WoW Forever: How to Level Leatherworking

To level Leatherworking in World of Warcraft: Forever, skin the beasts you kill (or buy leather), turn scraps and hides into leather, and craft the cheapest armor kit or piece of gear that still gives skill, training Journeyman at 50 skill, Expert at 125 and Artisan at 200. Forever adds one step the original game never had: a Tanning Rack at a campsite, which many patterns from 125 skill upward now need.

Skinning is the natural partner because it supplies every piece of leather on the route. Below are the trainers, a route through each skill band, the Tanning Rack rules Blizzard changed on November 6, and the leather to save. Blizzard has not published Forever’s skill-up colors, so the switch points are approximate: the Professions window (K) shows whether a craft will still raise your skill.

How Leatherworking Leveling Works in WoW Forever

Leatherworking runs from 1 to 300 through Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert and Artisan, and each rank caps your skill until you train the next. Blizzard’s Legacy system overview pays a Legacy Point at 150, 225 and 300 skill in each crafting profession, once per account.

Leather comes in tiers that follow the level of the beast you skin:

Hides (Light, Medium, Heavy and so on) drop less often and are cured with Salt for some recipes. Thread, Salt and dyes come from Leatherworking Supplies or Trade Supplies vendors. Our skinning knife guide covers how Skinning works and which beasts you can skin.

The Tanning Rack

Blizzard’s deep dive panel recap says leatherworkers can place a Tanning Rack “required for more advanced Leatherworking recipes.” It is a camp object, so you put down a Basic Campfire and place the rack beside it, then craft at the camp.

Blizzard’s November 6 hotfixes lowered the Tanning Rack’s skill requirement to 125 (was 140), which Blizzard says “prevents it from being an obstacle to crafting various Leatherworking patterns that require 125 skill,” and lowered the skill-ups it gives by 15 points to match. The recap says advanced camp objects come from Blueprint recipes that drop from dungeon bosses, and this one is no exception: Razorclaw the Butcher in Shadowfang Keep drops it, and copies reach the Auction House. It takes Medium Leather, Fine Thread and Simple Wood to build.

Your first camp item is easier. At 20 skill, Leatherworking’s Camp Tent adds rested experience for everyone at the camp, per Blizzard’s camping post, which makes it one of the best leveling features in the game; our camping guide explains the system.

Leatherworking Trainers for Every Rank

These are the original game’s trainers, and Blizzard has not announced any moves.

Leatherworking Leveling Route

The route uses the original game’s patterns, which are in Forever. Forever adds more than 600 recipes across professions, and Leatherworking gets many of them, so if a cheaper pattern shows orange in your window, craft it.

Apprentice: 1 to 75

1. Light Leather from Ruined Leather Scraps (1 to about 30). If you skipped the scraps and bought Light Leather, make Light Armor Kits instead.
2. Light Armor Kit (about 30 to 45). One Light Leather each, and they sell to anyone with leather or mail armor.
3. Train Journeyman at 50.
4. Embossed Leather Gloves (about 45 to 75). Light Leather and Coarse Thread.

Journeyman: 75 to 150

1. Medium Leather from Light Leather (about 75 to 80).
2. Cured Medium Hide or Fine Leather Belt (about 80 to 100). Cure Medium Hides with Salt, or sew Fine Leather Belts from Light Leather and Coarse Thread. Keep a few belts and cured hides for the next step.
3. Dark Leather Cloak (about 100 to 115). Medium Leather, Fine Thread and Gray Dye.
4. Dark Leather Belt (about 115 to 125). A Fine Leather Belt, a Cured Medium Hide, Fine Thread and Gray Dye.
5. Train Expert at 125, then make Heavy Leather from Medium Leather to about 130.
6. Hillman’s Leather Gloves (about 130 to 155). Medium Leather and Fine Thread.

Expert: 150 to 225

1. Barbaric Leggings or Barbaric Shoulders (about 155 to 170). Heavy Leather. The Barbaric Leggings pattern is sold by Jandia in Thousand Needles and Keena in Arathi Highlands for the Horde, and Hammon Karwn in Arathi Highlands and Lardan in Ashenvale for the Alliance.
2. Guardian Gloves (about 170 to 195). Heavy Leather, a Cured Heavy Hide and Silken Thread. Cure Heavy Hides with Salt first.
3. Nightscape Headband (about 195 to 210). Thick Leather and Silken Thread.
4. Nightscape Pants (about 210 to 225). Thick Leather and Silken Thread. The Artisan trainers teach this pattern, so you may need to train Artisan first.

Artisan: 225 to 300

From here the route is the original game’s Artisan path. Blizzard has not announced changes to these patterns, but check each in your window before you buy Rugged Leather in bulk.

1. Learn Artisan at 200 skill and level 35 from Drakk Stonehand or Hahrana Ironhide.
2. Nightscape Boots (about 225 to 235). Thick Leather and Heavy Silken Thread.
3. Wicked Leather Gauntlets (about 235 to 265). Rugged Leather, Black Dye and Rune Thread. The pattern is sold by Werg Thickblade in Tirisfal Glades for the Horde and Leonard Porter in the Western Plaguelands for the Alliance.
4. Runic Leather Headband (about 265 to 300). Rugged Leather, Runecloth and Rune Thread. The pattern is sold by Jase Farlane at Light’s Hope Chapel, Eastern Plaguelands. This last stretch eats a lot of Rugged Leather, so skin everything in the level 50s zones on the way.

Tips for Leveling Leatherworking

• Skin everything. Skinning is free with a knife, and every beast you kill pays for the next step. The Legacy perk Bountiful Harvest adds extra Scarce resources when you skin.
• Craft armor kits for profit. Hunters, Rogues and Druids all use them, and Blizzard’s development notes fixed the attack power kits so they no longer grant double the ranged attack power.
• Fill crates with spare leather. Waylaid Crates take leather, among other materials, and pay Merchant’s Favor; several of Forever’s new leather patterns are sold for it. Our Merchant’s Favor guide shows how it works.
• Take Working Overtime. This Legacy perk raises your chance of a skill-up in every tradeskill; see our Legacy Points guide.

Leatherworking suits Rogues, Hunters, Druids and Shaman, and our best professions for each class guide explains why. Tailors buy the same thread you do; our Tailoring leveling guide has their route. Every Forever guide we have is on our World of Warcraft hub.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need a Tanning Rack to level Leatherworking in WoW Forever? For some patterns, yes. Blizzard’s November 6 hotfixes set the Tanning Rack’s requirement at 125 skill, and many patterns from 125 upward need one at your camp.

How do you get a Tanning Rack? Its blueprint drops from Razorclaw the Butcher in Shadowfang Keep and turns up on the Auction House. Build it, then place it beside a campfire.

Where do you learn Artisan Leatherworking? Alliance leatherworkers train with Drakk Stonehand at Aerie Peak in The Hinterlands. Horde leatherworkers train with Hahrana Ironhide at Camp Mojache in Feralas. You need 200 skill and level 35.

Do you need Skinning for Leatherworking? No, but it saves the most gold, since every step uses leather.

What is the max Leatherworking skill in WoW Forever? 300, at Artisan rank.

Does Leatherworking give Legacy Points? Yes, at 150, 225 and 300 skill, once per account.