Part 19: Class Discussions - Beast

Class Discussion - Beast



The rest of the portraits.

I hate this class.

Oh right. Here's the last class of this game. They're known as Pets in Japan. Unlike the other classes, this one is locked from the start. You can unlock it by beating the first Stratum boss and then checking up on Kurogane, who will give you a key item that will let you register Beasts in the guild.

Beasts are basically a more offensive version of the Protector. They sacrifice some defensive capabilities in order to be more offensive, since the Protector has noodle arms in this game and can't really deal damage. Well that's the idea behind them. In practice it doesn't really work out like that. Beasts are probably one of the worst designed classes in the whole series, and their usefulness in this game is really limited. Thanks to how one of their main skills was designed, they have lackluster offenses if you want to use them as a tank, which a Protector does a far better job at. And trying to turn them into an offensive party member turns them into the biggest glass cannon in the game. The Beast pretty much has two separate builds because of said skill. The Rampage build, where the Beast ignores all defensive skills that doesn't benefit it in any way and just focuses on pure offense. And the tank build, where they focus on defense with some offensive skills mixed in.

Stats

Level 1
HP - 55
TP - 15
STR - 8
TEC - 5
VIT - 8
AGI - 5
LUC - 5

Level 70
HP - 545
TP - 153
STR - 61
TEC - 18
VIT - 70
AGI - 38
LUC - 51

Level 99
HP - 779
TP - 323
STR - 78
TEC - 35
VIT - 88
AGI - 57
LUC - 69

Beasts have the highest amount of HP in the game, and that's pretty much the only defensive stat that actually matters if you're going to make use of Rampage. They have the 2nd highest strength and vitality stats while also having the lowest technique stat out of all the classes. If you're going to make your Beast into a tank, you'll want to focus on HP and VIT. If you're making your Beast a fighter, don't bother with VIT. Invest in STR and HP.

Loyalty

Max lvl: 10

The Beast's mastery skill. The Beast has a chance to take damage in an ally's place. This works on AOEs and random target attacks as well. Leveling up the skill increases the chance the Beast will take damage in an ally's place, and reduces the damage they take. This skill cannot be disabled.

1 - 30% chance to guard, 105% damage taken
2 - 31% chance, 102% damage taken
3 - 33% chance, 99% damage taken
4 - 36% chance, 96% damage taken
5 - 40% chance, 93% damage taken
6 - 45% chance, 90% damage taken
7 - 51% chance, 87% damage taken
8 - 58% chance, 84% damage taken
9 - 66% chance, 81% damage taken
10 - 75% chance, 78% damage taken

This is by far the worst skill in the game and the biggest reason I hate this class. This skill is actively detrimental to a Beast and drastically shortens their lifespan. Maxing out this skill turns the Beast from a tank into the biggest glass cannon in the game. The way this skill actually works is that when it activates, the Beast takes the same amount of damage the target would have taken, which is then reduced by Loyalty's defense bonus. This skill doesn't work with shielding skills at all, so if a Protector uses Antivolt against a Volt attack, and Loyalty kicks in, the Beast will not be healed by Antivolt and instead take the full amount of damage. It also doesn't work with a Dark Hunter's Bait skills, so you can't use this to get 5 procs. The dumbest thing about this skill is that completely ignores the Beast's buffs and passives, which means that Loyalty doesn't even synergize with the Beast's own skills! Normally I would say to ignore this skill, but the problem is that it's a Mastery skill. Which means that you have to take this in order to learn some of the Beast's skills, including the best damage skill in the game.

It really says something when Atlus completely reworked this skill in the remake. Not for being overpowered, but for being so bad that it was unsalvagable. Loyalty instead has a chance to halve all damage taken in the remake, which is much more appropriate for a tank class.

Autocure

Needs lvl. 3 HP Up
Max lvl: 10

A passive skill that heals the Beast for a percentage of their HP after a battle is won. At level 1, 1% of the Beast's HP is restored, up to 10% at level 10.

Take it if you want, but I see little use for this skill that a healer can't already do. It does stack with Patch Up, so that's something to keep in mind. It is a prerequisite for some much better skills, so I do advise at least leveling this up to 5.

Autoheal

Needs lvl. 5 Autocure
Max lvl: 5

A passive skill that decreases the time needed for the Beast to recover from ailments. At level 1, the recovery rate is 10%, and increases to 50% at level 5. Which makes it so that the Beast will always recover from any ailment after the turn it was inflicted.

A nice little passive. Unfortunately, it doesn't work on binds, only ailments. Take it if you want, but it's also a prerequisite to a great passive.

En Garde

Needs lvl. 10 VIT Up
Max lvl: 10

A passive skill that gives the Beast a chance to halve the damage taken. At level 1 it gives a 10% chance to halve any kind of damage. At level 5 the chance increases to 20%. At level 10 the chance jumps up to 55%, higher than the Protector's version of the skill.

There's just one main problem with this skill. It will never proc when Loyalty kicks in, since it only works on attacks that are directed at the Beast. So it's effectively useless if you're making a Rampage build. If you're going with a tank build, feel free to take it since it increases the Beast's survivability.

Tenacity

Needs lvl. 5 Autoheal
Max lvl: 5

This is a passive skill that allows the Beast to revive if they die, leaving them with 1 HP. At level 1, it has a 10% chance to proc, increasing to a 30% chance at level 5.

Unlike the Protector's version, this can proc multiple times, and it works for AOEs and random target attacks. In fact, this is the only skill that actually works with Loyalty. So it's definitely worth taking if you're using a Rampage Beast. Unfortunately, it does not work against Instant Death, so beware of that.

Maul

Max lvl: 10

A single target Bash attack that grows in power as the Beast loses HP. The minimum damage threshold is 100% to 76%, and the maximum damage threshold is 25% to 1%. At level 1, it costs 1 TP and has a base damage of 101%, but the actual minimum damage is 128%, and maxes out at 197%. At level 5 it costs 5 TP, and has a base damage of 111%, but the damage ranges from 140% to 217%. At level 10 it costs 10 TP, and has a base damage of 146%, but the damage actually ranges from 185% to 286%.

Take it if you want, but there's better damage skills the Beast has. If you're maxing out Loyalty, chances are your Beast won't last long enough to make use of this skill at full power often.

Devour

Needs lvl. 5 Maul
Max lvl: 5

A single target Bash attack that heals the Beast for a portion of the damage dealt. At level 1 it costs 3 TP and deals 130% damage, and heals the Beast for 20% of the damage dealt. At level 5 it costs 11 TP and deals 202% damage, and heals the Beast for 56% of the damage dealt.

A fairly decent attack that can lengthen the Beast's survivability. It's very decent if your Beast is built to be a tank. But if they're a fighter, there's much better damage skills to use, and this really can't offset the damage they'll be taking from Loyalty procs.

Bodyslam

Max lvl: 5

A single target Bash attack that has a chance to stun an enemy.

1 - 8 TP - 30% damage, 1% speed, 75% accuracy, 1% Stun chance
2 - 9 TP - 40% damage, 5% speed, 76% accuracy, 2% Stun chance
3 - 10 TP - 55% damage, 13% speed, 78% accuracy, 4% Stun chance
4 - 11 TP - 70% damage, 25% speed, 81% accuracy, 7% Stun chance
5 - 12 TP - 80% damage, 41% speed, 85% accuracy, 11% Stun chance
6 - 13 TP - 90% damage, 61% speed, 90% accuracy, 16% Stun chance
7 - 14 TP - 100% damage, 85% speed, 96% accuracy, 22% Stun chance
8 - 15 TP - 150% damage, 113% speed, 103% accuracy, 29% Stun chance
9 - 16 TP - 200% damage, 145% speed, 111% accuracy, 37% Stun chance
10 - 17 TP - 260% damage, 181% speed, 120% accuracy, 46% Stun chance

The scaling on this makes it start out incredibly weak, but it grows in power as you level it up. If you're not making use of Rampage, this is the best damage skill the Beast has, and it's pretty worth it for a tank build.

Rampage

Needs lvl. 5 Bodyslam and lvl. 10 Loyalty
Max lvl: 10

The Beast randomly attacks every enemy with heavy hitting Bash attacks. At level 1 it costs 8 TP with each hit dealing 70% damage, has a speed modifier of 10%, has an accuracy modifier of 30%, and has a 70%/30% chance to deal 3/4 hits. At level 5 it costs 16 TP with each hit dealing 90% damage, has 30% speed, has 40% accuracy, and has a 30%/60%/10% chance to deal 3/4/5 hits. At level 10 it costs 26 TP with each hit dealing 160% damage, has 100% speed, has 75% accuracy, and has a 10%/45%/25%/20% chance to deal 3/4/5/6 hits.

This is by far the best damage skill in the game, and it can be an incentive to max out Loyalty. Unfortunately that prerequisite essentially discards any defenses the Beast has, turning it into a huge glass cannon. So if you're going to invest in this skill, you need to put all your eggs in one basket. On average it deals out 546% damage, which is more than the Ronin's Midareba and the average damage output of the Gunner's Ricochet. That does include the 75% accuracy penalty. Without it, it would dish out an average of 728% damage.

Claw

Max level: 10

A single target Cut attack. Leveling up this skill increases the damage and decreases the TP cost, however the speed and accuracy of this skill also decreases.

1 - 15 TP - 120% damage, 500% speed, 120% accuracy
2 - 14 TP - 125% damage, 350% speed, 116% accuracy
3 - 13 TP - 130% damage, 245% speed, 112% accuracy
4 - 12 TP - 135% damage, 172% speed, 108% accuracy
5 - 11 TP - 140% damage, 121% speed, 104% accuracy
6 - 10 TP - 150% damage, 85% speed, 100% accuracy
7 - 9 TP - 160% damage, 60% speed, 96% accuracy
8 - 8 TP - 180% damage, 42% speed, 92% accuracy
9 - 7 TP - 200% damage, 30% speed, 88% accuracy
10 - 6 TP - 210% damage, 21% speed, 84% accuracy

Yeah, I have no idea what's up with this skill. Apparently someone on the dev team thought 210% single target Cut damage was really really scary. You pretty much have to decide where to stop with this skill, although you need to get it to level 5 to unlock another skill. Or you could just ignore this skill altogether because there's much better damage skills the Beast has.

Wildcut

Needs lvl. 5 Claw
Max lvl: 5

The Beast slashes at every enemy in the battle, dealing Cut damage to everything. At level 1 it deals 150% damage and costs 15 TP. At level 5 it deals 222% damage and costs 23 TP. The speed modifier at all levels is 1%, so the Beast will always go after the enemies when using this skill.

It's one of the few physical AOE skills in the game, so if you lack those Wildcut could be a good investment. However, you'll have to accommodate for the low speed, since this skill can never kill the enemies before they get a chance to act.

Bristle

Needs lvl. 3 Loyalty
Max lvl: 5

The Beast lowers its offensive capabilities for 5 turns in order to increase their defenses against all forms of physical and elemental attacks.

1 - 15 TP - No damage reduction, 30% defense increase
2 - 14 TP - 3% damage reduction, 35% defense increase
3 - 13 TP - 7% damage reduction, 41% defense increase
4 - 12 TP - 12% damage reduction, 48% defense increase
5 - 11 TP - 20% damage reduction, 56% defense increase

If you're using Rampage, this skill is completely and utterly useless. One, you don't want to reduce the damage you dish out on the best damage skill in the game. Two, the defense increase doesn't work with Loyalty. Now if you're going with a tank build, this skill is great because it's the strongest defense buff in the game. Unfortunately it doesn't work against untyped attacks.

Preen

Needs lvl. 2 Loyalty
Max lvl: 10

This is a weaker version of the Protector's Provoke skill. It functions the same way, but the damage reduction is not as good as Provoke's. At level 1 costs 3 TP and has a 20% Provoke chance with no damage reduction. At level 5 it costs 7 TP and has a 70% provoke chance and reduces damage by 8%. The provoke chance reaches 100% at level 7 and costs 9 TP there, while reducing damage taken by 12%. All levels 8 to 10 do is reduce the TP cost, increase the speed modifier, and decreases the damage taken. So you can leave this skill at level 7 if you wanted. Level 10 Provoke costs 6 TP and reduces damage by 18%.

This can be handy, but if you're using a Rampage Beast, this is kind of useless since the Beast will likely be taking a lot of the hits. And it falls off mid to lategame. Do put a point in it though, it has a special use in the postgame.

Wildwall

Max lvl: 5

The Beast will nullify any physical attacks that target it. The scaling is the exact same as the Protector's Parry.

This could be handy when paired with Preen, but like Provoke it falls off so Wildwall's usefulness is limited. And this skill also doesn't work with Loyalty, so don't bother with this at all if you're using Rampage.

Roar

Max lvl: 5

The Beast attempts to terrify every single enemy in the battle by roaring at them. The scaling is as follows, and I swear I am not making this up.

1 - 10 TP - 1% chance to inflict Terror
2 - 11 TP - 2% chance
3 - 12 TP - 3% chance
4 - 13 TP - 4% chance
5 - 14 TP - 75% chance

Yes. That is the actual scaling on the skill. The first four levels effectively do nothing. If you're wondering why your level 4 Roar isn't doing anything at all, this is why. And keep in mind that when leveling up skills, you can't see the actual gains. Just a little description with up arrows on the side on the textbox at the bottom. I have no idea why this skill was designed this way. As for the skill itself, Terror can be a nice ailment to inflict, especially since it is the least resisted ailments among bosses. They can also make good partners with a Hexer because of this.

Saliva

Max lvl: 10

The Beast can heal an ally or themselves by licking their wounds. At level 1 it costs 2 TP and has a base heal of 10 HP. At level 5 it costs 6 TP and has a base heal of 50. At level 10 the cost is 11 TP, and the base heal jumps up to 190 HP.

It barely heals more than a Medic's Cure, and Beasts don't have a heal mastery skill to boost the heal, and they have the lowest TEC stat in the game which means that the heal won't even heal much more than the base heal. Not worth it, use an actual healer or items instead.

Doze Off

Needs lvl. 1 Loyalty
Max lvl: 5

The Beast takes a nap, which inflicts the sleep ailment on itself and heals itself in the process. At level 1, it heals itself for 200 base HP. At level 5 it has a base heal of 300 HP.

Not really one of the best skills to take. Unless you can wake up the Beast immediately, this doesn't really do much. While Autoheal can cure the Beast on the next turn, why would you take this skill when actual healers can heal for more without inflicting ailments on the party members? It does have a special use in the postgame, so you might want to put a point in it.

Howl/Growl

Needs lvl. 1 TP Up
Max lvl: 5

Basically the field skills that lures FOEs to a certain or stops them in their tracks. These have the exact same scaling as the other classes' FOE skills.

Gathering Skill: Fetch

Needs lvl. 5 TEC Up and lvl. 5 LUC Up
Max lvl: 5

This is the Beast's gathering skill, and it's a bit special. Each point allows the Beast to harvest from Take, Mine, and Chop points. It may sound like a good deal at first, but you need to invest 15 points overall in order to get 5 gathering attempts for each kind of item point, 10 of which goes towards stats that doesn't really benefit the Beast. It's basically the same investment as leveling up all of the Survivalist's gathering skills. Still, this is the only other class that can harvest from all the item points at once.

Force Skill: Salivall

It's basically the exact same skill as H. Touch. A 500 HP base heal that has 200% speed and removes all ailments. It does not remove binds, debuffs, or death. It's a bit inferior to the Medic's version, because Medics can boost the heal with their mastery skill and their high TEC stat where the Beast's TEC stat will barely affect anything.

Beasts were intended to be a jack of all trades, dabbling in both offense and defense which could have made for an interesting class. Unfortunately, due to the way Loyalty was programmed, that isn't the case at all. Instead it's best to just focus on one aspect of the Beast, which completely negates it's intended strengths. The other reason Beasts aren't a good class is because they lack the Anti-elemental skills, which the Protector has. Those are semi-required in the postgame, and the Beast really doesn't bring much defensive options to make it worth bringing one along over a Protector. And offensive wise, there's better classes to use like the Ronin, who is a glass cannon, but not nearly to the extent of the Beast. Also, the Protector has Painless, which is a fantastic Force Skill. Salivall is decent, but it falls off later on.