Quick answer: Unreal Niagara sampling skeletal mesh poses while animation updates during the same tick group? Tick order race; Niagara sees mid-update pose.
VFX particles emit from a moving character's hand. Sometimes the particles emit from the previous pose's hand.
Set Niagara Tick to Post Update Work
Niagara samples post-animation. Pose is final.
Or sample from a cached pose
Animation completes; cache pose; Niagara reads from cache. Decoupled timing.
Verify per-frame timing
Anim profiler vs Niagara profiler. Order visible; misalignment = the bug.
“Tick order matters for sample-from-other-system effects.”
Standardize tick groups in your project. The matrix is small; document.