During a live stream of playing “Path of Exile 2” early this morning, Elon Musk was suspected by netizens of potentially cheating. Many of his actions and comments during the stream appeared unfamiliar and inappropriate, leading users to believe that Musk may have hired a boosting team to help develop his in-game character.
(Background: Musk’s rebranding of X back to Elon Musk, along with the slump of related meme coins Kekius Maximus and PEPE)
(Additional context: Musk becomes the new godfather of PEPE; the rebranding of X and his new profile picture sparked a surge in popularity for Pepe the Frog and Kekius Maximus meme coins. Has he lost interest in Dogecoin?)
It is well-known that the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, is not only a technological genius but also a prominent entrepreneur with numerous companies. However, what you may not know is that Musk is also a super gaming enthusiast. He often live streams his gaming sessions during his spare time, having played a series of well-known games including “Elden Ring,” “Overwatch,” “Cyberpunk 2077,” “Diablo IV,” and “Path of Exile” (PoE), among others.
Some might ask, “With Musk being so busy, does he have time to play games?” According to Musk himself, he plays games via his own developed Starlink while on flights.
Recently, the classic game “Path of Exile” released its sequel “Path of Exile 2” after a decade, attracting many new and old players. As a gaming fan, Musk naturally wouldn’t miss the opportunity.
Netizens Suspect Musk’s “Path of Exile 2” Account May Be Boosted
However, during a live stream of “Path of Exile 2” on X Stream early this morning, netizens noticed signs that Musk might be cheating. Gaming YouTuber Quin69TV released a video today pointing out Musk’s abnormal behavior during the stream, suggesting possible cheating. In response, PTT user hh123yaya compiled the following concerns raised by Quin69TV:
1. There is a page in the inventory called “Elon’s map,” which looks like a specialized map for him to farm items.
2. He did not clear his inventory before farming.
3. He has not equipped a filter.
4. He left chaos orbs on the ground (possibly because he’s too wealthy to care).
5. Strange phrasing (“4 things”).
6. He pointed to his super gear and described it in a bizarre way, saying it’s bad, focusing only on the item’s level requirement rather than its modifiers (lmao).
hh123yaya noted that Musk’s gameplay indicates he has a certain level of gaming foundation, but given his current progress, it seems unlikely he would exhibit such obvious inappropriate actions and comments. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Musk is playing in “hardcore mode,” where characters are deleted upon death. Therefore, hh123yaya believes “someone might be boosting Musk’s account.”
Furthermore, an unnamed gaming expert told Dong District:
Musk stated during the stream, “99% of characters played in hardcore mode get deleted,” seemingly emphasizing his skills. However, judging by his gameplay, I believe many people are helping him play in hardcore mode, while Musk plays a few of those characters.
In addition, some netizens commented: “Path of Exile 2 is a very time-consuming game; Musk probably doesn’t have that much time,” and “If he’s serious about playing, he should be cautious, as that would distract him from work.”
Musk’s “Path of Exile” Character Name Becomes a Meme in the Crypto Community
On another note, on December 31 of last year, Musk suddenly changed his profile picture on the X platform to one resembling a PEPE frog and renamed himself Kekius Maximus, causing a surge in related meme coins. The meme coin KEKIUS, based on Ethereum, saw its market cap soar to $390 million at one point. However, following Musk’s reversion to the name Elon Musk, the related meme coins also declined.
As for who Kekius Maximus is based on, according to Musk’s X post, Kekius Maximus is actually the name of Musk’s new character in “Path of Exile” hardcore mode.
How Should We Position Ourselves for Musk’s Next “Name Change” Meme Coin?
With Musk having set a precedent for name changes, how should we position ourselves for the next “name change” meme coin?
Based on Musk’s recent frequent play of “Path of Exile 2,” during today’s live stream, he expressed a desire to rank in the top 10 of the hardcore leaderboard.
An unnamed gaming expert speculated that this indicates characters ranked just outside the top 10 are likely being played by Musk’s boosting team. Therefore, we might filter these character names to identify potential candidates that Musk could select and rename.