If you want to level up your Discord experience, then bots are the easiest way to improve the platform and add in loads of new features. Here’s how to get started with Discord Bots and even write your own.
What is Discord?
Discord is one of the most popular chat programs amongst gaming communities right now, allowing you to talk smack to your rivals or discuss tactics with teammates while you’re blasting through your favourite PC titles. Alternatively you can jump on a Skype-style video chat or go old-school with some simple text messaging.
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What is a Discord Bot?
These Bots are essentially upgrades or add-ons for Discord. They often enhance the application with fresh new features, so you can do much more than simply chat while gaming.
Head on over to the Discord Bots community site and you’ll find a huge selection available to download and install right now. These do everything from adding built-in music streaming support to turning Discord into an actual game, which you can play with your mates.
What are the best Discord Bots?
With hundreds of user-crafted Bots to browse through and download, the selection on offer can be rather daunting. However, Discord has helped out by providing a list of ‘certified’ Bots on its community site. These are creations which the Discord staff have deemed worthy of promotion as they’re original, fully functioning and well maintained.
How do I make my own Discord Bot?
Discord Bots are coded in JavaScript, so you’ll need to brush up on your programming skills to create your own. If you’re confident in your abilities, then read on.
Stage one: Bag a token
- Head on over to the Applications page on the Developers site and click on ‘New application’. We’re assuming that you’ve already got a Discord account, so sign in with your credentials and you can begin.
- Click on the ‘New application’ button and follow the instructions, entering a name for your creation before saving.
- Now click on Bot in the menu, followed by Add a Bot.
- We need to get our new Bot’s authorisation token. You can do this by checking out the App Bot User section and find the ‘Token: Click to reveal’ link. Poke this and you’ll reveal your super-special, top secret token. Do not share this or lose it, as it’s your key to adding code to your Bot and making any subsequent changes.
Stage two: Get coding!
- The first step is to download Node.js, which will allow your JavaScript bot to run on your computer. Run the EXE file to install this on your PC.
- Now you’ll need to actually write your Bot. You can do this in any basic text editor like Notepad, or in a dedicated code editor like Visual Studio Code. If you’re already used to programming then you’ll know how much clearer this makes code and how it can help by pointing out any issues with your work.
- For the required script structure and more help with coding your Bot, check out the JS documentation.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
