WotLK Classic Skinning Profession and Leveling 1-450 Guide

Last updated on Jan 01, 2024 at 23:11 by Abide 1 comment

Skinning is a gathering-based profession which allows you to skin Leather from certain dead mobs like Beasts and Dragons. It goes hand-in-hand with Leatherworking, providing the majority of the materials needed to train that profession. Skinning can be a great moneymaking profession in the end-game content as leather is needed for many different things at Level 80.

1.

Introduction

Skinning can be a very useful Profession in Wrath of the Lich King as there are plenty of items and consumables that require leather to make. While leveling, it is very convenient to pick up gathering professions, since they do not require much time to train. With Skinning, you will also be able to skin what you kill.

Skinning can be used on Beasts, Dragonkin, Silithids, and very rarely on Humanoids. You can only skin a mob if the corpse has been completely looted. Skinning works great when paired with the crafting profession Leatherworking as it directly fuels its material needs.

In order to start Skinning, you 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.

The Skinning skill required to skin a mob's corpse can easily be figured out. Simply multiply the Mob's level by 5 and that will equal the Skinning skill required. For example, a Level 10 mob will require a Skinning skill of 50 to skin its corpse. Keep this in mind when deciding what level mobs you should be killing.

2.

Training Skinning in Wrath of the Lich King

2.1.

Apprentice & Artisan

You can learn Skinning from any Skinning trainer, which are found in capital cities. When you arrive at a major city, you can ask any city guard for directions and pick the Skinning trainer option under the professions section. This will mark its location on your map, allowing you to easily find them and get the Skinning skill.

2.2.

Master

To train past 300 skill level, you need to speak with a Master Skinning trainer in either Outland or Northrend. This will allow you to train up to level 375 Skinning.

2.3.

Grand Master

To learn Skinning past 375 skill level you must travel to Northrend and talk with a Grand Master Skinning trainer found below. This will allow you to max your Skinning skill out at 450.

2.3.1.

Alliance

2.3.2.

Horde

2.3.3.

Neutral

3.

Leveling Skinning in Azeroth (1-300)

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.

3.1.

Skill Ups 1-65

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.

3.2.

Skill Ups 65-150

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. Aim to kill and skin mobs around the Level 13-30 range.

3.3.

Skill Ups 150-225

The first thing you need to make sure to do before you keep killing and skinning away is to head to the nearest major city and learn Expert Skinning, increasing your cap to 225.

Now that you can train Skinning up to 225 skill level, you will aim to skin mobs that drop Heavy Leather Icon Heavy Leather and Thick Hide Icon Thick Hide. Try to be killing mobs in the level range of 30-45 as these will almost always offer you a skill increase.

3.4.

Skill Ups 225-300

Make sure to take one final trip to your nearest city and visit the local Skinning Trainer to learn Artisan Skinning, increasing your maximum skill level to 300.

you will focus on mobs around Levels 45-50 until you get to 250 Skinning, as this allows us to gather Rugged Leather Icon Rugged Leather. From here, focus on whichever mobs you can kill the fastest while also still getting nearly guaranteed skill-ups on each skin. The closer you get to 300 the higher the Level of enemy you will need to kill, but you can also choose to farm easy-to-kill mobs for a longer period of time.

4.

Leveling Skinning in Outland (300- 375)

Be sure to head to a Master Skinning trainer in Outland to unlock Master Skinning, increasing your Skinning skill level cap to 375.

4.1.

Skill Ups 300-330

Hellfire Peninsula offers a multitude of lower-level Beasts, having plenty of boars and ravagers to skin all throughout the zone. You will want to stay here until at least 330 skinning, and staying even a bit past that is fine.

4.2.

Skill Ups 330-375

After reaching 330 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.

When your Skinning skill reaches 350, you will be able to skin the vast majority of mobs found in Outland. You can choose at this point to head to a higher-level zone for these last few skill-ups, or simply stay in Nagrand and finish it off; the difference in speed is very minor.

5.

Leveling Skinning in Northrend (350 - 450)

Be sure to head to a Grand Master Skinning trainer in Northrend as shown above to unlock Grand Master Skinning, allowing you to max out your Skinning at 450 skill level.

5.1.

Skill Ups 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.

5.2.

Skill Ups 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.

5.3.

Skill Ups 400-425

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 if you are easily farming without being contested.

5.4.

Skill Ups 425-450

Storm Peaks is the last zone you will need to reach 450 skill in Skinning. This zone has a few areas that are heavily populated with Mammoths, Rhinos, and Jormungars. The high level mobs here reward high quantities of leather, making this a great zone to farm for skill points and gold.

6.

Noteworthy Skinning Materials in Wrath of the Lich King

Throughout your adventures in Wrath of the Lich King with skinning you may have come across a few rare or unique skinned leathers. These are typically used in gear crafting or endgame consumables and can be quite profitable when farmed. Look for these skinnable items while you are out in the wordl:

7.

Skinning Stat Buff in Wrath of the Lich King

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

Buff Skill Required Details
Master of Anatomy IconMaster of Anatomy (Rank 1) 75 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 3.
Master of Anatomy IconMaster of Anatomy (Rank 2) 150 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 6.
Master of Anatomy IconMaster of Anatomy (Rank 3) 225 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 9.
Master of Anatomy IconMaster of Anatomy (Rank 4) 300 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 12.
Master of Anatomy IconMaster of Anatomy (Rank 5) 375 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 20.
Master of Anatomy IconMaster of Anatomy (Rank 6) 450 Increases Critical Strike Rating by 40.
8.

Other Professions

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

9.

Changelog

  • 01 Jan. 2024: Updated for Phase 5.
  • 03 Oct. 2023: Reviewed for Phase 4 release.
  • 23 Jun. 2023: Guide updated for Phase 3.
  • 13 Sep. 2022: Page added.
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