A short duration into Elon Musk’s online broadcast of his intense persona in the game Path of Exile 2, an individual privately messaged him ASCII artwork featuring Mario humorously defecating on the moniker “Elon.” It appeared perplexing that the planet’s wealthiest individual and a self-identified epic gamer didn’t realize turning off direct messages prior to initiating a livestream was necessary. However, it was a broadcast filled with oddities, directing attention to one conclusion: although he portrayed himself as an expert PoE 2 gamer, Musk didn’t appear to comprehend the rudiments of advanced gameplay.

Musk is passionate about video gaming. He retains a replica of the Diamond Back .357 firearm from Deus Ex: Human Revolution on his bedside stand. Grimes, mother of three of Musk’s children, crafted a song centered on their relationship and his gaming obsession. He joyfully boasts about being among the top Diablo IV gamers globally.

For Musk, projecting an image of a gamer isn’t enough. No. He needs to be the ultimate gamer. Nonetheless, his accomplishments seem illogical, and his Path of Exile 2 stream suggested an individual improvising, possibly having another level up characters on his behalf.

During Tuesday evening, Musk broadcasted a gameplay session with his high-level Path of Exile 2 character on X. For seasoned viewers, numerous alarm bells were ringing. PoE 2 is an action RPG reminiscent of Diablo IV. Players explore maps seeking valuable treasures while enhancing their characters. Like Diablo IV, advancing a character to peak level and obtaining prime loot can require endless hours.

Where in the world does Musk procure the time? He’s the chief of six enterprises and closely associated with incoming President Donald Trump. He updates on X, the platform he owns, approximately 61 times per day. He engages with global leaders, endeavors to influence domestic and foreign politics to his liking, and still seemingly finds time to engage in games like Diablo IV and PoE 2 at elite levels.

Unless he is as full of nonsense as the ASCII Mario defecating on his name in his messages.

“After viewing an hour of this broadcast, I can wager $100,000 or more…that Elon did not personally elevate this character from level 1 to 90.” YouTuber Cynicalex expressed, analyzing the stream.

There’s a consensus among gamers familiar with Diablo IV and PoE 2 that another individual may be tirelessly working an account Musk subsequently claims as his. In that instance, Musk isn’t genuinely putting in the effort to advance these characters himself; he’s acknowledging another’s labor.

Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media, is an action RPG enthusiast boasting over 500 hours in Diablo IV and more than 140 in Path of Exile 2. Cox conveyed to me his longstanding belief that Musk’s acclaimed feats in the games were deceptive.

Cox has extensively covered the Musk gaming aspect for some time. Back in 2022, he meticulously critiqued the poor construction of the billionaire’s lackluster Elden Ring setup. “Diablo IV enthusiasts were already highly skeptical of Musk’s asserted record-setting prowess in the game,” Cox informed Gizmodo. “He tweeted about a Diablo IV exploit in October that could excessively enhance your character, and the necessary time commitment posed substantial questions about how someone overseeing several firms could even dedicate the equivalent of weeks to gaming without relying on boosters.”

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— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 13, 2024

“Musk’s humiliating Path of Exile 2 broadcast, as covered by VICE, substantiates these doubts,” he remarked.

It’s essential to acknowledge that Musk’s PoE 2 endeavor is in hardcore mode. In this setting, if your character perishes, the game eliminates it. A single blunder could terminate days of progress without any means of recovery. A gamer with an advanced character in hardcore mode should comprehensively understand their actions.

Yet Musk bypasses high-tier items that could greatly aid him, given his inventory. He engages with walls. He deliberates over activating a switch to unlock a route for himself. There’s a distinct inventory tab marked “Elon’s Maps,” indicating they’ve likely been allocated to him by another person. Additionally, he fails to grasp his character’s mechanics and asserts he’s navigating a map at the utmost difficulty despite it being set to a lower level.

“Overlooking extremely precious items? Lacking familiarity with crucial endgame features? Not the conduct of someone deeply immersed in the game,” Cox stated. “Designating a storage tab ‘Elon’s map’? Extraordinarily peculiar for someone purportedly operating their own character.”

Numerous Path of Exile 2 YouTubers disseminated videos critiquing Musk’s gaming output, reaching a unanimous verdict: he isn’t well-versed in advanced Path of Exile 2 strategies. “What I can assert is that if you’re a level 90 gamer, these mistakes wouldn’t occur,” Cynicalex mentioned.

“Perhaps you deceive thoroughly unknowledgeable individuals who view your high-level gaming with admiration,” Quin69TV remarked in his video on Musk’s stream. “Ultimately, what does that achieve? It accomplishes nothing. The purpose? Fooling some older individuals into perceiving you as proficient at gaming even when they find games rather silly? It lacks logic. It’s ridiculous.”

Cox observed Musk’s incessant chatter regarding how he was engaging PoE 2 at superior levels. “His repeated emphasis during the stream about his challenging endeavors while seemingly clueless about his actual actions aligns perfectly with the attention-seeking and adoration-craving Musk persona,” he remarked.