diff --git a/components/graph-view.tsx b/components/graph-view.tsx
index b414b86..aa67798 100644
--- a/components/graph-view.tsx
+++ b/components/graph-view.tsx
@@ -525,7 +525,7 @@ function GraphSettingsControl({
 								onChange={(p) =>
 									changeSettings((cur) => ({ ...cur, labelSize: fromLadderPosition(p, LABEL_SIZE_LADDER) }))}
 							/>
-							{/* Display is absolute (ratio / 0.5): "8×" is the tuned default, dead-center. */}
+							{/* Display is absolute (ratio / 0.5): "1×" is the default, dead-center (owner, 2026-10-07). */}
 							<SettingSlider
 								label="Labels until zoom"
 								min={0}
diff --git a/src/core/render-settings.ts b/src/core/render-settings.ts
index db44a35..67671e3 100644
--- a/src/core/render-settings.ts
+++ b/src/core/render-settings.ts
@@ -261,9 +261,10 @@ export const DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS: GraphRenderSettings = {
 	nodeSize: 2,
 	edgeWidth: 1,
 	arrowLength: 2,
-	// New default 1 (owner, 2026-10-07): labels hidden at the overview,
-	// shown once the camera reaches fit zoom or closer.
-	labelZoom: 1,
+	// New default 0.5 — displays as 1× on the slider (owner, 2026-10-07:
+	// "labels until zoom default one" — the owner speaks in display
+	// values, and the display is ratio/0.5). Labels once zoomed past fit.
+	labelZoom: 0.5,
 	labelSize: 3,
 	clusterLabels: true,
 	clusterLabelSize: 14,
@@ -293,7 +294,11 @@ export const CLUSTER_LABEL_SIZE_LADDER = [7, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 2
 // Camera-ratio gates; the DISPLAY ladder reads 1.5×, 2×, 3×, 4×, 6×, 8×,
 // 12×, 16×, 24×, 32×, 48× (labelZoomDisplay) with the user's tuned 8×
 // (ratio 4) dead-center — it used to sit at the very end of the axis.
-export const LABEL_ZOOM_LADDER = [0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24] as const;
+// Re-centered on the new default (owner, 2026-10-07): display 1× (ratio
+// 0.5) sits dead-center; the upper stops keep the old familiar run, the
+// lower stops go finer where the default now lives. Old stored values
+// snap to the nearest stop (4 → 3, 24 → 3, 0.75 → 0.75).
+export const LABEL_ZOOM_LADDER = [0.125, 0.175, 0.25, 0.35, 0.45, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3] as const;
 
 // ─── Region + physics slider ranges ──────────────────────────────────────────
 //
@@ -306,7 +311,10 @@ export const LABEL_ZOOM_LADDER = [0.75, 1, 1.5, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24] as co
 //   have one too; it's a dropdown since 2026-09-13 (non-integers broke).
 
 export const REGION_DILATION_LADDER = [4, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 120] as const; // world units
-export const REGION_BLUR_LADDER = [4, 5, 7.5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 120] as const; // world units
+// Re-centered on the new default 40 (owner, 2026-10-07): min 10 per the
+// owner's suggestion, the old ceiling 120 kept, and every old stop from
+// 15 up survives (4/5/7.5 snap to 10).
+export const REGION_BLUR_LADDER = [10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, 50, 60, 80, 100, 120] as const; // world units
 export const REGION_EDGE_ALPHA_LADDER = [0.025, 0.05, 0.075, 0.1, 0.15, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1] as const;
 
 export const CHARGE_RANGE = { min: -480, max: -120 } as const; // |gm| = 240 (2026-09-17: default −240, dead-center; a subrange of the sweep-validated [30, 480])
diff --git a/tests/graph-canvas.test.ts b/tests/graph-canvas.test.ts
index 45ac28a..26b4884 100644
--- a/tests/graph-canvas.test.ts
+++ b/tests/graph-canvas.test.ts
@@ -210,7 +210,7 @@ describe("sanitizeRegionTuning (dev number inputs)", () => {
 		const t = sanitizeRegionTuning(undefined);
 		assert.deepEqual(t, DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING);
 		const half = sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 7.2 });
-		assert.equal(half.blur, 7.5); // snapped to the ladder (2026-09-17)
+		assert.equal(half.blur, 10); // snapped to the new ladder floor (owner, 2026-10-07)
 		assert.equal(half.dilation, DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING.dilation);
 	});
 
diff --git a/tests/render-settings.test.ts b/tests/render-settings.test.ts
index 7f1271f..927f8bb 100644
--- a/tests/render-settings.test.ts
+++ b/tests/render-settings.test.ts
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ describe("sanitizeRenderSettings", () => {
 		assert.deepEqual(s.physics, DEFAULT_PHYSICS_TUNING);
 		assert.equal(s.nodeSize, DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.nodeSize); // legacy sizes reset
 		assert.equal(s.edgeWidth, 1);
-		assert.equal(s.labelZoom, 0.75); // 0.5 isn't a stop — snaps to 0.75
+		assert.equal(s.labelZoom, 0.5); // 0.5 IS the dead-center stop now (owner, 2026-10-07)
 	});
 
 	test("the 2026-09-15 world-unit pivot: legacy files reset ONLY the size fields", () => {
@@ -168,7 +168,7 @@ describe("sanitizeRenderSettings", () => {
 		assert.equal(s.edgeWidth, 3);
 		assert.equal(s.labelZoom, 0.75);
 		assert.equal(s.clusterLabelSize, 20); // 21 snaps to 20
-		assert.equal(s.regions.blur, 7.5); // 8.1 snaps to 7.5
+		assert.equal(s.regions.blur, 10); // 8.1 snaps to the new floor (owner, 2026-10-07)
 		assert.equal(s.regions.bitmap, 512);
 		assert.equal(s.regions.edgeAlpha, 0.6);
 		assert.equal(s.regions.enabled, false);
@@ -183,14 +183,14 @@ describe("sanitizeRenderSettings", () => {
 	});
 
 	test("the 2026-09-17 defaults are the user's live-tuned bake", () => {
-		// nodeSize 2, edgeWidth 1, arrowLength 2, labelSize 3, labelZoom 4
-		// (displays 8×), dilation 20, blur 20, edgeAlpha 0.2, bitmap 256 —
-		// tuned live against the real graph, each dead-center on its ladder.
+		// nodeSize 2, edgeWidth 1, arrowLength 2, labelSize 3, labelZoom
+		// 0.5 (displays 1×), dilation 20, blur 40, edgeAlpha 0.2, bitmap
+		// 256 — each dead-center on its re-centered ladder (owner, 2026-10-07).
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.nodeSize, 2);
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.edgeWidth, 1);
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.arrowLength, 2);
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.labelSize, 3);
-		assert.equal(DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.labelZoom, 1); // labels only at fit zoom or closer (owner, 2026-10-07)
+		assert.equal(DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.labelZoom, 0.5); // displays 1× (owner, 2026-10-07)
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING.dilation, 20);
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING.blur, 40); // new default (owner, 2026-10-07)
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING.edgeAlpha, 0.2);
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ describe("sanitizeRenderSettings", () => {
 		const s = sanitizeRenderSettings({ sizeUnits: "world", nodeSize: 4, edgeWidth: 1, arrowLength: 5, labelZoom: 0.5, clusterLabels: true });
 		assert.equal(s.labelSize, DEFAULT_RENDER_SETTINGS.labelSize);
 		assert.equal(s.nodeSize, 4);
-		assert.equal(s.labelZoom, 0.75); // non-member snaps
+		assert.equal(s.labelZoom, 0.5); // 0.5 IS the dead-center stop now
 	});
 });
 
@@ -237,17 +237,13 @@ describe("ladder mapping (11 stops, default-centered)", () => {
 		["regions.edgeAlpha", REGION_EDGE_ALPHA_LADDER, DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING.edgeAlpha],
 	];
 
-	// The dead-center law held until the owner moved two defaults
-	// off-center by ruling (2026-10-07): labelZoom 1 (index 1 — labels
-	// only at fit zoom or closer) and regions.blur 40 (index 7 — softer,
-	// wider tints). Every other default stays dead-center.
-	const OFF_CENTER: Record<string, number> = { labelZoom: 1, "regions.blur": 7 };
-
-	test("every ladder has 11 stops; defaults dead-center except the two owner-moved", () => {
+	// The dead-center law is restored (owner, 2026-10-07 round 2): the
+	// ladders themselves were re-centered so the new defaults — labelZoom
+	// 0.5 (displays 1×) and regions.blur 40 — sit at stop #5 again.
+	test("every ladder has 11 stops; every default is stop #5 (dead-center)", () => {
 		for (const [name, ladder, dflt] of LADDERS) {
 			assert.equal(ladder.length, 11, name);
-			const idx = OFF_CENTER[name] ?? 5;
-			assert.equal(ladder[idx], dflt, name); // default at index 5 → position 50
+			assert.equal(ladder[5], dflt, name); // default at index 5 → position 50
 		}
 	});
 
@@ -287,7 +283,7 @@ describe("ladder mapping (11 stops, default-centered)", () => {
 
 	test("display units are absolute (ratio / 0.5): 8× is the tuned default", () => {
 		assert.equal(labelZoomDisplay(0.5), "1×");
-		assert.equal(labelZoomDisplay(4), "8×"); // the default, not "1×" — pre-2026-09-17 displays divided by the default, which would have relabeled the bake
+		assert.equal(labelZoomDisplay(4), "8×"); // plain math (ratio/0.5) — 4 was the old default, 0.5 is the new one
 		assert.equal(labelZoomDisplay(0.75), "1.5×");
 		assert.equal(labelZoomDisplay(24), "48×");
 		assert.equal(labelZoomDisplay(0.25), "0.5×");
@@ -342,11 +338,11 @@ describe("physics sliders (fine-grained log, unchanged 2026-09-17)", () => {
 		// small one. It's a canonical world reach now — any stored value
 		// snaps to the nearest stop.
 		assert.equal(DEFAULT_REGION_TUNING.blur, 40); // new default (owner, 2026-10-07)
-		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 3.7 }).blur, 4); // nearest stop
-		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 7.2 }).blur, 7.5);
+		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 3.7 }).blur, 10); // the new floor
+		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 7.2 }).blur, 10);
 		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: -5 }).blur, REGION_BLUR_LADDER[0]);
 		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 999 }).blur, REGION_BLUR_LADDER[REGION_BLUR_LADDER.length - 1]);
-		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 99 }).blur, 80); // inside the span → nearest stop, not the top
+		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 99 }).blur, 100); // inside the span → nearest stop, not the top
 		// Stored blur 0 (the old off zone) snaps back into the ladder.
 		assert.equal(sanitizeRegionTuning({ blur: 0 }).blur, REGION_BLUR_LADDER[0]);
 	});