Mists of Pandaria Classic Skinning Profession and Leveling Guide

Last updated on Jun 25, 2025 at 00:00 by Abide

Skinning Icon Skinning is a gathering-based profession which allows you to skin Leather from certain dead mobs like Beasts and Dragons. Skinning goes hand-in-hand with Leatherworking Icon Leatherworking, as it will provide the majority of the materials needed to level Leatherworking. Skinning can be a great moneymaking profession in the end-game content as leather is needed for many different things at Level 85.

Skinning Icon Skinning can be a very useful profession in Mists of Pandaria as there are plenty of items and consumables that require leathers to craft. While leveling, it is very convenient to pick up gathering professions like skinning, since they do not require much time to train and you will generally be able to level this profession up while simply questing and leveling your character normally.

Skinning Icon Skinning allows you to skin Beasts, Dragonkin, Silithids, and very rarely Humanoids such as Worgens, giving you rare leathers and fur depending on the type of creature you skinned. You can only skin a mob if the corpse has been completely looted and was engaged by you or your group first. Skinning works great when paired with Leatherworking Icon Leatherworking as leather is the main material that Leatherworking needs.

In order to start Skinning Icon Skinning, you will need to purchase a Skinning Knife Icon Skinning Knife from any Skinning trainer or General Goods vendor. You need this item in your inventory in order to skin a mob, but you do not need to wield it to skin.

1.

New Skinning Materials in Mists of Pandaria

Mists of Pandaria brings 4 new Skinning Icon Skinning materials for players to gather. These materials are needed in many end-game crafts, giving you a solid way to earn gold with this profession.

  • Sha-Touched Leather Icon Sha-Touched LeatherLeatherworking Icon Leatherworkers combine 5 of these to create one Mist-Touched Leather Icon Mist-Touched Leather.
  • Mist-Touched Leather Icon Mist-Touched Leather — This is the main leather for Mists of Pandaria that most mobs will drop.
  • Prismatic Scale Icon Prismatic Scale — Sometimes skinned from Mists of Pandaria water based enemies, such as turtles and crocolisk.
  • Magnificent Hide Icon Magnificent Hide — Has a rare chance to be skinned from high level mobs. Needed for end-game crafting.
2.

Leveling Skinning in Mists of Pandaria

Skinning Icon Skinning is very different from other gathering professions, since it requires you to kill a mob in order to interact with the skill. If you are behind in skill level, or want to power-level Skinning, then here are the best places to train Skinning at each skill level.

2.1.

Leveling Skinning 1–60

Look for Beasts in any of the starting zones as they will yield either Ruined Leather Scraps Icon Ruined Leather Scraps or Light Leather Icon Light Leather. Aim to kill and skin anything you have slain, or anything killed by others in the area. It is very common for people in starting areas to kill and not skin their own Beasts, offering you essentially free skill-ups.

Alliance Icon Elwynn Forest

Alliance Skinning

Horde Icon Durotar

Horde Skinning
2.2.

Leveling Skinning 60–110

Before continuing on to the next area, make sure to head to your local trainer and learn Journeyman Skinning, allowing you to reach 150 skill level. 150. Here you will need to start looking for higher level mobs that award Medium Leather Icon Medium Leather and Heavy Leather Icon Heavy Leather.

Alliance Icon Loch Modan

Alliance Skinning

Horde Icon The Barrens

Horde Skinning

2.3.

Leveling Skinning 110–185

At level 150 Skinning Icon Skinning you will need to visit a Skinning trainer to continue leveling it.

Ashenvale

Ashenvale Skinning
2.4.

Leveling Skinning 185–220

Dustwallow Marsh

Dustwallow Skinning
2.5.

Leveling Skinning 220–265

At level 225 Skinning Icon Skinning you will need to visit a Skinning trainer to continue leveling it.

Tanaris

Tanaris Skinning
2.6.

Leveling Skinning 265–300

You can finish leveling your Azeroth skinning here before heading to Outland.

Un'Goro Crater

Un'Goro Skinning
2.7.

Leveling Skinning 300–325

Hellfire Peninsula offers a multitude of lower-level Beasts, having plenty of boars and ravagers to skin all throughout the zone.

Hellfire Peninsula

Hellfire Skinning
2.8.

Leveling Skinning 325–350

After reaching 325 skill, you will head to Nagrand as you can now skin all of the mobs you will be killing. Head to the Northern side of Nagrand and proceed to kill and skin all Talbuks and Clefthoofs around you.

Nagrand

Nagrand Skinning
2.9.

Leveling Skinning 350–375

Borean Tundra has a ton of Rhinos and Mammoths to kill, allowing you to quickly level up Skinning in this zone. You can easily stay in this zone until level 400 as the beasts in this area are very clumped up and high in numbers.

Borean Tundra

Skinning Borean Tundra
2.10.

Leveling Skinning 375–400

Grizzly Hills is mostly full of beasts, with a large abundance of Bears and Stags available throughout the zone. Having so many beasts available in the area, you can choose to stay in this zone until level 425 if you are farming easily.

Grizzly Hills

Skinning Grizzly Hills
2.11.

Leveling Skinning 400–450

Sholazar Basin is yet another zone almost entirely full of skinnable beasts. This zone features a large selection of Crocodiles, Mammoths, Lynxs, Gorillas, and more spread entirely through it. You can stay in this zone up to 450.

Sholazar Basin

Skinning Sholazar Basin
2.12.

Leveling Skinning 450–500

Mount Hyjal has quite a few beasts spread out in the zone. This zone will be in different phases depending on how many quests you have completed. If the area marked below does not have beasts for you, either complete more quests to unlock it, or look around the nearby areas for other beasts to farm. You can farm all the way to 525 here if you do not want to move to another area.

Mount Hyjal

Hyjal Skinning
2.13.

Leveling Skinning 500–560

Upon reaching 500 skill, train with either Alliance Icon Hao of the Stag's Horns in Paw'don Village (Jade Forest), or Horde Icon Trapper Ri in Honeydew Village (Jade Forest). The Wyrmhorn Turtles in this area are a very popular farming location as they will continually hyper-spawn in the area, allowing you to constantly farm here.

Skinning 500–560
Farming Wyrmhorn Turtle
2.14.

Leveling Skinning 560–600

Here you will farm scorpions in the area to finish off your Skinning Icon Skinning.

Skinning 560–600
Farming Ruby Venomtail
3.

Skinning Profession Bonus in Mists of Pandaria

Skinning provides you with a unique buff Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy, increasing your Critical Strike Rating based on your Skinning skill level.

Buff Skill Required Details
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 1) 75 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 3.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 2) 150 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 6.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 3) 225 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 9.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 4) 300 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 12.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 5) 375 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 24.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 6) 450 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 48.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 7) 525 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 120.
Master of Anatomy Icon Master of Anatomy (Rank 8) 525 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 480.
4.

Other Professions

Skinning is just one of the many professions you may choose to level in Mists of Pandaria Classic. To learn more about the other options available, we recommend checking out our overviews of all professions and their unique bonuses below.

5.

Changelog

  • 25 Jun. 2025: Added page.
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