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Fixing the Utility Tree

Gaminon·8/20/2014, 4:06:30 AM·11 votes·1,718 views

Recently I was thinking about the mastery trees, specifically about the utility tree and how it seems useless. Below are my thoughts on masteries, what’s wrong with the utility tree, and how we can fix it.

#The Problem

Masteries are fairly stale. The mastery system is set up to encourage players to devote 21 points to one mastery tree and 9 to a second. Since there are only two viable trees (offense and defense), non-support roles have a pretty binary choice. If they want to be tanky, they run 9-21-0. If they want to do damage, they run 21-9-0.

The third tree—the sad, sad, little utility tree—is really only intended for supports (see Greed, Scavenger, Inspiration, etc.), and it doesn’t even do a particularly good job in that respect. Supports are often better off running 21-9-0 or 9-21-0 than specing into utility. (Being able to net a kill or a few assists because you actually had the stats to do it trumps any gold generation masteries.)

But what if there was a third mastery tree that people actually WANTED to put points into? People would suddenly have a choice, and mastery points might become a reflection of an individual’s playstyle rather than just a simple formula.

#Why is Utility So Weak?

I tried to figure this question out by looking at the gold value of each mastery point in each tree. That’s a fairly difficult proposition since there are a lot of masteries that are very situational, but I made my best WAGs and got the following results. The average gold value of each mastery point in the offense tree in the early/late game is 55/144 (excluding Spellblade, which provides ridiculously high value in the late game). For the defense tree, it’s 42/74. For the utility tree, it’s 38/70. (See this if you want to look at my gold value estimates.)

The utility tree was the least gold efficient of the three, but that didn’t seem to explain everything. Not only was it close to the defense tree in gold/point, but the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like it wasn’t a matter of gold efficiency. If you took every mastery in the utility tree and gave it a 50% boost, I still wouldn’t put points in utility.

So I started thinking about the way that Riot has shifted their champ design to give each champ a distinct role. I applied that same logic to the mastery trees and the weakness of the utility tree started to make more sense. Look at the number of masteries in each tree, and the number of effects that they provide:

The offense tree has 20 masteries, grouped into roughly 9 effects, nearly all of which are about killing people (% damage increase, AD, AP, AS, CDR, True Damage, Health/Mana Restore, On Hit Effects, and Armor/MR Pen).

The defense tree has 19 masteries, grouped into roughly 10 effects, all of which are about being hard to kill (Flat DR, % DR, HP Regen, Armor, MR, Bleed Damage, HP, Slow Resist, Shield, and Tenacity)

The utility tree has 18 masteries, grouped into 13 different effects (Recall Time, MS, Mana Regen, HP Regen, Trinket Range, Summoner CDR, Potion Improvements, Lifesteal/Spellvamp, Buff Duration, Gold Generation, Mana, Experience, and CDR/Item CDR).

It’s pretty clear that the utility tree doesn’t have a focus. It’s got the fewest masteries but the most effects. It’s a catchall, a hodgepodge, a random assortment of minimally beneficial effects that Riot dreamed up. They don’t really work together to form a cohesive whole, which is probably why they’re so weak.

#The Solution

So how does Riot fix the utility tree? They do the same thing they’ve been doing to their champs: they give the utility tree a distinct identity.

The utility tree should be about being able to UTILIZE what you have. I see this falling into three broad categories:

  1. Movement speed: getting where you need to be to utilize what you have.

  2. CDR: not waiting on cooldowns to utilize what you have.

  3. HP/Mana Regen: not being OOM or too low on health to utilize what you have.

Here’s my idea for a new utility tree.

The numbers would probably have to change (I assigned them based on my best estimate of their gold value and actual impact in a game, but obviously I can’t playtest them). Maybe someone would even have a better idea for certain individual masteries.

Regardless, I think a mastery tree with this character would make players actually stop to think what is important to them and the champ they are playing. Would they rather trade harder or be able to recover from a trade better? Would they rather have spells that hit harder or be able to throw more of them? Would they rather have the stats to absorb the damage as they close, or the speed to prevent them from getting kited in the first place?

Even if Riot doesn’t go with what I suggest here, I hope that come season 5, they shake up the masteries, especially the utility tree, so that spending mastery points involves tension and promotes unique playstyles in different individuals.

TL;DR Utility tree is worthless, make it worthwhile so players have some interesting choices.

14 Comments

Pyrobob48/20/2014, 6:15:36 AM5 votes

So the solution for a tree that is only good for supports (which it isn't, even) is to take away any reason a support would use the tree? You've gotta have some gold generation masteries, else there needs to be other changes in the game (probably items) to give supports a way to keep up.

I also think quite a few players would lament the loss of Runic Affinity.

So what if there is a tree that strongly favors/benefits a single position, anyway? There are 5 positions and 3 trees... You do the math.

What I would like to see in the utility tree are more masteries that encourage support behavior. Variations on masteries like Scout and Bandit. Maybe something that increases the duration of wards, or even their health? And more bonuses for getting assists (only assists), like extra exp. Actually, Bandit could be split up into ranged and melee specific versions, with both gaining bonus exp as well as the gold.

Something else entirely that would be nice to see, and would hopefully help healing/sustain type supports become more relevant, is masteries that enhance or reward healing/shielding. Off the top of my head, a mastery that grants +4 armor and MR to anyone you heal or shield. Maybe one that restores some health and/or mana, or even grants gold, anytime you heal or shield someone other than yourself.

I'm just spit balling, here, but the general idea is that there should be more masteries that give support players more incentive to play supportively.

utDOOM8/20/2014, 5:23:53 AM1 votes

Your forgetting that suports need gold, since they can't farm or kill, and supoort items only give so much gold. Also gp10 karth is fun and he likes that extra gold.

skippersd8/20/2014, 1:58:57 PM1 votes

OP's point was that even supports ignore the utility tree (most definietly true at lower ELO, a viable strat at higher ELO, and i just checked Nyph's masteries, he has ONE mastery page where he puts 21 in utility.). He said that instead of having a supportish mediocore at best tree for lulz, Riot should turn utility tree into a CDR/MS/mana fountain.

On that note: No CDR in utility. Since every single support item gives CDR, it quickly becomes a wasted stat, OR even better, make a high tier utility mastery with really extra 5% CDR, so with 21 in utility you are capped at 45% CDR.

No trinket CD for switching is broken, but reduced CD can work. Flat MS is lovely, summoner CDR is good as well, 2%MS+3%MS on hit is okey.

In that setup, I'd take Summoner CDR, flat MS and CDR or trinket, then put 21 in def or utility, couse the rest of the tree is meh.

Earl Eulrich8/20/2014, 2:15:25 PM1 votes

While I compeltely agree in your analysis that currently the Utility-Tree doesn´t really work out well I think your solution is not going in the right direction.

In my opinion the main reason to not skill into utility as an support is that you need all the power you can get for early trading in lane, as it´s a 2v2 lane and if you get focused by 2peole early on you die pretty fast if you don´t have high base-values. So the only few Champions that can utilize the Utility-tree are probably the sustain-supports that don´t aim for trading at all and just want to farm up (which really is damn boring). I think the tree really would need to offer some more basic combat/survivability-stats in order to be of use to supports...ms/cdr and all that things look nice, but they don´t help you at all during the laning-phase in most cases.

Gypsyleeboy8/20/2014, 5:15:00 PM1 votes

How about, only the first assist gives exp and gold the same as if you killed the champion, and after, every second assist gives you 25% bonus assist exp and gold from regular. stacking every 2 assists up to 50% bonus exp and gold.

Something like this, gives people benefit from giving kills. Stacked up, you're getting a pretty good amount of exp and gold per assist.

Also, Minion kills within X area units give you up to 50% of minion gold, but Does not raise you creep score. (Does not tamper the minion killers gold or creep score)

Something like this also allows supports to get their gold income. The better they support, the more gold they get.

They should also give the Scout ability not just trinket cast range, but perhaps the ability that when using Sweeping lens, Destroying wards, traps, and devices grant 75 gold or perhaps something different like, Steals the ward and puts it in your inventory. Ward stealing would have a longer Cool down than the Sweeping lens itself

Gaminon8/20/2014, 11:11:35 PM1 votes

Everybody seems to be stuck in the philosophy that the supports are SUPPOSED to use the utility tree and that nobody else is supposed to touch it.

I'm saying that masteries should not be a cookie cutter formula based on your role. There should be three trees, ALL of which provide stats that EVERY player wants. The player then has to decide what is really most important to them.

Maybe bruisers who have trouble sticking to a target would sacrifice a bit of tankiness for some movement speed. Or maybe mana hungry mids will sacrifice some offensive power for extra regen so they're not oom all the time.

Yes, that would probably mean shifting support gold generation to somewhere else (like a buff to the gold generation on the support items). Supports already have a rough time of it, though, and I don't see why they should have to dedicate one of their items slots to a gold generation item AND spend the majority of their mastery points on a bad mastery tree. Wouldn't it be better to be able to choose which tree you wanted to put points in based on your champ/playstyle?

And if these utility masteries wouldn't be beneficial enough to make them worthwhile in the early game, buff the masteries until they ARE worthwhile. Things like CDR, movement speed, and regen are worthwhile stats, so there is a point out there somewhere where the gains you would get from these stats balance out not having the extra damage or durability.

Localizer8/20/2014, 11:18:37 PM1 votes

The utility tree does offer some notable bonuses;

-Mana regen per second -Ward duration -movement speed -The ability to catch up in levels when behind -Recall duration shorten -Neutral buff duration -Bonus spellvamp and lifesteal.

These are really the most usefull parts and some could help in many situation.

-Mana speaks for itself -A reckless top laner could use this well and save some money while protecting him/herslf longer. -movement speed gives some chase/escape values -shortening recall brings you back to base faster and in turn lane faster, or help you escape sticky situations -Neutral buff duration is beneficial to junglers -And bonus spellvamp and lifesteal helps you to sustain more.

Obviously this tree needs to be tweaked but not all of it is useless.

Dom1nati0n8/21/2014, 1:24:10 AM1 votes

I'm gonna go ahead and throw this out there.

I didn't read your entire post. But I don't feel the need to. You are forced to "specialize", which was intended.

So here are my immediate concerns. Not with your post, but with the topic.

  1. CDR belongs in Utility. Not offense.

  2. Jungling is still a thing. Why is some of my jungle utility not in the utility tree anymore. And why is some of it still in the utility tree. Especially because "specializing" was in fact intended. And I'm not always a tank when I'm jungling. This doesn't make sense for jungling non-support tanks. I DO want to specialize. Please?

  3. What does "Block" Do from the defensive tree. Describe the mechanics it seems about as irrelevant and lazy as possible at my current understanding of it. Which is based on the description of the spell.

  4. Runic Affinity. Why? I'm not a support tank jungler. I could also really really use this for mid. And cookie's are not a good enough reason to go down this path. That really hurts my "buffless in Seattle phase of the game inbetween buffs spawning.

I'm forced to sacrifice tank qualities or offensive qualities for something that should be MANDATORY on junglers. MANDATORY. CANT LIVE WITHOUT IT REASONABLY.

Forcing me to crawl down the support tree, especially considering the manaless jungles that are popular right now. Is a bit much. Mana regen, useless, Cookies, half useless. Fix this Riot please.

The changes for utility tree allow you to specialize on characters like lulu, janna, characters that are very true support roles. Which is like 5 champions. lol.

Don't get me wrong, I love that aspect. But it's usefulness is limited.

Create a fourth page!!!!! I know it's crazy, Too intense for english itself. But it's the right path. I know it is.

Pwnagecoptor8/21/2014, 6:57:03 AM1 votes

Very well summarized. I checked your numbers and tested myself. It def needs a more concise identity and not be a hodgepodge. I like the idea, so you got my vote!

Tea and Naps8/21/2014, 7:14:53 AM1 votes

As someone who plays support and is fairly intimate with the utility tree after reading through your reasons why the utility tree is worthless I'd like to make a few counter points and ask a few questions.

I tried to figure this question out by looking at the gold value of each mastery point in each tree. That’s a fairly difficult proposition since there are a lot of masteries that are very situational, but I made my best WAGs and got the following results. The average gold value of each mastery point in the offense tree in the early/late game is 55/144 (excluding Spellblade, which provides ridiculously high value in the late game). For the defense tree, it’s 42/74. For the utility tree, it’s 38/70.

Can I see your math behind the numbers you decided on? You're trying to apply a gold value to mechanics that aren't relevant to gold (Block is worth 30?) You can't really assign static values, much less gold values, to masteries that have a variable outcome depending on the situation.

TL;DR Utility tree is worthless, make it worthwhile so players have some interesting choices.

As someone who plays support the utility tree is actually pretty awesome. Extra movement speed, more mana, more gold, more experience. I think what you're referring to is a lack of direct impact on the game state. No one is going to be saved by gaining 3 gold when they auto attack someone, unlike gaining 5% of your health from dangerous game. (But then again reduced cooldowns and reduced item cooldowns seem really useful when I have 5 on use items and infinite mana thanks to the new item balancing for supports).

Masteries are fairly stale. The mastery system is set up to encourage players to devote 21 points to one mastery tree and 9 to a second.

I disagree pretty heavily here. A lot of supports benefit from running a combination of defense and utility masteries, usually getting scavenger and wealth is enough and since as a support you spend most of your time trading/zoning in lane the defense is useful. Lots of champions can benefit from focusing on the early masteries in each tree to fill the gaps in their gameplay (galio is one really nice example, he runs very efficiently with a bit from each tree).

Since there are only two viable trees (offense and defense), non-support roles have a pretty binary choice. If they want to be tanky, they run 9-21-0. If they want to do damage, they run 21-9-0.

Runic Affinity disagrees, 21/0/9 is a great AP Mage runepage which provides sustain and longer buffs.

ArtoriusIV8/20/2014, 4:49:11 AM1 votes

I really like some of those, the thing is, I really like the cookies(They can go though, they are kind of forced and odd...) The gold for an ally killing a minion nearby and the plus 40 starting gold. Being able to start with a GP10, a ward and 2 pots is very helpful to a support.

Arturia Lancer8/22/2014, 1:13:55 AM1 votes

I think the answer, lay in how the trees are set up. Masteries are supposed to be about choices. Offensive tree makes you choose between Attack damage and AP, but is still very limited. nearly every AD has almost the exact same set up, same with AP. 1 or 2 masteries are different. Defensive, the only changes you make are if you're picking jungle masteries or not. Utility, is more or less forced to pick the gold production masteries, and that's that. Rather than adding a 4th page, or changing the current utility, I think the mastery pages should be altered to force choices. make 20-30 skills in each page.