UNKEMPT HAROLD GUIDE

BORDERLANDS 2

The UNKEMPT HAROLD

The Unkempt Harold is a Legendary pistol manufactured by Torgue, it’s one of the most popular weapons in Borderlands 2 thanks to its extremely high burst damage. It fires multiple explosive projectiles at once, allowing it to deal heavy damage even without precise aiming.

You can get it early from Savage Lee or later through Torgue vending machines, and it remains strong all the way into UVHM. It fits best in aggressive builds that fight at close to mid range and focus on raw damage output.

What Makes the Unkempt Harold Strong

The Unkempt Harold doesn’t behave like a standard pistol. Each shot fires a horizontal spread of 7 explosive projectiles, and at the right distance, several of them can hit the same target.

This is what makes it so powerful. Against large enemies or bosses, you can land most or all of the projectiles at once, resulting in extremely high burst damage.

TIPS

  • Aim at the center of large enemies to maximize projectile hits 
  • Stay at close to mid range for consistent damage 
  • Be careful in tight spaces to avoid self-damage from splash 

Advantages

  • Extremely high burst damage at the right range 
  • Benefits from grenade damage bonuses 
  • Strong throughout all stages of the game 
  • Relatively easy to farm 

Disadvantages

  • Weak at long range due to projectile spread 
  • High ammo consumption (especially with DPUH) 
  • Splash damage can be risky in close combat 
  • Less effective against small or fast-moving enemies 

How to Get the Unkempt Harold

There are two main ways to get the Unkempt Harold:

Savage Lee (Three Horns – Divide)

  • Dedicated drop source
  • Fast and repeatable farm

Torgue Vending Machines (Campaign of Carnage DLC)

  • Purchased with Torgue Tokens
  • More reliable if you want a specific version

Best Farming Method

Savage Lee (fastest early game):

  1. Fast travel to Three Horns – Divide 
  2. Run to Savage Lee’s spawn location 
  3. Kill him and check the drop 
  4. Save & Quit, then reload 

Each run takes around 1–2 minutes

Torgue vending machines:

  1. Farm Torgue Tokens in the DLC arenas 
  2. Check vending machines for the Item of the Day 
  3. Save & Quit to refresh the shop 
  4. Repeat until you find the version you want 

Best Prefix for the Unkempt Harold

The prefix has a major impact on the weapon’s performance.

The most sought-after version is the Double Penetrating Unkempt Harold (DPUH). It fires twice the number of projectiles per shot (14 instead of 7), which significantly increases total damage.

Other prefixes like Hard (higher damage) or Intense (higher fire rate) are solid alternatives and easier to manage in terms of ammo consumption. However, they generally offer lower peak damage.

If you plan to use the Harold long-term, the Double Penetrating version is the best one to aim for.

Best Builds for the Unkempt Harold

The Unkempt Harold performs best on characters that can boost damage or sustain its high ammo consumption. While most characters can use it effectively, a few stand out:

SALVADOR

This is the strongest pairing. Gunzerking allows you to dual-wield Harolds, massively increasing damage output. Skills like Money Shot make it easy to deal huge bursts of damage, and ammo regeneration helps offset the weapon’s high cost. See Salvador Build

Axton

Axton benefits from grenade and explosive damage bonuses, which directly improve the Harold’s performance. This makes it a strong and reliable option for sustained DPS. See Axton Build

When the Unkempt Harold is NOT Ideal

Despite its strengths, the Harold is not the best choice in every situation:

  • Melee builds: focuses on close-range melee damage and self-sustain rather than gun DPS. In this case, weapons like the Rapier are usually a better fit. 
  • Long-range builds: if you prefer distance and precision, weapons like the Lyuda are more effective. 

Compared to other Weapons

Unkempt Harold vs Interfacer

Both weapons rely on multiple projectiles to deal high burst damage.

The Interfacer can hit harder, but only at a very specific range where all pellets connect. It rewards good positioning and spacing.

The Unkempt Harold is much easier to use. Its spread makes it more forgiving, so it performs consistently even without perfect positioning.

Unkempt Harold vs Conference Call

The Conference Call creates additional projectiles that travel horizontally after the initial shot, making it very effective against large enemies.

It performs better at mid to long range and fits well in sustained damage setups.

The Unkempt Harold focuses on fast burst damage at close range and is easier to control in tighter fights.