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Comment by Lavafrost

It should also be noted that Worgen will get a passive in Cataclysm called Flayer that gives them +15 skinning, boosts their skinning speed and removes the need for them to carry around a skinning tool.

Source: http://www.wowwiki.com/Worgen_%28playable%29#Racial_traits

Comment by smiley001

Fun Fact;
Prior to Patch 3.2.0, Various Critters such as Hares and Cows could be skinned for Ruined Leather Scraps or, rarely, Light Leather.
In addition to that, skinning a Sheep sometimes yielded a piece of Wool Cloth ^^.

Comment by ShadeolTheFox

EDIT: Updated for Legion. Also did a bit of cleaning up.
NOTE: When I say 'creature' or 'mob', I'm referring to most beasts and dragonkin. There are some exceptions (such as undead beasts).

How do I level Skinning?

When a beast-type mob is slain and the loot has been removed from its body, you'll be able to skin it to obtain pieces of leather. If the mob is considered insignificant enough (or if you're skinning mobs that are above your "appropriate" Skinning level), they might instead drops leather scraps that can be combined into full leather pieces.

As of Warlords of Draenor, mobs no longer have a minimum Skinning requirement, allowing you to skin nearly every beast at 1 Skinning. However, mobs still have thresholds at which they stop giving skill points, to prevent people from farming low-level mobs all the way to max Skinning. Generally speaking, the best way to level your Skinning is to just skin beasts at or near your level so that you can keep getting points.

If you're curious what your "appropriate" Skinning level should be, the list below consists of the antiquated Skinning caps. The random jumps in skill points are mostly due to having to re-balance them as each expansion added more and more levels.

Level 1-10: 1 Skinning

Level 11-20: 10-100 Skinning (10 points per level) | (mobLevel*10)-100
> Level 11: (11*10)-100 = 10
> Level 20: (20*10)-100 = 100

Level 21-73: 105-365 Skinning (5 points per level) | mobLevel*5
> Level 21: (21*5) = 105
> Level 73: (73*5) = 365

Level 74-80: 375-435 Skinning (10 points per level) | 365+((mobLevel-73)*10)
> Level 74: 365+((74-73)*10) = 375
> Level 80: 365+((80-73)*10) = 435

Level 81-83: 440-450 Skinning (5 points per level) | 435+((mobLevel-80)*5)
> Level 81: 435+((81-80)*5) = 440
> Level 83: 435+((83-80)*5) = 450

Past this point, it's generally not worth paying attention to, as the jumps are all over the place.

What's the best/fastest way to level Skinning?

Like I said before, you generally want to find an area of high-level mobs so that you don't run into the issue of hitting a Skinning threshold where you stop gaining points from skinning those mobs. Because of this, you want to stick to areas from your current expansion or the previous one.

You'll want to aim for farming areas with fast respawns. Starter zones and daily hubs are some of the best for this, as they have faster-than-normal respawns to accommodate for the vast amounts of players running through them. If you don't want to deal with competition, you can also try to find dungeons or raids that have vast amounts of skinnable trash. You may run into the hourly instance cap this way, but you'll get guaranteed skins. Just be sure not to kill a boss so that you can reset afterwards.

Here are some pretty good spots:

- Obsidian/Ruby Sanctum
- Firelands (Scorpions, Core Hounds, Turtles)

- Valley outside of Horde Garrison (Frostwolves and Scorpids)
- Skyrange, Valley of the Four Winds (Stags)

What are the benefits of Skinning?

As of Warlords of Draenor, Skinning no longer provides a Critical Strike Chance bonus through Master of Anatomy as all professions have been nerfed to no longer grant combat bonuses.

When skinning mobs, you'll have a chance to obtain a rare fur that can normally be used in multiple professions. Each expansion has its own unique fur, and certain mobs in that expansion (typically rares and elites) have a higher-than-normal chance to drop them when skinned. However, these furs sometimes also have alternative methods of obtaining them.

Wrath of the Lich King: Arctic Fur (Recipe List)
Cataclysm: Pristine Hide (Recipe List)
Mists of Pandaria: (Recipe List)
Warlords of Draenor: (cannot be skinned; crafted by Leatherworkers using ) (Recipe List)
Legion: (obtained through a World Quest) (Recipe List)

Cataclysm and Pandaria mobs will also have a chance to drop small loot bags when skinned. These bags will contain goodies that can be sold to either vendors or other players. Mobs in Legion will also drop their own loot bags, but you must first learn how to through .

Are there items that I can obtain to make my Skinning better/faster/easier?

Being a Worgen grants you Flayer, causing you to skin mobs faster than normal. Non-Worgen can obtain from an Enchanter or the Auction House.

The Legion Skinning questlines will eventually grant you , which works similarly to the Loot-A-Rang in that it allows you to skin a random mob within 40 yards.

Several enchants and items will boost your Skinning level, but these aren't as necessary as they once were due to the removal of Skinning requirements.

Enchant Gloves - Gatherer OR Enchant Gloves - Skinning | +5 Skinning (when worn)
~~Pip's Skinner~~ (drops from ) | +10 Skinning (when worn)
~~Zulian Slicer~~ Zulian Slasher (drops from Zanzil) | +10 Skinning (when worn)
Skinning Knife OR Gnomish Army Knife/ | +10 Skinning

Are there any special professions bags that can hold my Skinning items?

Leatherworking bags will normally hold most items from Skinning.

(Recipe)
(Recipe)
Bag of Many Hides (Recipe)
Leatherworker's Satchel (Recipe)

"Carriage - Meeya" Leather Bag Alliance Only

Skinning Updates

Patch 3.2 (8/4/09): Critters can no longer be skinned.
Patch 4.1 (4/26/11): Zul'Gurub (ZG) reworked from level 60 raid to level 85 dungeon. Zulian Slicer removed and replaced with Zulian Slasher.
Patch 4.2 (6/28/11): Players can no longer skin corpses already being actively skinned/looted by another player.
Patch 5.0 (9/25/12): Skinning Knives are no longer needed to skin, and instead grant a +10 Skinning bonus even while in your bags.
Patch 6.0 (11/13/14): Professions no longer provide combat bonuses (Skinning loses Master of Anatomy). Upper Blackrock Spire (UBRS) reworked from level 58 dungeon to level 90. Pip's Skinner removed and replaced with

Comment by 607950

There is a horde skinning quest called Gathering Leather.
www.wowhead.com/cata/quest=768
It requires 1 point in skinning to pick up.

Comment by 598507

ummmmm yeah i was working on my skining currently it is 304 and im having a problem i was skining the hell boars in hellfire and they are orange to me and they are not giving a skining point every time can someone explain or did they change something

Comment by Chesco

Skinning's critical strike also does help spell critical.

Skinning is best paired with professions such as Leatherworking, to level it, if you want to go into farming do Skinning Mining, or Skinning, Herbalism personally I would go with Herbalism paired since ore is not always in the dead center of a field, its usually packed around rocks away from creatures you might be fighting.

Why did this get down-rated? It is useful information.

Comment by 640234

If youre like me and just started leveling your skinning at a high lvl (74) and want to do it fast, here is an guide on which areas to skin at (Alliance) and always skin at these areas until you don't get a lvl every time you skin

1. Dun Morogh, mainly lvl 5 wolves and boars
2. Loch Modan
3. Redridge Mtns
4. Wetlands
5. Arathi highlands
6. Feralas
7. Burning Steppes/Blasted Lands
8. Outlands- Mainly Hellfire Peninsula and Terokkar Forest
9. Northrend, starting at Howling Fjord and then Grizzly Hills which got me to the point where I was skinning monsters at my lvl

Comment by martinmpop

Whats the lowest level thats still green, realitive to your skill-level?

I mean skill/5 is the highest... whats the lowest?

I'm trying to figure out which levels are still worth killing for skinning.

Comment by 631257

By martinmpop on 08/18/2010 (Patch 3.3.5)
Whats the lowest level thats still green, realitive to your skill-level?

I mean skill/5 is the highest... whats the lowest?

I'm trying to figure out which levels are still worth killing for skinning.

This^^ Say my skill is 300(lvl 60 mobs), how low can I kill and still level my skill? Obviously the lower level the mob, the faster you can kill/skin em.

Comment by 400358

Note that skinning now also sometimes gives you Strange Bloated Stomach, which contains random volatile elements, so skinning no longer lags behind the other gathering professions in terms of access to crafting mats.

Comment by 186540

Protip for all the cata skinners out there: the first shipwreck for Vashj'ir is one of the best places to farm your leather now. Just keep killing the crabs and you will almost always get at least a Savage Leather and if you get scraps you'll get 4 scraps which is almost a full leather. After a half hour of farming I had 5 Strange Bloated Stomach's, a Pristine Hide and about 90 pieces of Savage Leather

(this may apply to horde only as I'm not sure where alliance start, they are still able to farm this area as long as they aren't on a PvP server)

Comment by 755603

I've hit a snag with skinning. I had it before Cata along with Mining, but now I have dropped mining to add Leatherworking. Trying to find the leathers I need was alright until hitting lvl 180 skinning. I know Hides were already scarce, but nearly any mob that used to drop them have had their level changed, altering their drops, or removed altogether. It seems the WowHead database needs an overhaul in this regard, though I know they have a lot on their plate, I'm hoping all you skinners out there will take some time to post where you're finding your skins.

Comment by 727506

does anyone know of other ways to raise one's skinning skill beyond 525 other then those enchants for the gloves?

Comment by 477613

okay, so I have a question, what is the equation for skinning past lvl 80 mobs? I mean lvl 80 requires 425, which is not 80 x5(400), so I assume 81 doesn't need 405, call it a hunch... but does 81 need 430, or 450, or some arbitrary number because blizzard wanted to take what was a simple skill/5 calculation and make it retarded?

Comment by Alanoor

Alanoor
Skywall

This is the breakdown for the skinning level, and what area to go to:
1 - 60 Durotar, Dun Moroghm, Elwynn Forest.
60 - 120 Barrens, Loch Modan
120 - 180 Ashenvale, Wetlands
180 - 225 Dustwallow Marsh, Hinterlands
225 - 285 Thousand Needles (Western part in Highperch)
285 - 340 Un'Goro Crater
340 - 445 Hellfire Peninsula, Terokkar Forest, and Nagrand
445 - 500 Borean Tundra, Sholazar Basin
500 - 525 Mount Hyjal

I hope this helps.

Comment by 784321

I am currently at 525 skinning and was running a random and the dragon would not let me skin it required 530 how do i get to 530?

Comment by 775134

"I am currently at 525 skinning and was running a random and the dragon would not let me skin it required 530 how do i get to 530?"

- You can also be a Worgen.

Comment by Golgathoth

Tip: Don't skin while drunk. It will show everything as a lower level, which will confuse the crap out of you. XD

Comment by 557003

Can someone please link a good website or can tell me where I can lvl my skinning I am currently at 465? thanks :)

Comment by NissaR

doesn't like links here, wow-professions i use for all my proffs

Comment by 820214

Here is, as of cata, the three best places to lvl up skinning from lvl 1

boars / Princess at Stonefield farm in Elwynn forest (almost instant respawn)
then
boars and crocs around the lake in Thelsamar (up and down form crocs to boars and so on)
then
Raptors jund under hunter's hill (fast respawn small circle)

All three have great respawn and drop rate

Comment by 820214

Find whatever the highest lvl leather you can get is then search for that on thottbot and there will be comments on that page for where to farm / lvl

Comment by 371537

Did the number of skins per mob drop after Cataclysm? Coulda sworn it used to be that you could get between like 1-4 skins per kill a couple years ago, now it's just 1 every single time.

Granted I'm only up to rugged leather so far, so could be different in BC and WotLK, but just thought that "vanilla" used to have a chance at more than one. Thanks in advance.

Comment by 363646

Did i read correctly, that in patch 4.2 skinning is not allowed anymore from looted beasts from other players?

Comment by 837326

You are right, kaltoran. I've recently leveled skinning and yes, during my stay in Outland and Northrend, I only went one point every two kills. I don't know why this happened, but as long as I hit Cataclysm, it went back to normal.

It must have to do with the fact you can level up skinning rather quickly, as long as you're doing quests. I mean, compare skinning with Mining or Herbalism for example. There are usually much much, more beasts around for you to kill and skin, rather than Mining nodes :p

Comment by 489883

skinning is a most profitable profession in the game its easy u get xp for killing u make money with leather its a win win win

Comment by 895621

Where can Horde level skinninng from 75-100?

Comment by 964622

Comment for WOWHEAD articles:
LOL I am lv 24 Rogue human, just new to WOW. I am over whelmed and some what frustrated learning the way to play WOW and enjoy the game too. However, I found this to give me some what of guardian angel at my back. It gives me a place to review and I don’t have to figure and learn every thing all at once. I want to enjoy leveling and not die trying everything while I explore the continents. Thanks. Minifey

Comment by 998323

For mining levels 100 - 120ish, just kill bellygrub in redridge mountains. He spawns just west of lakeshore, and his respawn rate is almost instantaneous. Then do yourself a favor and continue to 150 in duskwood.

Comment by Pytheas

If you find yourself having trouble getting from 90 to 130 or 140 run Wailing Caverns. I think some of the mobs are able to be skinned at 80 but 90 for sure. Went in at 93 and came out 141 and didn't skin everything due to non looting of corpses.

Happy farming.

Comment by Rapuska

Does AoE looting make all the corpses free to skin for everyone?

Comment by 2030451

There are currently three ways of increasing your Skinning level beyond the 300 cap in WoW Classic:

Having someone enchant Formula: Enchant Gloves - Skinning on your gloves.
Looting Pip's Skinner from The Beast in Blackrock Spire.
Looting Zulian Slicer from High Priest Thekal in Zul'Gurub.

It's necessary to increase your Skinning level beyond 300 if you want to skin end game beasts, like The Beast in Blackrock Spire to get Pristine Hide of the Beast, or Onyxia in Onyxia's Lair to get Scale of Onyxia.

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