Interrupt

To interrupt an action in the game is to prevent it from being completed. Most skills have an activation time during which the character is preparing the skill. If a character is interrupted during skill activation, the skill is interrupted. This has three results:
 * 1) The interrupted skill has no effect.
 * 2) The skill's cost (energy or adrenaline) is forfeited.
 * 3) The skill cannot be used again until the normal recharge time for that skill passes.

There are a technical differences between the various ways to interrupt a target:
 * "true" interrupts (skills with "interrupt" in their description, or being attacked while dazed) will immediately interrupt the target, unless it is being protected by Mantra of Concentration, Mantra of Resolve or Glyph of Concentration.
 * Some skills (including all that "disable" skills) cause the target's skill to fail after the activation time has passed (e.g. Guilt, Blackout, mid-casting Spell Breaker). Mantra of Concentration and similar do not help against them.
 * Knocking down enemies interrupts them immediately, and skills that prevent interruption don't work against knockdown.

Tips on Interrupting

 * To effectively interrupt, keep an eye on the Skill Monitor under the enemy's bar in the center of the top of the screen. When the enemy starts using a skill, the skill's activation bar appears under the bar. If it's a skill you want to interrupt (and can interrupt), do so immediately!
 * Sometimes, if an opponent is casting a spell or using a skill that takes a very long time to prepare (like Resurrect or the like), it may be in your interest to wait until the last second to interrupt the player. In this case, he/she will have lost not just energy, but also the entire casting time of the spell.  Keep in mind that some skills have no recharge, so interrupting them immediately only allows the player to begin recasting the spell right away!
 * It is best to study (and perhaps play as) other professions to truly understand what is the best way to interrupt each class.
 * Interruption is not just for spells. Other actions (including attacks and attack skills and signets) can be interrupted. Attacks have an activation time (see the specific weapon's page) and take time to execute. Any such action or skill can be interrupted, though there are far more skills that interrupt spells than attacks.
 * Some skills (such as stances and shouts) don't have an activation time. These skills can't be interrupted.

"Easily Interrupted"
Some skills in the game, including all traps, are easily interrupted. These skills are interrupted if any attack hits the character, not just an interrupting attack like the ones listed below. Being dazed causes all of your spells to be easily interrupted.

Related Skills
These skills cause interruption (in parentheses is the type of action they interrupt):
 * [[image:Warrior-icon.png|15px]] Disrupting Chop (any action, extra delay if it was a skill)
 * [[image:Warrior-icon.png|15px]] Distracting Blow (any action for foe and adjacent foes)
 * [[image:Warrior-icon.png|15px]] Dwarven Battle Stance (any action, but only with hammer)
 * [[image:Warrior-icon.png|15px]] Savage Slash (any action, extra damage for spells)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Choking Gas (spells only, foe and adjacent)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Concussion Shot (spells only, causes Dazed)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Disrupting Lunge (all skills, delays skill)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Distracting Shot (any action, extra delay if it was a skill)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Incendiary Arrows (any action)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Punishing Shot (any action)
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Savage Shot (any action, extra damage for spells)
 * [[image:Monk-icon.png|15px]] Spell Breaker (spells only, causes spells that were being casted to fail)
 * [[image:Necromancer-icon.png|15px]] Mark of Subversion (only spells cast on allies)
 * [[image:Necromancer-icon.png|15px]] Spinal Shivers (all skills)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Blackout (all skills, disables)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Clumsiness (attacks only)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Complicate (all skills, disables signets)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Cry of Frustration (all skills, foe and nearby foes)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Guilt (spells targeting foes, causes to fail)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Ignorance (signets only, makes non-functional)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Leech Signet (any action, gain energy on interrupting a spell)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Power Block (spells only, both interrupts and disables)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Power Drain (spells only)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Power Leak (spells only)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Power Return (spells only, gives energy to the interrupted caster)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Power Spike (spells only)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Shame (spells targeting allies, causes to fail)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Signet of Disruption (spells, can interrupt all skills if foe is hexed)
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Signet of Humility (elite skills only, disables)
 * [[image:Elementalist-icon.png|15px]] Lightning Javelin (attacks only)
 * [[image:Elementalist-icon.png|15px]] Maelstrom (spells only)
 * [[image:Elementalist-icon.png|15px]] Obsidian Flesh (spells only, prevents spells from casting)
 * [[image:Assassin-icon.png|15px]] Disrupting Stab (all skills, disables spells)
 * See also: dazed and knockdown

These skills are easily interrupted:
 * [[image:Warrior-icon.png|15px]] Crude Swing
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Barbed Trap
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Dust Trap
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Flame Trap
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Healing Spring
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Precision Shot
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Spike Trap
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Viper's Nest
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Snare

These skills prevent interruption (but knockdown, disabling and causing to fail will interrupt despite any of these!):
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Mantra of Concentration prevents an interruption.
 * [[image:Mesmer-icon.png|15px]] Mantra of Resolve prevents interruptions at the cost of energy each time.
 * [[image:Elementalist-icon.png|15px]] Glyph of Concentration prevents interruption of the next spell cast.
 * [[image:Ranger-icon.png|15px]] Trapper's Focus makes traps not easily interruptible for its duration.