Ahead of next week's release of Destiny 2, the Destiny companion app has received a huge overhaul. It's available to download now, and from a first look at the app, it has become a lot more social. In the first Destiny, the companion app was mainly a way to check your gear and your game stats. Destiny 2's app presents a lot more information about Destiny, Bungie, and the community right up front.

For example, upon launching the app, you're now greeted with the Explore section, which is essentially a feed of all the news and posts published to Bungie's website. Explore is laid out a lot like a social news site--there are tabs for "trending" posts, news, creations, community posts, and game updates. It's already a good way to see all of the official news about the game, but the coolest parts of the Explore section are the ones that are tied to the community.

The creations tab, in particular, is set up a lot like Reddit, in that you can submit a link to a video, art, or even fan-made Destiny merch. Even from just a quick glance, you can see a ton of awesome stuff--like a Destiny wall mount for a console, or a series of cool, retro-futuristic posters.

The app also has a much more robust section for interacting with your clan, complementing Destiny 2's revamped Clan system. You can chat with your Clan, post on its forum and see your Clan's progress. Adding Slack-like functionality, such as different chat channels, alongside things like specific Clan forums, will likely be very useful once Clans start growing larger and more active.

According to a post on Bungie's website, you should now expect big changes to the companion functionality to go live first in the mobile app, rather than in the web browser. Bungie's website will receive changes at a slower pace than the app.

You can download the app now on Apple's App Store and the Google Play store. Destiny 2 launches on September 6 for PS4 and Xbox One, and on October 24 for PC. This week, the game got an awesome new live-action trailer, and details of its first DLC pack apparently leaked. Keep an eye on GameSpot all of next week for guides, videos, and more about Destiny 2.

[ Register or Signin to view external links. ]