diff --git a/common/src/states/utils.rs b/common/src/states/utils.rs
index 883740ee51..136913815c 100644
--- a/common/src/states/utils.rs
+++ b/common/src/states/utils.rs
@@ -452,6 +452,19 @@ pub fn handle_orientation(
     efficiency: f32,
     dir_override: Option<Dir>,
 ) {
+    /// first check for horizontal
+    fn to_horizontal_fast(ori: &crate::comp::Ori) -> crate::comp::Ori {
+        if ori.to_quat().into_vec4().xy().is_approx_zero() {
+            *ori
+        } else {
+            ori.to_horizontal()
+        }
+    }
+    /// compute an upper limit for the difference of two orientations
+    fn ori_absdiff(a: &crate::comp::Ori, b: &crate::comp::Ori) -> f32 {
+        (a.to_quat().into_vec4() - b.to_quat().into_vec4()).reduce(|a, b| a.abs() + b.abs())
+    }
+
     // Direction is set to the override if one is provided, else if entity is
     // strafing or attacking the horiontal component of the look direction is used,
     // else the current horizontal movement direction is used
@@ -465,24 +478,34 @@ pub fn handle_orientation(
             .into()
     } else {
         Dir::from_unnormalized(data.inputs.move_dir.into())
-            .map_or_else(|| data.ori.to_horizontal(), |dir| dir.into())
+            .map_or_else(|| to_horizontal_fast(data.ori), |dir| dir.into())
     };
-    let rate = {
-        // Angle factor used to keep turning rate approximately constant by
-        // counteracting slerp turning more with a larger angle
-        let angle_factor = 2.0 / (1.0 - update.ori.dot(target_ori)).sqrt();
-        data.body.base_ori_rate()
-            * efficiency
-            * angle_factor
-            * if data.physics.on_ground.is_some() {
-                1.0
-            } else {
-                0.2
-            }
+    // unit is multiples of 180°
+    let half_turns_per_tick = data.body.base_ori_rate()
+        * efficiency
+        * if data.physics.on_ground.is_some() {
+            1.0
+        } else {
+            0.2
+        }
+        * data.dt.0;
+    // very rough guess
+    let ticks_from_target_guess = ori_absdiff(&update.ori, &target_ori) / half_turns_per_tick;
+    let instantaneous = ticks_from_target_guess < 1.0;
+    update.ori = if instantaneous {
+        target_ori
+    } else {
+        let target_fraction = {
+            // Angle factor used to keep turning rate approximately constant by
+            // counteracting slerp turning more with a larger angle
+            let angle_factor = 2.0 / (1.0 - update.ori.dot(target_ori)).sqrt();
+
+            half_turns_per_tick * angle_factor
+        };
+        update
+            .ori
+            .slerped_towards(target_ori, target_fraction.min(1.0))
     };
-    update.ori = update
-        .ori
-        .slerped_towards(target_ori, (data.dt.0 * rate).min(1.0));
 }
 
 /// Updates components to move player as if theyre swimming
diff --git a/common/systems/Cargo.toml b/common/systems/Cargo.toml
index eb09113a64..b2c5fb0b16 100644
--- a/common/systems/Cargo.toml
+++ b/common/systems/Cargo.toml
@@ -34,4 +34,4 @@ specs = { git = "https://github.com/amethyst/specs.git", features = ["serde", "s
 
 [dev-dependencies]
 # Setup a State
-common-state = { package = "veloren-common-state", path = "../state" }
\ No newline at end of file
+common-state = { package = "veloren-common-state", path = "../state" }
diff --git a/common/systems/tests/character_state.rs b/common/systems/tests/character_state.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..d2f00609c1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/systems/tests/character_state.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,104 @@
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use common::{
+        comp::{
+            item::MaterialStatManifest, skills::GeneralSkill, CharacterState, Controller, Energy,
+            Ori, PhysicsState, Poise, Pos, Skill, Stats, Vel,
+        },
+        resources::{DeltaTime, GameMode, Time},
+        uid::Uid,
+        util::Dir,
+        SkillSetBuilder,
+    };
+    use common_ecs::dispatch;
+    use common_state::State;
+    use rand::thread_rng;
+    use specs::{Builder, Entity, WorldExt};
+    use std::time::Duration;
+    use vek::{approx::AbsDiffEq, Vec3};
+    use veloren_common_systems::character_behavior;
+
+    fn setup() -> State {
+        let mut state = State::new(GameMode::Server);
+        let msm = MaterialStatManifest::load().cloned();
+        state.ecs_mut().insert(msm);
+        state.ecs_mut().read_resource::<Time>();
+        state.ecs_mut().read_resource::<DeltaTime>();
+        state
+    }
+
+    fn create_entity(state: &mut State, ori: Ori) -> specs::Entity {
+        let body = common::comp::Body::Humanoid(common::comp::humanoid::Body::random_with(
+            &mut thread_rng(),
+            &common::comp::humanoid::Species::Human,
+        ));
+        let skill_set = SkillSetBuilder::default().build();
+        state
+            .ecs_mut()
+            .create_entity()
+            .with(CharacterState::Idle(common::states::idle::Data::default()))
+            .with(Pos(Vec3::zero()))
+            .with(Vel::default())
+            .with(ori)
+            .with(body.mass())
+            .with(body.density())
+            .with(body)
+            .with(Energy::new(
+                body,
+                skill_set
+                    .skill_level(Skill::General(GeneralSkill::EnergyIncrease))
+                    .unwrap_or(0),
+            ))
+            .with(Controller::default())
+            .with(Poise::new(body))
+            .with(skill_set)
+            .with(PhysicsState::default())
+            .with(Stats::empty())
+            .with(Uid(1))
+            .build()
+    }
+
+    fn tick(state: &mut State, dt: Duration) {
+        state.tick(
+            dt,
+            |dispatch_builder| {
+                dispatch::<character_behavior::Sys>(dispatch_builder, &[]);
+            },
+            false,
+        );
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn orientation_shortcut() {
+        let mut state = setup();
+        const TESTCASES: usize = 5;
+        let testcases: [(Vec3<f32>, Vec3<f32>); TESTCASES] = [
+            // horizontal is unchanged
+            (Vec3::unit_x(), Vec3::unit_x()),
+            // nearly vertical takes time to adjust
+            (Vec3::new(0.1, 0.1, 1.0), Vec3::new(0.149, 0.149, 0.978)),
+            // intermediate case
+            (Vec3::new(0.6, 0.6, 0.1), Vec3::new(0.706, 0.706, 0.052)),
+            // edge case: nearly horizontal after system
+            (Vec3::new(0.6, 0.6, 0.0556), Vec3::new(0.707, 0.707, 0.000)),
+            // small enough to be horizontal in one step
+            (Vec3::new(0.6, 0.6, 0.04), Vec3::new(0.707, 0.707, 0.000)),
+        ];
+        let mut entities: [Option<Entity>; TESTCASES] = [None; TESTCASES];
+        for i in 0..TESTCASES {
+            entities[i] = Some(create_entity(
+                &mut state,
+                Ori::from_unnormalized_vec(testcases[i].0).unwrap_or_default(),
+            ));
+        }
+        tick(&mut state, Duration::from_secs_f32(0.033));
+        let results = state.ecs().read_storage::<Ori>();
+        for i in 0..TESTCASES {
+            if let Some(e) = entities[i] {
+                let result = Dir::from(*results.get(e).expect("Ori missing"));
+                assert!(result.abs_diff_eq(&testcases[i].1, 0.0005));
+                // println!("{:?}", result);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+}