Skinning

Learning and using Skinning

Skinning gathers leather, hides and scales from eligible, completely looted creatures. It fits naturally alongside quests involving skinnable creatures and can feed Leatherworking.

Keep gathered hides and leather for relevant crafting or trade; check each item’s recorded uses instead of assuming every material works in every pattern.

At a campsite

At skill 20, a Camp Chair grants nearby resting players 2% critical strike chance for spells and attacks; it is exclusive with Moonkin Aura.

See Camping for shared camp rules and feature limits.

Planning materials and practice

Carry a Skinning Knife, fully loot eligible creatures, then skin the corpse. Leatherworking can use the leather; a second gathering profession is an alternative if you prefer selling materials.

Wowhead’s November 7 Forever guide recommends starting with creatures in a starter zone, then moving to higher-level creatures as skill improves. A corpse’s current tooltip and your actual skill determine whether you can skin it.

Further leveling and decisions

Wowhead’s Forever Skinning overview and ForeverArtisan describe skill 1 for eligible creatures up to level 10, then 10 skill per creature level above 10 through level 20; from level 21 they list five skill per creature level. For example, they list 150 for a level 30 creature and 275 for level 55. Check the creature tooltip and your effective skill; these are source-reported requirements, not a verified drop table.

From corpse to material

Keep a Skinning Knife in your bags; Wowhead says it need not be equipped. A corpse must be fully looted before skinning. The guide says an already-looted eligible creature killed by another player may be skinned, subject to current game conditions.

Leather, hides and scarce goods

Leatherworking uses leather, hides and scales in different recipes; retain the exact type needed by a pattern. Compare raw goods against the complete material cost and likely use of a finished item.

Wowhead describes a chance of Pristine Leather, Hide or Scale but does not establish probabilities or all requirements. It also lists Fel Leather and Fel Hide without verified gathering locations. Treat these as known item names with unresolved acquisition.

Training and progression details

Wowhead lists Riley Peltskinner in Northshire, Brighid Stormflayer in Coldridge Valley and Terunne Bearshaper in Shadowglen as starter-area Apprentice trainers. It separately lists Balthus Stoneflayer in Ironforge and Eladriel in Darnassus among trainers for higher ranks.

The guide suggests skinning eligible starter-zone creatures through roughly 75, then following appropriately leveled quest areas. The exact creature level, your effective skill and whether a corpse is fully looted determine whether a specific attempt is possible.

Example ingredients from the Forever client

Recorded ability	Recorded reagents
Camp Chair	3 × Light Leather, 2 × Simple Wood
Field Guide	3 × Medium Leather, 2 × Slimy Murloc Scale, 1 × Fine Thread
Trapper's Workbench	2 × Simple Wood, 4 × Heavy Leather, 1 × Iron Bar

Reading these examples

These are selective client-record reagent counts, not proven output, training requirements or current availability. The Recipes and Materials tabs provide more recorded relationships.

A route while leveling

Wowhead’s November 7 guide suggests the Barrens, Loch Modan or Darkshore for roughly 75–125; Ashenvale, Duskwood, Hillsbrad or Wetlands for 125–175; and Arathi, Stranglethorn Vale or Thousand Needles for 175–225. Choose a region appropriate to your character and faction rather than assuming all are equally safe.

For the Barrens the guide describes moving south as creatures become higher level; for Loch Modan it suggests moving east. Its Skinning page says Artisan can be learned at skill 200, while Wowhead’s general profession overview lists 225 for Artisan. Those sources conflict; the actual current offer has not been independently checked.