Thanks for the file, gremmler!
Don’t worry about not sharing the original scene; I get that. I’m not particularly eager to bother you with stuff that is not based on the whole “picture”, hence my question. I respect your time.
Yes, Object Index works as well and is faster to set up. I enjoy the Link list, as I can re-work the scene without losing the initial decision. It is a question of preference, I assume.
Two things might help (delay).
Suppose you have reached a state where you like to preview, render, and cache the MoGraph setup. The cache avoids recalculations and, more importantly, provides the data early on. This prevents some priority problems.
The second part is often not changing the outcome, but it is good practice to sort the XPresso Manager (see image, the initial information sits in the middle of the process). Typically it pulls data that is needed, but some data is unavailable, and with that, data from the frame before is used. Like the Object Manager, the top must be done first, then moving down. E.G., Hair below anything that affects it. It matters. But there is also the priority level. So it is not just a simple top to button. I call it the information flow. If that flow is clear, you can sort the scene. If all fails, there is a priority shift Tag that might push a group to a different level. Anyway, caching is the best way after sorting things, IMHO.
Cheers