diff --git a/lib/base.php b/lib/base.php
index bf324e946bc50..010fed1ea9f8f 100644
--- a/lib/base.php
+++ b/lib/base.php
@@ -652,6 +652,13 @@ public static function init(): void {
 		$bootstrapCoordinator->runInitialRegistration();
 
 		$eventLogger->start('init_session', 'Initialize session');
+
+		// Check for PHP SimpleXML extension earlier since we need it before our other checks and want to provide a useful hint for web users
+		// see https://github.com/nextcloud/server/pull/2619
+		if (!function_exists('simplexml_load_file')) {
+			throw new \OCP\HintException('The PHP SimpleXML/PHP-XML extension is not installed.', 'Install the extension or make sure it is enabled.');
+		}
+		
 		OC_App::loadApps(['session']);
 		if (!self::$CLI) {
 			self::initSession();