This isn’t the first time the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, has found himself at the center of a scandal. And this is certainly not the first time this has been linked to games: in 2022, for example, the billionaire boasted for the first time that he had succeeded Elden Ring, and a little later even shared the build. Subsequently, many fans of the game on social networks ridiculed the sub-optimal features of his character, but the intensity of passions subsided relatively quickly. The same cannot be said about the latest scandal involving Musk’s playing style Path of Exile 2. What happened there?
What you need to know about Path of Exile 2
The game became available in early access on December 6 last year. Even without Elon Musk, there was a lot of hype around the project: by the standards of the ARPG genre, the sequel to Path of Exile is a game of great importance and its main competitor. Diablo 4 (the American entrepreneur also played it, by the way). The developers of Grinding Gear Games promise that PoE2 will not only retain the strengths of its predecessor, but also evolve gradually – the game is actively updated based on feedback. Like the previous part, the new Path of Exile features complex gameplay mechanics that allow you to refine your character, as well as a fairly high level of difficulty. Especially if you play on hardcore, where character death is permanent.
Due to the highest barrier to entry, the PoE2 community actually didn’t expect to hear that Elon Musk not only played a new game, but did it so well that he reportedly broke into the top ranks of the best Path of Exile 2 players in the world – and on hardcore.
Have you played Path of Exile 2 yet?
How it all started

On December 17, 2024, Musk held his first livestream on PoE2, but the largest broadcast of the game from his account took place last week, on January 7. Then the billionaire showed a character on a hardcore server called Kekius_Maximus: he demonstrated his equipment and also completed several levels. By the way, as of January 2, Kekius_Maximus occupied the 163rd position on the global “ladder” in the game.
Fans of PoE2 immediately noticed inconsistencies between Kekius’ leveling and the skills of Elon Musk himself. Although he stated that he plays absolutely fair and that his character is not “strengthened” by anyone, he was shown to have a poor understanding of the basic mechanics of the game. Musk didn’t know how to fast travel around the map, forgot to use mana elixirs (which is strange for a player who occupied a high position in the top), and couldn’t really explain why his equipment was any good. And despite the fact that Kekius_Maximus had one of the strongest possible staffs, the billionaire did not focus on the weapon’s near-flawless randomly generated properties, but on the “not high enough” level. It’s just that PoE2 users won’t let you lie: an item’s level means absolutely nothing in real combat.
Path of Exile 2 fans and gaming journalists quickly published the hypothesis that Musk lied about how deeply he understood the game. Opinions immediately emerged that the head of Tesla and SpaceX is not playing it at all, and someone from the outside pumped up his character.
PoE2 community attacks

On the r/PathOfExile2 subreddit, the story with Musk was closely analyzed: one of the largest threads about it received 13,000 likes. In the comments, people drew attention not only to the questionable aspects mentioned above, but also to the fact that the American businessman could not figure out how to competently use the skills and special abilities of the character. Conspiracy theories soon arose, as if the pumped-up hero Mask was supplied by Grinding Gear Games itself to further promote the game.
The billionaire’s broadcast was analyzed in detail by popular streamers such as Casual Kripp and Quin69TV. They had played dozens of hours of PoE2, leading them to the conclusion that Musk had had to play Path of Exile 2 for days without a break since the release to level up Kekius on his own.
Counterarguments
Not all players rushed to grab pitchforks and wave torches. Some PoE2 fans suggested that Elon Musk was simply helped by other users in the co-op by giving cool stuff. Someone admitted that Musk is very well aware of the nuances of Path of Exile 2, but since he is a busy and hardworking person, he can be tired and inattentive during the broadcast – hence the poor reaction to what is on the screen happened. There were also opinions that it does not matter at all whether Musk himself upgraded himself or not: the main thing is the additional attention of people to Path of Exile 2. For this, a man with 212 million subscribers on platform the Russian Federation) can be thanked.
Why is all this important?
The uproar highlighted two fundamental issues facing the gaming community today. On the one hand, many gamers have long resented game advertising by major influencers. People believe that you cannot sincerely perceive the opinion of a famous person who has only taken a brief look at the game (if she, the same person, even looked at the game). On the other hand, players are concerned about the reputation of their favorite projects, especially online. If a media personality like Musk openly cheats in Path of Exile 2, what example is being set for others?
In any case, it is impossible to say with absolute certainty whether Elon Musk lied about honest character upgrades or told the truth. But if the story gets any new details (Musk himself speaks out on the matter or Grinding Gear Games makes a statement), we’ll be sure to come back with additional details. Both in the news and probably in this article.
What do you think of the hype surrounding Musk and Path of Exile 2? Or do you absolutely not care? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Do you think Elon Musk upgraded the character without any help?
Source: VG Times

Christina Moncayo is a contributing writer for “Social Bites”. Her focus is on the gaming industry and she provides in-depth coverage of the latest news and trends in the world of gaming.