Leatherworking Guide

This WoW Leatherworking guide will show you the fastest and cheapest way how to level your Leatherworking skill up from 1 to 525. Updated for WoW patch 4.3

Leatherworking is the best combined with Skinning, it's not required to have skinning, but it's strongly recommended. Check out my Skinning Leveling Guide if you want to level Skinning. You can buy the materials at the Auction House, but then make sure you will have enough gold.

If you are low on gold, I recommend you to try this Gold Making Guide, it can help you to make loads of gold.

If you are still leveling your character or you just started a new alt, I recommend you to use a leveling guide. You can level your character to Level 85 in 5 days with this Guide.

Leatherworking guide sections:

Apprentice 1 - 55
Journeyman 55 - 135
Expert 135 - 210
Artisan 205 - 290
Master 290 - 350
Grand Master 350 - 425
Illustrious 425 - 525


Related Guides:

Skinning leveling guide 1-525
Approximate Materials Required for 1-525:
- 57 Ruined Leather Scraps
- 130 Coarse Thread
- 15 Medium Hide
- 75 Salt
- 260 Light Leather
- 155 Medium Leather
- 190 Fine Thread
- 30 Gray Dye
- 20 Heavy Hide
- 195 Heavy Leather
- 410 Thick Leather
- 145 Silken Thread
- 410 Rugged Leather
- 35 Black Dye
- 92 Rune Thread
- 100 Knothide Leather Scraps
- 307 Knothide Leather
- 28 Fel Scales
- 212 Borean Leather
- 123 Heavy Borean Leather (738 Borean Leather) - You will need a lot less if you use Arctic Fur. Don't buy all of these.
- 100 Crystallized Water - You won't need all of these if you use Arctic Fur.
- 5 Eternal Water
- 50 Savage Leather Scraps
- 375 Savage Leather
- 168 Heavy Savage Leather (840 Savage Leather)
- 68 Volatile Fire
- 8 Volatile Air
- 28 Volatile Water
- 32 Volatile Earth



WoW Leatherworking Leveling Guide 1 - 525
First, visit any trainer in the main cities of old Azeroth - just ask a guard, and learn Leatherworking Apprentice.

Make sure to check out my Farming Guides if you wan to farm the leathers instead of buying them.

You should start with Light Leather farming if you want to farm the leathers.

1-20
19 x [Light Leather] - 57 Ruined Leather Scraps
20-30 or 1-30
10 x [Light Armour Kit] - 10 Light Leather
You can make these from 1-30 too, if you don't have Ruined Leather Scraps.

30-50
20 x [Handstitched Leather Cloak] - 40 Light Leather, 20 Coarse Thread
50-55
5 x [Handstitched Leather Belt] - 30 Light Leather, 5 Coarse Thread


55 - 135
Learn Leatherworking Journeyman.

55-85
30 x [Embossed Leather Gloves] - 90 Light Leather, 60 Coarse Thread
85-100
15 x [Fine Leather Belt] - 90 Light Leather, 30 Coarse Thread
Keep these, you will need them.

100-115
Keep the Medium Hides, you will need them.
15 x [Cured Medium Hide] - 15 Medium Hide, 15 Salt

Make [Medium Armor Kit] if you can't find Medium Hides at the AH.

Go to my Medium Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

115-130
15 x [Dark Leather Boots] - 60 Medium Leather, 30 Fine Thread, 15 Gray Dye


135 - 200
Learn Leatherworking Expert.

130-145
15 x [Dark Leather Belt] - 15 Fine Leather Belt, 15 Cured Medium Hide, 30 Fine Thread, 15 Gray Die
Make [Dark Leather Cloak] if you still don't have [Cured Medium Hide].

145-150
5 x [Hillman's Leather Gloves] - 70 Medium Leather, 20 Fine Thread
150-155
5 x [Heavy Leather] - 25 Medium Leather
You can also make the following recipe:

5 x [Heavy Leather Ball] - 10 Heavy Leather, 5 Fine Thread

The pattern is sold by these NPCs.

Go to my Heavy Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

155-165
You will need the Cured Heavy Hides later.
20 x [Cured Heavy Hide] - 20 Heavy Hide, 60 Salt

Below you can find an alternative way if you don't have any Heavy Hides at all. Which is usually the case, since Heavy Hide has pretty low drop rate. If you can get 5 Heavy Hides for example, you should stop making Barbaric Leggings at 195 and start making Guardian Gloves, you can find this recipe at the 190-200 part in the guide.

155-180 - [Heavy Armour Kit] or [Hillman's Cloak]
180-190 - [Guardian Pants] or [Barbaric Leggings]
190-200 - [Barbaric Leggings]

The [Barbaric Leggings] recipe is sold by these NPCs.

165-180
15 x [Heavy Armor Kit] - 75 Heavy Leather, 10 Fine Thread
180-190
10 x [Barbaric Shoulders] - 80 Heavy Leather, 10 Cured Heavy Hide, 20 Fine Thread
190-200
10 x [Guardian Gloves] - 40 Heavy Leather, 10 Cured Heavy Hide, 10 Silken Thread
Go to my Thick Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

200-205
5 x [Thick Armor Kit] - 25 Thick Leather, 5 Silken Thread


205 - 265
Learn Leatherworking Artisan.

205-235
35 x [Nightscape Headband] - 175 Thick Leather, 70 Silken Thread
235-250
15 x [Nightscape Pants] - 210 Thick Leather, 60 Silken Thread
Go to my Rugged Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

250-265
18 x [Rugged Armor Kit] - 90 Rugged Leather
265-290
25 x [Wicked Leather Bracers] - 200 Rugged Leather, 25 Black Dye, 25 Rune Thread
If 4 Heavy Scorpid Scale are cheaper than 4 Rugged Leather, you can craft the following item:

[Heavy Scorpid Bracers] - Recipe location

Or make [Frostsaber Boots] if one Essence of Water is cheaper than 4 Rugged Leather on your realm.



290 - 350
Visit your trainer learn Leatherworking Master.

290-300
10 x [Wicked Leather Headband] - 120 Rugged Leather, 10 Black Dye, 10 Rune Thread
Go to my Knothide Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

300-310
20 x [Knothide Leather] - 100 Knothide Leather Scraps
Just skip this part and start making [Knothide Armor Kit], if you don't have Knothide Leather Scraps.

310-325
23 x [Knothide Armor Kit] - 92 Knothide Leather
325-335
43 x [Heavy Knothide Leather] - 215 Knothide Leather
Just go to the next step if you didn't reach 335 by making these, but then you will need a few more [Heavy Knothide Leather].

If one Heavy Knothide Leather is cheaper than 5 Knothide Leather, stop making the Heavy Knothide Leathers when you reach 330, buy them from the Auction House instead.

335-340
5 x [Thick Draenic Vest] - 15 Heavy Knothide Leather, 15 Rune Thread
340-350
If you don't have to that much Fel Scales, you can make [Thick Draenic Vest] up to 345 or 350 if you can't find any Fel Scales in the AH at all.
14 x [Scaled Draenic Boots] - 28 Heavy Knothide Leather, 28 Fel Scales, 42 Rune Thread

This recipe goes yellow at 345, so you will need to make a few extra ones. I suggest gathering enough materials for 14.



350 - 425
Visit your trainer and learn Leatherworking Grand Master.

Go to my Borean Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

350-380
33 x [Borean Armor Kit] - 132 Borean Leather
Transform all your [Borean Leather Scraps] into [Borean Leather] if you are a Skinner. The recipe is yellow up to 362, do not right click the Leather Scraps, there is actually a recipe that give you skill-ups, use that.

380-390
10 x [Arctic Boots] - 80 Borean Leather
390-405
Make the recipe below until you reach 400, then go to the Auction House and check the [Arctic Fur] prices. If one Arctic Fur is cheaper than 4 Heavy Borean Leather (24 Borean Leather) then buy it and make any Fur Lining recipe. Buy as many as you can and don't make the 123 Heavy Borean Leathers if you bought Arctics Furs, make more only if you need it.
123 x [Heavy Borean Leather] - 738 Borean Leather

405-420
20 x [Dark Frostscale Leggings] - 80 Heavy Borean Leather, 100 Crystallized Water
Make [Dark Iceborne Leggings] if Crystallized Shadow is cheaper than Crystallized Water.

420-425
5 x [Overcast Bracers] - 40 Heavy Borean Leather, 5 Eternal Water
The recipe sold by Braeg Stoutbeard in Dalaran. It costs 3 Heavy Borean Leather.



425 - 525
Visit your trainer and learn Leatherworking Illustrious.

Go to my Savage Leather farming guide if you want to farm the leathers.

425-435
10 x [Savage Leather] - 50 Savage Leather Scraps
Start making the next recipe in the guide if you don't have Savage Leather Scraps, and obviously if you have more Scraps, just make Savage Leather until it turns gray.

435-450
15 x [Savage Armor Kit] - 75 Savage Leather
450-460
10 x [Tsunami Boots] - 70 Savage Leather, 10 Eternium Thread
You can buy Eternium Threads from Leatherworking Supply vendors and you could also make any other item that requires 7 Savage Leather.

460-470
10 x [Savage Cloak] - 70 Savage Leather, 10 Eternium Thread
Or any other orange item that requires 7 Savage Leather.

470-475
5 x [Darkbrand Boots] - 50 Savage Leather, 5 Eternium Thread
475-480
5 x [Darkbrand Shoulders] - 60 Savage Leather, 5 Eternium Thread
You could alse make [Scorched Leg Armor] up to 485.

480-485
5 x [Darkbrand Chestguard] - 60 Savage Leather, 5 Eternium Thread
You could alse make [Twilight Leg Armor] up to 490 or any other orange item that requires 12 Savage Leather.

485-490
152 x [Heavy Savage Leather] - 760 Savage Leather
490-496
2 x [Darkbrand Leggings] - 8 Heavy Savage Leather, 24 Volatile Earth
496-502
2 x [Cloak of Beast] - 16 Heavy Savage Leather, 4 Volatile Earth, 4 Volatile Air, 4 Volatile Water, 4 Volatile Fire
502-504
2 x [Darkbrand Helm] - 10 Heavy Savage Leather
It is really important to stop making these at 504!

504-510
2 x [Cloak of Beast] - 16 Heavy Savage Leather, 4 Volatile Earth, 4 Volatile Air, 4 Volatile Water, 4 Volatile Fire
or

2 x [Cloak of War] - 120 Blackened Dragonscale

510-525
You can buy these recipes in all major cities near your Leatherworking Trainer, the NPC is labeled as "Leatherworking Supplies". This does not include Dalaran and Shattrath.
Every vendor recipe changes to yellow after 5 skill points, this means you're going to purchase a new recipe every 5 points. Each of these recipes gives you 2 skill points. You can use different recipes, because most of them use the same amount of materials, here is the path I did:

You will need 30 more Heavy Savage Leathers to buy the 3 recipes.

3 x [Vicious Leather Bracers] - 30 Heavy Savage Leather, 30 Volatile Fire

3 x [Vicious Leather Boots] - 30 Heavy Savage Leather, 30 Volatile Fire

2 x [Vicious Leather Helm] - 20 Heavy Savage Leather, 20 Volatile Water

I hope you liked this WoW Leatherworking guide, GZ to 525!