Leatherworking Leveling Guide

Skin to win: hides, armor kits, and drums. Shopping lists and routes to 600.

Updated 2026Supports Classic / TBC / WotLK / Cata / MoPBest paired with Skinning

Classic Shopping List (1-300)

Leather	Qty	Notes
Light Leather	240	1-100.
Medium Leather	260	100-150.
Heavy Leather	240	150-200.
Thick Leather	320	200-260.
Rugged Leather	360	260-300.
Hides (Medium/Heavy/Thick/Rugged)	10 each	For cure quests; save.
Thread/Dyes/Salts	Vendor	Always stock up.

Complete cure quests to unlock cured hides. Skin everything; convert scraps.

Classic Route

Skill	Craft	Notes
1-45	Light Armor Kit
45-100	Handstitched Leather Belt/Boots
100-125	Medium Armor Kit
125-150	Dark Leather Belt/Gloves
150-180	Heavy Armor Kit / Heavy Leather Ball
180-200	Hillman's Shoulders / Toughened Leather
200-225	Thick Armor Kit
225-250	Nightscape Headband/Boots
250-275	Rugged Armor Kit
275-300	Wicked Leather Headband / Rugged Armor Kit	Pick cheaper mats.

TBC Shopping List (300-375)

Leather	Qty	Notes
Knothide Leather	900	300-360.
Knothide Scraps	200	Convert if cheap.
Fel Scales	40	Scaled items.
Primal Air/Earth/Fire	10 each	Drums/epics.
Nether Dragonscales	20	Optional epic patterns.

Choose specialization (Elemental/Dragonscale/Tribal) at 325+ if you want those epics; not required for 375.

TBC Route

Skill	Craft	Notes
300-325	Knothide Leather (convert) + Knothide Armor Kit
325-350	Thick Draenic Vest/Boots
350-365	Heavy Knothide Armor Kit	Always sells.
365-375	Scaled Draenic Boots / Drums of Battle (if LW 350 + rep)	Pick cheapest pattern.

WotLK Shopping List (375-450)

Leather	Qty	Notes
Borean Leather	1200	375-430.
Arctic Fur	12	430+ epics/leg armors.
Icy Dragonscale	60	Mail crafts.
Heavy Borean Leather	200	Convert.
Eternal Water/Shadow	20 each	Leg armors/epics.
Nerubian Chitin	60	Nerubian crafts (cheap).

No specializations; leg armors (Iceborne/Icescale) and drums sell well.

WotLK Route

Skill	Craft	Notes
375-405	Borean Armor Kit / Arctic Boots	Convert scraps.
405-420	Nerubian Legguards/Helm or Icy Scale Belt	Use cheap chitin.
420-430	Dark Arctic Chest/Legs / Iceborne Shoulders
430-440	Earthen Leg Armor / Icescale Leg Armor	Good sellable leg armors.
440-450	Any epic (Eaglebane Bracers etc.) or more leg armors	Pick recipes with cheap eternals.

Cata Shopping List (450-525)

Material	Qty (approx.)	Notes
Savage Leather	400+	Heavy Savage Leather = 5:1.
Blackened Dragonscale	80	Dragonscale gear late.
Volatile Elements	30	Leg armors.
Pristine Hide	5-10	Top-end crafts.

Leg armors (Dragonscale Leg Armor / Charscale Leg Reinforcements) are Leatherworking's evergreen product — every melee and hunter needs one per upgrade. The Fur Lining bracer perk covers your own character.

Cata Route (450-525)

Skill	Craft	Notes
450-475	Savage Leather bracers / boots	Trainer recipes.
475-500	Heavy Savage Leather + Tsunami/Darkbrand gear	Convert leather in bulk.
500-515	Leg armors + Dragonscale pieces	Leg armors sell while you level.
515-525	Epic PvP sets / Pristine Hide crafts	Or keep making leg armors.

MoP Shopping List (525-600)

Material	Qty (approx.)	Notes
Exotic Leather	500	The universal MoP leather.
Prismatic Scale	60	Mail crafts.
Magnificent Hide	15	Combine 20 Exotic Leather; top crafts.
Spirit of Harmony	10	Catalyst for 476 gear.

Magnificence of Leather/Scales turns bulk Exotic Leather into Magnificent Hides — the gate for iLvl 476 crafted gear that fresh 90s buy for Siege of Orgrimmar Flex. Leg armors (Angerhide / Ironscale) remain the evergreen seller.

MoP Route (525-600)

Skill	Craft	Notes
525-550	Exotic Leather bracers / boots	Trainer recipes.
550-575	Leg armors + Contender's leather/mail sets	Sells to PvP alts.
575-590	Magnificent Hide combines	Skill-ups on the combine itself.
590-600	iLvl 476 crafted pieces	Catch-up gear market.

Gold & Tips

Pairing

Skinning for self-supplied leather.
Fishing (Dragonfin) for extra gold while waiting.

Profit

Armor kits (Classic/TBC) and leg armors (WotLK - MoP).
Drums (TBC) if not nerfed on your server.
Arctic Fur items early WotLK.

Reps

WotLK leg armor patterns from Kirin Tor/Wyrmrest etc.
Buy salt/threads in bulk to avoid downtime.

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