- For the enchant, see
[Skinning].
 |  Skinning (Profession) |
|---|---|
| Quests • Techniques • Trainers • Equipment • Ingredients • Leather (List of leathers) • Hides (List of Hides) • Scales (List of scales) |
Skinning allows players to gatherleather,Hides andscales by skinning certain mobs (beasts,demon beasts,dragonkin,silithid, somenerubians and, very rarely,humanoids). Not all mobs of each type can be skinned, e.g. most birds cannot be skinned despite being beasts. Leather, hides and scales are used forleatherworking. Leather is also used for someblacksmithing,engineering, andtailoring recipes.
Skinning pointers:
- in range of skinnable corpse
- out of range of skinnable corpse
This is one of the better gathering professions, since a skinner can skinmob corpses left behind by other characters as long as they'velooted all theitems from the corpse. Unlike the mining or herb gathering, skinning allows very frequent practice when outdoor hunting resulting in a great deal of leather and very rapid training. You will typically be able to skin creatures much higher level than you can kill.
Official overview[]
Skinners ensure that nothing goes to waste by removing the hides of dead beasts and amassing piles of fur and leather. Skinning is a straightforward, convenient profession for those already engaged in hunting animals, but it's highly useful, too. Exotic leathers (such as dragonskin) can command high prices, and they are critical to leatherworking plans, as well as some of the recipes of other professions.
Skinners can easily remove a slain beast's hide by ensuring that they have a skinning knife in their inventory, then right-clicking on an animal's corpse. Though not all beasts can be skinned, the vast majority can - and you don't need to have killed an animal to skin it yourself.
As you skin more unusual and difficult creatures, your Skinning skill will improve. High skill values are required to successfully retrieve leather from high-level beasts.
As a gathering profession, Skinning is regularly paired with complementary crafting professions, particularly Leatherworking, though Tailoring also utilizes some leather.[1]
Training[]
| Proficiency | Level | Potential Skill | Cast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Classic | 5 | 300 | 1.5 sec |
 Outland | 58 | 75 | 1.5 sec |
 Northrend | 58 | 75 | 1.5 sec |
 Cataclysm | 78 | 75 | 1.5 sec |
 Pandaria | 78 | 75 | 1.5 sec |
 Draenor | 88 | 100 | 1.5 sec |
 Legion | 100 | 100 | 1.5 sec |
 Battle for Azeroth % | - | 150 | 1.5 sec |
- You will first need to purchase askinning knife. You can find skinning knives at Profession-related item merchants (or simply at the General trader). Remember to keep the skinning knife in your bag at all times (if you want to gain leather/hides/scales from the beasts you kill).
- Keep in mind that skinning most beasts will result in you getting leather or hide of some kind. Frenzy and other fish give you shiny fish scales,dragonkin of various types (such as Black Whelps) which give you scales or special skins not found among other monsters or beasts, etc.
Such 'uncommon' skins generally only have specific recipes, such as the Black Whelp Scales, which has a recipe that needs to be obtained from sources other than a trainer.
When you gain enough Skinning skill points (and are the appropriate level), you will need to visit aSkinning trainer to advance to the next skill level!
Skinning Past Your Skill Level[]
You can obtain enchants and certain weapons that increase your skinning skill above your current skill level. You could also elect to be aWorgen to benefit from a passive racial ability they have.
- +5 Skinning:
- [Skinning].
- [Gatherer] - also adds +5 toHerbalism andMining.
- Enchant Gloves - Legion Skinning
- +10 Skinning:
- [Pip's Skinner] - dropped byThe Beast inUpper Blackrock Spire.
- [Zulian Slicer] - dropped byHigh Priest Thekal inZul'Gurub,4 no longer available to players.
- [Zulian Slasher] -4 dropped byZanzil inZul'Gurub when inHeroic mode.
- [Gnomish Army Knife] now adds +10 skinning / mining / herbalism.
- [Skinning Knife] now adds +10 skinning (doesn't stack with the Gnomish Army Knife)
- +15 Skinning:
- [Flayer] - Worgen Racial Ability.
- [Forager's Gloves] Allows faster gathering of resources in Pandaria. May not stack with Worgen Racial Ability [Flayer]
Color codes[]
| NPC Level | Skill Required | Formula |
|---|---|---|
| 74 | 375 | (lvl*5)+5 |
| 75 | 385 | (lvl*5)+10 |
| 76 | 395 | (lvl*5)+15 |
| 77 | 405 | (lvl*5)+20 |
| 78 | 415 | (lvl*5)+25 |
| 79 | 425 | (lvl*5)+30 |
| 80 | 435 | (lvl*5)+35 |
| 81 | 440 | (lvl*5)+35 |
| 82 | 445 | (lvl*5)+35 |
| 83 | 450 | (lvl*5)+35 |
| 84 | 470 | (lvl*5)+50 |
| 85 | 490 | (lvl*5)+65 |
| 86 | 510 | (lvl*5)+80 |
| 87 | 530† | (lvl*5)+95 |
Any skinnablecorpse will have a color code on the "Skinnable" property when you move your pointer over it:
- : Not skinnable.
- : Difficult to skin; certain chance of increasing Skinningskill level.
- : Moderately difficult to skin; moderate chance of increasing Skinning skill level.
- : Easy to skin; low chance of increasing Skinning skill level.
- : Very easy to skin; no chance of increasing Skinning skill level.
Skinning skill required is:
- 1 for level 1-10 mobs.
- (10 times mob level) minus 100 for level 11-20 mobs.
- 5 times level for level 21-73 mobs.
- Wrath of the Lich King - Requires 5-point skill increases per mob level up to 73. Requires 10-point skill increases from 74-80.
- Cataclysm - Requires 5-point skill increases per mob level from 80-83. Requires 20-point skill increases from 83+.
† Cataclysm Dungeon and Raid Bosses require 530 skinning to skin.Nefarian requires 550.
Up to skinning 100, you can find out the highest level mob you can skin by: ((Skinning skill)/10)+10.
Suggested 2nd professions[]
- Leatherworking. Make your own armor (Druid,Rogue,Hunter orShaman benefit from Leatherworking, doubly so for Hunters and Shamans), sell your wares, or get fodder fordisenchanting.
- Tailoring. Some Tailor recipes require leather, such as bags and boots. In the long run, Tailoring/Enchanting is a stronger combination, but Skinning/Tailoring is a good way to start out.
- Mining orHerbalism. Having two gathering professions can ensure a strong income. Some people are willing to pay quite a bit of money for materials for crafting professions, in lieu of time to farm the materials.
- Enchanting. It's good to have as a second profession for any that don't necessarily need another to work.
- Blacksmithing orEngineering. While Blacksmithing and Engineering use leather in some plans and schematics, Mining is a much better match for blacksmiths and engineers in the long run.
What you gather[]
Leather[]
Leather is gathered byskinningbeasts that have been slain and looted. Leathers can be used directly by the Leatherworking profession without prior processing or treatment. The type of leather is usually directly related to the level of animal being skinned.
| Leather | Level | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
 [Ruined Leather Scraps] | (lvl 5-17 mobs) | ||
 [Light Leather] | (lvl 5-27 mobs) | (with recipe, made from 3 Ruined Leather Scraps) | |
 [Medium Leather] | (lvl 15-38 mobs) | (with recipe, made from 4 Light Leathers) | |
 [Heavy Leather] | (lvl 26-46 mobs) | (with recipe, made from 5 Medium Leathers) | |
 [Thick Leather] | (lvl 35-58 mobs) | (with recipe, made from 6 Heavy Leathers) | |
 [Rugged Leather] | (lvl 45-60 mobs) | (with recipe, made from 6 Thick Leathers) | |
|  [Knothide Leather Scraps] | (lvl 58+ mobs, inOutland) | |
|  [Knothide Leather] | (lvl 58+ mobs, inOutland) | (with recipe, made from 5 Knothide Leather Scraps) |
|  [Heavy Knothide Leather] | (with recipe, made from 5 Knothide Leathers) | |
|  [Borean Leather Scraps] | (lvl 68+ mobs, inNorthrend) | |
|  [Borean Leather] | (lvl 73+ mobs, inNorthrend) | (made from 5 Borean Leather Scraps) |
|  [Heavy Borean Leather] | (with recipe, made from 6 Borean Leathers) | |
|  [Savage Leather Scraps] | (lvl 80+ mobs in newCataclysm zones) | |
|  [Savage Leather] | (lvl 81+ mobs in newCataclysm zones) | (made from 5 Savage Leather Scraps) |
|  [Heavy Savage Leather] | (with recipe, made from 5 Savage Leather) | |
|  [Sha-Touched Leather] | (lvl 90+ mobs in newPandaria zones) | |
|  [Exotic Leather] | (lvl 91+ mobs in newPandaria zones) | (made from 5 Savage Leather Scraps) |
|  [Burnished Leather] | (made from 20 Raw Beast Hides and 10 Gorgrond Flytraps) | |
|  [Stonehide Leather] | (lvl 100+ mobs inBroken Isles zones) | |
 [Thin Kodo Leather] | Obtained fromKodos | ||
 [Devilsaur Leather] | Obtained fromDevilsaurs | ||
| [Warbear Leather] | Obtained from high-levelBears | ||
 [Core Leather] | Obtained fromcore hounds in theMolten Core. Requires 310 Skinning. | ||
|  [Crystal Infused Leather] | Obtained frombasilisks andravagers. | |
|  [Thick Clefthoof Leather] | Obtained fromclefthooves andElekk Demolishers | |
|  [Arctic Fur] | Obtained from beasts inNorthrend |
Hides[]
You get hides the same way you get skins, however the drop rate is lower, and they require curing via Leatherworking to before they can be used as materials for crafted items.
| Hide | Cures to | |
|---|---|---|
 [Light Hide] |  [Cured Light Hide] | |
 [Medium Hide] |  [Cured Medium Hide] | |
 [Heavy Hide] |  [Cured Heavy Hide] | |
 [Thick Hide] |  [Cured Thick Hide] | |
 [Rugged Hide] |  [Cured Rugged Hide] |
Scales[]
These are used in Leatherworking patterns, and drop when certain mobs are skinned, such as Dragonkin. Scales are used to create Mail armor with Leatherworking, which is useful for Hunters and Shamans beyond level 40.
| Scales | Notes | |
|---|---|---|
 [Black Whelp Scale] | ||
| [Green Whelp Scale] | ||
 [Worn Dragonscale] | ||
 [Blue Dragonscale] | ||
 [Green Dragonscale] | ||
 [Black Dragonscale] | ||
 [Red Dragonscale] | ||
| [Scale of Onyxia] | ||
| [Brilliant Chromatic Scale] | ||
| [Dreamscale] | ||
|  [Nether Dragonscales] | Obtained fromnether dragons andnether whelps. |
|  [Icy Dragonscale] | Obtained fromdragons in Northrend. |
|  [Blackened Dragonscale] | Obtained fromdragons affiliated with Deathwing. |
 [Deviate Scale] | ||
 [Perfect Deviate Scale] | ||
| [Naga Scale] | ||
| [Slimy Murloc Scale] | ||
| [Thick Murloc Scale] | ||
| [Turtle Scale] | ||
| [Scorpid Scale] | ||
| [Heavy Scorpid Scale] | ||
|  [Cobra Scales] | Obtained fromserpent's andCoilskar Cobras. |
|  [Fel Scales] | Obtained frombasilisks andravagers. |
|  [Wind Scales] | |
| [Jormungar Scale] | Obtained fromjormungars. |
|  [Nerubian Chitin] | Obtained fromnerubians. |
|  [Deepsea Scale] | Obtained fromcrocolisks and other sea beasts in Cataclysm zones. |
|  [Prismatic Scale] | Obtained fromturtles,mushan's andcrocolisks in Pandaria Zones. |
|  [Stormscale] | Obtained from scaled beasts on theBroken Isles. |
Volatile elements[]
This section concerns content related toCataclysm.When skinning Cataclysm mobs, there is a small chance of obtaining a
[Strange Bloated Stomach] in addition to leather, hide or scale(s). Theselootable containers contain a stack of one random volatile element (~20% chance of each), either 1-4Volatile Air or 1-2 VolatileEarth,Fire,Life orWater.
Cloth[]
Cloth is used by tailors in patterns for cloth armor, and inFirst Aid for Bandages. Cloth drops off humanoids in the world, with the Cloth that drops determined by enemy level. Cloth can also be used by blacksmiths and engineers.
Frequently asked questions[]
- Why can't I skin certain mobs?
- There are several reasons:
- While most beasts can be skinned, some can't. Also, most demons can't, while most dragons can. See theCreature Types page for more details.
- All the items from a corpse must be looted before it can be skinned. This requirement can be somewhat annoying, since you basically end up filling your bags with worthless bits and pieces of whatever you're killing. You may want to get anaddon, like LootDestroyer and ReagentHelper, to help you with figuring out what's worth keeping. Auctioneer is also worthwhile if you plan to sell the raw materials.
- Any skinnable mobs will say "Skinnable" in theirtooltipafter they are dead and completely looted, and this is color coded in line with other gathering professions. If it is , you cannot skin thatmob. If you attempt to skin it, you will receive an error telling you the required level: "Requires Skinning 110" for example. After the "Starting Levels", mobs require 5 Skinning ability per level, so a level 25 mob requires 125 skill points in Skinning for you to be able to skin its corpse.
- Skinning follow the usual loot claiming rules for establishing whether a mob can be skinned at all: mobs killed exclusively by pets with no player damage contribution are not skinnable no matter what type they are, while mobs killed by guards will only be skinnable if the players initiated combat with the mob and did the majority of the damage to it.
- If you're trying to skin something that is lootable by another player, that player must take all loot from the corpse, or you won't be able to skin it.
- To prevent farming of easy leather, beasts found instarting areas cannot be skinned.
- If another player has started to skin a mob, the corpse is "tapped", and you cannot attempt to skin it.
Toys[]
[Mother's Skinning Knife] aToy that allows skinning up to 40 yd away. It is a quest reward from
[10-45] Drakol'nir Must Die.
- Where are some good places tofarm for certain types of skins?
- See thePlaces to farm page.
Patch changes[]
- Patch 8.0.1 (2018-07-17): Each expansion now has a separate profession skill bar, with smaller caps for each expansion, instead of one gigantic profession skill bar for all expansions put together
- Patch 6.0.2 (2014-10-14): [Master of Anatomy] was removed, along with all other profession bonuses.
- Patch 3.2.0 (2009-08-04): Critters such as Sheep, Cows and Rabbits are no longer skinnable.
- Patch 3.1.0 (2009-04-14): You can no longer fail when Mining, Herbing, and Skinning.
- Patch 0.6 (2004-04-13):
- Skinning a beast will always produce a skin of some quality.
- Skill increases and time to skin have both been reduced.
- Some ambient creatures can now be skinned.
- You can now right click a creature that has no loot to skin it.
See also[]
Using the same mechanic:
References[]
External links[]
| ||||||||
| |||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
