diff --git a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/bucket.rs b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/bucket.rs
index 78323ed3..1b819d7d 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/bucket.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/bucket.rs
@@ -115,7 +115,11 @@ impl Bucket {
         self.entries.iter()
     }
 
-    pub(super) fn kick(&mut self, bucket_depth: usize) -> Option<BTreeSet<PublicKey>> {
+    pub(super) fn kick(
+        &mut self,
+        bucket_depth: usize,
+        closest_nodes: &BTreeSet<PublicKey>,
+    ) -> Option<BTreeSet<PublicKey>> {
         // Get number of entries to attempt to purge from bucket
         let bucket_len = self.entries.len();
 
@@ -167,6 +171,11 @@ impl Bucket {
                 continue;
             }
 
+            // if this entry is one of our N closest entries, don't drop it
+            if closest_nodes.contains(&entry.0) {
+                continue;
+            }
+
             // if no references, lets evict it
             dead_node_ids.insert(entry.0);
         }
diff --git a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/routing_table_inner.rs b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/routing_table_inner.rs
index b8f8c829..ef8a5cb4 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/routing_table_inner.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/routing_table_inner.rs
@@ -358,9 +358,10 @@ impl RoutingTableInner {
             "Starting routing table buckets purge. Table currently has {} nodes",
             self.bucket_entry_count()
         );
+        let closest_nodes = BTreeSet::new();
         for ck in VALID_CRYPTO_KINDS {
             for bucket in self.buckets.get_mut(&ck).unwrap().iter_mut() {
-                bucket.kick(0);
+                bucket.kick(0, &closest_nodes);
             }
         }
         self.all_entries.remove_expired();
@@ -396,11 +397,11 @@ impl RoutingTableInner {
 
     /// Attempt to settle buckets and remove entries down to the desired number
     /// which may not be possible due extant NodeRefs
-    pub fn kick_bucket(&mut self, bucket_index: BucketIndex) {
+    pub fn kick_bucket(&mut self, bucket_index: BucketIndex, closest_nodes: &BTreeSet<PublicKey>) {
         let bucket = self.get_bucket_mut(bucket_index);
         let bucket_depth = Self::bucket_depth(bucket_index);
 
-        if let Some(_dead_node_ids) = bucket.kick(bucket_depth) {
+        if let Some(_dead_node_ids) = bucket.kick(bucket_depth, closest_nodes) {
             // Remove expired entries
             self.all_entries.remove_expired();
 
@@ -1252,7 +1253,7 @@ impl RoutingTableInner {
     }
 }
 
-fn make_closest_noderef_sort(
+pub(crate) fn make_closest_noderef_sort(
     crypto: Crypto,
     node_id: TypedKey,
 ) -> impl Fn(&NodeRefLocked, &NodeRefLocked) -> core::cmp::Ordering {
@@ -1280,3 +1281,19 @@ fn make_closest_noderef_sort(
         })
     }
 }
+
+pub(crate) fn make_closest_node_id_sort(
+    crypto: Crypto,
+    node_id: TypedKey,
+) -> impl Fn(&CryptoKey, &CryptoKey) -> core::cmp::Ordering {
+    let kind = node_id.kind;
+    // Get cryptoversion to check distance with
+    let vcrypto = crypto.get(kind).unwrap();
+
+    move |a: &CryptoKey, b: &CryptoKey| -> core::cmp::Ordering {
+        // distance is the next metric, closer nodes first
+        let da = vcrypto.distance(a, &node_id.value);
+        let db = vcrypto.distance(b, &node_id.value);
+        da.cmp(&db)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/kick_buckets.rs b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/kick_buckets.rs
index 186e9ebb..b6f0bed9 100644
--- a/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/kick_buckets.rs
+++ b/veilid-core/src/routing_table/tasks/kick_buckets.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 use super::*;
 
+/// How many 'reliable' nodes closest to our own node id to keep
+const KEEP_N_CLOSEST_RELIABLE_ENTRIES_COUNT: usize = 16;
+
+/// How many 'unreliable' nodes closest to our own node id to keep
+const KEEP_N_CLOSEST_UNRELIABLE_ENTRIES_COUNT: usize = 8;
+
 impl RoutingTable {
     // Kick the queued buckets in the routing table to free dead nodes if necessary
     // Attempts to keep the size of the routing table down to the bucket depth
@@ -15,8 +21,59 @@ impl RoutingTable {
                 .into_iter()
                 .collect();
         let mut inner = self.inner.write();
+
+        // Get our closest nodes for each crypto kind
+        let mut closest_nodes_by_kind = BTreeMap::<CryptoKind, BTreeSet<PublicKey>>::new();
+
+        for kind in VALID_CRYPTO_KINDS {
+            let our_node_id = self.node_id(kind);
+            let Some(buckets) = inner.buckets.get(&kind) else {
+                continue;
+            };
+            let sort = make_closest_node_id_sort(self.crypto(), our_node_id);
+
+            let mut closest_nodes = BTreeSet::<CryptoKey>::new();
+            let mut closest_unreliable_count = 0usize;
+            let mut closest_reliable_count = 0usize;
+
+            // Iterate buckets backward, sort entries by closest distance first
+            'outer: for bucket in buckets.iter().rev() {
+                let mut entries = bucket.entries().collect::<Vec<_>>();
+                entries.sort_by(|a, b| sort(a.0, b.0));
+                for (key, entry) in entries {
+                    let state = entry.with(&inner, |_rti, e| e.state(cur_ts));
+                    match state {
+                        BucketEntryState::Dead => {
+                            // Do nothing with dead entries
+                        }
+                        BucketEntryState::Unreliable => {
+                            // Add to closest unreliable nodes list
+                            if closest_unreliable_count < KEEP_N_CLOSEST_UNRELIABLE_ENTRIES_COUNT {
+                                closest_nodes.insert(*key);
+                                closest_unreliable_count += 1;
+                            }
+                        }
+                        BucketEntryState::Reliable => {
+                            // Add to closest reliable nodes list
+                            if closest_reliable_count < KEEP_N_CLOSEST_RELIABLE_ENTRIES_COUNT {
+                                closest_nodes.insert(*key);
+                                closest_reliable_count += 1;
+                            }
+                        }
+                    }
+                    if closest_unreliable_count == KEEP_N_CLOSEST_UNRELIABLE_ENTRIES_COUNT
+                        && closest_reliable_count == KEEP_N_CLOSEST_RELIABLE_ENTRIES_COUNT
+                    {
+                        break 'outer;
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+
+            closest_nodes_by_kind.insert(kind, closest_nodes);
+        }
+
         for bucket_index in kick_queue {
-            inner.kick_bucket(bucket_index)
+            inner.kick_bucket(bucket_index, &closest_nodes_by_kind[&bucket_index.0]);
         }
         Ok(())
     }