Skinning Guide

Skinning allows you to skin the hides of killed beasts for gathering leather and other items. You will need:

1 Skinning Knife - Must be in your bags but do not have to have it equipped.

This is the order of the leather that you can receive from skinning mobs and a general idea of which mobs to kill to get them:

• Light leather- Light leather can be found on mobs of level 25 and lower. Good places to look here are in the newbie areas as well as the Barrens and Wetlands. Alliance can find light leather in Westfall. If you are high enough level, SFK is a great place to farm light leather and you have a chance of getting other great loot along the way.

• Medium leather - Bears and Mountain Lions around Hillsbrad Foothills have medium leather when skinned. Alternatives are the Ravagers and Wolves in Duskwood if you're Alliance or the Bears, Stags and Ghostpaws in Ashenvale. Some of the higher levels in Camp T also give medium leather but it's as a lower percentage than the light you receive.

• Heavy leather – You begin getting heavy leather at level 30 mobs. Try grinding in Hillsbrad (the Yeti Cave is a favorite spot), the cats in Dagger Hills, Hyenas, Lions, Wyvern and Thunderhawks in Thousand Needles and Bears, Stags and Ghostpaws in Ashenvale.

• Thick leather – You will start seeing thick leather when you skin mobs that are 35+. Try grinding for this in STV, Swamp of Sorrows or Dustwallow Marsh. STV is a hot spot because practically everything out there can be skinned.

• Rugged leather- Rugged leather is usually found on 43-60 lvl mobs and good places to farm are Yetis, Chimeras and Bears in Winterspring. The Bears in Western Plaguelands also give rugged leather but there may not be as many to kill. Plaguehounds and Plaguebats in Eastern Plaguelands will do the same if you are high enough level and the Turtles by Raventusk Village in The Hinterlands are an excellent grinding spot because you also get turtle scale. Turtles and Chimeras in Azshara typically give Rugged as well. You might also try Dragonkin, Worgs and Scorpids in Burning Steppes.

• Knothide leather (with expansion and 300+ skinning) – Pretty much anything in the Outlands gives you this type of leather. The Hellboars are a great place to start grinding and then work your way up. (More details on the Outlands skinning below).

If you are already level 58+, it will be very easy to take up skinning and "power-level" it in one day even. You are of high enough level to skin all the beasts that you need up to 300 skinning skill. 300+ will require at least level 60+. When you go to skin a beast, it will have a color code to tell you your chances of getting a skill point from that particular skin. The color code works like all the other professions:

When you go to skin a beast, it will have a color code to tell you your chances of getting a skill point from that particular skin. The color code works like all the other professions:

Grey = No skill increase.
Green = Rare chance of your skill increases
Yellow = Sometimes your skill in increase
Orange = Will always gain a skill point
Red = Can not skin

The levels different types of leather are found:

Ruined leather 1-11
Light Leather 7-25
Medium Leather 13-34
Heavy Leather 30-40
Thick Leather 36-50
Rugged Leather 50-60
Knothide Leather
Outland Only 60-70

Skinning 300-375

You could level up to 375 skinning skill on the mobs around Hellfire Peninsula, but it's not the most efficient way and will take you longer since you will only get a skill point every 5-7 skins or so. If you are killing by yourself while doing this, it will take a long time. Here is a better guideline of where you should be skinning at each level for the maximum efficiency.

301 - 310
Hellboars found around Hellfire Citadel in Hellfire Peninsula.

310 - 330
Ravagers found around Falcon Watch in Hellfire Peninsula.

330 - 350
Talbuk's and Clefthoofs found in Nagrand.

350 - 375
Netherdrakes around Stormspire in Netherstorm or around Netherwing Fields in Shadowmoon Valley or Raptors and Wind Serpents around Blades Edge Mountains.