diff --git a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs
index 4e094c48..c1312dbc 100644
--- a/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs
+++ b/core/archipelago/src/mesh/listener/session.rs
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ impl MeshRadioDevice {
 /// `MeshConfig.device_kind` — see the plan's §2c reflashable-board note): only
 /// that one device's probe runs, so a non-matching firmware's init bytes are
 /// never injected into the port. `None` keeps the strict
-/// Meshcore→Meshtastic→Reticulum probe order.
+/// Reticulum→Meshcore→Meshtastic probe order.
 async fn auto_detect_and_open(
     data_dir: &Path,
     our_ed_pubkey_hex: &str,
@@ -274,6 +274,34 @@ async fn auto_detect_and_open(
     }
     for path in &paths {
         debug!(path = %path, "Probing for mesh radio device");
+        // Tried FIRST: `ReticulumLink::open()` gates its expensive daemon
+        // spawn behind a cheap (~1s worst case) RNode KISS-detect probe, so a
+        // failed match here costs about as much as the Meshcore/Meshtastic
+        // probes below. Trying it first matters in practice: on a real RNode
+        // board, Meshcore's and Meshtastic's handshake bytes (~5s timeout
+        // each, ~10.6s combined) sitting on the wire before Reticulum ever
+        // gets a turn was observed to leave the RNode firmware unresponsive
+        // by the time its turn came — confirmed on hardware that responds
+        // correctly to the same KISS probe on a truly fresh port.
+        if device_kind.is_none_or(|k| k == DeviceType::Reticulum) {
+            match ReticulumLink::open(
+                path,
+                data_dir,
+                Some(our_ed_pubkey_hex),
+                Some(our_x25519_pubkey_hex),
+            )
+            .await
+            {
+                Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
+                    Ok(info) => {
+                        info!(path = %path, "Found Reticulum (RNode) device via auto-detect");
+                        return Ok((path.clone(), MeshRadioDevice::Reticulum(dev), info));
+                    }
+                    Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Reticulum daemon failed to initialize"),
+                },
+                Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Not a Reticulum RNode"),
+            }
+        }
         if device_kind.is_none_or(|k| k == DeviceType::Meshcore) {
             match MeshcoreDevice::open(path).await {
                 Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
@@ -298,30 +326,6 @@ async fn auto_detect_and_open(
                 Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Could not open serial port for Meshtastic"),
             }
         }
-        // Tried LAST: the same reflashable board (e.g. Heltec V3) can run
-        // Meshcore, Meshtastic, or RNode firmware, so each probe must fail
-        // strictly before the next is attempted. The RNode KISS-detect probe
-        // is the most expensive (spawns the supervised daemon on a match), so
-        // it goes after the two cheap firmware-specific handshakes above.
-        if device_kind.is_none_or(|k| k == DeviceType::Reticulum) {
-            match ReticulumLink::open(
-                path,
-                data_dir,
-                Some(our_ed_pubkey_hex),
-                Some(our_x25519_pubkey_hex),
-            )
-            .await
-            {
-                Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
-                    Ok(info) => {
-                        info!(path = %path, "Found Reticulum (RNode) device via auto-detect");
-                        return Ok((path.clone(), MeshRadioDevice::Reticulum(dev), info));
-                    }
-                    Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Reticulum daemon failed to initialize"),
-                },
-                Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Not a Reticulum RNode"),
-            }
-        }
     }
     anyhow::bail!(
         "No supported mesh radio found on {} candidate ports: {:?}",
@@ -381,20 +385,10 @@ async fn open_preferred_path(
         };
     }
 
-    match MeshcoreDevice::open(path).await {
-        Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
-            Ok(info) => return Ok((MeshRadioDevice::Meshcore(dev), info)),
-            Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Preferred path is not Meshcore"),
-        },
-        Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Could not open preferred path as Meshcore"),
-    }
-    match MeshtasticDevice::open(path).await {
-        Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
-            Ok(info) => return Ok((MeshRadioDevice::Meshtastic(dev), info)),
-            Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Preferred path is not Meshtastic"),
-        },
-        Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Could not open preferred path as Meshtastic"),
-    }
+    // Reticulum first — see the matching comment on auto_detect_and_open:
+    // its cheap probe_rnode gate fails in ~1s for non-RNode firmware, while
+    // trying Meshcore/Meshtastic first was observed leaving a real RNode
+    // board unresponsive by the time Reticulum's turn came.
     match ReticulumLink::open(
         path,
         data_dir,
@@ -404,10 +398,24 @@ async fn open_preferred_path(
     .await
     {
         Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
-            Ok(info) => Ok((MeshRadioDevice::Reticulum(dev), info)),
-            Err(e) => Err(e).context("Preferred path is not a working Reticulum RNode"),
+            Ok(info) => return Ok((MeshRadioDevice::Reticulum(dev), info)),
+            Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Preferred path is not a working Reticulum RNode"),
         },
-        Err(e) => Err(e).context("Could not open preferred path as Reticulum"),
+        Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Could not open preferred path as Reticulum"),
+    }
+    match MeshcoreDevice::open(path).await {
+        Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
+            Ok(info) => return Ok((MeshRadioDevice::Meshcore(dev), info)),
+            Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Preferred path is not Meshcore"),
+        },
+        Err(e) => debug!(path = %path, error = %e, "Could not open preferred path as Meshcore"),
+    }
+    match MeshtasticDevice::open(path).await {
+        Ok(mut dev) => match dev.initialize().await {
+            Ok(info) => Ok((MeshRadioDevice::Meshtastic(dev), info)),
+            Err(e) => Err(e).context("Preferred path is not a working Meshtastic device"),
+        },
+        Err(e) => Err(e).context("Could not open preferred path as Meshtastic"),
     }
 }