diff --git a/src/AcDream.Core/Meshing/TranslucencyKind.cs b/src/AcDream.Core/Meshing/TranslucencyKind.cs
index 9d0ab7b..07aaa29 100644
--- a/src/AcDream.Core/Meshing/TranslucencyKind.cs
+++ b/src/AcDream.Core/Meshing/TranslucencyKind.cs
@@ -40,17 +40,38 @@ public enum TranslucencyKind
 
 public static class TranslucencyKindExtensions
 {
-    // Priority order (highest wins):
-    //   1. Additive   — SurfaceType.Additive (0x10000)
-    //   2. InvAlpha   — SurfaceType.InvAlpha (0x200)
-    //   3. AlphaBlend — SurfaceType.Alpha (0x100) OR SurfaceType.Translucent (0x10)
-    //   4. ClipMap    — SurfaceType.Base1ClipMap (0x04)
-    //   5. Opaque     — everything else
+    // Translucent override comes FIRST, then the existing priority chain:
+    //   1. Translucent override — Translucent (0x10) AND (ClipMap OR opaque-base)
+    //                             → AlphaBlend (matches retail's blend forcing).
+    //   2. Additive   — SurfaceType.Additive (0x10000)
+    //   3. InvAlpha   — SurfaceType.InvAlpha (0x200)
+    //   4. AlphaBlend — SurfaceType.Alpha (0x100) OR SurfaceType.Translucent (0x10)
+    //   5. ClipMap    — SurfaceType.Base1ClipMap (0x04)
+    //   6. Opaque     — everything else
     //
-    // Note: ACViewer groups Base1ClipMap with the alpha-draw bucket (AlphaSurfaceTypes),
-    // but acdream keeps its existing alpha-discard approach for clip-map surfaces
-    // (they render opaque with per-fragment discard) and introduces a separate
-    // translucent pass only for the genuinely blended surface types.
+    // The Translucent override matches retail's D3DPolyRender::SetSurface
+    // at 0x0059c4d0 (decomp lines 425083-425260). Verbatim from the
+    // Translucent branch at 425246:
+    //
+    //     if ((curr_surface_type & 0x10) != 0) {
+    //         if (skipChk != 0 || ebx == 0 || arg3 == 1) {
+    //             edi_2 = BLEND_SRCALPHA;       // src
+    //             ebp   = BLEND_INVSRCALPHA;    // dst   ← alpha-blend
+    //             ebx   = 1; arg1 = 1; arg3 = 0;
+    //         }
+    //         curr_alpha = _ftol2(translucency * 255);
+    //     }
+    //
+    // Where `arg3 = 1` after the ClipMap branch and `ebx == 0` happens
+    // in Branch 2 when the surface would otherwise be opaque (no Additive,
+    // Alpha, or InvAlpha bits). So Translucent + ClipMap (e.g. cloud
+    // surface 0x08000023, Type=0x10114) renders ALPHA-BLEND in retail
+    // even though the Additive flag is also set; previously acdream's
+    // priority-Additive-first classification mis-routed it as additive.
+    // Empirically: this is the surface for cloud GfxObj 0x01004C35 in
+    // every Cloudy/Rainy DayGroup. Misclassifying it as additive made
+    // acdream's clouds barely-visible "brightness adders" rather than
+    // the dense alpha-blended sheets retail shows.
 
     /// <summary>
     /// Maps a <see cref="SurfaceType"/> flags value to the correct
@@ -58,6 +79,19 @@ public static class TranslucencyKindExtensions
     /// </summary>
     public static TranslucencyKind FromSurfaceType(SurfaceType type)
     {
+        // Step 1: Translucent override — matches retail's branch at
+        // decomp line 425250 where (skipChk || ebx == 0 || arg3 == 1)
+        // forces (SrcAlpha, InvSrcAlpha) regardless of Additive.
+        bool isTranslucent = (type & SurfaceType.Translucent) != 0;
+        bool isClipMap     = (type & SurfaceType.Base1ClipMap) != 0;
+        bool wouldBeOpaque =
+            (type & (SurfaceType.Additive
+                   | SurfaceType.Alpha
+                   | SurfaceType.InvAlpha)) == 0;
+        if (isTranslucent && (isClipMap || wouldBeOpaque))
+            return TranslucencyKind.AlphaBlend;
+
+        // Step 2..6: existing priority order for non-overridden surfaces.
         if ((type & SurfaceType.Additive) != 0)
             return TranslucencyKind.Additive;