"The ultimate loot is the friendships that can grow out of a game like this."

It sounds ridiculous and cheesy, but Bungie's Community Manager is onto something. For many people, games like Destiny are made better by the social relationships they build and maintain through fighting the evil forces planning on invading our solar system.

This is where Destiny's clans come in. The first game in the series allowed for Bungie.net groups, but clans are even better in the sequel. If you're not part of a clan, you're missing out on a cool part of the game.

We'll take a look at what Destiny clans are, talk about why you should join one, and then go over some ways you can find a good clan.

What Are Destiny Clans?

In short, Destiny clans are groups of players that have declared their intention to play as a group. That doesn't mean that they do play as a group -- there are certainly people out there who just want to get the rewards that go along with being part of a clan.

Anyway, Destiny clans can be made up of friends, acquaintances, or complete strangers. But they make it easier for those players to play the game together, and they open up some specific rewards (which we'll talk about in a moment).

When you request to join a clan, you'll need to receive approval by an administrator. Once they approve you, you're officially part of the clan. After you join, you'll see the clan's details in your menu screen, and the clan's name and letter code will be displayed in various places around Destiny's interface.

Why Join a Destiny Clan?

If a clan is just a bunch of people who play together (or at least have the option to), why would you want to be part of one?

Well, it makes it easier to find people to play with. Everyone in your clan, whether they're your PSN/Xbox/Battle.net friend or not, shows up in the clan roster. When you're looking for someone to run the Nightfall or the Raid, you have a group of people you can invite.

There are a few achievements/trophies that you can only get when you play with your clanmates, too.

Clan Rewards

You can also earn some weekly engrams. Strikes, public events, Crucible matches, and other activities all give you clan experience. When you reach your weekly limit of clan experience, you'll be rewarded with a Luminous Engram. This contains powerful gear that will help you improve your Light level (unlike regular engrams, which always drop below your current level).

The entire clan can also earn these engrams by completing activities with a fireteam consisting of at least half clan members. For example, if two clan members win a Crucible match, everyone in the clan gets a Luminous Engram. There are Crucible, Raid, Nightfall, and Trials of the Nine engrams that you can earn each week. So if you play Destiny with your clanmates, you'll get powerful gear.

Finally, as the clan levels up through the accrual of clan experience, you'll get more bonuses. In Season 2, the bonuses are as follows:

• Completing the weekly clan milestone rewards an additional 5 Legendary shards.
• Improves rewards for eliminating Vex enemies.
• Chance to receive two Mercury tokens instead of one when collecting Simulation Seeds.
• A chance to gain a second Crucible token whenever you receive one.
• Chance to receive a Legendary engram when completing Heroic adventures on Mercury with your clan members.

Even if you don't play with your clan, you can still get awesome bonuses. That in itself is enough to make joining worth it.

And of course, there's the fun of playing with other people. I've met a lot of people I really enjoy hanging out with through my Destiny clan!

How to Find a Destiny Clan

Okay, so it's clear that Destiny clans have some sweet benefits. Now, how do you go about finding one?

If you already have friends that play Destiny, there's a good chance that they're part of a clan. Just ask them to give you the clan name so you can request to join. Bungie's clan search requires that you search for the exact clan name you're looking for.

If you don't have friends in clans, you have two options: join an existing clan or make a new one (which we'll discuss in a moment).

Bungie has a clan recruitment tool on its website that makes the process easy. Head to Bungie's Destiny clans page and sign in with your PSN or Xbox username. Click on Clan > Recruitment.

You'll see a list of clans who are looking for members. Give some of these posts a look -- some clans are looking for experienced players, other are open to Destiny newbies. Some are primarily interested in Crucible, while others are open to PvE. There's a huge number of groups with different interests and makeups.

The Destiny 2 companion app makes it easy to find and join clans, too (plus it's a cool way to get deeper into the game). You can also check out Looking for Clan, /r/ClansofDestiny, or Destiny LFG to find recruiting clans.

How to Join a Destiny Clan

Once you've found the clan you're looking for, just hit Join Clan on PlayStation Network (or the system you're playing Destiny on).

Your request goes to the administrator, and you'll be either approved or denied. If you're approved, you'll see the clan show up in your menu. That's really all there is to it.

How to Make a New Destiny Clan

If you can't find a clan that fits your needs, you want to make one for your friends, or you want to build a clan around a specific idea (like a clan for single parents in the Midwest, for example), you can make a new clan.

Head to Bungie's clan creation page, and fill out all the necessary information. You'll need to specify a clan name, a clan tag, a motto, and a short about section. Finally, choose whether approval will be required (we recommend it) or if anyone can join at any time.

Finally, hit Create Clan. You're now the founder of your very own Destiny clan!

How to Invite Players to Your Clan

Whether you've created your own clan or just want to get more of your friends into a clan that you joined, you can to invite people to your clan. Head back to your clan page on Bungie.net (go to Clan > My Clan), and you'll be able to invite anyone you want. Note: you need to be a Founder or an Admin to invite players to a clan.

You can also invite people in-game from the Clan screen.

Join (or Start) a Clan and Start Getting Loot

Destiny might not require as much teamwork as some of the more tactical shooters out there, but it's a lot of fun when you play with a group.

Whether you're interested in pursuing big group activities or not, joining a clan is a great way to get more loot in Destiny. Ask your friends if they're in a clan and if you can join up. Or find a recruiting clan. If all else fails, create your own! And start getting the most out of Bungie's great game.

Are you part of a Destiny clan? Do you think you get more out of the game because of it? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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