diff --git a/src/assetupdater.cpp b/src/assetupdater.cpp
index cc058da..0b2f721 100644
--- a/src/assetupdater.cpp
+++ b/src/assetupdater.cpp
@@ -1,10 +1,10 @@
 #include "assetupdater.h"
 
-#include <QNetworkReply>
 #include <QFile>
-#include <QStandardPaths>
 #include <QJsonDocument>
 #include <QJsonObject>
+#include <QNetworkReply>
+#include <QStandardPaths>
 
 #include <quazip/JlCompress.h>
 
@@ -12,25 +12,31 @@
 
 const QString dalamudRemotePath = "https://goatcorp.github.io/dalamud-distrib/";
 const QString dalamudVersion = "latest";
-const QString dalamudVersionPath = dalamudRemotePath + "/version";
+const QString dalamudVersionPath = dalamudRemotePath + "version";
 
-const QString nativeLauncherRemotePath = "https://github.com/redstrate/nativelauncher/releases/download/";
+const QString nativeLauncherRemotePath =
+    "https://github.com/redstrate/nativelauncher/releases/download/";
 const QString nativeLauncherVersion = "v1.0.0";
 
-AssetUpdater::AssetUpdater(LauncherCore &launcher) : launcher(launcher) {
-    connect(launcher.mgr, &QNetworkAccessManager::finished, this, &AssetUpdater::finishDownload);
+AssetUpdater::AssetUpdater(LauncherCore& launcher) : launcher(launcher) {
+    connect(launcher.mgr, &QNetworkAccessManager::finished, this,
+            &AssetUpdater::finishDownload);
 
     launcher.mgr->setRedirectPolicy(QNetworkRequest::NoLessSafeRedirectPolicy);
 }
 
 void AssetUpdater::update(const ProfileSettings& profile) {
-    QString dataDir = QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::AppDataLocation);
+    const QString dataDir =
+        QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::AppDataLocation);
 
-    const bool hasDalamud = QFile::exists(dataDir + "/NativeLauncher.exe") && QFile::exists(dataDir + "/Dalamud");
+    qInfo() << "Starting update sequence...";
+
+    const bool hasDalamud = QFile::exists(dataDir + "/NativeLauncher.exe") &&
+                            QFile::exists(dataDir + "/Dalamud");
 
     bool isDalamudUpdated = false;
-    if(hasDalamud) {
-        if(remoteDalamudVersion.isEmpty()) {
+    if (hasDalamud) {
+        if (remoteDalamudVersion.isEmpty()) {
             QNetworkRequest request(dalamudVersionPath);
 
             auto reply = launcher.mgr->get(request);
@@ -39,31 +45,44 @@ void AssetUpdater::update(const ProfileSettings& profile) {
 
             return;
         } else {
-            if(QFile::exists(dataDir + "/Dalamud/Dalamud.deps.json")) {
+            if (QFile::exists(dataDir + "/Dalamud/Dalamud.deps.json")) {
                 QFile depsJson(dataDir + "/Dalamud/Dalamud.deps.json");
                 depsJson.open(QFile::ReadOnly);
                 QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(depsJson.readAll());
 
                 // TODO: UGLY
-                QString versionString = doc["targets"].toObject()[".NETCoreApp,Version=v5.0"].toObject().keys().filter("Dalamud")[0];
+                QString versionString =
+                    doc["targets"]
+                        .toObject()[".NETCoreApp,Version=v5.0"]
+                        .toObject()
+                        .keys()
+                        .filter("Dalamud")[0];
                 versionString = versionString.remove("Dalamud/");
 
-                if(versionString != remoteDalamudVersion) {
+                qInfo() << "Dalamud version installed: " << versionString;
+
+                if (versionString != remoteDalamudVersion) {
                     isDalamudUpdated = false;
                 } else {
+                    qInfo() << "No need to update Dalamud.";
                     isDalamudUpdated = true;
                 }
             }
         }
     }
 
-
     // first we determine if we need dalamud
-    const bool needsDalamud = profile.enableDalamud && (!hasDalamud || !isDalamudUpdated);
-    if(needsDalamud) {
-        // download nativelauncher release (needed to launch the game with fixed ACLs)
+    const bool needsDalamud =
+        profile.enableDalamud && (!hasDalamud || !isDalamudUpdated);
+    if (needsDalamud) {
+        // download nativelauncher release (needed to launch the game with fixed
+        // ACLs)
         {
-            QNetworkRequest request(nativeLauncherRemotePath + nativeLauncherVersion + "/NativeLauncher.exe");
+            qInfo() << "Downloading NativeLauncher...";
+
+            QNetworkRequest request(nativeLauncherRemotePath +
+                                    nativeLauncherVersion +
+                                    "/NativeLauncher.exe");
 
             auto reply = launcher.mgr->get(request);
             reply->setObjectName("NativeLauncher");
@@ -71,7 +90,10 @@ void AssetUpdater::update(const ProfileSettings& profile) {
 
         // download dalamud (... duh)
         {
-            QNetworkRequest request(dalamudRemotePath + dalamudVersion + ".zip");
+            qInfo() << "Downloading Dalamud...";
+
+            QNetworkRequest request(dalamudRemotePath + dalamudVersion +
+                                    ".zip");
 
             auto reply = launcher.mgr->get(request);
             reply->setObjectName("Dalamud");
@@ -84,40 +106,62 @@ void AssetUpdater::update(const ProfileSettings& profile) {
 
 void AssetUpdater::finishDownload(QNetworkReply* reply) {
     const auto checkIfFinished = [=] {
-        if(QFile::exists(tempDir.path() + "/NativeLauncher.exe") && QFile::exists(tempDir.path() + "/latest.zip")) {
+        if (QFile::exists(tempDir.path() + "/NativeLauncher.exe") &&
+            QFile::exists(tempDir.path() + "/latest.zip")) {
             beginInstall();
         }
     };
 
-    if(reply->objectName() == "Dalamud") {
-        QFile file(tempDir.path() +  "/latest.zip");
+    if (reply->objectName() == "Dalamud") {
+        qInfo() << "Dalamud finished downloading!";
+
+        QFile file(tempDir.path() + "/latest.zip");
         file.open(QIODevice::WriteOnly);
         file.write(reply->readAll());
         file.close();
 
         checkIfFinished();
-    } else if(reply->objectName() == "NativeLauncher") {
+    } else if (reply->objectName() == "NativeLauncher") {
+        qInfo() << "NativeLauncher finished downloading!";
+
         QFile file(tempDir.path() + "/NativeLauncher.exe");
         file.open(QIODevice::WriteOnly);
         file.write(reply->readAll());
         file.close();
 
         checkIfFinished();
-    } else if(reply->objectName() == "DalamudVersionCheck") {
-        QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(reply->readAll());
+    } else if (reply->objectName() == "DalamudVersionCheck") {
+        QByteArray str = reply->readAll();
+        // for some god forsaken reason, the version string comes back as raw
+        // bytes, ex: \xFF\xFE{\x00\"\x00""A\x00s\x00s\x00""e\x00m\x00 so we
+        // start at the first character of the json '{' and work our way up.
+        QString reassmbled;
+        for (int i = str.indexOf('{'); i < str.size(); i++) {
+            char t = str[i];
+            if (QChar(t).isPrint())
+                reassmbled += t;
+        }
+
+        QJsonDocument doc = QJsonDocument::fromJson(reassmbled.toUtf8());
         remoteDalamudVersion = doc["AssemblyVersion"].toString();
 
+        qInfo() << "Latest Dalamud version reported: " << remoteDalamudVersion;
+
         update(*currentSettings);
         currentSettings = nullptr;
     }
 }
 
 void AssetUpdater::beginInstall() {
-    QString dataDir = QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::AppDataLocation);
+    QString dataDir =
+        QStandardPaths::writableLocation(QStandardPaths::AppDataLocation);
 
-    bool success = !JlCompress::extractDir(tempDir.path() + "/latest.zip", dataDir + "/Dalamud").empty();
-    if(success) {
-        QFile::copy(tempDir.path() + "/NativeLauncher.exe", dataDir + "/NativeLauncher.exe");
+    bool success = !JlCompress::extractDir(tempDir.path() + "/latest.zip",
+                                           dataDir + "/Dalamud")
+                        .empty();
+    if (success) {
+        QFile::copy(tempDir.path() + "/NativeLauncher.exe",
+                    dataDir + "/NativeLauncher.exe");
 
         finishedUpdating();
     } else {