There’s a whole slew of big changes coming to Destiny 2 with the release of the Season of the Wish on November 28. Aside from getting rid of Legendary Shards, for example, Bungie is also about to finally push out the working version of the long-awaited Fireteam Finder.
According to Bungie’s latest in-depth feature overview blog for Destiny 2, Guardians will have access to a work-in-progress version of an actual, honest-to-goodness in-game LFG (looking for game) system, after close to a decade of relying on external services to find Fireteams. The aptly titled Fireteam Finder will, supposedly, scale to “millions of players” and allow them to quickly and easily find a playgroup for any type of Destiny 2 content, from regular Vanguard Strikes all the way to Raids and Dungeons.
Destiny 2’s Fireteam Finder is coming
It’s immediately important to underline that the Season 23 version of Destiny 2‘s Fireteam Finder will be a beta version of the full feature. Bungie intends to roll the whole thing out in stages, and the plan is as follows:
- November 30, 2023: Raid Stress Test (available only from 9 AM PST to 5 PM PST)
- December 2023: Open Beta Test
- January 2024: Full release
Granted, it’s not a bad idea for something as game-changing as the Fireteam Finder to roll out in safe, controllable stages. “We’re going to be monitoring the results of the initial Raids Stress Test closely and considering opening more activities as we progress with the end goal of having a Fireteam Finder option for every activity in the game,” Bungie explains.
Guardians will be able to access the Fireteam Finder from the in-game Destiny 2 Director (map) menu, simply by choosing the ‘Roster’ tab and fiddling around with the subsequent options. Alternatively, each activity will have a special ‘Fireteam Finder’ access option that’ll pop up during the launch screen, so it should be easy and intuitive enough to use the feature.
Exciting news, for sure, but those who have already gotten used to third-party or out-of-game solutions for Destiny 2 LFG might choose to stick with those options, instead. Bungie appears to understand this, and the developer has come up with a one-size-fits-all solution: “Both the website and Companion app will remain available until the new Fireteam Finder, both in-game and out-of-game, is ready,” says the blog. “Yup, the Bungie.net team has been hard at work developing a new out-of-game Fireteam Finder that’s fully integrated with the in-game system. However, it’s not going to be available during the early beta period.”
It’s going to take a bit to see how this whole thing pans out for Bungie and Destiny 2. That said, the preview screens and UI examples appear to be fairly comprehensive and detailed. Naturally, you’ll still need to know what KWTD means in Destiny 2, as it’ll still be a relevant item, but at least it should now be easier for you to find some folks to play with.
