diff --git a/src/components/structures/ErrorView.tsx b/src/components/structures/ErrorView.tsx
index 566a84808..6941dbf16 100644
--- a/src/components/structures/ErrorView.tsx
+++ b/src/components/structures/ErrorView.tsx
@@ -17,23 +17,29 @@ limitations under the License.
 import * as React from "react";
 import * as PropTypes from "prop-types";
 
+import { _t } from "matrix-react-sdk/src/languageHandler";
+
 interface IProps {
-    title: React.ReactNode;
-    message: React.ReactNode;
+    title: string;
+    messages?: string[];
 }
 
-const ErrorView: React.FC<IProps> = ({title, message}) => {
+const ErrorView: React.FC<IProps> = ({title, messages}) => {
     return <div className="mx_GenericErrorPage">
         <div className="mx_GenericErrorPage_box">
-            <h1>{ title }</h1>
-            <p>{ message }</p>
+            <h1>{title}</h1>
+            <div>
+                {messages && messages.map(msg => <p key={msg}>
+                    { _t(msg) }
+                </p>)}
+            </div>
         </div>
     </div>;
 };
 
 ErrorView.propTypes = {
-    title: PropTypes.object.isRequired, // jsx for title
-    message: PropTypes.object.isRequired, // jsx to display
+    title: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+    messages: PropTypes.arrayOf(PropTypes.string.isRequired),
 };
 
 export default ErrorView;
diff --git a/src/vector/index.ts b/src/vector/index.ts
index 27b48df88..0d3a8e877 100644
--- a/src/vector/index.ts
+++ b/src/vector/index.ts
@@ -131,6 +131,28 @@ async function start() {
         preparePlatform();
         // load config requires the platform to be ready
         const loadConfigPromise = loadConfig();
+        await settled(loadConfigPromise); // wait for it to settle
+        // keep initialising so that we can show any possible error with as many features (theme, i18n) as possible
+
+        // Load language after loading config.json so that settingsDefaults.language can be applied
+        const loadLanguagePromise = loadLanguage();
+        // as quickly as we possibly can, set a default theme...
+        const loadThemePromise = loadTheme();
+        const loadSkinPromise = loadSkin();
+
+        // await things settling so that any errors we have to render have features like i18n running
+        await settled(loadSkinPromise);
+        await settled(loadThemePromise);
+        await settled(loadLanguagePromise);
+
+        // ##########################
+        // error handling begins here
+        // ##########################
+        if (!acceptBrowser) {
+            await new Promise(resolve => {
+                // todo
+            });
+        }
 
         try {
             // await config here
@@ -146,33 +168,20 @@ async function start() {
             return showError(_t("Unable to load config file: please refresh the page to try again."));
         }
 
-        // Load language after loading config.json so that settingsDefaults.language can be applied
-        const loadLanguagePromise = loadLanguage();
-        // as quickly as we possibly can, set a default theme...
-        const loadThemePromise = loadTheme();
-        const loadSkinPromise = loadSkin();
-
+        // ##################################
+        // app load critical path starts here
         // await things starting successfully
+        // ##################################
         await loadOlmPromise;
         await settled(loadSkinPromise);
         await loadThemePromise;
         await loadLanguagePromise;
 
-        if (!acceptBrowser) {
-            await new Promise(resolve => {
-                // todo
-            });
-        }
-
         // Finally, load the app. All of the other react-sdk imports are in this file which causes the skinner to
         // run on the components.
         await loadApp(fragparts.params, acceptBrowser);
     } catch (err) {
         console.trace(err);
-        // check errors in this order:
-        // Browser Compatibility (skippable)
-        // config.json
-        // runtime errors
         const { showError } = await import(
             /* webpackChunkName: "init" */
             /* webpackPreload: true */
@@ -181,6 +190,7 @@ async function start() {
     }
 }
 start().catch(err => {
+    console.error(err);
     if (!acceptBrowser) {
         alert("Incompatible browser");
     }
diff --git a/src/vector/init.tsx b/src/vector/init.tsx
index 8e9293510..583d96a92 100644
--- a/src/vector/init.tsx
+++ b/src/vector/init.tsx
@@ -150,15 +150,7 @@ export async function showError(title: string, messages?: string[]) {
         /* webpackChunkName: "error-view" */
         /* webpackPreload: true */
         "../components/structures/ErrorView")).default;
-    const message = <div>
-        {messages && messages.map(msg => <p key={msg}>
-            {languageHandler._t(
-                "Your Riot configuration contains invalid JSON. Please correct the problem and reload the page.",
-            )}
-        </p>)}
-    </div>;
-
-    window.matrixChat = ReactDOM.render(<ErrorView title={title} message={message} />,
+    window.matrixChat = ReactDOM.render(<ErrorView title={title} messages={messages} />,
         document.getElementById('matrixchat'));
 }