With Destiny 2's 'Guided Games' Bungie hopes to create a more positive and friendly online community

The focus of today's Destiny 2 gameplay reveal was, of course, the first look at gameplay from the upcoming PS4, Xbox One and PC shooter. However the most interesting part of the event was the announcement of how developer Bungie plans to foster a friendly online community.

Unlike its predecessor, Destiny 2 will support clans in the game itself, allowing players to form set fire teams that can tackle strikes, trials and raids together.

The feature will offer "in-game rosters, tools you need to build your fire teams, and custom banners to help you shape your shared identities," according to Bungie's social lead M.E. Chung, who spoke on stage at the event in Los Angeles.

A reward system will take into account the activity of any player in a clan and then gift items to all members. Exact details weren't offered on stage.

Guided Games is where it gets interesting. This feature is Bungie's evolution of matchmaking, which makes use of established clans to avoid throwing strangers together, which as Chung admits, can create a "toxic" environment.

So instead, solo players not part of a clan will be able to temporarily join established fire teams when they're in need of an extra player. This also eliminates the frustration on a clan's side when they're left a player short and need to fill it.

"At a high level, Guided Games is a system where clans and solo players can meet to play challenging activities, and as a solo player you can pick a clan you want to be paired with," Chung explained. Solo players will see a selection of clans in need of players and then be able to choose which one appeals to them.

"You get to see how [a plan] presents themselves, you get a little sense of what type of players are part of that clan."

Guided Games sounds like an ideal system for creating an online co-op environment that's friendlier and more likely to play nice because clans of players flying the same flag are central to the entire system of play.

A developer diary explaining things followed Chung's announcement (embedded below).

Bungie officially announced Destiny 2 on March 27. Two trailers were soon released confirming returning characters and offering players a hint at what to expect from the game's story. One focused on Cayde-6 regaling viewers with the story of the destruction of Earth's Last City, the other showed those events in greater detail.

News regarding gameplay features were deliberately thin on the ground during the initial announcement, in advance of today's livestream.

Destiny 2 will be released worldwide on 8 September, 2017 for PS4, Xbox One and, for the first time, PC. Click here for our round-up of everything you need to know about the anticipated sequel.

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