Diablo 4, Path of Exile 2 Devs Silent on Elon Musk Ban for Account Boosting

The gaming community is currently in uproar over recent admissions by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of X/Twitter, about engaging in account boosting in popular action RPGs, Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2. Screenshots of a private conversation between Musk and a YouTuber revealed his confession of paying for account boosting, a practice that violates the terms of service of most live service video games.

Account boosting involves a player logging into another's account to elevate their rank, a clear breach of Blizzard Entertainment's end user license agreement which explicitly prohibits such activities. Following Musk's admission, fans have been questioning whether Blizzard and Grinding Gear Games, the developers of Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2 respectively, will enforce their policies and ban Musk's accounts.

The reaction from the gaming community has been strong, with players expressing disappointment and concern over the integrity of the games. A Path of Exile player voiced their frustration on the game's official forum, questioning whether the terms of service are being enforced fairly and whether Grinding Gear Games (GGG) would take action against Musk. Similarly, on Battle.net, players have been asking if boosting is against the rules and if Musk's account should be banned given his public admission.

Despite the outcry, both Blizzard and Grinding Gear Games have declined to comment on the situation. Blizzard stated that it does not discuss individual player account behaviors or enforcements, leaving many fans feeling that the developers are not taking the issue seriously.

Musk has previously boasted about his gaming skills, including claiming to be among the top 20 players globally in Diablo 4 and reaching a high level in Path of Exile 2. However, his gaming achievements have come under scrutiny, with some questioning how he could achieve such high levels given his demanding roles at Tesla, SpaceX, X/Twitter, and his recent position as Donald Trump's efficiency tsar. A livestream in early January further fueled doubts when Musk appeared to lack basic understanding of Path of Exile 2's mechanics.

The controversy escalated when Musk admitted to account boosting in a direct message conversation shared by Diablo player NikoWrex. Musk justified his actions by stating it was necessary to compete with players in Asia, although he clarified that any gameplay shown in his videos or streams is genuinely his own. He also denied taking credit for his high-level Path of Exile 2 character, emphasizing that top accounts in such games often require multiple players.

In defense of Musk, musician Grimes, who shares three children with him, tweeted about his gaming achievements, claiming to have witnessed his accomplishments firsthand. However, further allegations surfaced when Musk's Path of Exile 2 character was active during his attendance at Trump's inauguration, casting more doubt on his claims.

Elon Musk has reportedly admitted to cheating in Diablo 4 and Path of Exile 2. Photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson - Pool/Getty Images.

The situation has sparked a broader discussion about fairness and integrity in gaming, with many players feeling that the enforcement of rules should apply equally to everyone, regardless of their status or wealth.