diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 13aa64e..1ef136c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 {
 	"name": "wok-client",
 	"productName": "WOK Client",
-	"version": "1.1.0-rc.17",
+	"version": "1.1.0-rc.18",
 	"private": true,
 	"description": "The fastest Krunker client. Ever.",
 	"main": "./bundle/main.mjs",
diff --git a/src/intro-window.ts b/src/intro-window.ts
index dc49c8d..7699e78 100644
--- a/src/intro-window.ts
+++ b/src/intro-window.ts
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@ export interface IntroGameWindowHandoff {
 	handleReadyToShow(): void;
 	revealBehindIntro(): void;
 	revealForUse(): void;
+	/** True while the intro owns the game window's first reveal (between beginIntro and end). */
+	isRevealOwned(): boolean;
 }
 export function createIntroGameWindowHandoff(gameWindow: IntroGameWindow, fullscreenMode: string): IntroGameWindowHandoff {
 	let introActive = false;
@@ -60,6 +62,7 @@ export function createIntroGameWindowHandoff(gameWindow: IntroGameWindow, fullsc
 		endIntro: () => {
 			introActive = false;
 		},
+		isRevealOwned: () => introActive,
 		handleReadyToShow: () => {
 			if (!introActive) reveal(true);
 		},
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 9895810..5379cbc 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -2436,6 +2436,18 @@ app.on('ready', async () => {
 	logPerfMark('loadurl-called');
 	const gameNavigation = mainWindow.loadURL('https://krunker.io');
 
+	/*
+	 * Show the hidden game window as soon as the navigation is under way, with or without the
+	 * intro. A hidden renderer receives no compositor frames, so Krunker's load can stall before
+	 * ready-to-show on affected machines and the launch deadlocks; showing the window (which the
+	 * intro path always does at its opaque reveal) keeps the load moving, and the black splash
+	 * background in the preload covers the unstyled page until readiness.
+	 */
+	if (!introHandoff.isRevealOwned() && !mainWindow.isDestroyed() && !mainWindow.isVisible()) {
+		mainWindow.showInactive();
+		logPerfMark('window-revealed-without-intro');
+	}
+
 	// Start the intro only once the game navigation is under way, so the identity animation can
 	// never delay the first byte of Krunker's load. Calibration launches skip it: that flow has
 	// already put windows in front of the user and should reach the game as directly as possible.
diff --git a/src/menu-declutter.ts b/src/menu-declutter.ts
index 2985f81..0d6a127 100644
--- a/src/menu-declutter.ts
+++ b/src/menu-declutter.ts
@@ -358,8 +358,8 @@ export function collectMenuDeclutterTargets(
 		}
 	}
 
-	const streamPromotions = environment
-		.queryAll('.stream-card.promo-card')
+	const streamPromotions = [...environment
+		.queryAll('.stream-card.promo-card')]
 		.filter(isKrunkerStreamPromotionCard);
 	for (const promotion of streamPromotions) targets.add(promotion);
 
@@ -368,7 +368,7 @@ export function collectMenuDeclutterTargets(
 	for (const promotion of streamPromotions) {
 		const section = promotion.closest('.featured-section');
 		if (!section) continue;
-		const cards = section.querySelectorAll('.stream-card');
+		const cards = [...section.querySelectorAll('.stream-card')];
 		if (cards.length > 0 && cards.every(isKrunkerStreamPromotionCard)) targets.add(section);
 	}
 
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ function collectStreamLayoutTargets(
 ): void {
 	const smallOverlays = new Set(environment.queryAll('.streams-overlay.small'));
 	for (const grid of environment.queryAll('.streams-grid')) {
-		const cards = grid.querySelectorAll('.stream-card');
+		const cards = [...grid.querySelectorAll('.stream-card')];
 		const promotions = cards.filter(card => hiddenTargets.has(card) || isKrunkerStreamPromotionCard(card));
 		if (promotions.length === 0) continue;
 
diff --git a/src/preload.ts b/src/preload.ts
index 4c63f6d..a97d49f 100644
--- a/src/preload.ts
+++ b/src/preload.ts
@@ -608,11 +608,16 @@ function applyRawMouseInputPreference(_userPrefs: UserPrefs): void {
  */
 function whenDOMReady(callback: () => void) {
 	let ran = false;
+	// Declared before run() so every path that reaches run() sees initialized bindings. run()
+	// fires synchronously from the document.body branch below on every reload and on every
+	// did-finish-load fallback, where the body already exists.
+	let observer: MutationObserver | undefined;
+	let poll: number | undefined;
 	const run = () => {
 		if (ran) return;
 		ran = true;
 		observer?.disconnect();
-		window.clearInterval(poll);
+		if (poll !== undefined) window.clearInterval(poll);
 		document.removeEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', run);
 		callback();
 	};
@@ -624,13 +629,13 @@ function whenDOMReady(callback: () => void) {
 
 	document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', run, { once: true });
 	// A parser that never emits the event still builds the body, so watch for the element itself.
-	const observer = typeof MutationObserver === 'function'
+	observer = typeof MutationObserver === 'function'
 		? new MutationObserver(() => { if (document.body) run(); })
 		: undefined;
 	if (document.documentElement) observer?.observe(document.documentElement, { childList: true, subtree: true });
 	// Last resort for a document that produces neither: the steps are all body-dependent, so a
 	// cheap poll is preferable to features that silently never start.
-	const poll = window.setInterval(() => { if (document.body) run(); }, 250);
+	poll = window.setInterval(() => { if (document.body) run(); }, 250);
 }
 
 /** Resolve an element by id as soon as the parser creates it, giving up at DOMContentLoaded. */