Channelling skill

Channelling is a skill mechanic that affects how certain skills are used to attack or cast.

Using Channelled Skills
Most skills in Path of Exile are considered "Fire and Forget". Meaning that once the player uses a skill, the effect is triggered the specified number of times denoted by said skill, and upon the completion of that action being performed, the skill is finished and ready to be used again. Unlike fire and forget skills, when you use a channelled skill the effect doesn't finish until you release the relevant button/key. Your character will continue performing the same skill repeatedly.

Similar to other skills, when the player initiates a channelled skill, the mana cost is used to start the ability. While the player continues to channel a skill by holding the corresponding trigger key, the mana cost of the skill must be paid relative to the attack/cast speed of the associated skill. Having insufficient resources to continue using a channelled skill will end the channel of the skill and trigger any end of channelling effects, such as the additional hits from.

A player casts an unsupported level 1.

At the start of the cast the player must pay the mana cost of 6. If the player continues to hold the key needed to continue channelling, after .2 seconds of casting another 6 mana is spent to sustain the cost of continuing channelling the skill. This cycle of 6 mana every .2 seconds will continue in perpetuum until the key is released and channelling stops or insufficient mana is available to continue casting.

Other than insufficient mana, channelling can be halted by:
 * Being subjected to a stun
 * Becoming inflicted with a silence curse (if the skill used is a spell)
 * Death

Triggering a channeled skill
Channeled skills cannot be triggered by any means, including arcanist brand, spellslinger, poets pen, cospris, or mjolnir.

However they may be cast by spell totems.

On use triggers
Effects which trigger when you use a skill will only trigger when you initially start channelling, regardless of how long you maintain a channelled skill. As long as a player continues to channel an ability, this counts as the same single use of the skill. This makes effects such as gaining an power charge using, life regeneration for casting a spell with equipped, and other on use effects are limited to one event per channelling regardless of the number of times the trigger criteria is met during the same channel.

This mechanic can have limiting effects for certain supports such as, but can also be used to great advantage.

On hit triggers
Effects which trigger on hit will trigger as with any other skill in the game that produces a hit. Life gain, leech, power charge per enemy hit while wearing, , , and other on hit effects will all trigger as normal.

Multistrike and Spell Echo
Channelled skills cannot be supported by or  because they operate in continuous fashion while they are being channelled; they do not consist of discrete attacks or casts that can be repeated.

While Casting/Attacking
Channeling a spell counts as casting for the entire animation. The same goes for channeling an attack, which counts as attacking. Therefor a player who channels and has selected Practical Application on the passive tree benefits from.

Active skill gems
There are currently active skill gems with the Channelling gem tag:

Support skill gems
There are currently support skill gems with the Channelling gem tag:

Related unique items
The following unique items are related to Channelling:

Passive skills
The following passive skills are related to Channelling:

Ascendancy passive skills
The following Ascendancy passive skills are related to Channelling:

Version history

 * Using channelled lightning skills will no longer trigger.


 * Introduced to the game.
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