If you’ve tried to log into sites like the Destiny Item Manager or use the Destiny companion app this week, you might have run into issues. That’s because Bungie has taken the Bungie API down for maintenance. But what is the API, and why did they take it down? Let me explain.
What is the Bungie API?
An API (application programming interface) is a way for two or more programs to communicate with one another. Developers produce APIs so that other programmers can build tools and services that interact with their platforms. For instance, some social media sites provide a public API, which allows developers to build alternate apps through which users can access their site. In the case of Destiny 2, the Bungie API is what makes third-party sites like DIM work. It also lets Bungie’s own web services talk to Destiny 2. Here is the full list of Destiny 2 tools and features that are dependent on the API:
- Third-party sites that read game data like lore, perk pools, etc. and/or allow players to move in-game items between characters and the Vault (Braytech, DIM, light.gg, and so on)
- The Destiny 2 Companion App, which allows for in-app matchmaking
- Discord server integration that pulls information from Destiny 2 for tracking ranks and matching Guardians up with their Bungie ID
- Bungie Rewards redemption, which uses the API to check if players have unlocked the necessary requirements to earn particular rewards
Why is the Bungie API Down?
Bungie can take the API down for a number of reasons, though it’s usually because it’s causing problems with the game. Most recently, on December 28 2022, Bungie staff found that the new Exotic weapon Revision Zero was causing large problems in Destiny 2. As explained by community manager DMG in a Twitter thread, disabling the API temporarily was seen as the best solution to the problem.
Since the release of Revision Zero, the team has been monitoring a rise in error codes. A bug deep in the way that the new exotic was set up is causing some pretty gnarly game/API issues, resulting in full server crashes (which boots hundreds of people at a given time).
(1/5) https://t.co/GmKZMB0gPg
— dmg04 (@A_dmg04) December 28, 2022
The Bungie API being down can be pretty frustrating for Destiny 2 players. It means that matchmaking through the Companion app is impossible, and also means that Guardians have to manually manage their inventories by visiting the Tower or H.E.L.M. Switching subclasses can also be a huge pain, since Destiny 2 does not yet have a loadout feature. DIM has stepped in to allow players to save and switch between different loadouts, but when it’s down, this isn’t possible. Thankfully, Destiny 2 will be getting an in-game loadout feature with the release of Lightfall in February.
There’s not much you can do about the Bungie API being down in Destiny 2. As of this writing, the API is projected to be down until at least next week. Hopefully Bungie will extend the deadline to redeem a number of Bungie Rewards which are currently set to expire at the end of 2022. If you’re trying to find a group to raid or do other high-level content with, you could always join a Destiny 2 Discord server. Unfortunately, there are no real work-arounds to loadouts or inventory management. All you can really do is wait until the issue is fixed.
