- Author: milliondollarpuppy
- Date: January 27, 2023
- Updated: January 27, 2023
- Expansion: WotLK Classic
Welcome to Warcraft Tavern’s Skinning guide! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover all the important facets of Skinning, from the passive bonuses it offers to the crafted materials you can make with the Leather you’ll collect. Read on to find basic info on Skinning, details regarding trainers and leveling, and where to Skin.
Why Skinning?
Skinning is a valuable economy skill players can use to farm leather off monsters found throughout the open world in Wrath of the Lich King. Leather received from skinning can be used to craft a variety of in-demand items; read on to see the various benefits these materials offer:
- Skinning is a simple profession, and it’s a laid-back way to make a little gold while you level or explore the world.
- Leatherworking relies on skinning more consistently than any other profession, making it the most appropriate pairing for crafting professions.
- Skinning provides the passive skill Master of Anatomy. This skill increases a character’s critical strike rating based on the current rank learned.
- Borean Leather, Heavy Borean Leather, and the rare Arctic Fur are the most typically sought-after skinning mats in the end-game. Icy Dragonscale, Nerubian Chitin, and Jormungar Scale are also worth mentioning and have a chance to drop off Dragonkin, Nerubians, and Jormungar, respectively.
It’s easy to start with Skinning; simply buy a Skinning Knife and fight beasts in low-level zones. Continue reading for an in-depth path of where to level skinning to 450.
Skinning Trainers
As with all professions, you’ll need to visit a trainer to pick up Skinning, and you’ll need to return to a trainer each time your Skinning skill is close to capping. Note that there is a 25-level gap between the maximum skill of each rank and the minimum skill required to train the next rank. This means you don’t have to wait until you’ve capped your Skinning skill to purchase the next rank!
Rank | Character Level Required | Gathering Skill Required | Maximum Gathering Skill | Cost to Train | Where to Train |
Apprentice | 5 | – | 75 | 1  | Any Skinning trainer |
Journeyman | 10 | 50 | 150 | 5 | Any Skinning trainer |
Expert | 10 | 125 | 225 | 1  | Any Skinning trainer |
Artisan | 10 | 200 | 300 | 2 50 | Any Skinning trainer |
Master | 10 | 275 | 375 | 10 | Any Skinning trainer in Outland or Northrend |
Grand Master | 10 | 350 | 450 | 35 | Any Skinning trainer in Northrend |
As you can see, any Skinning trainer can train you from Apprentice to Artisan, and any Skinning trainer in Outland or Northrend can train you up to Master, but only Northrend Skinning Trainers can train you to Grand Master. The lists below are therefore organized by region. If the trainer you’re seeking is in a city, you can ask any guard to direct you to the Skinning Trainer.
How to Level Skinning
Not much has changed for Skinning since TBC and Classic; leveling this profession will be done by skinning beasts you defeat during your adventures. Skinning requires a Skinning Knife in your backpack and training with the corresponding profession teacher.
Whether or not you acquire a skill point when skinning a slain creature depends on your character’s skinning level in relation to your enemy’s level. With these two equations, you can quickly figure out if a mob is within the correct level range and will possibly award a skill point:
- Up to 100 Skill: ((Skinning skill)/10)+10. Ex. (20/10)+10=12
- Above 100 Skill: (Skinning Skill)/5. Ex. 150/5=30
Since killing monsters throughout every zone is our goal, we will outline various routes in the starter zones and through Azeroth, Outland, and Northrend that you can follow while fighting and skinning.
While failing to skin a mob is possible, this doesn’t lock you out of further attempts. Simply use the skill again, and hope you’re successful.
It might be a good idea to plan for Leatherworking if you want it as your second profession — you may want to gather specific leathers to support this future craft strategically. If you’re gathering simply for the sake of gold, then you can also check Auction House prices to see if any old-world mats you pick up along the way are worth anything.
Below you’ll find details on all the zones you can utilize on your path to 450 skill.
Where to Skin at Different Skill Levels
You can find suitable mobs to level your Skinning skill in the following lists.
Racial Starting Zones (outside of cities)
We hope this overview of Skinning in WotLK was helpful! Please drop us a line in the comments if you have questions, suggestions, or corrections.
About the Author
Correct the picture with Feralas not Un’Goro Crater thanks
I’m not quite sure what you’re asking here. The Feralas tab has an image of Feralas, and the Un’Goro tab has an image of Un’Goro. Could you please clarify?