diff --git a/client/scripts/ground_pick.gd b/client/scripts/ground_pick.gd
index 3dee890..3322ed7 100644
--- a/client/scripts/ground_pick.gd
+++ b/client/scripts/ground_pick.gd
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 extends Node3D
 
 ## NS-16: walkable ground ray pick. Emits world target for MoveCommand; camera wired from main.
-## NS-19: reject vertical faces (pedestal). Bump slopes ~39–45° (dot UP ~0.71–0.78).
-## 0.82 rejected slope-first picks when leaving plateau; use 0.64. Walls stay ~0.
+## NS-19: reject vertical faces (pedestal). Stepped ray: steep walkable hits (bump slopes) advance
+## along the ray so the next hit can be flat floor beyond — fixes “stuck” when leaving plateau.
 ## (No `class_name` so headless/CI can load the project before `.godot` import exists.)
 
 signal target_chosen(world: Vector3)
@@ -10,6 +10,15 @@ signal target_chosen(world: Vector3)
 ## Minimum `hit_normal.dot(Vector3.UP)` to accept a pick (0 = vertical wall, 1 = flat floor).
 const MIN_WALKABLE_NORMAL_DOT_UP: float = 0.64
 
+## Nudge past a steep walkable triangle so the ray can hit ground behind (meters along view ray).
+const STEEP_PICK_THROUGH: float = 0.14
+
+## Max ray segments (steep walkable → advance) before giving up.
+const MAX_PICK_SEGMENTS: int = 24
+
+## Below this dot, treat as wall — do not step through (pedestal sides stay non-pickable).
+const WALL_NORMAL_DOT_CUTOFF: float = 0.09
+
 ## Fallback when `Viewport.get_camera_3d()` is null (e.g. some editor setups). Set from `main.gd`
 ## in `_ready`.
 var fallback_camera: Camera3D
@@ -29,27 +38,45 @@ func _try_pick(screen_pos: Vector2) -> void:
 	if cam == null:
 		return
 
-	var origin: Vector3 = cam.project_ray_origin(screen_pos)
 	var ray_dir: Vector3 = cam.project_ray_normal(screen_pos)
-	var to: Vector3 = origin + ray_dir * 2000.0
-	var query := PhysicsRayQueryParameters3D.create(origin, to)
-	query.collision_mask = 1
+	if ray_dir.length_squared() < 1e-12:
+		return
+	ray_dir = ray_dir.normalized()
+	var from: Vector3 = cam.project_ray_origin(screen_pos)
 	var space: PhysicsDirectSpaceState3D = get_world_3d().direct_space_state
-	var hit: Dictionary = space.intersect_ray(query)
-	if hit.is_empty():
-		return
-	var collider: Variant = hit.get("collider")
-	if not _collider_is_walkable(collider):
-		return
-	var hit_normal: Variant = hit.get("normal", Vector3.ZERO)
-	if hit_normal is not Vector3:
-		return
-	var nrm: Vector3 = (hit_normal as Vector3).normalized()
-	if nrm.dot(Vector3.UP) < MIN_WALKABLE_NORMAL_DOT_UP:
-		return
-	var hit_pos: Variant = hit.get("position")
-	if hit_pos is Vector3:
-		target_chosen.emit(hit_pos as Vector3)
+	const RAY_LEN: float = 2000.0
+	var chosen: Vector3 = Vector3.ZERO
+	var have_chosen: bool = false
+
+	for _i in range(MAX_PICK_SEGMENTS):
+		var to: Vector3 = from + ray_dir * RAY_LEN
+		var query := PhysicsRayQueryParameters3D.create(from, to)
+		query.collision_mask = 1
+		var hit: Dictionary = space.intersect_ray(query)
+		if hit.is_empty():
+			break
+		if not _collider_is_walkable(hit.get("collider")):
+			break
+		var hit_normal: Variant = hit.get("normal", Vector3.ZERO)
+		if hit_normal is not Vector3:
+			break
+		var nrm: Vector3 = (hit_normal as Vector3).normalized()
+		var ndot: float = nrm.dot(Vector3.UP)
+		if ndot >= MIN_WALKABLE_NORMAL_DOT_UP:
+			var pos_var: Variant = hit.get("position")
+			if pos_var is Vector3:
+				chosen = pos_var as Vector3
+				have_chosen = true
+			break
+		if ndot <= WALL_NORMAL_DOT_CUTOFF:
+			break
+		var hp_var: Variant = hit.get("position")
+		if hp_var is not Vector3:
+			break
+		from = (hp_var as Vector3) + ray_dir * STEEP_PICK_THROUGH
+
+	if have_chosen:
+		target_chosen.emit(chosen)
 
 
 func _collider_is_walkable(collider: Variant) -> bool:
diff --git a/client/scripts/player.gd b/client/scripts/player.gd
index d921752..30b687d 100644
--- a/client/scripts/player.gd
+++ b/client/scripts/player.gd
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@ const ARRIVE_EPS: float = 0.35
 const VERT_ARRIVE_EPS: float = 0.055
 const MAX_CLIMB_SPEED: float = 2.6
 const MAX_DESCENT_SPEED: float = 2.2
-const DIRECT_APPROACH_RADIUS: float = 0.85
 
 var _has_walk_goal: bool = false
 var _auth_walk_goal: Vector3 = Vector3.ZERO
@@ -85,22 +84,8 @@ func _physics_process(_delta: float) -> void:
 		move_and_slide()
 		return
 
-	var nav_map: RID = _nav_agent.get_navigation_map()
-	if NavigationServer3D.map_get_iteration_id(nav_map) == 0:
-		_steer_toward_world_point(_auth_walk_goal)
-		move_and_slide()
-		return
-
-	if horiz_dist <= DIRECT_APPROACH_RADIUS:
-		_steer_toward_world_point(_auth_walk_goal)
-	else:
-		var next_path_position: Vector3 = _nav_agent.get_next_path_position()
-		var to_next_h: Vector3 = Vector3(
-			next_path_position.x - global_position.x, 0.0, next_path_position.z - global_position.z
-		)
-		if to_next_h.length_squared() > 0.0025:
-			_steer_toward_world_point(next_path_position)
-		else:
-			_steer_toward_world_point(_auth_walk_goal)
-
+	# Do not follow NavigationAgent3D waypoints: from the bump plateau the first segment often
+	# drops straight down the mesh, and the agent map can disagree with presentation. Steer only
+	# toward the server goal in xz; move_and_slide + floor handles slopes and obstacles.
+	_steer_toward_world_point(_auth_walk_goal)
 	move_and_slide()