Borderlands 4 Herald Review — Pearlescent Pistol
| Rarity | Pearlescent |
|---|---|
| Type | Pistol |
| Manufacturer | Torgue |
| Element | Fire (base) + Elemental Override (variable; our copy is Corrosive) |
| Drop source | World drop (no dedicated boss; clearing trash on the Subjugator & Thol raid is efficient) |
Red Text
Out of 87 bazillion, ONE of them had to be the best.
A Torgue Pearlescent pistol whose shot count grows with distance. Each trigger pull sends three shots out side by side, and after 20 m each one splits again for nine projectiles in total. The farther your target, the more hits you land — an unconventional hand cannon that shines at mid range and for area control.
🧩 Where the red text comes from Three references are packed into one line.
- “87 bazillion” points to the original Borderlands marketing line “87 bazillion guns,” the famous phrase for the series’ enormous weapon count.
- The unique ability “Unkempt” is a nod to Unkempt Harold, the legendary pistol from BL2 and BL3. Harold’s own name parodies the film Dirty Harry.
- “ONE of them had to be the best” plays on Unkempt Harold’s long reputation as one of the strongest guns in the series: out of that many guns, one of them had to be the best.
The mechanic
Unkempt: Fires three shots horizontally. After 20 m each shot splits again, for nine in total (only the center shot spreads vertically).
- More distance means more projectiles (the split happens at 20 m), so it comes into its own at mid to long range
- The cross-shaped spread hits clustered enemies easily — an area-control gun
- Being Torgue, it switches between Impact and Sticky fire modes (you can stick rounds on and then detonate them)
Elemental Override
It carries an Override element that converts automatically based on the enemy’s health type (our copy is Corrosive Override). The base element is Fire.
Farming
| Source | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| World drop | Low (no dedicated boss) | Can drop from any enemy at a low rate |
Hunting it efficiently It’s a world drop with no dedicated boss. The best bet is to clear the trash mobs on the Subjugator & Thol the Invincible raid and reset the dungeon to repeat (the same approach as Gomie).
Build synergy
| Vault Hunter | Fit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Rafa | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Lands all nine projectiles at mid range |
| Vex | ⭐⭐⭐ | At close range the shots haven’t split yet, so fewer hits land |
| Amon | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ | Elemental builds make use of the Override |
| C4SH | ⭐⭐⭐ | Backup area control |
Verdict
- An unconventional Pearlescent pistol that splits into nine at 20 m and gets stronger with distance
- The cross-shaped spread excels at mid- to long-range area control, and Torgue’s two fire modes add flexibility
- Override picks the right element for you
- World drop with no dedicated boss, so it comes down to luck. Subjugator & Thol runs are the realistic route
- Score: 9/10
Measured stats (from copies we own)
Values read from screenshots of copies we own. Ranges are the observed minimum to maximum, with no conversion, rounding or interpolation.
| Level | Damage | DPS | Fire rate | Copies observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lv43-44 | 690×3 – 923×3 | 3,048 – 3,828 | 2.4/s – 3.2/s | 2 |
- Highest DPS observed so far: 3,828 (Lv43).
Related
- Japanese version: ヘラルド レビュー
- Same manufacturer (Torgue): Handcannon (Pearlescent) / Lead Balloon / Roach
- Same rarity (Pearlescent): Gomie (world-drop AR)
- References: Mobalytics - Herald / MentalMars - Herald / Lootlemon - Herald
FAQ
What is Herald's unique effect?
Unkempt: fires three shots horizontally. After 20 m each shot splits again, for nine projectiles in total (only the center shot spreads vertically).
Where does Herald drop?
It's a world drop with no dedicated boss. Clearing trash on the Subjugator & Thol raid and resetting is the efficient way to hunt it.