Leatherworking Basics

Leatherworking is a crafting profession that goes hand-in-hand with the gathering profession of Skinning. As a leatherworker, you will create leather and mail armor out of the skins and hide of wild beasts. You can also create armor kits, which are single-use items that give a permanent armor or statistic boost to any type of hand, leg, chest, and foot armor. At high levels, leatherworkers can create epic quality armor, some of which can only be created by a leatherworker of a particular specialization. Leatherworkers can also create miscellaneous items, such as the highly sought after Riding Crop.

Becoming a Leatherworker

You should already be a skinner since you will need hides and leather to create your items. It is possible to be a leatherworker without being a skinner if you buy or are given the required ingredients by other players but is not recommended.

Leatherworkers do not require any special equipment to create their items such as blacksmiths require anvils. Leatherworkers can create wherever they want as long as they have the proper required ingredients.

Recipe Ingredients

The main staple for leatherworkers is obviously leather as well as hides. These are found by skinning animals. You will likely not get enough leather and hides on your own so you are encouraged to buy leather and hides as well as have your friends collect them for you. Recipes also require various other ingredients such as dyes and thread purchased from a Profession merchant. You might also need rare gems which are found from monster drops, treasure chests, mining, fishing, and Rogue pick pocketing.

You can combine lesser leather to convert it to higher leather. Check out the table below for a list of conversions.

Recipes
Recipes can be found at trainers, as limited items on special vendors, as rewards for reputations, monster drops, quest rewards, powerful boss drops, and in the auction house. Ask around if you can't find a particular recipe.

Armor Kits

Leatherworkers can create armor kits which are alternatives to Enchanting. Players must choose whether they want armor kits or enchantments on items to which both can be applied, such as chest pieces. Armor kits are permanent. You can place an enchantment over an armor kit or place a more powerful armor kit over a weaker one. Armor kits can only be applied to boots, chest pieces, gloves, and pants.

Higher level Leatherworkers can create new armor kits from the beasts in Outland that grant statistic boosts and increase resistances to arcane, shadow, fire, frost, and nature.

Specialization

At high levels, players have the ability to specialize as a Dragonscale Leatherworker, Elemental Leatherworker, or Tribal Leatherworker. These specialists can create very powerful and valuable items. Your decision as to which to pick depends on how the items appeal to you. Another thing to consider is filling a role in a guild among other leatherworkers.

You can unlearn a leatherworking specialization and learn a different one by finding the appropriate NPC, paying the fee to unlearn your old specialization, and then finding the trainer of your new specialization.

Additional Information

Master Leatherworking (skill level 300-375)
To become a master of Leatherworking you'll need to head to Outland. Horde players can go to Barim Splithoof (Thrallmar, Hellfire Peninsula) or Darmari (Shattrath City). Alliance players can visit Brumman (Honor Hold, Hellfire Peninsula) or Darmari (Shattrath City).

As a master leatherworker, you'll be able to learn the many new recipes found from trainers, reputation rewards, and from random drops in Outland.

To learn more you're encouraged to visit the profession guides linked at the top of this page.

More Random Info

  • Leatherworkers can create a Riding Crop which increases land and flying mount speed by 10%. It's a must-have!
  • Leatherworkers can create Drums. When right-clicked from your inventory, the drum can apply a short duration buff to nearby party members. Drums have a 2 minute cooldown and 30 charges.
    • Drums of Panic causes 5 enemies to flee in terror.
    • Drums of Battle increase attack speed and casting speed rating of nearby party members.
    • Drums of Restoration restores health and mana to nearby party members.
    • Drums of Speed increase speed of nearby party members.
    • Drums of War increase attack power and spell damage on nearby party members.
  • Leather patches' effects do not stack. They will overwrite each other when applied. You can only have one patch on an item at a time.
  • Enchants/Imbues and armor patches do not stack. They will overwrite each other.
  • At high levels, players have the ability to specialize as a Dragonscale Leatherworker, Elemental Leatherworker, or Tribal Leatherworker. These specialists can create very powerful and valuable items.
  • At 350 skill Leatherworking you can create several different "Stylin'" hats.
  • There is a recipe at leatherworking trainers that allows Thick Leather to be turned into Rugged Leather.
  • Leatherworkers can make throwing balls (as a toy).
  • There is Silithid armor that can be made by leatherworkers. The recipes require Cenarion Circle faction to learn.