diff --git a/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class1/deferred/softenLightF.glsl b/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class1/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
index e14869af9ec611d28604b9ed1a579a84d34514e6..4646bd4d404a8e10ebef05448c34ad2e48ab7e54 100644
--- a/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class1/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
+++ b/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class1/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
@@ -291,6 +291,14 @@ void main()
 		depth -= 0.5; // unbias depth
 		// first figure out where we'll make our 2D guess from
 		vec2 ref2d = tc.xy + (0.25 * screen_res.y) * (refnorm.xy) * abs(refnorm.z) / depth;
+		// Offset the guess source a little according to a trivial
+		// checkerboard dither function and spec.a.
+		// This is meant to be similar to sampling a blurred version
+		// of the diffuse map.  LOD would be better in that regard.
+		// The goal of the blur is to soften reflections in surfaces
+		// with low shinyness, and also to disguise our lameness.
+		float checkerboard = floor(mod(tc.x+tc.y, 2.0)); // 0.0, 1.0
+		ref2d += normalize(ref2d)*14.0*(1.0-spec.a)*(checkerboard-0.5);
 		// get attributes from the 2D guess point
 		float refdepth = texture2DRect(depthMap, ref2d).a;
 		vec3 refpos = getPosition_d(ref2d, refdepth).xyz;
diff --git a/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class2/deferred/softenLightF.glsl b/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class2/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
index 78e4c179d700829e1a2aa94f28af1aa740592c66..5769288a3675f6a2eee2e15c496401f0e5006c71 100644
--- a/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class2/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
+++ b/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class2/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
@@ -290,6 +290,14 @@ void main()
 		depth -= 0.5; // unbias depth
 		// first figure out where we'll make our 2D guess from
 		vec2 ref2d = tc.xy + (0.25 * screen_res.y) * (refnorm.xy) * abs(refnorm.z) / depth;
+		// Offset the guess source a little according to a trivial
+		// checkerboard dither function and spec.a.
+		// This is meant to be similar to sampling a blurred version
+		// of the diffuse map.  LOD would be better in that regard.
+		// The goal of the blur is to soften reflections in surfaces
+		// with low shinyness, and also to disguise our lameness.
+		float checkerboard = floor(mod(tc.x+tc.y, 2.0)); // 0.0, 1.0
+		ref2d += normalize(ref2d)*14.0*(1.0-spec.a)*(checkerboard-0.5);
 		// get attributes from the 2D guess point
 		float refdepth = texture2DRect(depthMap, ref2d).a;
 		vec3 refpos = getPosition_d(ref2d, refdepth).xyz;
diff --git a/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class3/deferred/softenLightF.glsl b/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class3/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
index 9ecb0a40ff0053d7e229c91c1a0885c10d80ff6d..70a1c534565be25abcf49c4bec86c18b248ac30b 100644
--- a/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class3/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
+++ b/indra/newview/app_settings/shaders/class3/deferred/softenLightF.glsl
@@ -293,6 +293,14 @@ void main()
 		depth -= 0.5; // unbias depth
 		// first figure out where we'll make our 2D guess from
 		vec2 ref2d = tc.xy + (0.25 * screen_res.y) * (refnorm.xy) * abs(refnorm.z) / depth;
+		// Offset the guess source a little according to a trivial
+		// checkerboard dither function and spec.a.
+		// This is meant to be similar to sampling a blurred version
+		// of the diffuse map.  LOD would be better in that regard.
+		// The goal of the blur is to soften reflections in surfaces
+		// with low shinyness, and also to disguise our lameness.
+		float checkerboard = floor(mod(tc.x+tc.y, 2.0)); // 0.0, 1.0
+		ref2d += normalize(ref2d)*14.0*(1.0-spec.a)*(checkerboard-0.5);
 		// get attributes from the 2D guess point
 		float refdepth = texture2DRect(depthMap, ref2d).a;
 		vec3 refpos = getPosition_d(ref2d, refdepth).xyz;