diff --git a/.github/RUNNING_A_SERVER.md b/.github/RUNNING_A_SERVER.md
index ef2a035d18e82..6a1b8d95d8b57 100644
--- a/.github/RUNNING_A_SERVER.md
+++ b/.github/RUNNING_A_SERVER.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ BYOND installed. You can get it from https://www.byond.com/download. Once you've
 that, extract the game files to wherever you want to keep them. This is a
 sourcecode-only release, so the next step is to compile the server files.
 
-Double-click `Build.bat` in the root directory of the source code. This'll take
+Double-click `BUILD.bat` in the root directory of the source code. This'll take
 a little while, and if everything's done right you'll get a message like this:
 
 ```
diff --git a/Build.bat b/BUILD.bat
similarity index 100%
rename from Build.bat
rename to BUILD.bat
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 8a89ebffcb28c..c3ee34e348581 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -33,6 +33,18 @@ Space Station 13 is a paranoia-laden round-based roleplaying game set against th
 
 [Maps and Away Missions](.github/MAPS_AND_AWAY_MISSIONS.md)
 
+## :exclamation: How to compile :exclamation:
+
+On **2021-01-04** we have changed the way to compile the codebase.
+
+Find `BUILD.bat` here in the root folder of tgstation, and double click it to initiate the build. It consists of multiple steps and might take around 1-5 minutes to compile.
+
+After it finishes, you can then [setup the server](.github/RUNNING_A_SERVER.md) normally by opening `tgstation.dmb` in DreamDaemon.
+
+**Building tgstation in DreamMaker directly is now deprecated and might produce errors**, such as `'tgui.bundle.js': cannot find file`.
+
+**[How to compile in VSCode and other build options](tools/build/README.md).**
+
 ## Requirements for contributors
 [Guidelines for Contributors](.github/CONTRIBUTING.md)
 
diff --git a/tools/bootstrap/node_.ps1 b/tools/bootstrap/node_.ps1
index 3fdd311271b1b..38538c14f2574 100644
--- a/tools/bootstrap/node_.ps1
+++ b/tools/bootstrap/node_.ps1
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ function Download-Node {
 	if (Test-Path $NodeTarget -PathType Leaf) {
 		return
 	}
-	Write-Output "Downloading Node v$NodeVersion"
+	Write-Output "Downloading Node v$NodeVersion (may take a while)"
 	New-Item $NodeTargetDir -ItemType Directory -ErrorAction silentlyContinue | Out-Null
 	$WebClient = New-Object Net.WebClient
 	$WebClient.DownloadFile($NodeSource, $NodeTarget)
diff --git a/tools/build/README.md b/tools/build/README.md
index 288c324f264f8..1444321f97238 100644
--- a/tools/build/README.md
+++ b/tools/build/README.md
@@ -2,18 +2,20 @@
 
 This build script is the recommended way to compile the game, including not only the DM code but also the JavaScript and any other dependencies.
 
-- VSCode: use `Ctrl+Shift+B` to build or `F5` to build and run.
-
-- Windows: double-click `Build.bat` in the repository root to build.
-
-- Linux: run `tools/build/build` from the repository root.
+- VSCode:
+  a) Press `Ctrl+Shift+B` to build.
+  b) Press `F5` to build and run with debugger attached.
+- Windows:
+  a) Double-click `BUILD.bat` in the repository root to build (will wait for a key press before it closes).
+  b) Double-click `tools/build/build.bat` to build (will exit as soon as it finishes building).
+- Linux:
+  a) Run `tools/build/build` from the repository root.
 
 The script will skip build steps whose inputs have not changed since the last run.
 
 ## Dependencies
 
-- On Windows, `Build.bat` will automatically install a private copy of Node.
-
+- On Windows, `BUILD.bat` will automatically install a private (vendored) copy of Node.
 - On Linux, install Node using your package manager or from <https://nodejs.org/en/download/>.
 
 ## Why?
diff --git a/tools/build/build.js b/tools/build/build.js
index c60c8d7c8398b..908aa1082a835 100755
--- a/tools/build/build.js
+++ b/tools/build/build.js
@@ -5,15 +5,30 @@
  * @license MIT
  */
 
-const { resolve: resolvePath } = require('path');
+// Change working directory to project root
+process.chdir(require('path').resolve(__dirname, '../../'));
+
+// Validate NodeJS version
+const NODE_VERSION = parseInt(process.versions.node.match(/(\d+)/)[1]);
+const NODE_VERSION_TARGET = parseInt(require('fs')
+  .readFileSync('dependencies.sh', 'utf-8')
+  .match(/NODE_VERSION=(\d+)/)[1]);
+if (NODE_VERSION < NODE_VERSION_TARGET) {
+  console.error('Your current Node.js version is out of date.');
+  console.error('You have two options:');
+  console.error('  a) Go to https://nodejs.org/ and install the latest LTS release of Node.js');
+  console.error('  b) Uninstall Node.js (our build system automatically downloads one)');
+  process.exit(1);
+}
+
+// Main
+// --------------------------------------------------------
+
 const { resolveGlob, stat } = require('./cbt/fs');
 const { exec } = require('./cbt/process');
 const { Task, runTasks } = require('./cbt/task');
 const { regQuery } = require('./cbt/winreg');
 
-// Change working directory to project root
-process.chdir(resolvePath(__dirname, '../../'));
-
 const taskTgui = new Task('tgui')
   .depends('tgui/.yarn/releases/*')
   .depends('tgui/.yarn/install-state.gz')