Destiny 2 is a game that is best enjoyed with friends. Bungie has done its best to make playing with friends as easy as possible, even when playing from different platforms. This guide will quickly go over how you can add friends to your Friends List as well as how to crossplay with friends on different platforms.
How to Add Friends in Destiny 2
Adding friends in Destiny 2 is a very simple process. Every Destiny 2 player will need to assign their account to a Bungie.net account upon creation, giving them their unique Bungie Name. Bungie Names consist of a player’s chosen name, a hashtag symbol, and a series of four numbers that uniquely identify the player. This Bungie Name is required for adding friends and inviting players to your Fireteam.
To add a new friend, open your Directory menu and head to the Roster Menu. You will see all of your current friends, clan members, and nearby players in separate lists. In the Roster Menu, go down to the Manage Invites Tab and simply search for your friend’s Bungie Name in the Player Search box, and you should see them pop up. Selecting their name will give you a menu of options, including Invite to Fireteam and Send Friend Request. Select Send Friend Request to send your friend a friend request. Your friend should now be notified of your friend request in-game.
After receiving a friend request, head back to the Roster menu. Here, you should see all of your pending Bungie Friend Requests. Once your request is accepted by your friend, you will have successfully added them as a friend. You and your friend will now see each other in the Roster menu, along with your other Bungie Friends and friends who share a platform with you.
If you happen to come across a player in the open world that you want to add as a friend, you do not need to search for their Bungie Name. Instead, walk up to them and hold down your Interact key. This will pop up a menu with the same options you are given when searching for a player’s Bungie Name. Here, you can quickly send them a friend request. After they accept the friend request, you will see them show up in your Bungie Friends List same as any of your other friends.
How to Play With Friends
To play with your friends, you will need to first make sure you are in an area that allows Fireteams. It is often best to first go to the Tower or Orbit before trying to start a Fireteam. Once you are in an area that allows for Fireteams, head to your Roster menu and select the name of any friends you want to play with. You will see the option to Invite to Fireteam. After sending them a Fireteam Invite, your friends will see the invitation under the Roster menu in the Invitations tab. Accepting the invite will send them directly to your Fireteam.
If you are in Orbit, this means they will also be sent to Orbit, and you will see their ship flying beside your own. If you are in the middle of an activity, such as exploring a Destination or visiting the Tower, then your friend will be sent to the same destination and will be put into your instance with you. If you have your Fireteam Privacy setting set to Open or Friends-Only, then your friends will not need an invite in order to join your Fireteam. They will be able to select your name from their Friends List and select the Join Fireteam option as long as you are in an area that allows for multiple players to join.
Now that you have a Fireteam, it is the Fireteam Leader’s job to choose where you go and what activities are launched. Going to Orbit in the middle of an activity will also take your Fireteam to Orbit with you so make sure everyone is ready before leaving your current activity.
How to Crossplay with Friends
Destiny 2 has done a very good job at making crossplay with friends from different platforms as seamless as possible, thanks to their inclusion of Bungie Names. Your friends from different platforms will all appear on your friends list as you would expect. If you do not see your friends on your Friends List, you may be in the Platform Players Tab of your Roster Menu, which only shows players who are using the same platform as you. Swap to the All Players Tab of your Roster Menu to display every nearby player, Friend, and Clan member regardless of platform.
You will see a platform logo next to every player’s name in the Roster menu, denoting what platform they are currently playing the game on. Selecting a friend from your Friends List will show you both their chosen platform name as well as their Bungie Name, which you can use to invite them the same as you would any other friends. Once you are in a Fireteam with your crossplay friends, you can use the in-game voice chat to communicate.
It is worth noting that you will only be able to launch activities that every member of the Fireteam has unlocked. When playing crossplay, you will need to make sure that every member of the Fireteam owns the Expansion or DLC that you plan on playing on the platform that they are currently using to play the game.
When Can You Play With Friends
While Destiny 2 is an MMO, there are times when the game will limit the number of players that can join an activity. If you want to play with your friends, you will first need to make sure the activity you plan on doing has enough space for everyone to play. Just about every activity in Destiny 2 will allow you to play with at least up to two other friends for a Fireteam size of three. If you have queued into an activity with matchmade players filling your Fireteam, then your friends will not be able to join unless one of the matchmade players leaves the activity. A majority of Destiny 2’s content, such as Raids and Quickplay matches, can be played with a Fireteam of up to six players.
Depending on what activity you plan to run, you may be limited to only three players in the Fireteam. Be sure to check out our guide on How Many Players Can You Be In Each Game Mode for more info.
Overall, you should be able to play with friends throughout your time in Destiny 2, with no activities requiring you to go solo. You are now ready to go enjoy Destiny 2 with your friends from every platform! What platform do you play Destiny 2 on? Is it the same as your friend group or do you all have different preferred platforms? Let me know in the comments!