diff --git a/crates/benilla-app/src/creature_anim/lod.rs b/crates/benilla-app/src/creature_anim/lod.rs
index c374c9d1..6e595f60 100644
--- a/crates/benilla-app/src/creature_anim/lod.rs
+++ b/crates/benilla-app/src/creature_anim/lod.rs
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
-//! The animation-LOD gate: a rig off the frustum, or in a room the portal PVS does not reach,
-//! parks its pose evaluation ([`AnimParked`]) while its clocks run on; every [`RigPose`] is
-//! covered, GameObject rigs included. The reference elects every scene object each frame
+//! The animation-LOD gate: a rig off the frustum, past `animLodDistance` yards, or in a room the
+//! portal PVS does not reach, parks its pose evaluation ([`AnimParked`]) while its clocks run on;
+//! every [`RigPose`] is covered, GameObject rigs included. The reference elects every scene object each frame
 //! (`0x683dd0`): a pass-2 unit is neither drawn, animated nor event-ticked, except a
 //! `MORE_AUDIBLE` creature, re-linked for the tick (`0x607da0`). So a parked rig fires no event
 //! keys unless flagged, and wakes to the pose its absolute clock dictates (`0x714260` samples the
@@ -38,14 +38,16 @@ const RADIUS_SCALE: f32 = 2.0;
 const RADIUS_PAD: f32 = 4.0;
 const FALLBACK_RADIUS: f32 = 6.0;
 
-/// Park or wake each rig by its padded frustum sphere and its room, before [`AnimationSystems`] so
-/// a wake samples the same frame. The body we drive and its mount never park: the camera rides its
-/// attachment 17 and it animates faded out in first person. `WOW_NO_ANIM_LOD=1` never parks and
-/// `WOW_NO_ROOM_LOD=1` drops the room leg.
+/// Park or wake each rig by its padded frustum sphere, its distance from the camera and its room,
+/// before [`AnimationSystems`] so a wake samples the same frame. The body we drive and its mount
+/// never park: the camera rides its attachment 17 and it animates faded out in first person.
+/// `WOW_NO_ANIM_LOD=1` never parks, `WOW_NO_ROOM_LOD=1` drops the room leg and `animLodDistance 0`
+/// drops the distance leg.
 #[allow(clippy::type_complexity)] // one Bevy system's full input set
 pub(super) fn gate_rig_animation(
     time: Res<Time>,
-    cam: Query<&Frustum, With<WorldCamera>>,
+    video: Res<crate::video::VideoConfig>,
+    cam: Query<(&Frustum, &GlobalTransform), With<WorldCamera>>,
     rigs: Query<
         (
             Entity,
@@ -83,9 +85,12 @@ pub(super) fn gate_rig_animation(
     // the PVS rejects, even under `WOW_NO_ROOM_LOD`.
     let cost_on = benilla_world::rig_palette::rig_cost_enabled();
     let (mut n_rigs, mut n_parked, mut room_out) = (0u32, 0u32, 0u32);
-    let Ok(frustum) = cam.single() else {
+    let Ok((frustum, cam_tf)) = cam.single() else {
         return;
     };
+    let cam_pos = cam_tf.translation();
+    let max_dist = video.anim_lod_distance;
+    let max_dist2 = max_dist * max_dist;
     let now = time.elapsed_secs();
     for (entity, tf, radius, parked, is_self, mount, room) in &rigs {
         let exempt =
@@ -101,15 +106,19 @@ pub(super) fn gate_rig_animation(
                     },
                     false,
                 );
-                // The room leg: only a rig the frustum leg kept can be room-parked.
-                let room_in = !sphere_in || (no_room && !cost_on) || {
+                // The distance leg: on-screen but past `animLodDistance` parks too. `0` disables it.
+                let dist_in =
+                    max_dist <= 0.0 || tf.translation().distance_squared(cam_pos) <= max_dist2;
+                let keep = sphere_in && dist_in;
+                // The room leg: only a rig the frustum + distance legs kept can be room-parked.
+                let room_in = !keep || (no_room && !cost_on) || {
                     let ok = room_pvs_visible(room, &instances, &wmos);
                     if !ok {
                         room_out += 1;
                     }
                     ok || no_room
                 };
-                sphere_in && room_in
+                keep && room_in
             };
         if cost_on {
             n_rigs += 1;
@@ -268,8 +277,11 @@ mod tests {
     /// at +Z are behind it.
     fn spawn_camera(app: &mut App) {
         let clip_from_world = Mat4::perspective_rh(1.2, 1.0, 0.1, 1000.0);
-        app.world_mut()
-            .spawn((WorldCamera, Frustum::from_clip_from_world(&clip_from_world)));
+        app.world_mut().spawn((
+            WorldCamera,
+            Frustum::from_clip_from_world(&clip_from_world),
+            GlobalTransform::default(),
+        ));
     }
 
     fn app() -> App {
@@ -281,6 +293,9 @@ mod tests {
         ));
         app.init_asset::<WmoModel>();
         app.add_message::<AnimSoundEvent>();
+        // The gate reads `animLodDistance`; the default (60 yd) leaves the frustum tests' rigs
+        // (20 and 50 yd out) inside, so only the frustum/room legs decide them.
+        app.insert_resource(crate::video::VideoConfig::default());
         // Empty: every parked rig reads unflagged.
         app.init_resource::<crate::names::NameCache>();
         // The live order: the gate, the pose evaluation, then the event scan.
@@ -563,6 +578,36 @@ mod tests {
         assert_eq!(frozen, bone(&app, joint), "the parked GO rig's bones hold");
     }
 
+    /// An in-frame rig past `animLodDistance` parks on the distance leg, and wakes when it comes
+    /// inside — the on-screen-but-far crowd a city needs parked.
+    #[test]
+    fn a_far_in_frame_rig_parks_on_the_distance_leg() {
+        let mut app = app();
+        spawn_camera(&mut app);
+        app.world_mut()
+            .resource_mut::<crate::video::VideoConfig>()
+            .anim_lod_distance = 30.0;
+        let (far, joint) = spawn_rig(&mut app, -Vec3::Z * 50.0); // in frame, 50 yd out
+        advance(&mut app, PARK_AFTER_SECS + 0.2, 4);
+        assert!(
+            app.world().entity(far).contains::<AnimParked>(),
+            "in-frame but past animLodDistance ⇒ parked"
+        );
+        let frozen = bone(&app, joint);
+        advance(&mut app, DUR * 0.35, 2);
+        assert_eq!(frozen, bone(&app, joint), "the distance-parked bone holds");
+
+        // Inside the distance: wake instantly and sample again.
+        app.world_mut()
+            .entity_mut(far)
+            .insert(GlobalTransform::from_translation(-Vec3::Z * 20.0));
+        app.update();
+        assert!(
+            !app.world().entity(far).contains::<AnimParked>(),
+            "inside animLodDistance ⇒ instant wake"
+        );
+    }
+
     #[test]
     fn the_self_avatar_is_exempt() {
         let mut app = app();
diff --git a/crates/benilla-app/src/cvars.rs b/crates/benilla-app/src/cvars.rs
index c003d01e..9deaa6b6 100644
--- a/crates/benilla-app/src/cvars.rs
+++ b/crates/benilla-app/src/cvars.rs
@@ -685,6 +685,11 @@ pub(crate) const REGISTERED: &[Registered] = &[
         "1",
         "benilla's own: multiplier on the shadow caster-collection reach, 0.25..2 (1 = unchanged)",
     ),
+    ours(
+        "animLodDistance",
+        "60",
+        "benilla's own: park a rig's pose evaluation past this many yards, 0..300 (0 = frustum/room only)",
+    ),
     // MONKEY (moon shadows): how dark a MOON-shadowed fragment is allowed to get at night — the
     // dial over the night lane's own shadow term (`benilla_world::lighting::MoonShadowStrength`,
     // bridged by `dynamic_interior` beside the spell gain). `0` is the FAITHFUL null: every
diff --git a/crates/benilla-app/src/video.rs b/crates/benilla-app/src/video.rs
index 1fb16f9f..4bb8fd9b 100644
--- a/crates/benilla-app/src/video.rs
+++ b/crates/benilla-app/src/video.rs
@@ -68,6 +68,11 @@ pub(crate) enum DisplayMode {
 /// The windowed size a fresh config gets.
 pub(crate) const DEFAULT_WINDOWED: UVec2 = UVec2::new(1600, 900);
 
+/// `animLodDistance`: yards past which a rig's pose evaluation parks. 60 is past the range a
+/// city-crowd member reads as more than a speck; `0` disables the distance leg.
+pub(crate) const ANIM_LOD_DISTANCE_DEFAULT: f32 = 60.0;
+pub(crate) const ANIM_LOD_DISTANCE_RANGE: std::ops::RangeInclusive<f32> = 0.0..=300.0;
+
 /// `gxWindow`'s value to the mode, by the reference's 0/1 parse (int, `!= 0`); shared by
 /// [`crate::cvars`]'s arm and the boot read.
 pub(crate) fn display_from_flag(v: f32) -> DisplayMode {
@@ -199,6 +204,12 @@ pub(crate) struct VideoConfig {
     /// proxies. Trimming it is the direct dial on caster POPULATION — the input to both lanes'
     /// per-rebuild cost — at the risk of a tall caster's shadow popping in as you approach.
     pub(crate) shadow_caster_reach: f32,
+    /// MONKEY (anim LOD): park a rig's pose evaluation past this distance in yards
+    /// (`animLodDistance`, 0..=300, default 60). Off-frustum rigs and dark-room rigs already park
+    /// (`creature_anim::lod`); this adds the on-screen-but-far leg, so a city crowd past the
+    /// horizon of interest costs no per-bone evaluation, no palette rebuild and no transform
+    /// propagation. `0` disables the distance leg (frustum + room only — the shipped behaviour).
+    pub(crate) anim_lod_distance: f32,
     /// MONKEY (moon shadows): how dark a MOON-shadowed fragment is allowed to get at night
     /// (`moonShadowStrength`, 0..1, default 0.35 = the fragment keeps 65 % of the night
     /// directional term). Bridged to [`benilla_world::lighting::MoonShadowStrength`] by
@@ -359,6 +370,7 @@ impl Default for VideoConfig {
             character_shadow_rate: crate::shadow_core::DEFAULT_SHADOW_RATE,
             world_shadow_rate: crate::shadow_core::DEFAULT_SHADOW_RATE,
             shadow_caster_reach: 1.0,
+            anim_lod_distance: ANIM_LOD_DISTANCE_DEFAULT,
             // MONKEY (moon shadows): 0.35 — a hint of a silhouette, not a daylight-hard shadow.
             moon_shadow_strength: 0.35,
             // The cvar defaults are the source of truth at load; these only stand in until then.
@@ -535,6 +547,13 @@ pub(crate) fn on_cvar(
                 *crate::shadow_core::CASTER_REACH_RANGE.end(),
             )
         }
+        // `0` is meaningful: the distance leg off, frustum + room only (the shipped behaviour).
+        "animloddistance" => {
+            cfg.anim_lod_distance = v.clamp(
+                *ANIM_LOD_DISTANCE_RANGE.start(),
+                *ANIM_LOD_DISTANCE_RANGE.end(),
+            )
+        }
         // MONKEY (moon shadows): the night lane's shadow darkness. 0 IS meaningful (the lane off,
         // bit-identical to the pre-feature night), so it floors at 0 rather than at a
         // minimum-useful value; 1 is a daylight-hard silhouette by moonlight.