diff --git a/init.el b/init.el
index 179629068..9f236f0c0 100644
--- a/init.el
+++ b/init.el
@@ -27,13 +27,6 @@
 ;;
 ;;; License: MIT
 
-(when (version< emacs-version "25.3")
-  (error "Detected Emacs %s. Doom only supports Emacs 25.3 and higher"
-         emacs-version))
-
-;; Ensure Doom is running out of this file's directory
-(setq user-emacs-directory (file-name-directory load-file-name))
-
 ;; A big contributor to startup times is garbage collection. We up the gc
 ;; threshold to temporarily prevent it from running, then reset it later with
 ;; `doom-restore-garbage-collection-h'. Not resetting it will cause
@@ -45,8 +38,17 @@
 ;; to skip the mtime checks on every *.elc file we load.
 (setq load-prefer-newer noninteractive)
 
+(let (file-name-handler-alist)
+  (when (version< emacs-version "25.3")
+    (error "Detected Emacs %s. Doom only supports Emacs 25.3 and higher"
+           emacs-version))
+
+  ;; Ensure Doom is running out of this file's directory
+  (setq user-emacs-directory (file-name-directory load-file-name)))
+
 ;; Load the heart of Doom Emacs
-(require 'core (concat user-emacs-directory "core/core"))
+(load (concat user-emacs-directory "core/core")
+      nil 'nomessage)
 
 ;; And let 'er rip!
 (add-hook 'window-setup-hook #'doom-display-benchmark-h)