diff --git a/changelog/checkaction-context-default.dd b/changelog/checkaction-context-default.dd
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..54bfce3275ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/checkaction-context-default.dd
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+Enhanced `assert` informations are now printed by default
+
+Starting from this release, DMD will now print rich informations on assert failures.
+For example, the following code:
+---
+void main ()
+{
+    int a = 0, b = 42;
+    assert(a == b);
+}
+---
+
+Will now print: `core.exception.AssertError@filename.d(4): 0 != 42`.
+This behavior was previously accessible via the CLI switch `-checkaction=context`.
+To revert to the old behavior, use `-checkaction=D`.
diff --git a/src/dmd/frontend.h b/src/dmd/frontend.h
index 7ccf49bd05a8..73fc9a79c847 100644
--- a/src/dmd/frontend.h
+++ b/src/dmd/frontend.h
@@ -389,10 +389,10 @@ enum class CHECKENABLE : uint8_t
 
 enum class CHECKACTION : uint8_t
 {
-    D = 0u,
-    C = 1u,
-    halt = 2u,
-    context = 3u,
+    context = 0u,
+    D = 1u,
+    C = 2u,
+    halt = 3u,
 };
 
 typedef uint64_t size_t;
diff --git a/src/dmd/globals.d b/src/dmd/globals.d
index 691ec181ba13..00702f2433a0 100644
--- a/src/dmd/globals.d
+++ b/src/dmd/globals.d
@@ -44,10 +44,10 @@ enum CHECKENABLE : ubyte
 /// What should happend when an assertion fails
 enum CHECKACTION : ubyte
 {
+    context,      /// call D assert with the error context on failure
     D,            /// call D assert on failure
     C,            /// call C assert on failure
     halt,         /// cause program halt on failure
-    context,      /// call D assert with the error context on failure
 }
 
 /// Position Indepent Code setting
@@ -193,7 +193,8 @@ extern (C++) struct Param
     CHECKENABLE useSwitchError = CHECKENABLE._default;  // check for switches without a default
     CHECKENABLE boundscheck    = CHECKENABLE._default;  // state of -boundscheck switch
 
-    CHECKACTION checkAction = CHECKACTION.D; // action to take when bounds, asserts or switch defaults are violated
+    /// Action to take when bounds, asserts or switch defaults are violated
+    CHECKACTION checkAction = CHECKACTION.context;
 
     uint errorLimit = 20;
 
diff --git a/src/dmd/globals.h b/src/dmd/globals.h
index db6850804718..d439af2549c4 100644
--- a/src/dmd/globals.h
+++ b/src/dmd/globals.h
@@ -47,10 +47,10 @@ enum
 typedef unsigned char CHECKACTION;
 enum
 {
+    CHECKACTION_context,  // call D assert with the error context on failure
     CHECKACTION_D,        // call D assert on failure
     CHECKACTION_C,        // call C assert on failure
-    CHECKACTION_halt,     // cause program halt on failure
-    CHECKACTION_context   // call D assert with the error context on failure
+    CHECKACTION_halt      // cause program halt on failure
 };
 
 enum JsonFieldFlags
diff --git a/test/dshell/dll_cxx.d b/test/dshell/dll_cxx.d
index a1e2add07da6..53f40494fa7d 100644
--- a/test/dshell/dll_cxx.d
+++ b/test/dshell/dll_cxx.d
@@ -56,7 +56,7 @@ int main()
     // The arguments have to be passed as an array, because run would replace '/' with '\\' otherwise.
     run(dllCmd);
 
-    run(`$DMD -m$MODEL -I$SRC -g -od=$OUTPUT_BASE -of=$EXE_NAME $SRC/testdll.d $SRC/cppnew.d ` ~ mainExtra);
+    run(`$DMD -m$MODEL -I$SRC -checkaction=D -g -od=$OUTPUT_BASE -of=$EXE_NAME $SRC/testdll.d $SRC/cppnew.d ` ~ mainExtra);
 
     run(`$EXE_NAME`, stdout, stderr, [`LD_LIBRARY_PATH`: Vars.OUTPUT_BASE]);
 
diff --git a/test/runnable/complex.d b/test/runnable/complex.d
index 50e793e21e6a..cb075662a7b8 100644
--- a/test/runnable/complex.d
+++ b/test/runnable/complex.d
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
-REQUIRED_ARGS: -d
+REQUIRED_ARGS: -d -checkaction=D
 TEST_OUTPUT:
 ---
 ---
diff --git a/test/runnable/iasm.d b/test/runnable/iasm.d
index af6366d22bdc..810802f08f3f 100644
--- a/test/runnable/iasm.d
+++ b/test/runnable/iasm.d
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 // PERMUTE_ARGS:
+// REQUIRED_ARGS: -checkaction=D
 
 // Copyright (c) 1999-2016 by The D Language Foundation
 // All Rights Reserved
diff --git a/test/runnable/iasm64.d b/test/runnable/iasm64.d
index 27e38f4618b7..12f8730f238a 100644
--- a/test/runnable/iasm64.d
+++ b/test/runnable/iasm64.d
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 // PERMUTE_ARGS:
+// REQUIRED_ARGS: -checkaction=D
 
 // Copyright (c) 1999-2016 by The D Language Foundation
 // All Rights Reserved