherent to Beast
- They are already fast, so will not really miss the lack of speed boost that other transformations give
- Beast gives Frieza Race their faster ki generation from combos back. Golden used to have this but it got nerfed to being a ki reduction of 10%.

So, is Beast ideal for Frieza Race players? I would say more yes than no. It is demonstrably superior to the Golden transformation, and they are already designed to be glass canons. Beast does little more damage to them than can already be done, and the benefits far outweigh the costs at this point.

What about Potential Unleashed? (Topic suggested by Deekay)
That's a good question, actually. PU would certainly be the safer choice, as 1) it activates quicker, and 2) there are no downsides to it. 15% buff to all attacks is enough to further strengthen their ki attacks while also making their basic combos viable. It also gives some moderate speed buffs, which Beast does not. Frieza characters are already quite fast, so anything that boosts this advantage further is always a welcome addition.

However, the Frieza race is inherently a high risk-high reward playstyle. Being low health with weaker basic attacks and the worst strike attack potential means you are relying on ki attacks for your damage output. Beast rounds out those weaknesses and buffs all attacks by a very competitive margin (40% to everything). This means that not only are their ki attacks going to be devastating, but regular combos and strike moves will also deal out very competitive damage levels. Plus, the ki recovery offered by this transformation compliments Frieza race's ki attack playstyle well.

The downside is that you are extra vulnerable, taking an extra 20% damage on top of whatever buffs and transformations your opponent gets. You can compensate for this weakness a bit because Frieza race recover stamina during their combos, which is an advantage nobody else gets. Stay on the offensive and manage your stamina, then you should be able to finish fights fairly quickly.

What if I simply Improved Potential Unleashed?
If you want Beast tier damage with less drawbacks, you could simply pair Potential Unleashed with the super soul "Damn... gonna have to go all out". You get XXL Boost to speed and all damage types, making you an absolute menace in terms of damage output while further increasing the best speed a CaC type can have. The only drawback is a (M) a.k.a. 10% increase to damage taken, which is half of the drawback that Beast gets.

What if I simply Improved Beast?
Orange Piccolo's super soul "Shenron really went the extra mile" reduces all damage taken by 10% and gives 10% ki recovery, which improves upon the the already substantial 20% that beast gets. This makes the transformation far more palatable to any CaC, especially for the glass canon/ki build that is the Frieza Race.

Tl;Dr: It depends on how you choose to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each. Potential Unleashed is by far the safer alternative, whereas Beast ups the ante on the Frieza race's glass canon playstyle.

Try the following if you find yourself vulnerable during the Beast Transforming animation:
- Activating a super soul limit burst with the Super Armor effect would help you transform safely
- Using the strike skill Justice Blade and transforming during the animation will stall your opponent from retaliating for a short time
- Guard break your opponent then knock them away
- For online PvP, choose maps where your opponent starts far away on the map when possible

(please feel free to leave your feedback or other suggestions in the comments section)

No matter what, use Beast if you enjoy it and think it looks cool. Is it the best all-around option for your character's build? Probably not if you are a competitive online player. Definitely not if you are a Saiyan. Arguably yes for Earthlings and Majins. A resounding YES if you are a Namekian or Frieza Race. But especially in the PvE context, who really cares? At the end of the day, play in the way that is the most fun for you. I'm glad we have Beast to add to the repertoire of fun stuff to experiment with in this janky old game.