Talk: Harold

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Which Vault?[]

In the original Fallout game, when asked to "Tell Me About" 'Vaults', Harold refers to his vault as having 'too many people, not enough space or resources to go around'. This corresponds with Vault 27 which was to house double the sustainable amount of inhabitants. Given that Fallout 1 was of course released, it should be treated as canon. I don't understand why contradictory Van Buren data, which places Harold in Vault 29, should take precendence in this matter. Had Harold come from a vault filled with nothing but children and teenagers I imagine he would have mentioned this at the time, perhaps in addition to the lack of space and supplies. Subject 618 00:31, March 30, 2010 (UTC)

Long Live Harold![]

OMFG Harold's appearing in Fallout 3 this is awesome man67.180.225.161 00:00, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes, how awesome. Shredding Fallout canon to the point of disgusting canon based meat gruel so they can play on some gimics froms the previous Fallout games as they have no fucking inteligence or creativity. How amazingly awesome. - Harlequin

Yes, it is, isn't it? =D And it bothers you, making it more awesome! ^__^--Kajex Firedrake 23:37, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

This is really awesome! But sad thing is, I'm going to do his wish... Give him peace, both to him and Bob. Finally something really inherited from previous FO series... But I wish there was more and more Goekhan 14:58, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Btw, I really hate myself now. I hope in the future games&expansions, Harold will be alive, swearing at Vault 101 dweller that refused to kill him, but instead decelerated or accelerated his growth - and he asks the very same but this time you are able to bring some radios, portable jukeboxes, maybe Agatha herself... To keep him busy, not wishing he was dead :) Goekhan 02:01, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

Iron Maiden[]

It might be worth putting somewhere in the article that Harold's looks in F3 is strangely similar to Iron Maiden's "Fear of the Dark" album cover. What's more, Harold says that sometimes the outsiders who see him would run for the hills - another likely Maiden reference. M3n747 23:09, 10 February 2009 (UTC)

Harold look is CLEARLY based on the Iron Maiden Cover Art of Eddie "The Head" as done by Derek Riggs and others. I believe there is reference to it in one of the Oasis articles but the Fear of the Dark cover again seems evidence enough of the inspiration for the "tree growing out of his head" concept seen in Oasis and elsewhere. I will add it to trivia when I get around to it. I had no idea Harold was such an important character! Here is the image of which above user speaks.

V.A.T.S. addict 03:31, 27 June 2009 (UTC)

While I don't want to rule that out, it seems more likely to me that he's based on Swamp Thing, the comic about a mutant humanoid plant monster. 94.0.29.239 16:13, 30 June 2009 (UTC)

Appearance in Tactics?[]

I'm almost certain that there was a recruitable Ghoul in Tactics named Harold- they don't elaborate on him much, but he does have perks and traits to suggest that he has a fruit-bearing tree growing from his head. I'll give the game a quick run-through to see if this is the case.--Kajex Firedrake 12:21, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

That's not Harold, it's only a reference. That Furry Bastard 12:24, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

Yeah, it's a Harold, but not THE Harold. See: Harold (Fallout Tactics). Ausir^(talk) 16:51, 20 July 2009 (UTC) ~

Afraid it was Harold, Harold was not always a FEV mutant, he was a ghoul before that, he even had Bob the tree on his head. So yes he was in tactics. Ask interplay, they'll tell you the same. --172.56.12.180 21:34, March 8, 2014 (UTC)

Choking[]

Why does he always sound like he's choking on something when he talks? Is it some kind of effect on his throat from the FEV?

he does mention his organs are all over the place, so just imagine where his lungs are at this point. JerichoRCDF 20:50, December 2, 2009 (UTC)

Harold and the Treeminders[]

Harold's affiliation should be changed. He is not affiliated with the Treeminders, but the Treeminders are affiliated with him, as he says during the quest something along the lines of him not like the crazies worshipping him

Harold's Reaction for using Sap/Liniment[]

"Harold, finding a new reason to live, replies that he was selfish to want to kill himself, and then asks Herbert/Bob if he agrees. "

I think this sentence should be clarified more. I know I'm not the only one who got the impression that what he says to you about "being selfish" and "I guess they really need me" was more or less just him accepting his fate. How he really felt was kind of left ambiguous as he shows neither happiness or anger. Also, this is truly nitpicky of me, but while I'm here I might as well point out that he asks Bob about giving the Treeminders another chance, not about whether it was selfish to kill himself.

Anyways, does anyone else feel the same way? I wouldn't want to attempt rewriting it otherwise, even if it is just one sentence.76.114.198.95 14:55, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

I feel the same way but with a slight twist. From the expression of his voice, and from general implied meaning, he is also asking Bob if hes(Harold) making the right choice. The way I heard it, hes basically discussing with bob the events and trying to make a judgement call. JerichoRCDF 20:53, December 2, 2009 (UTC)

One of the few?[]

Who are the others who appear in Fallouts 1, 2, & 3? I don't think there are any. 98.247.168.203 06:54, September 18, 2009 (UTC)

Are there any others? You have organisations like Enclave and BoS but I think this is the only specific character that appears in all three. Given the time line between the games only a Ghoul would live that long.--A Pickering 22:35, January 9, 2010 (UTC)

Supermutants like Marcus are biologically immortal, so they might also still be alive. However, only Harold has appeared in all of the official Fallout games. ... Well, Vault Boy counts, I guess. Nitty ^Tok. 23:09, January 9, 2010 (UTC)

cause[]

purely speculation, but is it possible that bob came about as a seed in Harold's hair, and was mutated by the FEV that he was knocked into, and the FEV caused rapid growth and intelligence within bob? what do you think?

We would have seen it in Fallout 1. _Tagaziel ^(call!) 18:30, October 15, 2009 (UTC)

seen it how? I haven't played fallout one but is the vault dweller one of the explorers with Harold?

In Fallout 1 the Vaultdweller meets with Harold to discuss the deathclaw and (optionally) to hear the stroy of how he became ghoul-ish in appearance. To answer your initial quiery, it's possible. In the abandoned sequels to Fallout Tactics and Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel the FEV mutates plants in such a way that they evolve animalian-type behaviours. Not to mention those funny looking venus flytraps in Haikunin's garden in Fallout 2, but they could possibly be the result of some really bad magic shrooms Haikunin was cooking up. Anyway, it wouldn't be too out of the question for a seed, that falls into Harold's FEV infected cranium somehow, to evolve in such a way so as to allow a symbiotic relationship with a human brain. The cells of animalia and plantae share enough similarities after all. I think it's certainly worth considering. Subject 618 20:59, April 13, 2010 (UTC)

The Thing reference?[]

When you light harold on fire to finish the Oasis quest, he makes a sound ver similar to the one the creature makes in the film "The Thing" when it is lit on fire. Is this a reference or just a very odd coincidence?

Coincidence. Give a few teams of creative people the task of creating a sound that a half-plant creature might make as it is being burned to death, and it's no surprise if some of them come up with similar results.--Gothemasticator 02:44, May 23, 2010 (UTC)

As far as I'm aware, there aren't that many sound packages out there, so developers will more often than not be using the exact same package as everyone else when adding sounds to their games. I'm pretty sure I've heard the same baby laugh in over half of baby laughing cases that I've heard. Subject 618 18:11, June 13, 2010 (UTC)

New Vegas[]

Harold will most likley not be in FNV I'm guessing since 2/4 of his fates resulted in death but he appeared in all canon fallout games but maybe like his seeds planted a new little screwed up tree ghoul that appears in FNV or the Jungle Vault is the place where he grew up and then he's with us in spirit, Thoughts? (Dont mention the 'none of the characters from fallout 3 appear in FNV' because Harold if anything is a Fallout 1 character)

Observer Eyebot (98.247.10.62 04:37, August 30, 2010 (UTC))

Well, there's no way Harold could be in New Vegas, but a reference to him wouldn't be against the statement of "no Fallout 3 characters in New Vegas" as long as it wasn't an Oasis Druid or Villager that was the reference. --Kris ^mailbox 04:56, August 30, 2010 (UTC)

Shame F3 ruined Harold... fun quest tho...

Observer Eyebot (98.247.10.62 05:03, August 30, 2010 (UTC))

One of Harold's main features is that he's resiliant to the point of ridiculous. He was born before the war, formed one of the first adventuring parties in the fallout universe, survived the vats, travelled from the Hub all the way north to Gecko and then supposedely to the other far end of the country for Fallout 3. When Bethesda took over Fallout they killed off Harold (if you ask me they killed him off with poor dialogue before the protagonist ever even found his first flamethrower) as Black Isle was killed off. Now that Black Isle has basically risen again, I think it would be fitting that Harold too should return in full form (or partially). Subject 618 12:43, August 30, 2010 (UTC)

No thats Really stupid , Harold may not have died at all , and probably didnt , since in most games the player charecter pocks the good choice over the Bad choice , and Killing Harold is most definetly a bad choice ( wether by fire or Heart ) you people complain to Damn Much , even if you dont get any Karma for Killing by heart ( Harold Admits it Himself he says it was a selfish choice) Ithink the lone wanderer probably Accelerated his heart , and a seed of Harold should Have been Found , But seeing as Black isle has no Imagination (using the same charecters and Story over and over) i would Say Bethesda tried CPR right after the blundering fool Black isles Caused Fallout to go into Cardiac arrest , Black isle cant make games , they suck at it , Bethesda are much more suited , Jeez people quit whining .. whats done is done , get over it ___________________________________

It'd be nice if you signed your posting next time, guy right above me. I also think that Bethesda kind of ruined the character, giving him that very defintive psotion he is in. It should be virtually impossible to separate him from that tree, given how he mentions his inner organs having been moved around. Harold was a little over the top for Fallout even at the start, but itworjed. They went a little overboard with him in FO2, but then they did so with many things, and it was a very fun game. Bethesda writing isn't really up to scratch with any of the the original FO titles. Harold is the embodiment of that. Where Black Isle gave him a tree, Bethesda made him one. You can also see the dialogue degrading...compare the number of lines Fallout has in the arlier titles compared to this one. Also he lost a great deal of personality through the in-engine dialogue, made especially jarring by his being a talking head prior. Still he is one of the most engaging and endearing characters of the game. There are other chracters harkening back to the orginal titles, but none so directl as Harold. Lucas Simms, or Megaton as a whole, reminds of junktown. I don't want to start a flamewar, but I think the franchise has degraded in that respect, it feels less believable and less convincing, but superficial and hollow. Very few characters have stories to tell...Harold does, but even he is afflicted. I have high hopes for NV, seeing how Avvelone updated the Fallout Bilbe through the years. I don't want to imply the Bethesda guy made a bad game, or even did it on purpose. I just am more psotive about Avellone. Reading about all the stuff he revisits, and the overall layout of NV's story just seems so much more...exciting and pulled of well.

-Daywalker-21:55~10~01~2011~

Fallout: New Vegas[]

Harold will NOT be in New Vegas. You burn and kill him in Fallout 3. Plus if u didnt burn him, hes a tree which never moves because hes rooted to the ground. If cut down, Harold will die._______

Cool--Alexmikli 06:05, January 30, 2011 (UTC)

Why does it seem people are treating burning as the cannon ending? I either destroy his heart, or accelarate it. I NEVER burn him.--74.215.62.191 05:03, August 21, 2012 (UTC)

Ausir's edits[]

Just for posterity, the diff. I'm running short on time so I'll try to make this quick:

• Although cosmetically I'd prefer the background section to be one monolithic section, I am more or less indifferent to it being separated into sections.
• I fail to see the issue with the changes I made to the background section. Much of it was (and is now, after the partial revert) downright grammatically awful, and as it stands currently, parts of it describing FO2 events is written in the present tense (and second person) and there are multiple uses of the same image in more than one place. The only objectionable part of the edit that I can see would be the removal of the "nature of Harold" section, the majority of which, if you look carefully, is included in my revision of the article, just higher up. The parts that were removed did not belong in the article, for example it is not relevant what Tim Cain thinks about FEV (which is stated on the FEV page anyway), nor is the bizarre psychological evaluation in the paragraph about how Harold talks to his tree, which is also full of speculation.
• I question the use of a FO1 image as the main infobox picture, as (a) this one is high quality and the most "recent" version of him, (b) the majority of wiki users will know him as the FO3 version and (c) the image you used is repeated further down the page. To use the current one is misleading because in the Fallout universe's "present", that's not what Harold looks like at all. Also, the current use of the FO3 image in the infobox does not fit the infobox width and looks hella ugly.

--Flower of Pock-Lips 18:48, February 18, 2011 (UTC)

Your edits actually made the article worse, as apart from cutting out a valuable segment of it (the nature of Harold), you deliberately injected your personal judgement into the article, rather than making it neutral. Updating grammar is ok, ripping out parts of the article and rewriting them to fit your world view is not. On the point of image - Harold is a minor, trivial character in Fallout 3, but a major part of Fallout 1 and 2, thus it is more appropriate to use the more widely known picture. _Tagaziel ^(call!) 21:53, February 18, 2011 (UTC)

You made the introductory paragraph based only on Fallout 3, even though he's a major part of Fallout 1 and 2 as well, and the introduction to the article should reflect that. Like Tagaziel, I also believe that the Fallout 1 image is more appropriate to the infobox, given that the role he plays in that game is much more important. I don't think the image from the most recent game should necessarily always be used.

Your background section revision was pretty bad. The section about the nature of Harold was inserted in the middle of his biography for some reason, and removed the section headings which made the article much easier to read. You also tagged the very first sentence of the background section as being based on Van Buren, which is not the case. It was (and is now again) above the Van Buren tag for a reason - it was based on Fallout 2 official guide and the Fallout Bible. Given his role in so many games, Harold is an important article on this wiki, and before you attempt to rewrite any such articles in such manner, you should first discuss it on the talk page. Ausir^(talk) 22:34, February 18, 2011 (UTC)

Tagaziel: As I explained, all the relevant parts of the nature of Harold section were kept and moved upwards in the article. It's just as out-of-place at the bottom, as the entire background section flows chronologically right up until that part at the very end. I looked at the diff and I honestly can't see where I "injected [my] personal judgement into the article", and as for rewriting it to fit my world view...I have literally no idea what you are talking about there. Ausir: I agree with your change to the introductory paragraph, actually, but I still think the background section as it currently stands has many problems. I'll do another draft page, like I did with the timeline article, rather than getting into a revert war on this page, and we can discuss improvements to the draft and merge it if/when everyone is happy.

I think both of you are both overstating Harold's importance in FO1 and FO2 and understating his importance in FO3. Harold is at his most important before Fallout 1 (having a personal relationship with the Master), during Fallout 2 (as leader of a settlement), during Van Buren (as a possible source of a cure for the New Plague) and during Fallout 3 (providing life to a large portion of a previously barren wasteland, with possibility for more expansion). Hardly "trivial" or "minor" in FO3, and hardly "major", in FO1 at least. --Flower of Pock-Lips 22:50, February 20, 2011 (UTC)

I have created a draft page here. --Flower of Pock-Lips 23:23, February 20, 2011 (UTC)

I was wondering if it was reasonable if we just delete the new page that the Flower of pock-lips has made. User:HaroldWannabe360 16:00 Febuary 28 2011

I've made some changes to the article.

• Removed the Interactions sections, since they are redundant. I also see no need to try to fit the unique Harold into the standard NPC page template.
• I removed a subjective and speculative paragraph in the Nature section about Bob.
• I changed language to present tense when it comes to describing interactions between Harold and the player character, whatever game is being described.
• I cleaned up some grammar and punctuation.

--Gothemasticator 10:37, March 8, 2011 (UTC)

Interactions sections redundant??? How so, if anything is redundant it is the inventory section that shows absolutely nothing. I disagree completely with the interaction section being removed, granted a lot of the info is repeated in the background section and should be reduced. Instead it should be replaced with the standard interactions table for each game. 13:52, March 8, 2011 (UTC)

If Interactions were restored and a way found to then remove the redundant material from the Background section, that would be fine with me, too. Either way, though, the material was redundant. I'm for fixing that. And the Inventory section may be vacuous, but it isn't redundant. Nowhere else does the article say the same thing.--Gothemasticator 22:00, March 8, 2011 (UTC)

As I said, just have tables and leave it at that, nothing more is required in those sections. 22:45, March 8, 2011 (UTC)

Looks good. I concur.--Gothemasticator 00:51, March 9, 2011 (UTC)

Now if anyone knows what kind of information is pertinent for FBOS interaction, I can knock up a table for that as well to complete the section. 00:56, March 9, 2011 (UTC)

Hehe I was going to do tomorrow ;), with that of other characters. It's like you want if you don't bother you for creating it. Itachou ^[~talk~] 01:10, March 9, 2011 (UTC)

Brotherhood of steel[]

I was wondering if somebody could upload a picture of Harold from Brotherhood of Steel User:HaroldWannabe360 2:56 March 6 2011

I can not take a screenshot of the game yet so it will not be possible. The only image I have now it's his portrait in the game guide. I can put it if you want ;). Itachou ^[~talk~] 01:14, March 9, 2011 (UTC)

Well if you really want to i guess that would be okay--HaroldWannabe360 17:49, March 19, 2011 (UTC)

Picture[]

Can we please change his picture to that of his tree self, i liked that one a lot more, and there is much more interaction with the tree one.Tozzler 09:43, May 25, 2011 (UTC)

Harold has a more major role in Fallout and Fallout 2 (and more interesting dialogue), and it became too different from one game to another to promote his final appearance, which is not really that of Harold is known in the Fallout world. Itachou ^[~talk~] 23:26, May 26, 2011 (UTC)

Dialoge shouldn't determine which pic we use.--74.215.62.191 05:08, August 21, 2012 (UTC)

Stupid edit/undos[]

Just want to point out I was uncertain on how to write the Van Buren appearance properly, so I undid my edit, only to see few seconds later, that my orginal edit was gramatically correct, so I decided to redo it. Sorry for the mess, I did learn my lesson from the ban. Just want to point it out so it's out there.BusinessMonkey 02:47, March 16, 2012 (UTC)

My edit gets me blocked?[]

I edited the section where it says that if you pay Harold he will tell The Vault Dweller about the deathclaws that live near the Hub, but it said the deathclaws that lives by the Hub. I changed it to live and the change gets restored by Great Mara. I'm not even going to ask if that is a valid change becuase I know it is, but whatever you want. I'll now shamelessly sign my name. --Your friend, Austinsnoop 09:32, January 20, 2013 (UTC)

The sentence was written for a singular deathclaw, so lives would be the correct word. Great Mara (talk) 09:34, January 20, 2013 (UTC)

Ok I've always used Deathclaw as plural. I've also never played Fallout because I'm not a PC gamer so I didn't know if it was a nest or not. Just trying to help out a bit. I met Harold in FO3 today and wanted to read his page and I noticed while reading. Thanks for setting me straight. (I also did it again so you may want to fix it -_- lol) --Your friend, Austinsnoop 09:44, January 20, 2013 (UTC)