Elon Musk, the billionaire tech titan and self-proclaimed gaming aficionado, has once again found himself at the center of a viral storm—this time, not for his ambitious ventures with Tesla or SpaceX, but for an ill-fated livestream of Path of Exile 2 that ended in a spectacular ragequit. On April 5, 2025, Musk took to X to broadcast himself playing the notoriously challenging action RPG aboard his private jet, ostensibly to showcase the capabilities of his Starlink satellite internet. What started as a boastful attempt to cement his gamer cred quickly spiraled into a cringe-worthy debacle as he died repeatedly to an early-game boss, faced relentless trolling from the Path of Exile 2 community, and abruptly ended the stream in frustration. In this 1500-word deep dive, we’ll unpack the chaos of Musk’s livestream, the gaming world’s reaction, and what this incident reveals about the enigmatic mogul’s quest for validation in the digital arena.
The Setup: Musk’s Gamer Persona
Musk has long cultivated an image as a hardcore gamer, frequently touting his alleged prowess in titles like Diablo IV and Path of Exile 2. Earlier in 2025, he bragged about achieving top-tier rankings in both games, claiming his Path of Exile 2 characters were among the world’s elite in the game’s brutal Hardcore mode, where death is permanent. These boasts, however, have been met with skepticism from the gaming community, with many accusing him of paying others to level his accounts—a practice known as “boosting.” Undeterred, Musk doubled down, promising to prove his skills live on X. The April 5 stream, conducted mid-flight to test Starlink’s in-flight Wi-Fi, was meant to be his triumphant rebuttal.
Path of Exile 2, developed by Grinding Gear Games, is a free-to-play RPG renowned for its punishing difficulty and complex mechanics. In Hardcore mode, every misstep can erase hours—or even days—of progress, making it a proving ground for only the most skilled players. Musk’s choice to stream this mode was bold, signaling confidence in his abilities. But as the world would soon see, confidence alone doesn’t slay bosses.
The Livestream: A Trainwreck Unfolds
The stream began innocuously enough. Musk, seated in the plush interior of his private jet, booted up Path of Exile 2 with a stony expression, techno beats from his ex-partner Grimes pulsing in the background. He named his character “Kekius Maximus,” a nod to internet meme culture, and dove into the game’s early stages. The goal? Demonstrate Starlink’s seamless connectivity while silencing doubters with a flawless Hardcore run. Instead, viewers got a front-row seat to a masterclass in failure.
Within minutes, Musk’s character was felled by the “Bloated Miller,” one of the game’s tutorial bosses. For a player of his supposed caliber, this was a shocking misstep. Undeterred, he respawned with a new character—only to die again. And again. By the third death, the chat exploded. Players flooded the in-game messaging system with taunts: “YOU HAVE NO FRIENDS AND WILL DIE ALONE,” spammed one user named “ELON_IS_A_PEEDOPHILE.” Another, posing as conservative influencer Ashley St. Clair (who claims Musk fathered her child), wrote, “Elon, it’s me. I bought PoE2 early access just to contact you. Please pay your child support.” A third jabbed, “YOU RUINED THE COUNTRY JUST LIKE YOU RUINED ALL YOUR MARRIAGES.”
Musk remained largely silent, his face a mask of grim determination. At one point, he muttered, “There’s a lot of retards in the chat,” but made no move to mute the barrage—despite helpful viewers suggesting the “Do Not Disturb” command. As the deaths piled up, his gameplay grew erratic. He ran past valuable loot, fumbled with basic mechanics, and seemed oblivious to the boss’s telegraphed attacks. After roughly 30 minutes, with his latest character slain and the trolling reaching a fever pitch, Musk abruptly ended the stream, claiming a “lost connection.” Viewers weren’t fooled—X erupted with claims of a classic ragequit.
The Fallout: Gamers Pile On
The gaming community wasted no time dissecting Musk’s meltdown. On Reddit and X, Path of Exile 2 veterans mocked his performance. “Elon Musk just ragequit his Twitter stream after repeatedly dying to a tutorial boss in the new PoE2 patch on hardcore,” posted user @DevinDtv, summing up the sentiment. Streamers and Redditors pointed out glaring errors: Musk ignored key items that any high-level player would snatch up, misjudged enemy patterns, and showed a novice’s grasp of his character’s build. “He literally has no idea what he’s doing,” one streamer remarked, echoing a growing consensus that Musk’s vaunted skills were a sham.
This wasn’t Musk’s first brush with gaming controversy. Earlier in 2025, Path of Exile 2 players had called foul on his high-level Hardcore characters, noting discrepancies between his leaderboard rankings and his livestreamed struggles. A January stream revealed similar blunders—running past valuable loot, attacking walls, and puzzling over simple switches—prompting accusations of account boosting. Musk later admitted to “team play” on his accounts, a half-confession that only fueled the fire. The April 5 debacle cemented the narrative: money might buy a leveled-up character, but it can’t buy talent.
Why It Went So Wrong
So how did a tech genius with a reported 180 IQ flounder so badly? Several factors converged. First, Path of Exile 2’s Hardcore mode is unforgiving, even for seasoned players. The Bloated Miller, while an early boss, demands precise timing and build knowledge—skills Musk clearly lacked. Second, the pressure of streaming live, amplified by his bold claims, likely rattled him. Unlike a controlled environment, the real-time scrutiny exposed every mistake. Third, Starlink’s mid-flight performance, while impressive, may have introduced subtle lag, though Musk’s defenders argue it was negligible.
The trolling didn’t help. The Path of Exile 2 chat became a digital gauntlet, with players seizing a rare chance to confront the world’s richest man. Personal attacks—referencing his estranged daughter Vivian Wilson’s claim he’s “godawful” at games, his messy relationships, and his polarizing role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—hit hard. Musk’s refusal to mute the chat suggests either stubbornness or a miscalculation of its impact, turning a gaming demo into a public roasting.
Musk’s Gaming Obsession: A Quest for Cred
This incident shines a light on Musk’s peculiar fixation with gaming. Beyond running Tesla, SpaceX, and X, he’s carved out a niche as a wannabe gaming icon, name-dropping titles like Quake and Overwatch in interviews. His claims of top-20 Diablo IV status and Hardcore Path of Exile 2 mastery are part of a broader pattern: portraying himself as a polymath who excels at everything. Yet, each livestream chips away at that facade, revealing a disconnect between his self-image and reality.
Why does it matter to him? Some speculate it’s about relatability—an attempt to bond with a younger, tech-savvy audience. Others see it as ego-driven, a need to dominate yet another domain. His estranged daughter Vivian, in a March 2025 Twitch interview, offered a scathing take: “It’s so cringe. Why would you even pretend to be [a gamer]?” Whatever the motive, Musk’s gaming escapades have become a lightning rod, drawing both fans who laud his Starlink demo and critics who revel in his flops.
The Bigger Picture: Musk’s 2025 Struggles
The ragequit comes amid a rocky year for Musk. Tesla’s stock has dipped amid tariff woes, his DOGE initiatives have sparked backlash for slashing government programs, and personal dramas—like custody battles and family feuds—keep him in the headlines. The Path of Exile 2 fiasco is a microcosm of this chaos: a high-stakes gamble that backfired, exposing vulnerability beneath the bravado. Gamers, unimpressed by his wealth or titles, judged him solely on skill—and found him wanting.
What’s Next?
Will Musk retreat from gaming streams, or double down with another attempt? The stream, since deleted from X but preserved on YouTube, has racked up millions of views, ensuring its infamy. Path of Exile 2 players, meanwhile, have a new meme in “Kekius Maximus”—a symbol of hubris undone by a tutorial boss. For now, Musk’s gamer cred lies in tatters, a cautionary tale that even billionaires can’t buy their way out of a ragequit.
Conclusion
Elon Musk’s Path of Exile 2 livestream was meant to be a victory lap but became a public humiliation. Dying repeatedly while trolls ran rampant, he ragequit in a moment that’s now etched into internet lore. It’s a stark reminder that in gaming, skill trumps status—and Musk, for all his brilliance, couldn’t clear the first hurdle. Whether he’ll learn from this or charge back into the fray, one thing’s certain: the gaming world is watching, and they’re not holding back.
