Channeling an ability causes the caster to stop acting for the duration of the spell. Channeled spells may be ended when the channeling unit takes another action or is interrupted by another spell. While spells are being channeled, a draining bar will appear on the screen, indicating how much time is left in the channel.
Interrupting Channeled Abilities[]
If the channeling unit is issued another command, such as to move, stop, or attack, the unit will disrupt the channeled ability. Casting other spells or using items will also interrupt channeling, with the exception of toggled abilities, Wind Walk abilities, a few other abilities like Blade Fury, and the items below.
The only items that may be activated while channeling are Armlet of Mordiggian, Glimmer Cape, Mask of Madness, Observer and Sentry Wards (switching only), Phase Boots, Radiance, Shadow Amulet, Shadow Blade, Shiva's Guard, and Silver Edge. Note that even though these items do not interrupt channelings upon cast, their effects after cast (like self-silence) may still interrupt the channeling. Activating any other item will interrupt channeling.
Any disable that would normally prevent a unit from casting the spell in question will also interrupt channeling. This includes stuns, cyclones, hexes, sleeps, and getting hidden. Though they do not prevent casting, most root effects will also interrupt channeling. Silence will interrupt channeling from abilities only, while mute will interrupt channeling from items. Some abilities that forcibly move units, such as Vacuum or X Marks the Spot (the first applies a ministun while moving units, and the second one is like an uncontrollable blink), will interrupt channeling as well, even if used on friendly units; however, other abilities like Force Staff and Boulder Smash, will not interrupt channeling, apply forced movement and not causing an interrupt state.
If the channel is interrupted before the spell's effects occur, the mana and cooldown will be wasted, and the spell's effect will be cut short, and in some cases will not perform their effects at all. This is in contrast to other, non-channeled spells with high cast times, such as Assassinate and Requiem of Souls, which will not expend mana or go on cooldown until the spell has been completed. Certain channeled spells, such as Illuminate and Powershot, will still perform their effect even if they are canceled, usually at the cost of damage.
Channeled Abilities[]
Bane – Fiend's Grip- Crystal Maiden – Freezing Field
- Elder Titan – Echo Stomp
- Enigma – Black Hole
- Keeper of the Light – Illuminate
- Lion – Mana Drain
- Meepo – Dig2
- Meteor Hammer – Meteor Hammer
- Monkey King – Primal Spring
- Outpost – Watch Tower
- Oracle – Fortune's End
- Pirate Hat – Dig
- Puck – Phase Shift
- Pudge – Dismember
- Pugna – Life Drain
- Riki – Tricks of the Trade
- Shadow Shaman – Shackles
- Tinker – Rearm
- Tiny – Tree Volley1
- Town Portal Scroll – Teleport
- Trusty Shovel – Dig
- Warlock – Upheaval
- Wildwing Ripper – Tornado
- Windranger – Powershot
- Witch Doctor – Death Ward
- 1 Requires Aghanim's Scepter.
- 2 Requires Aghanim's Shard.
Version History[]
- Added a new option to require stop or hold command to interrupt own channeling abilities.
Patch History[]
- Fixed status resistance affecting the duration of the next cast of channeled abilities.
- Fixed a bug where non-stun interrupts did not reliably cancel channeled abilities if cast an instant before the end of the channel.
- E.g. Casting Nether Swap on a target at the last tick of channeling Town Portal Scroll.
- Fixed a case where channeling would not be interrupted correctly with a non-stun interruption on the very last tick of the channeling duration.
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