What is Diablo 4, the game Elon Musk is so addicted to he’s a top 20 player? ‘It has a calming effect’
During a surprise appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast, Elon Musk revealed that he is one of the world's top 20 ‘Diablo 4’ players.
Elon Musk is many things - the world’s richest man, a tech CEO, a MAGA mouthpiece, some would even say a visionary. Now, he has added another accomplishment to the list - he is also, apparently, a dedicated gamer. Musk recently revealed that he is one of the world’s top 20 ‘Diablo 4’ players.
During a surprise appearance on the Joe Rogan Podcast a day before the US presidential election, Musk revealed that he is one of the top 20 ‘Diablo 4’ players globally - no mean feat, given that it’s a game with a total player base exceeding 6 million.
“It has a calming effect”
Musk, 53, revealed that the list of top 20 Diablo 4 players is dominated by Asians, but he's one of only two Americans on it.
“The top 20... even the top 100 is totally dominated by China. China, and a little bit of Korea and then Taiwan. There are only two Americans in the top 20. The rest are from Asia,” Musk told Rogan.
Asked to reveal his handle, the Tesla billionaire said: “Well, they actually listed me with my actual name in the in the list.”
He also elaborated on the stress-relieving benefits of gaming, saying that playing a video game can calm him down. “If I could play a video game on extreme difficulty, then I have to concentrate fully on the game. And it has a calming effect,” said Elon Musk.
What is Diablo 4?
Diablo 4 or Diablo IV is an action role-playing game developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in 2023. It’s the latest iteration in the Diablo series that is known for its dark fantasy setting, fast-paced combat and elaborate storytelling.
Set in the world of Sanctuary, Diablo 4 takes players must confront the forces of evil led by the demon Lilith, the Daughter of Hatred, during the course of the game.
Players must acquire stronger equipment by defeating increasingly difficult enemies.
The game offers five core classes—Barbarian, Sorcerer, Rogue, Druid, and Necromancer—each with unique abilities.
Unlike previous Diablo games, Diablo 4 adopts an open-world structure, allowing players to freely explore five distinct regions.
However, the game also has a darker and more gothic art style that many fans love. The gameplay is dominated by horrifying monsters, gruesome details, and an atmosphere filled with dread.
Elon Musk: a gamer
The internet, however, was not ready to take Musk’s word for it and did some digging of its own, only to realise that the Tesla CEO was not exaggerating.
A fact-check of the top ranking Diablo 4 players shows Elon Musk is number 19 on the list.
According to Forbes, he is also one of only two Americans in the top 20.
News of Elon Musk being a globally-ranked Diablo 4 player raised eyebrows on social media as other players spoke of the time it takes to reach this achievement. They wondered how a person running several companies found the time to juggle CEO duties with hours playing a video game.
“Elon Musk, who has 11 kids, has played so many hours of Diablo 4 in the last month that he is the 19th-ranked player in the world (as measured by time to beat the hardest dungeon, known as Pit 150). Would require dozens or hundreds of hours of grinding,” reads one post on X, the social media platform owned by Musk.
“I genuinely don't understand how he does that,” another person added.
Some X users even wondered whether Musk had “paid someone to grind his character up.”
“There is a very real chance that it’s not legitimate and he paid someone to grind for him. BUT… an even bigger chance that because he doesn’t have an actual job, he can spend his ample free time playing video games all day,” read one such theory.
“I suspect he’s hiring ringers to play for him,” another post said.