Skinning Leveling Guide 1-600

Skinning is a gathering profession that allows for the collection of leather and hide from defeated creatures. It’s typically used to obtain materials for Leatherworking, or as a second gathering profession for easy gold. If you’re leveling Leatherworking as well, you’ll find a materials list in our Leatherworking Leveling Guide. These materials can be gathered while you level Skinning.

If you reached max skill level in Skinning during Cataclysm, you can skip most of the level ranges and start at the Zen Master section.

Tips for Leveling Skinning

• You can only skin mobs that have been completely looted, and only if a mob has been tagged by a player. Mobs killed by other players can be skinned, but not mobs killed exclusively by pets or NPCs.
• Skinning orange difficulty mobs will always give you a skill-up. Yellow will usually give skill, and green will sometimes give skill. Gray does not give any skill, and red means your skill is not high enough to skin the corpse.
• There are several pieces of equipment and a few enchantments that can help you skin more efficiently. You can find them all in our Skinning Overview.
• There are many areas where you will find plenty of mobs that can be skinned. Mob density is important, but so is convenience – consider travel times and whether you will have a hard time farming in the area due to difficult terrain or the presence of elite mobs.
• Popular questing areas can be good places to freely skin without having to kill anything, but there may also be others skinning in the area. (It’s bad manners to skin someone else’s kill if they are also skinning.)
• If you’re not having luck in the locations we’ve suggested, you can try another zone of the appropriate level range. You can get an idea of where to go for your level range in our Skinning Leather, Hides, & Scales Guide.
• You will sometimes fail when attempting to skin a mob. Just try it again!
• Beasts are the most common type of skinnable mob, but most Dragonkins, some Demons, and occasional Humanoids can also be skinned. Beasts in starting areas can’t be skinned, nor can most birds.
• Don’t forget the Darkmoon Faire quest, Tan My Hide, which can be completed every time the Darkmoon Faire is active (every two weeks in WoW Classic). This quest requires a minimum skill level of 75 and grants 5 skill points upon completion.

Trainer Locations

Here are some of the most convenient Skinning Trainers. We have a complete list on your Skinning Trainer Locations page.

• Pandaria – Alliance: Hao of the Stag’s Horns at Paw’don Village in The Jade Forest
  • /way The Jade Forest 44.8, 85.6
• Pandaria – Horde: Trapper Ri at Honeydew Village in The Jade Forest
  • /way The Jade Forest 27.8, 15.4
• Dalaran: Kerik Marks at the Magus Commerce Exchange in Dalaran
  • /way Dalaran 35.2, 28.4
• Alliance: Maris Granger in Old Town in Stormwind City
  • /way Stormwind City 72.6, 62.0
• Horde: Thuwd in The Drag of Orgrimmar
  • /way Orgrimmar 61.0, 54.6
• Horde: Rento in The Valley of Wisdom of Orgrimmar
  • /way Orgrimmar 39.6, 49.4
• Monks: Master Cannon at Peak of Serenity in Kun-Lai Summit
  • /way Kun-Lai Summit 50.6, 42.0

Leveling 1-600

Apprentice 1-50

Apprentice Skinning can be learned right at character level 1.

• You’ll be collecting Ruined Leather Scraps and Light Leather in this level range.
• If your character is below level 20, you can just skin in the nearest starting zone.
• Stay in a starting zone until at least skill level 50 and train Journeyman Skinning in your capital city before you head to the next zone.

Routes

Journeyman 50-125

Journeyman Skinning requires Skinning level 50 to learn.

• You’ll be collecting Light Leather in this level range.
• Stay in this area until you reach skill level 125 so you can train Expert Skinning in the nearest city before moving on.

Routes

Expert 125-185

Expert Skinning requires character level 10 and Skinning level 125 to learn.

• You’ll begin collecting Medium Leather in this level range.
• Level to 185 before you move on to the next area. You will not be able to train yet.

Routes

Expert 185-205

• You’ll start to get some Heavy Leather and even a little Thick Leather in this level range.
• Stay in this area until 205 skill level, then train Artisan Skinning before heading to the next zone.

Routes

Artisan 205-265

Artisan Skinning requires character level 25 and Skinning level 200 to learn.

• You’ll start to collect Rugged Leather along with Thick Leather in this level range.
• Level to about 265 before moving on. You won’t be able to train yet.

Routes

Artisan 265-300

• You’ll mainly be collecting Thick Leather in this range.
• Be sure to train Master Skinning before you start skinning in Outland. There are trainers at Honor Hold and Thrallmar, so you can train once you get to Hellfire Peninsula if you prefer.

Routes

Master 300-330

Master Skinning requires character level 40 and Skinning level 275 to learn.

• You’ll be collecting Knothide Leather Scraps and Knothide Leather here.
• You won’t be able to train yet. Move on to Nagrand once you hit 330 skill.

Route

Hellfire Peninsula Skinning Route

Master 330-350

• You’ll continue collecting Knothide Leather Scraps and Knothide Leather here, as well as Thick Clefthoof Leather from clefthoofs.
• Train Grand Master Skinning before you start farming in Northrend. You’ll find trainers at Taunka’le Village or Valiance Keep once you get to Borean Tundra, or you can stop off in a city.

Route

Nagrand Skinning Route

Grand Master 350-395

Grand Master Skinning requires character level 55 and Skinning level 350 to learn.

• You’ll be collecting Borean Leather Scraps and Borean Leather in this area.
• Move on to the next zone around 395 skill. You won’t be able to train yet.

Route

Borean Tundra Skinning Route

Grand Master 395-450

• You’ll continue skinning Borean Leather here.
• When you reach 450, head to Dalaran or your capital city to train Illustrious Grand Master Skinning, and then head to Mount Hyjal.

Route

Sholazar Basin Skinning Route

Illustrious Grand Master 450-500

Illustrious Grand Master Skinning requires character level 75 and Skinning level 425 to learn.

• If you’ve finished the quests in Mount Hyjal, Sethri’as Roost will be phased and you will need to go to the Shimmering Expanse in Vashj’ir instead.
• You will be collecting Savage Leather Scraps and Savage Leather in this range.
• Learn Zen Master Skinning from a trainer before you begin farming in Pandaria. There are trainers located at Paw’don Village or Honeydew Village in The Jade Forest, or you can stop off at your capital city.

Routes

Zen Master 500-560

Zen Master Skinning requires character level 80 and Skinning level 500 to learn.

• You’ll collect Sha-Touched Leather, Mist-Touched Leather, and Prismatic Scale in this range.
• Reach at least 560 before moving on to the final stretch! No further training is required.

Route

Valley of the Four Winds Skinning Route

Zen Master 560-600

• You’ll continue to collect Sha-Touched Leather, Mist-Touched Leather, and Prismatic Scale all the way to 600. Then you’re done!
• Note that these are all level 90 mobs.

Routes