Skinning is one of the primary and gathering professions in WoW Classic. With Skinning you can skin dead animals and collect leather, hides, and scales. Skinning can be easily combined with Leatherworking as a profession because it requires a lot of leather. But even as a tailor you occasionally need leather.
This WoW Classic Skinning Guide explains where you can learn skinning in the WoW Classic era, what’s special about Skinning in SoD, and how to effectively level skinning from 1-300.
Where To Learn Skinning in WoW Classic?
You can learn Skinning from Skinning trainers, who you can find in all capitals and various other cities. You can, for example, go to one of the following Skinning trainers to learn the profession:
Horde Skinning Trainers
- Killian Hagey in Undercity (71,60)
- Kulleg Stonehorn in Feralas (74,43)
- Malux in Desolace (23,69)
- Mooranta in Thunder Bluff (45,43)
- Rand Rhobart in Tirisfall (65,60)
- Thuwd in Orgrimmar (61,54)
- Yonn Deepcut in Mulgore (45,57)
Alliance Skinning Trainers
- Balthus Stoneflayer in Ironforge (40,32)
- Eladriel in Darnassus (60,37)
- Helene Peltskinner in Elwynn Forest (46,62)
- Maris Granger in Stormwind City (67,49)
- Radnaal Maneweaver in Teldrassil (42,50)
- Wilma Ranthal in Redridge Mountains (89,71)
You don’t have to go to different trainers for the individual levels (Apprentice, Journeyman, Expert, Artisan), as is the case with some other WoW Classic professions. You can learn any skill level from any Skinning trainer.
Important: To be able to skin animals, you need a 
Skinning Knife in your inventory (does not have to be equipped). You can purchase Skinning Knife from many Trade Supplies vendors.
What’s Special About Skinning in WoW: SoD?
The Season of Discovery (SoD for short) is the second season in WoW Classic. WoW Classic: SoD is divided into several phases. Phase 1 started on November 30, 2023, and runs for several weeks. In phase 1 the maximum level is 25.
For SoD Phase 1, the level requirement for Skinning Expert has been increased to level 26 (normally level 20). This means that in phase 1 the max Skinning skill level is 150 (Journeyman). In phase 1 it will therefore not be possible to bring Skinning to the maximum skill level. Additionally, not all leather and hides can be obtained. In the following list you can see which leathers and hides are available in SoD Phase 1:
AdHow to Level Skinning in WoW Classic?
As with all professions in WoW Classic, the same applies to skinning: You receive skill points by carrying out a certain activity. The frequency with which you receive a skill point depends on your current skill level.
Please note the following color code for animal carcasses that you can skin:
- Orange : You are guaranteed to always gain a skill point.
- Yellow : You often gain a skill point.
- Green : You rarely gain a skill point.
- Gray : You no longer gain skill points.
When leveling Skinning, you can find the highest possible level mobs that you can skin with your current skill using this rule of thumb:
- Up to skill level 100: (Skinning Skill/10)+10 – For example, if you are at skill level 40, you can look for mobs up to level 14.
- From skill level 100: Skinning skill/5 – For example, if you are at skill level 150, you can look out for mobs up to level 30.
Also, note that the time it takes to skin a carcass increases depending on your skill level. While the process only takes 2 second as an apprentice, it takes 3 seconds as an artisan (even if you are skinning the exact same animal).
In general, you can simply level Skinning passively while leveling your character by skinning every possible mob.
Are you lagging behind in skill level or do you want to power level skinning later? Immediately afterwards you will find tips for areas where you can find suitable mobs for your skill level.
Leveling Skinning from 1-75 (Apprentice) in WoW Classic
To level Skinning from 1-75 in WoW Classic, follow these steps:
Note: Starting at 50, learn Journeyman Skinning from a trainer at any time before you reach 75.
AdLeveling Skinning from 75-150 (Journeyman) in WoW Classic
To level Skinning from 75-150 in WoW Classic, follow these steps:
- 75-100 : Westfall & The Barrens
- Westfall: Stay in Westfall and skin boars. You can slowly move south where you will find higher-level boars.
- The Barrens: Continue to stay in The Barrens as there is plenty of wildlife there for you to skin. Head towards Ratchet to encounter higher-level mobs.
- 100-150: Hillsbrad Foothills
- 100-125: Skin the lions and bears you find throughout the area. Some of them might still be too high for your level.
- 125-150: Continue to stay in the Hillsbrad Foothills and skin. Now you should be able to skin almost any wild animal you come across.
Note: Starting at 125, learn Expert Skinning from a trainer at any time before you reach 150.
Leveling Skinning from 150-225 (Expert) in WoW Classic
To level Skinning from 150-225 in WoW Classic, follow these steps:
- 150-200: Alterac Mountains
- 150-175: Skin the yetis until you reach 175.
- 175-200: Continue to stick to the Yetis and also take out the mountain lions that come your way.
- 200-225: Alterac Mountains & The Hinterlands
- Stay in the Alterac Mountains until you reach skin level 210.
- Then go to The Hinterlands. Start in the west and traverse the area towards the east as the wildlife level increases.
Note: Starting at 200, learn Artisan Skinning from a trainer at any time before you reach 225.
AdLeveling Skinning from 225-300 (Artisan) in WoW Classic
To level Skinning from 225-300 in WoW Classic, follow these steps:
- 225-250: The Hinterlands: Continue to stay in the Hinterlands until you reach 250.
- 250-300: Un’Goro Crater
- 250-275: Go to Un’Goro Crater. Stick to the eastern and western borders first and kill Pterrordaxes there.
- 275-300: Now you can skin almost anything in the crater. Do this until you reach 300.
How to Increase the Skinning Skill Above 300?
The skill level cap for skinning – like that of all other professions in WoW Classic – is 300. However, for some opponents that you can skin, you need a higher skill level. These are primarily various raid bosses such as Onyxia in Onyxia’s Lair or Nefarian in the Blackwing Lair.
You can get your skill level above 300 with the following items:
You have now reached the maximum Skinning level in WoW Classic.
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