diff --git a/src/common/Collision/Management/IVMapMgr.h b/src/common/Collision/Management/IVMapMgr.h
index 79a07bf44..b1b516ee5 100644
--- a/src/common/Collision/Management/IVMapMgr.h
+++ b/src/common/Collision/Management/IVMapMgr.h
@@ -37,6 +37,13 @@ namespace VMAP
         VMAP_LOAD_RESULT_IGNORED
     };
 
+    enum class LoadResult : uint8
+    {
+        Success,
+        FileNotFound,
+        VersionMismatch
+    };
+
     #define VMAP_INVALID_HEIGHT       -100000.0f            // for check
     #define VMAP_INVALID_HEIGHT_VALUE -200000.0f            // real assigned value in unknown height case
 
@@ -79,7 +86,7 @@ namespace VMAP
 
         virtual int loadMap(const char* pBasePath, unsigned int pMapId, int x, int y) = 0;
 
-        virtual bool existsMap(const char* pBasePath, unsigned int pMapId, int x, int y) = 0;
+        virtual LoadResult existsMap(const char* pBasePath, unsigned int pMapId, int x, int y) = 0;
 
         virtual void unloadMap(unsigned int pMapId, int x, int y) = 0;
         virtual void unloadMap(unsigned int pMapId) = 0;
diff --git a/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.cpp b/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.cpp
index 58301f707..3fdbe5cab 100644
--- a/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.cpp
+++ b/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.cpp
@@ -379,7 +379,7 @@ namespace VMAP
         }
     }
 
-    bool VMapMgr2::existsMap(const char* basePath, unsigned int mapId, int x, int y)
+    LoadResult VMapMgr2::existsMap(const char* basePath, unsigned int mapId, int x, int y)
     {
         return StaticMapTree::CanLoadMap(std::string(basePath), mapId, x, y);
     }
diff --git a/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.h b/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.h
index 0a3b5d6ce..39110c1a8 100644
--- a/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.h
+++ b/src/common/Collision/Management/VMapMgr2.h
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ namespace VMAP
         {
             return getMapFileName(mapId);
         }
-        bool existsMap(const char* basePath, unsigned int mapId, int x, int y) override;
+        LoadResult existsMap(const char* basePath, unsigned int mapId, int x, int y) override;
         void GetInstanceMapTree(InstanceTreeMap& instanceMapTree);
 
         typedef uint32(*GetLiquidFlagsFn)(uint32 liquidType);
diff --git a/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.cpp b/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.cpp
index 7b6320a06..33ba1b0dc 100644
--- a/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.cpp
+++ b/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.cpp
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ namespace VMAP
 
     //=========================================================
 
-    bool StaticMapTree::CanLoadMap(const std::string& vmapPath, uint32 mapID, uint32 tileX, uint32 tileY)
+    LoadResult StaticMapTree::CanLoadMap(const std::string& vmapPath, uint32 mapID, uint32 tileX, uint32 tileY)
     {
         std::string basePath = vmapPath;
         if (basePath.length() > 0 && basePath[basePath.length() - 1] != '/' && basePath[basePath.length() - 1] != '\\')
@@ -257,19 +257,21 @@ namespace VMAP
             basePath.push_back('/');
         }
         std::string fullname = basePath + VMapMgr2::getMapFileName(mapID);
-        bool success = true;
+
+        LoadResult result = LoadResult::Success;
+
         FILE* rf = fopen(fullname.c_str(), "rb");
         if (!rf)
         {
-            return false;
+            return LoadResult::FileNotFound;
         }
-        // TODO: check magic number when implemented...
+
         char tiled;
         char chunk[8];
         if (!readChunk(rf, chunk, VMAP_MAGIC, 8) || fread(&tiled, sizeof(char), 1, rf) != 1)
         {
             fclose(rf);
-            return false;
+            return LoadResult::VersionMismatch;
         }
         if (tiled)
         {
@@ -277,19 +279,19 @@ namespace VMAP
             FILE* tf = fopen(tilefile.c_str(), "rb");
             if (!tf)
             {
-                success = false;
+                result = LoadResult::FileNotFound;
             }
             else
             {
                 if (!readChunk(tf, chunk, VMAP_MAGIC, 8))
                 {
-                    success = false;
+                    result = LoadResult::VersionMismatch;
                 }
                 fclose(tf);
             }
         }
         fclose(rf);
-        return success;
+        return result;
     }
 
     //=========================================================
diff --git a/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.h b/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.h
index a899533b5..8bfc454ae 100644
--- a/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.h
+++ b/src/common/Collision/Maps/MapTree.h
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@ namespace VMAP
     class ModelInstance;
     class GroupModel;
     class VMapMgr2;
+    enum class LoadResult : uint8;
 
     struct LocationInfo
     {
@@ -63,7 +64,7 @@ namespace VMAP
         static std::string getTileFileName(uint32 mapID, uint32 tileX, uint32 tileY);
         static uint32 packTileID(uint32 tileX, uint32 tileY) { return tileX << 16 | tileY; }
         static void unpackTileID(uint32 ID, uint32& tileX, uint32& tileY) { tileX = ID >> 16; tileY = ID & 0xFF; }
-        static bool CanLoadMap(const std::string& basePath, uint32 mapID, uint32 tileX, uint32 tileY);
+        static LoadResult CanLoadMap(const std::string& basePath, uint32 mapID, uint32 tileX, uint32 tileY);
 
         StaticMapTree(uint32 mapID, const std::string& basePath);
         ~StaticMapTree();
diff --git a/src/server/game/Maps/Map.cpp b/src/server/game/Maps/Map.cpp
index 84609a99d..bd511806e 100644
--- a/src/server/game/Maps/Map.cpp
+++ b/src/server/game/Maps/Map.cpp
@@ -121,12 +121,20 @@ bool Map::ExistVMap(uint32 mapid, int gx, int gy)
     {
         if (vmgr->isMapLoadingEnabled())
         {
-            bool exists = vmgr->existsMap((sWorld->GetDataPath() + "vmaps").c_str(),  mapid, gx, gy);
-            if (!exists)
+            VMAP::LoadResult result = vmgr->existsMap((sWorld->GetDataPath() + "vmaps").c_str(), mapid, gx, gy);
+            std::string name = vmgr->getDirFileName(mapid, gx, gy);
+            switch (result)
             {
-                std::string name = vmgr->getDirFileName(mapid, gx, gy);
-                LOG_ERROR("maps", "VMap file '{}' is missing or points to wrong version of vmap file. Redo vmaps with latest version of vmap_assembler.exe.", (sWorld->GetDataPath() + "vmaps/" + name));
-                return false;
+                case VMAP::LoadResult::Success:
+                    break;
+                case VMAP::LoadResult::FileNotFound:
+                    LOG_ERROR("maps", "VMap file '{}' does not exist", (sWorld->GetDataPath() + "vmaps/" + name));
+                    LOG_ERROR("maps", "Please place VMAP files (*.vmtree and *.vmtile) in the vmap directory ({}), or correct the DataDir setting in your worldserver.conf file.", (sWorld->GetDataPath() + "vmaps/"));
+                    return false;
+                case VMAP::LoadResult::VersionMismatch:
+                    LOG_ERROR("maps", "VMap file '{}' couldn't be loaded", (sWorld->GetDataPath() + "vmaps/" + name));
+                    LOG_ERROR("maps", "This is because the version of the VMap file and the version of this module are different, please re-extract the maps with the tools compiled with this module.");
+                    return false;
             }
         }
     }