Channeling

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▶️ Initializing in… 3..2..1! — Tinker

”

Channeling causes the caster to stop acting for the duration of the the ability.

Channeled abilities may be ended early when the channeling unit performs another action or is interrupted by another ability or disables. While abilities are being channeled, a time remaining bar will appear on the screen, indicating how much time is left in the channel. Silence stops ability channeling, while Mute stops item channeling.

Interrupting Channeled Abilities

Performing the following actions while channeling abilities will interrupt the channel:

• Issuing another command (i.e. to move, Left Click on ground, stop, attack, A on target).
• Casting other abilities or using items (with certain exceptions).
• Any disables that would normally prevent a unit from casting abilities.

If the channel is interrupted before the ability's effects occur, the mana and cooldown will be wasted, and the ability'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 abilities with high cast times (e.g. Assassinate and Requiem of Souls) which will not expend mana or go on cooldown until the ability has been completed. Certain channeled abilities (e.g. Illuminate and Powershot) will still perform their effect even if they are canceled, usually at the cost of damage.

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 applies Forced Movement (e.g. Vacuum or X Marks the Spot) 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.

Non-obvious spells that interrupt channeling

• Anti-Mage – Mana Void
• Dark Seer – Normal Punch
• Doom – Infernal Blade
• Night Stalker – Void
• Sniper – Concussive Grenade
• Sniper – Assassinate
• Treant Protector – Overgrowth

• Dark Seer – Vacuum
• Disruptor – Glimpse
• Elder Titan – Earth Splitter
• Io – Relocate
• Keeper of the Light – Recall
• Kunkka – Return
• Vengeful Spirit – Nether Swap
Breaks channeling Tricks of the Trade and Phase Shift despite "Require hold/cancel to stop" setting
• Shadow Blade – Shadow Walk
• Silver Edge – Shadow Walk
• Shiva's Guard – Arctic Blast

Usable Unit Abilities While Channeling

Toggle-able (On / Off) abilities and abilities granting invisibility generally do not interrupt channeling.
Note: To use some abilities while channeling, you may need to disable the "Channeled Abilities Require Hold/Stop" setting.

The following is a list of abilities that can be used without interrupting channeling:

Usable Unit Abilities While Channeling

• Astral Spirit – Return Astral Spirit
• Bane – Nightmare End
• Brewmaster – Drunken Brawler
• Crystal Maiden – Crystal Clone
• Dark Willow – Shadow Realm
• Elder Titan – Move Astral Spirit
• Elder Titan – Return Astral Spirit
• Invoker – Quas
• Invoker – Wex
• Invoker – Exort
• Invoker – Invoke
• Juggernaut – Blade Fury
• Naga Siren – Deluge
• Primal Beast – Trample
• Primal Beast – Uproar
• Rubick – Telekinesis Land
• Slardar – Guardian Sprint
• Templar Assassin – Trap
• Timbersaw – Return Chakram
• Visage – Stone Form

Invisibility

• Bounty Hunter – Friendly Shadow
• Bounty Hunter – Shadow Walk
• Clinkz – Skeleton Walk
• Invoker – Ghost Walk⁶
• Nyx Assassin – Vendetta⁶
• Visage – Silent as the Grave⁶
• Weaver – Shukuchi⁶

Toggle

• Clockwerk – Jetpack
• Io – Spirits In^2a
• Io – Spirits Out^2a
• Night Stalker – Crippling Fear^2a
• Leshrac – Pulse Nova
• Mars – Bulwark
• Medusa – Split Shot
• Morphling – Attribute Shift
• Pudge – Rot
• Winter Wyvern – Arctic Burn^2a
• Witch Doctor – Voodoo Restoration
• Harpy Scout – Take Off

¹ Requires talent.

^2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter.

^2b Requires Aghanim's Shard.

³ Requires selecting the corresponding facet.

Usable Hero Abilities While Channeling [CONDITIONAL]

• Lich – Frost Blast
• Lich – Frost Shield
• Lich – Ice Spire
• Lich – Chain Frost
• Lone Druid – Savage Roar
• Spirit Bear – Savage Roar
• Pugna – Decrepify
• Pugna – Nether Blast
• Pugna – Nether Ward
• Riki – Smoke Screen

Usable Items While Channeling

Toggle-able (On / Off) items and items granting invisibility generally do not interrupt channeling.
Note: To use some abilities while channeling, you may need to disable the "Channeled Abilities Require Hold/Stop" setting.
All of these abilities still interrupt channeling Tricks of the Trade.

The following is a list of abilities that can be used without interrupting channeling:

Usable Item Abilities While Channeling

• Blade Mail – Damage Return
• Boots of Bearing – Endurance
• Bottle – Regenerate (With Smart Double Tap)
• Clarity – Replenish
• Drum of Endurance – Endurance
• Enchanted Mango – Eat Mango (With Smart Double Tap)
• Healing Salve – Salve
• Holy Locket – Energy Charge
• Mask of Madness – Berserk⁴
• Mana Draught – Bottoms Up
• Pavise – Protect
• Phase Boots – Phase
• Solar Crest – Shine
• Shiva's Guard – Arctic Blast
• Veil of Discord – Magic Weakness

Invisibility

• Glimmer Cape – Glimmer⁷
• Shadow Amulet – Fade⁷
• Shadow Blade – Shadow Walk
• Silver Edge – Shadow Walk

Toggle

• Armlet of Mordiggian – Unholy Strength
• Divine Rapier – Transmute
• Radiance – Burn

⁴ Note that even though these items do not interrupt channeling upon cast, their effects after cast (i.e. self-silence) may still interrupt the channeling.

Requires hold/stop to cancel

Requires hold/stop setting prevents these abilities from being used while Channeling, although they do not interrupt Channeling

• Bottle – Regenerate (With Smart Double Tap)
• Clarity – Replenish
• Enchanted Mango – Eat Mango (With Smart Double Tap)
• Healing Salve – Salve
• Holy Locket – Energy Charge
• Mana Draught – Bottoms Up (With Smart Double Tap)
• Pavise – Protect
• Solar Crest – Shine
• Veil of Discord – Magic Weakness
• Riki – Smoke Screen (During Tricks of the Trade)

Requires hold/stop setting prevents these abilities from being used while Pugna is Channeling, although they do not interrupt Pugna's Channeling

• Bottle – Regenerate
• Crimson Guard – Guard
• Dust of Appearance – Reveal
• Enchanted Mango – Eat Mango
• Healing Lotus – Eat Lotus
• Mana Draught – Bottoms Up
• Mekansm – Restore
• Pipe of Insight – Barrier
• Veil of Discord – Spell Weakness

Channeled Abilities

Channeled abilities require the caster to stay still while the ability is active.

Some channeling abilities do nothing if the channel is interrupted while consuming mana and the ability goes on cooldown, while other channeling abilities' max power or potency is based on the channeled time.

Do Nothing When Channeling is Interrupted

• Astral Spirit – Echo Stomp
• Elder Titan – Echo Stomp
• Fiend's Gate – Warp
• Meteor Hammer – Meteor Hammer
• Outpost – Watch Tower
• Spirit Bear – Return
• Templar Assassin – Psionic Projection
• Tinker – Keen Conveyance
• Tinker – Rearm
• Town Portal Scroll – Teleport
• Trusty Shovel – Dig
• Twin Gate – Warp
• Watcher – Lantern of Sight

¹ Requires talent.

^2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter.

^2b Requires Aghanim's Shard.

Max Power Based on Channeled Time

• Bane – Fiend's Grip
• Clinkz – Burning Barrage
• Crystal Maiden – Freezing Field³
• Chen – Hand of God^2a
• Dawnbreaker – Solar Guardian
• Drow Ranger – Multishot
• Enigma – Black Hole
• Keeper of the Light – Illuminate
• Lich – Sinister Gaze
• Lion – Mana Drain
• Monkey King – Primal Spring
• Naga Siren – Reel In
• Oracle – Fortune's End
• Primal Beast – Pulverize
• Puck – Phase Shift
• Pudge – Dismember
• Pugna – Life Drain
• Riki – Tricks of the Trade
• Shadow Shaman – Shackles
• Tiny – Tree Volley
• Warlock – Upheaval
• Wildwing – Tornado
• Windranger – Powershot
• Witch Doctor – Death Ward

¹ Requires talent.

^2a Requires Aghanim's Scepter.

^2b Requires Aghanim's Shard.

³ No longer a channeling ability when upgraded.

Version History

Version

Description

7.07
(2017-10-31)

• Added a new option to require stop or hold command to interrupt own channeling abilities.

Patch History

Patch

Description

29 May 2025

• "Capturing Structures Require Hold/Stop to Cancel" now only affect capturing Watchers and Outposts.
  • Channel cancel behavior of Twin Gates and Fiend's Gate has moved back to "Teleports Require Hold/Stop to Cancel".

21 May 2025

• Added new game setting: Channeling Structures Require Hold/Stop
  • Changes whether or not channeling a structure can be canceled by any order, or with only Stop/Hold commands.
  • Channeling structures are: Outposts, Watchers, Twing Gates, and Fiend's Gate.

27 Nov 2018

• Fixed status resistance affecting the duration of the next cast of channeled abilities.

03 Aug 2018

• 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.

02 Jun 2017

• Fixed a case where channeling would not be interrupted correctly with a non-stun interruption on the very last tick of the channeling duration.