diff --git a/domain/consensus/factory.go b/domain/consensus/factory.go
index e368a404a..ed39f2865 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/factory.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/factory.go
@@ -558,7 +558,7 @@ func dagStores(config *Config,
 	reachabilityDataStores := make([]model.ReachabilityDataStore, constants.MaxBlockLevel+1)
 	ghostdagDataStores := make([]model.GHOSTDAGDataStore, constants.MaxBlockLevel+1)
 
-	ghostdagDataCacheSize := pruningWindowSizeForCaches
+	ghostdagDataCacheSize := pruningWindowSizeForCaches * 2
 	if ghostdagDataCacheSize < config.DifficultyAdjustmentWindowSize {
 		ghostdagDataCacheSize = config.DifficultyAdjustmentWindowSize
 	}
@@ -567,7 +567,7 @@ func dagStores(config *Config,
 		prefixBucket := prefixBucket.Bucket([]byte{byte(i)})
 		if i == 0 {
 			blockRelationStores[i] = blockrelationstore.New(prefixBucket, pruningWindowSizePlusFinalityDepthForCache, preallocateCaches)
-			reachabilityDataStores[i] = reachabilitydatastore.New(prefixBucket, pruningWindowSizePlusFinalityDepthForCache, preallocateCaches)
+			reachabilityDataStores[i] = reachabilitydatastore.New(prefixBucket, pruningWindowSizePlusFinalityDepthForCache*2, preallocateCaches)
 			ghostdagDataStores[i] = ghostdagdatastore.New(prefixBucket, ghostdagDataCacheSize, preallocateCaches)
 		} else {
 			blockRelationStores[i] = blockrelationstore.New(prefixBucket, 200, false)
diff --git a/domain/consensus/model/interface_processes_pruningmanager.go b/domain/consensus/model/interface_processes_pruningmanager.go
index 873173aae..4b7cfe5b4 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/model/interface_processes_pruningmanager.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/model/interface_processes_pruningmanager.go
@@ -13,7 +13,5 @@ type PruningManager interface {
 	UpdatePruningPointIfRequired() error
 	PruneAllBlocksBelow(stagingArea *StagingArea, pruningPointHash *externalapi.DomainHash) error
 	PruningPointAndItsAnticoneWithTrustedData() ([]*externalapi.BlockWithTrustedData, error)
-	NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea *StagingArea,
-		blockHash *externalapi.DomainHash) (*externalapi.DomainHash, *externalapi.DomainHash, error)
 	ExpectedHeaderPruningPoint(stagingArea *StagingArea, blockHash *externalapi.DomainHash) (*externalapi.DomainHash, error)
 }
diff --git a/domain/consensus/processes/pruningmanager/pruningmanager.go b/domain/consensus/processes/pruningmanager/pruningmanager.go
index 1ca0ed6cc..590a3521b 100644
--- a/domain/consensus/processes/pruningmanager/pruningmanager.go
+++ b/domain/consensus/processes/pruningmanager/pruningmanager.go
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ func (pm *pruningManager) UpdatePruningPointByVirtual(stagingArea *model.Staging
 		return err
 	}
 
-	newPruningPoint, newCandidate, err := pm.NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea, virtualGHOSTDAGData.SelectedParent())
+	newPruningPoint, newCandidate, err := pm.nextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea, virtualGHOSTDAGData.SelectedParent(), nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
@@ -169,10 +169,10 @@ func (pm *pruningManager) UpdatePruningPointByVirtual(stagingArea *model.Staging
 	return nil
 }
 
-func (pm *pruningManager) NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea *model.StagingArea,
-	blockHash *externalapi.DomainHash) (*externalapi.DomainHash, *externalapi.DomainHash, error) {
+func (pm *pruningManager) nextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea *model.StagingArea,
+	blockHash, suggestedLowHash *externalapi.DomainHash) (*externalapi.DomainHash, *externalapi.DomainHash, error) {
 
-	onEnd := logger.LogAndMeasureExecutionTime(log, "pruningManager.NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash")
+	onEnd := logger.LogAndMeasureExecutionTime(log, "pruningManager.nextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash")
 	defer onEnd()
 
 	currentCandidate, err := pm.pruningPointCandidate(stagingArea)
@@ -180,6 +180,26 @@ func (pm *pruningManager) NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea *m
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
 
+	lowHash := currentCandidate
+	if suggestedLowHash != nil {
+		isSuggestedLowHashInSelectedParentChainOfCurrentCandidate, err := pm.dagTopologyManager.IsInSelectedParentChainOf(stagingArea, suggestedLowHash, currentCandidate)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+
+		if !isSuggestedLowHashInSelectedParentChainOfCurrentCandidate {
+			isCurrentCandidateInSelectedParentChainOfSuggestedLowHash, err := pm.dagTopologyManager.IsInSelectedParentChainOf(stagingArea, currentCandidate, suggestedLowHash)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, nil, err
+			}
+
+			if !isCurrentCandidateInSelectedParentChainOfSuggestedLowHash {
+				panic(errors.Errorf("suggested low hash %s is not on the same selected chain as the pruning candidate %s", suggestedLowHash, currentCandidate))
+			}
+			lowHash = suggestedLowHash
+		}
+	}
+
 	ghostdagData, err := pm.ghostdagDataStore.Get(pm.databaseContext, stagingArea, blockHash, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
@@ -198,7 +218,7 @@ func (pm *pruningManager) NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea *m
 	// We iterate until the selected parent of the given block, in order to allow a situation where the given block hash
 	// belongs to the virtual. This shouldn't change anything since the max blue score difference between a block and its
 	// selected parent is K, and K << pm.pruningDepth.
-	iterator, err := pm.dagTraversalManager.SelectedChildIterator(stagingArea, ghostdagData.SelectedParent(), currentCandidate)
+	iterator, err := pm.dagTraversalManager.SelectedChildIterator(stagingArea, ghostdagData.SelectedParent(), lowHash)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, nil, err
 	}
@@ -960,11 +980,43 @@ func (pm *pruningManager) blockWithTrustedData(stagingArea *model.StagingArea, b
 }
 
 func (pm *pruningManager) ExpectedHeaderPruningPoint(stagingArea *model.StagingArea, blockHash *externalapi.DomainHash) (*externalapi.DomainHash, error) {
-	nextOrCurrentPruningPoint, _, err := pm.NextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea, blockHash)
+	ghostdagData, err := pm.ghostdagDataStore.Get(pm.databaseContext, stagingArea, blockHash, false)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
+	if ghostdagData.SelectedParent().Equal(pm.genesisHash) {
+		return pm.genesisHash, nil
+	}
+
+	selectedParentHeader, err := pm.blockHeaderStore.BlockHeader(pm.databaseContext, stagingArea, ghostdagData.SelectedParent())
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	selectedParentPruningPointHeader, err := pm.blockHeaderStore.BlockHeader(pm.databaseContext, stagingArea, selectedParentHeader.PruningPoint())
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	nextOrCurrentPruningPoint := selectedParentHeader.PruningPoint()
+	if pm.finalityScore(ghostdagData.BlueScore()) > pm.finalityScore(selectedParentPruningPointHeader.BlueScore()+pm.pruningDepth) {
+		var suggestedLowHash *externalapi.DomainHash
+		hasReachabilityData, err := pm.reachabilityDataStore.HasReachabilityData(pm.databaseContext, stagingArea, selectedParentHeader.PruningPoint())
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+
+		if hasReachabilityData {
+			suggestedLowHash = selectedParentHeader.PruningPoint()
+		}
+
+		nextOrCurrentPruningPoint, _, err = pm.nextPruningPointAndCandidateByBlockHash(stagingArea, blockHash, suggestedLowHash)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+
 	isHeaderPruningPoint, err := pm.isPruningPointInPruningDepth(stagingArea, blockHash, nextOrCurrentPruningPoint)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err