The Unkempt Harold is one of the most iconic weapons in the Borderlands series, known for its devastating power, unique projectile pattern, and ability to tear through enemies with minimal effort. InBorderlands 2and its later appearances, this legendary Torgue pistol has earned a reputation as one of the most powerful handguns in the game. However, not all Unkempt Harolds are created equal. To maximize its potential, players often hunt for the ‘god roll’ version of this weapon. Understanding what makes a god roll Unkempt Harold and how to obtain it is crucial for players looking to dominate late-game content and boss fights.
What Makes the Unkempt Harold Special?
Legendary Stats and Behavior
The Unkempt Harold is a legendary pistol manufactured by Torgue. Its unique feature is its projectile spread: when fired, it releases seven explosive projectiles in a horizontal line, all for the cost of a single ammo unit. This allows it to deal incredible burst damage, especially at close range where all projectiles can hit a single target.
Due to its explosive rounds, it benefits from both gun damage and explosive damage bonuses, making it an ideal weapon for characters like Salvador and Moze who can stack damage multipliers rapidly. It’s also effective at staggering enemies, destroying vehicles, and melting bosses in seconds.
Variants and Prefixes
The Unkempt Harold comes in various elemental types and prefixes that impact its performance. While the standard version is non-elemental, variants with Explosive or Slag (inBorderlands 2) may also appear depending on the game and loot pool. Prefixes like ‘Double Penetrating’ or ‘Deep’ indicate different stats and mechanics, with some being much more desirable than others.
The Definition of a God Roll
What Is a God Roll?
In looter-shooters like Borderlands, a ‘god roll’ refers to a weapon that has the absolute best combination of parts, stats, and modifiers for its type. For the Unkempt Harold, this means optimizing every aspect of the pistol to squeeze out maximum damage and efficiency. A god roll makes a noticeable difference in gameplay, allowing players to down enemies quicker and survive tougher encounters.
Key Attributes of a God Roll Unkempt Harold
- Prefix: The best possible prefix isDouble Penetrating, which fires two full sets of seven projectiles per shot, doubling the base damage output.
- Grip: The Torgue grip is the most favorable, offering increased damage and reload speed over other manufacturers’ grips.
- Barrel: The Harold barrel is necessary to ensure it qualifies as an Unkempt Harold. It’s the core feature for its damage spread.
- Accessories: A blade accessory adds melee damage but is generally less useful than stats like increased magazine size or reload speed.
- Elemental Type: InBorderlands 2, the Unkempt Harold is strictly explosive, but in other titles likeBorderlands: The Pre-Sequelor mods, different elements might be available.
When all these factors line up Double Penetrating prefix, Torgue grip, Harold barrel, and favorable accessories you’ve got a true god roll in your hands.
Best Classes and Builds for the Unkempt Harold
Salvador (Gunzerker)
Salvador benefits the most from the Unkempt Harold due to his ability to dual-wield weapons. By pairing two Double Penetrating Unkempt Harolds, or combining one with a high-fire-rate weapon, players can essentially fire 14 explosive rounds per shot, annihilating anything in their path. Skills like Money Shot and Lay Waste push the damage even further.
Krieg (Psycho)
Krieg can utilize the Unkempt Harold effectively thanks to his explosive damage scaling. With proper skill tree investment into Mania and Hellborn, the Harold becomes a reliable tool for both crowd control and boss fights.
Moze (Borderlands 3)
InBorderlands 3, the Unkempt Harold makes a comeback in a different form. Moze, with her Bottomless Mags tree and explosive damage bonuses, can use it with infinite ammo builds, allowing her to spam the Harold without reloading. This leads to high DPS sustained over long encounters.
Where and How to Farm a God Roll
Farming Locations
InBorderlands 2, the Unkempt Harold can be obtained as a world drop or farmed specifically from Savage Lee in Three Horns – Divide. Savage Lee has a relatively high drop chance for the weapon, making him the go-to target for those farming a god roll.
InBorderlands 3, the Unkempt Harold was added via the Revenge of the Cartels and Bounty of Blood content. It can be farmed from certain bosses or loot sources, depending on the current patch and drop pool configuration.
Optimizing the Farm
- Farm on the highest difficulty for better drop chances and potential anointments.
- Use gear that increases movement speed or reduces farming time between runs.
- Sort your loot using filters to quickly spot the Double Penetrating variant.
- Check for the Torgue grip and other ideal parts using online weapon part guides if needed.
Comparing Unkempt Harold to Other Pistols
Harold vs. Grog Nozzle
The Grog Nozzle is a utility pistol often used for healing and slagging enemies. While it provides survivability, the Unkempt Harold vastly outperforms it in terms of raw damage. Many Salvador builds pair the two to enjoy the benefits of both simultaneously.
Harold vs. Infinity Pistol
The Infinity Pistol offers unlimited ammo but low damage compared to the Harold. The Unkempt Harold is the clear winner in boss fights and crowd control, while the Infinity suits builds focused on sustain and endless firing.
Tips and Strategies for Using the Unkempt Harold
Close-Range Combat
The spread of the Unkempt Harold’s projectiles makes it most effective at close range, where all seven (or 14 with Double Penetrating) shots can hit. In long-range scenarios, damage drops due to missed projectiles.
Ammo Management
Despite its power, the Unkempt Harold is ammo-hungry. Always stock up before a major fight, and consider ammo regen relics or skills if you’re using it as your primary weapon.
Combining with Slag
InBorderlands 2, slagging enemies before hitting them with the Harold can drastically increase your damage output. Use a slag grenade or secondary weapon to debuff enemies, then switch to the Harold for the kill.
The god roll Unkempt Harold is more than just a powerful pistol it’s a symbol of the chaos and creativity that defines the Borderlands series. With its explosive spread, iconic design, and insane damage potential, it remains a top-tier weapon across multiple games. Whether you’re tearing through raid bosses or clearing mob waves, the right version of this legendary weapon will never let you down. If you’re serious about maximizing your build, hunting down the perfect Double Penetrating Unkempt Harold should be high on your priority list. It’s the kind of gear that turns tough battles into explosive playgrounds, and every shot fired is a reminder of why this weapon became a fan favorite.