This guide is designed to help you quickly and cheaply level your leatherworking. There are points in the leatherworking profession that can be quite frustrating to those who don’t know it in and out – this guide will help you prepare for these dry spells with the leather you need ahead of time. I do my best to avoid rare recipes (those found as drops or from out the way trainers) and recipes which require rare or expensive materials. We will occasionally use these recipes due to other constraints, but information on where to find the components will be included.

If you have acquired some extra materials and it would be cheaper for you to create items other than those listed, by all means do so. In addition, feel free to sub out the listed items for some you are making to wear, but remember to get extra leather if this makes you come up short. Any items that are especially important will be noted in the guide (such as those for specialization turn-ins).

For an excellent guide on leveling your skinning BC to Wrath, see the Skinning 300-450 guide.

Note: The numbers provided here are estimates only. You may need a little more leather than what is listed, or a little less. If you end up with extra leather, remember that in most cases you can change that leather into the next type (medium to heavy for example) to save you some cash or farming time later on.

Table of Contents

1. Why Level Leatherworking?
2. Apprentice (1-75)
3. Journeyman (75-150)
4. Expert (150-225)
5. Choose a specialization
6. Artisan (225-300)
   • Dragonscale Specialization
   • Elemental Specialization
   • Tribal Specialization
7. Master (300-350)
8. Grand Master (350-400)

Why Level Leatherworking?

Leatherworking provides some great advantages for leather and mail wearing classes. It is great for leveling up your character since you can very cheaply make item enhancements (armor kits), and can also craft upgrades in gear if you haven’t found them as you level. There are some item enhancements which you can only place on your own gear. There is also something to be said for being able to make your own armor kits rather than having to find someone to do it for you.

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Apprentice

Purchase Apprentice Leatherworking from a leatherworking trainer.

Shopping List:

• 144 Light Leather
• 90 Coarse Thread

Expected Cost: 6g 70s

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Journeyman

Purchase Journeyman Leatherworking from a leatherworking trainer (requires level 10).

Shopping List:

• 190 Light Leather
• 85 Coarse Thread
• 140 Medium Leather
• 20 Cured Medium Hide OR 20 Medium Hide and 20 Salt
• 40 Fine Thread
• 10 Gray Dye

Expected Cost: 27g 50s

Note: If you can’t find the Cured Medium Hide for the Hillman’s Shoulders, you can make Dark Leather Cloaks and Hillman’s Leather Gloves instead. However, you will need an additional 110 Medium Leather, so making the shoulders is the better way to go if possible.

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Expert

Purchase Expert Leatherworking from a leatherworking trainer (requires level 20).

Head to your faction’s base in the Arathi Highlands and purchase Pattern: Raptor Hide Belt (Alliance) or Pattern: Raptor Hide Harness (Horde).

Shopping List:

• 105 Heavy Leather
• 10 Cured Heavy Hide OR 10 Heavy Hide and 30 Salt
• 65 Fine Thread
• 100 Raptor Hide for Alliance, 150 Raptor Hide for Horde
• 35 Silken Thread
• 125 Thick Leather

Expected Cost: 95g

Farming the Materials: You can get Raptor Hide from raptors in Stranglethorn Vale, the Arathi Highlands, and Dustwallow Marsh.

Note: If you are thinking of becoming a Tribal Leatherworker, make sure to save the Thick Armor Kits you created.

Also, if you don’t want to get the raptor hide for the belt/harness, or you can’t find the recipe, you can make Green Leather Armor and Dusky Leather Leggings for those levels. Just be sure to get extra leather and green and black dye.

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Choose a specialization

Now is the best time to chose your specialization, since you can make the items you need to specialize as you level up your skill.

• Dragonscale Leatherworking: Mail armor mostly used by Shaman and Hunters. Here is a list of Dragonscale craftables.
• Elemental Leatherworking:Leather armor which increases resistance, mainly used by rogues and feral druids. Here is a list of Elemental craftables.
• Tribal Leatherworking:Leather armor which increases intelligence and stamina, good for druids and sometimes rogues (it also gives crit and dodge). Here is a list of Tribal craftables.

You won’t be able to actually learn your speciallization until you make the required items in the next section (though Elemental leatherworkers can right away if they like, since they don’t need to make anything).

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Artisan

This section is divided into subsections for each specialization. Items that will be used for your specialization are marked in red.

If you would prefer not to specialize at this time, follow the instructions for Elemental Leatherworking but do not buy the elemental items on the shopping list (labeled in red)

Purchase Expert Leatherworking from a leatherworking trainer (requires level 35).

Purchase Pattern: Wicked Leather Gauntlets from Werg Thickblade in Tirisfal Glades (Horde) or Leonard Porter in the Western Plaguelands (Alliance).

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Dragonscale Artisan

Shopping List:

• 405 Thick Leather
• 360 Rugged Leather
• 111 Silken Thread
• 40 Rune Thread
• 30 Mageweave Cloth
• 40 Black Dye
• 40 Scorpid Scale
• 10 Worn Dragonscale
• 1 Pattern:Tough Scorpid Breastplate
• 1 Pattern:Tough Scorpid Gloves

Expected Cost: 419g

Farming the Materials: The scorpids of Tanaris can be skinned for the scorpid scales. For higher level players, the Uldaman scorpids also drop scales, and you can enter, kill them, leave, reset, and repeat to quickly gather the needed amount. The two patterns drop from thieves and bandits in Tanaris.

Becoming a Dragonscale Leatherworker

To be trained in your specialization, first be sure you have the following items with you:

• 2 Tough Scorpid Breastplate
• 2 Tough Scorpid Gloves
• 10 Worn Dragonscale

Alliance:

Visit Peter Galen in Azshara and get his quest Dragonscale Leatherworking. You should already have the required items – just turn in the quest to receive the Dragonscale Leatherworking skill.

Horde:

Once you have your items, head to the Badlands and talk to Torkaf Dragoneye. He will give you a quest Dragonscale Leatherworking, which you should be able to turn into him right then since you already have all the items with you. Completing the quest teaches you the Dragonscale Leatherworking skill.

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Elemental Artisan

Shopping List:

• 425 Thick Leather
• 360 Rugged Leather
• 100 Silken Thread
• 40 Rune Thread
• 30 Mageweave Cloth
• 40 Black Dye
• 2 Heart of Fire
• 2 Globe of Water
• 2 Core of Earth
• 2 Breath of Wind

Expected Cost: 438g

Farming the Materials: This WoWhead post has some excellent information for farming the elemental items.

Becoming an Elemental Leatherworker

To be trained in your specialization, first be sure you have the following items with you:

• 2 Heart of Fire
• 2 Globe of Water
• 2 Core of Earth
• 2 Breath of Wind

Alliance:

Visit Sarah Tanner in the Searing Gorge and get her quest Elemental Leatherworking. You should already have the required items – just turn in the quest to receive the Elemental Leatherworking skill.

Horde:

Visit Brumn Winterhoof in the Arathi Highlands and get his quest Elemental Leatherworking. You should already have the required items – just turn in the quest to receive the Elemental Leatherworking skill.

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Tribal Artisan

Shopping List:

• 442 Thick Leather
• 360 Rugged Leather
• 94 Silken Thread
• 40 Rune Thread
• 40 Black Dye
• 88 Turtle Scales
• 11 Wildvine
• 2 Cured Thick Hide OR 2 Thick Hide and 2 Deeprock Salt
• 6 Thick Armor Kits

Expected Cost: 416g

Farming the Materials: The turtles of the east coast of both Tanaris and the Hinterlands drop turtle scales. Wildvine can be found on trolls in Stranglethorn Vale and in the Hinterlands.

You will need to travel to Feralas to continue your progress. Before you head out, make sure you have all your materials with you, since it will be easiest to turn them all in at once here.

You should have:

• 340 Thick Leather
• 360 Rugged Leather
• 78 Silken Thread
• 40 Rune Thread
• 40 Black Dye
• 11 Wildvine
• 2 Cured Thick Hide OR 2 Thick Hide and 2 Deeprock Salt
• 2 Turtle Scale Gloves
• 2 Nightscape Headband
• 2 Nightscape Tunics
• 2 Turtle Scale Bracers
• 2 Turtle Scale Breastplate
• 2 Turtle Scale Helm
• 6 Thick Armor Kits

Alliance:

Go to Feathermoon Stronghold and talk to Pratt McGrubben.

Horde:

Go to Camp Mojache and talk to Jangdor Swiftstrider.

Both:

Turn in the first 5 quests (you should already have all of the materials with you) – make sure you have completed up to the “Wild Leather Helmet” quest. You will be rewarded several recipes – learn them all. You will now be able to continue crafting. Be sure to stay near this NPC, however, since when you are done you need to turn in a few more quests to him before going to your Tribal trainer.

Turn in the rest of your quests to the Wild Leather NPC – he should finally give you a quest to see a leatherworking trainer in your capital city. Head back there to complete that quest, and you will then be ready to specialize.

Note: Any leatherworker can complete the wild leather quests if he or she wants those recipes, but they happen to be required for Tribal Leatherworking.

Becoming a Tribal Leatherworker

To be trained in your specialization, first be sure you have the following items with you:

• 1 Wild Leather Vest
• 1 Wild Leather Helmet

Also be sure you have completed all of your wild leather quests (See this article on WoWhead for a list of the quests).

Alliance:

Visit Caryssia Moonhunter in Feralas and get her quest Tribal Leatherworking. You should already have the required items – just turn in the quest to receive the Tribal Leatherworking skill.

Horde:

Visit Se’Jib in Stranglethorn Vale and get his quest Tribal Leatherworking. You should already have the required items – just turn in the quest to receive the Tribal Leatherworking skill.

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Master

Purchase Master Leatherworking from the Grand Master trainer in either Thrallmar or Honor Hold (requires level 50).

Shopping List:

• 465 Knothide Leather
• 105 Rune Thread
• 10 Fel Scales

Expected Cost: 554g

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Grand Master

Purchase Grand Master Leatherworking from the trainer in one of your faction’s main Northrend bases (requires level 60?).

Shopping List:

• 1030 Borean Leather
• 5 Jormungar Scales
• 25 Arctic Fur
• 10 Eternal Air
• 20 Nerubian Chitin OR Icy Dragonscales

Expected Cost: Unknown (prices still fluctuating)

Leveling from 430 to 450 is much more difficult and costly. At this point it is probably best to craft specific items to sell, for friends, or for yourself, instead of purely to level up. You can level this with just recipes learned from your trainer, but you may want to purchase the epic recipes which cost Arctic Furs, for the purposes of making gear for yourself or others.

In addition, all recipes past this level require rare materials such as frozen orbs.

If you still simply want to level as cheaply as possible without farming rare materials, here is a suggestion:

• Advertise in Trade Chat with the recipes you can do, and make things free with other’s mats. This will allow you to level up while costing you nothing, and if you have some of the blue items available at this leatherworking level, you should be able to find some people who want what you can make.

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I hope you found this guide informative. In the future, more details on useful recipes may be added, or tips on making money with leatherworking.

I am also looking for feedback! Let me know if this guide worked well for you, or leave a comment with any suggestions for improvements or corrections.

Thank you for reading!