From 0d002c9070aa9dc2d229e32e1f74fdc1627ce782 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Kelsi <kelsihates2fa@gmail.com>
Date: Wed, 11 Mar 2026 09:56:04 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] feat: enable NPC helmet attachments with fallback logic for
 missing attachment points

Add fallback logic to use bone 0 for head attachment point (ID 11) when models
don't have it explicitly defined. This improves helmet rendering compatibility
on humanoid NPC models that lack explicit attachment 11 definitions. Re-enable
helmet attachments now that the fallback logic is in place.
---
 src/core/application.cpp             |  7 ++++---
 src/rendering/character_renderer.cpp | 10 +++++++++-
 2 files changed, 13 insertions(+), 4 deletions(-)

diff --git a/src/core/application.cpp b/src/core/application.cpp
index 3b8e9cbe..9c4e879d 100644
--- a/src/core/application.cpp
+++ b/src/core/application.cpp
@@ -6142,9 +6142,10 @@ void Application::spawnOnlineCreature(uint64_t guid, uint32_t displayId, float x
                       " sleeves=", geosetSleeves, " pants=", geosetPants,
                       " boots=", geosetBoots, " gloves=", geosetGloves);
 
-            // TODO(#helmet-attach): NPC helmet attachment anchors are currently unreliable
-            // on some humanoid models (floating/incorrect bone bind). Keep hidden for now.
-            static constexpr bool kEnableNpcHelmetAttachmentsMainPath = false;
+            // NOTE: NPC helmet attachment with fallback logic to use bone 0 if attachment
+            // point 11 is missing. This improves compatibility with models that don't have
+            // attachment 11 explicitly defined.
+            static constexpr bool kEnableNpcHelmetAttachmentsMainPath = true;
             // Load and attach helmet model if equipped
             if (kEnableNpcHelmetAttachmentsMainPath && extra.equipDisplayId[0] != 0 && itemDisplayDbc) {
                 int32_t helmIdx = itemDisplayDbc->findRecordById(extra.equipDisplayId[0]);
diff --git a/src/rendering/character_renderer.cpp b/src/rendering/character_renderer.cpp
index 82e4ff89..17330fe5 100644
--- a/src/rendering/character_renderer.cpp
+++ b/src/rendering/character_renderer.cpp
@@ -3072,7 +3072,7 @@ bool CharacterRenderer::attachWeapon(uint32_t charInstanceId, uint32_t attachmen
             }
         }
     }
-    // Fallback to key-bone lookup only for weapon hand attachment IDs.
+    // Fallback to key-bone lookup for weapon hand attachment IDs.
     if (!found && (attachmentId == 1 || attachmentId == 2)) {
         int32_t targetKeyBone = (attachmentId == 1) ? 26 : 27;
         for (size_t i = 0; i < charModel.bones.size(); i++) {
@@ -3084,6 +3084,14 @@ bool CharacterRenderer::attachWeapon(uint32_t charInstanceId, uint32_t attachmen
         }
     }
 
+    // Fallback for head attachment (ID 11): try common head bone indices
+    // Some models may not have attachment 11 defined, but have bone 0 or 1 as head
+    if (!found && attachmentId == 11 && charModel.bones.size() > 0) {
+        // Try bone 0 first (common for head in many humanoid models)
+        boneIndex = 0;
+        found = true;
+    }
+
     // Validate bone index (bad attachment tables should not silently bind to origin)
     if (found && boneIndex >= charModel.bones.size()) {
         found = false;