diff --git a/.buildkite/pipeline.yaml b/.buildkite/pipeline.yaml
index 1e2c25ce6f..40a3e3e384 100644
--- a/.buildkite/pipeline.yaml
+++ b/.buildkite/pipeline.yaml
@@ -27,8 +27,10 @@ steps:
 
   - label: "🛠 Build"
     command:
-      # TODO: This probably needs to be more sophisticated than "just install stuff"
+      - "echo '--- Fetching Dependencies'"
+      - "./scripts/fetch-develop.deps.sh --depth 1"
       - "yarn install"
+      - "echo '+++ Building Project'"
       - "yarn build"
     plugins:
       - docker#v3.0.1:
diff --git a/karma.conf.js b/karma.conf.js
index 5c05da4c1a..4688e7ca1d 100644
--- a/karma.conf.js
+++ b/karma.conf.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 var path = require('path');
 var webpack = require('webpack');
-var webpack_config = require('./webpack.config');
+var wp_config = require('./webpack.config');
 
 /*
  * We use webpack to build our tests. It's a pain to have to wait for webpack
@@ -20,6 +20,8 @@ var testFile = process.env.KARMA_TEST_FILE || 'test/all-tests.js';
 process.env.PHANTOMJS_BIN = 'node_modules/.bin/phantomjs';
 process.env.Q_DEBUG = 1;
 
+const webpack_config = wp_config({}, {mode: "development"});
+
 /* the webpack config is based on the real one, to (a) try to simulate the
  * deployed environment as closely as possible, and (b) to avoid a shedload of
  * cut-and-paste.
@@ -35,12 +37,6 @@ delete webpack_config['entry'];
 // make sure we're flagged as development to avoid wasting time optimising
 webpack_config.mode = 'development';
 
-// add ./test as a search path for js
-webpack_config.module.rules.unshift({
-    test: /\.js$/, use: "babel-loader",
-    include: [path.resolve('./src'), path.resolve('./test')],
-});
-
 // disable parsing for sinon, because it
 // tries to do voodoo with 'require' which upsets
 // webpack (https://github.com/webpack/webpack/issues/304)
@@ -54,8 +50,6 @@ webpack_config.resolve.modules = [
     "node_modules"
 ];
 
-webpack_config.devtool = 'inline-source-map';
-
 module.exports = function (config) {
     const myconfig = {
         // frameworks to use
@@ -64,7 +58,6 @@ module.exports = function (config) {
 
         // list of files / patterns to load in the browser
         files: [
-            'node_modules/babel-polyfill/browser.js',
             testFile,
 
             // make the images available via our httpd. They will be avaliable
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 710eb80d51..c59d94f14a 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -35,10 +35,11 @@
     "reskindex": "reskindex -h src/header",
     "reskindex:watch": "reskindex -h src/header -w",
     "clean": "rimraf lib webapp electron_app/dist",
-    "build": "yarn clean && yarn build:res && yarn build:compile && yarn build:types && yarn build:bundle",
+    "build": "yarn clean && yarn build:genfiles && yarn build:compile && yarn build:types && yarn build:bundle",
     "build:res": "node scripts/copy-res.js",
+    "build:genfiles": "yarn reskindex && yarn build:res",
     "build:modernizr": "modernizr -c .modernizr.json -d src/vector/modernizr.js",
-    "build:compile": "yarn reskindex && babel -d lib --verbose --extensions \".ts,.js\" src",
+    "build:compile": "babel -d lib --verbose --extensions \".ts,.js\" src",
     "build:bundle": "cross-env NODE_ENV=production webpack -p --progress --bail --mode production",
     "build:electron": "yarn build && yarn install:electron && electron-builder -wml --ia32 --x64",
     "build:electron:linux": "yarn build && electron-builder -l --x64",
@@ -56,8 +57,8 @@
     "lint:ts": "echo 'We don't actually have a typescript linter at this layer because tslint is being removed from our stack. Presumably your TS is fine.'",
     "lint:types": "tsc --noEmit",
     "lint:style": "stylelint 'res/css/**/*.scss'",
-    "test": "karma start --single-run=true --autoWatch=false --browsers VectorChromeHeadless",
-    "test:multi": "karma start"
+    "test": "yarn build:genfiles && karma start --single-run=true --autoWatch=false --browsers VectorChromeHeadless",
+    "test:multi": "yarn build:genfiles && karma start"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "browser-request": "^0.3.3",
diff --git a/scripts/fetch-develop.deps.sh b/scripts/fetch-develop.deps.sh
index e741971842..a45159c256 100755
--- a/scripts/fetch-develop.deps.sh
+++ b/scripts/fetch-develop.deps.sh
@@ -78,6 +78,7 @@ dodep matrix-org matrix-js-sdk
 pushd matrix-js-sdk
 yarn link
 yarn install
+yarn build
 popd
 
 yarn link matrix-js-sdk
@@ -95,6 +96,7 @@ pushd matrix-react-sdk
 yarn link
 yarn link matrix-js-sdk
 yarn install
+yarn build
 popd
 
 yarn link matrix-react-sdk
diff --git a/test/app-tests/joining.js b/test/app-tests/joining.js
index e201cc6838..7a1849692b 100644
--- a/test/app-tests/joining.js
+++ b/test/app-tests/joining.js
@@ -18,28 +18,25 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import PlatformPeg from 'matrix-react-sdk/src/PlatformPeg';
 import WebPlatform from '../../src/vector/platform/WebPlatform';
+import * as sdk from "matrix-react-sdk";
+import * as jssdk from "matrix-js-sdk";
+import "../skin-sdk";
+import React from "react";
+import ReactDOM from "react-dom";
+import ReactTestUtils from "react-dom/test-utils";
+import expect from "expect";
+import {makeType} from "matrix-react-sdk/src/utils/TypeUtils";
+import {ValidatedServerConfig} from "matrix-react-sdk/src/utils/AutoDiscoveryUtils";
+import {sleep} from "../test-utils";
+import * as test_utils from "../test-utils";
+import MockHttpBackend from "matrix-mock-request";
 
-require('skin-sdk');
 
-const jssdk = require('matrix-js-sdk');
-
-const sdk = require('matrix-react-sdk');
 const MatrixChat = sdk.getComponent('structures.MatrixChat');
 const RoomDirectory = sdk.getComponent('structures.RoomDirectory');
 const RoomPreviewBar = sdk.getComponent('rooms.RoomPreviewBar');
 const RoomView = sdk.getComponent('structures.RoomView');
 
-const React = require('react');
-const ReactDOM = require('react-dom');
-const ReactTestUtils = require('react-dom/test-utils');
-const expect = require('expect');
-import {makeType} from "matrix-react-sdk/src/utils/TypeUtils";
-import {ValidatedServerConfig} from "matrix-react-sdk/src/utils/AutoDiscoveryUtils";
-import {sleep} from "../test-utils";
-
-const test_utils = require('../test-utils');
-const MockHttpBackend = require('matrix-mock-request');
-
 const HS_URL='http://localhost';
 const IS_URL='http://localhost';
 const USER_ID='@me:localhost';
diff --git a/test/app-tests/loading.js b/test/app-tests/loading.js
index 836e3514d8..1ef2aa0ee0 100644
--- a/test/app-tests/loading.js
+++ b/test/app-tests/loading.js
@@ -18,23 +18,18 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 import PlatformPeg from 'matrix-react-sdk/src/PlatformPeg';
 import WebPlatform from '../../src/vector/platform/WebPlatform';
-
-import 'skin-sdk';
-
+import '../skin-sdk';
 import React from 'react';
 import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
 import ReactTestUtils from 'react-dom/test-utils';
 import expect from 'expect';
 import MatrixReactTestUtils from 'matrix-react-test-utils';
-
-import jssdk from 'matrix-js-sdk';
-
-import sdk from 'matrix-react-sdk';
+import * as jssdk from 'matrix-js-sdk';
+import * as sdk from 'matrix-react-sdk';
 import {MatrixClientPeg} from 'matrix-react-sdk/src/MatrixClientPeg';
 import * as languageHandler from 'matrix-react-sdk/src/languageHandler';
 import {VIEWS} from 'matrix-react-sdk/src/components/structures/MatrixChat';
 import dis from 'matrix-react-sdk/src/dispatcher';
-
 import * as test_utils from '../test-utils';
 import MockHttpBackend from 'matrix-mock-request';
 import {parseQs, parseQsFromFragment} from '../../src/vector/url_utils';
diff --git a/test/skin-sdk.js b/test/skin-sdk.js
index b839df8fa4..eaeff52043 100644
--- a/test/skin-sdk.js
+++ b/test/skin-sdk.js
@@ -4,5 +4,6 @@
  * Skins the react-sdk with the vector components
  */
 
-const sdk = require('matrix-react-sdk');
-sdk.loadSkin(require('../src/component-index'));
+import * as sdk from "matrix-react-sdk";
+import * as skin from "../src/component-index";
+sdk.loadSkin(skin);