For Leather and Mail armor wearers, Leatherworking can be one of the most valuable professions in WoW. As you level, it allows you to craft competitive gear, and once you’ve capped, you’re able to make pre-raid epics to raise your iLvl or prepare for Heroic 5-mans. These pieces, like Revenant's Breastplate, Durable Nerubhide Cape, and Earthgiving Legguards, are all BoE, so they can also be sold on the Auction House, giving you the chance to earn some serious profit. Leatherworkers also learn patterns from each raiding tier in WotLK. From Ulduar, you can learn to make boots like Boots of Living Scale and belts like Belt of Arctic Life, and in ToC you’ll find Designs for chest pieces like Ensorcelled Nerubian Breastplate and wrists like Bracers of Swift Death. Finally, in ICC, you can purchase the recipes for leg armor like Legwraps of Unleashed Nature and boots like Footpads of Impending Death.

To gather the necessary leather and hides for crafting, most players choose Skinning as their gathering profession. Unlike most other gathering professions, Skinning only provides materials for Leatherworking, so the market for buying and selling these reagents varies more from server to server. Because of this, pairing both professions together can help save time and money that would be spent depending on the Auction House.

Table of Contents

• Training Leatherworking
• Required Materials
• Leveling Leatherworking
• Endgame Leatherworking Recipes

Training Leatherworking Old World Like most crafting professions, Blizzard has given trainers in any major Vanilla city the ability to teach players from Apprentice through Artisan. This guide, however, does recommend recipes that must be purchased in Ironforge and Orgrimmar, so training in either will streamline the leveling process. Outland After crossing through the Dark Portal, the Master Leatherworking trainers will be with the other Master profession trainers in your faction’s first questing area. Alliance players at Honor Hold will need to speak to Brumman, and Barim Spilthoof in Thrallmar will train the Horde. Once all players have access Shattrath, you’ll be able to learn from Darmari in Lower City as well. Northrend In Northrend, Leatherworking training is a bit different than other professions. Alliance players will still speak with Rosemary Bovard in their faction’s starting area at Valiance Keep. The Horde, however, will need to go to Taunka’le Village which is northwest of Warsong Hold towards the Sholazar Basin border. There, you’ll need to find Awan Iceborn, and he can teach you. Once all players gain access to Dalaran, they can learn from Diane Cannings in Magus Commerce Exchange, and Kul'de will serve all at the Argent Tournament Grounds. Because this is a power leveling guide, learning from Diane is the most advisable, as you can take portals to whatever city you need and any additional materials can be purchased from the nearby AH.
Required Materials Old World

• 60x Ruined Leather Scraps
• 245x Light Leather
• 130x Coarse Thread
• 10x Medium Hide
• 75x Salt
• 130x Medium Leather
• 190x Fine Thread
• 30x Gray Dye
• 180x Heavy Leather
• 20x Heavy Hide or 120 – 150x Raptor Hide
• 410x Thick Leather
• 150x Silken Thread
• 410x Rugged Leather
• 95x Rune Thread
• 25x Black Dye, 25x Essence of Water, or 100x Heavy Scorpid Scale

Outland

• 100x Knothide Leather Scraps
• 310x Knothide Leather
• 30x Fel Scales

Northrend

• 1762x Borean Leather
• 100x Crystallized Water or 100x Crystallized Shadow
• 20x Eternal Water
• 10x Arctic Fur
• 10x Nerubian Chitin
• 15x Frozen Orb

(Additional Materials will be necessary to complete the last step of leveling, but they depend on your choice. A complete list of options is below.)
Leveling Leatherworking Old World 1 – 20: Light Leather

• Combine Ruined Leather Scraps to make Light Leather.

20 – 30: Light Armor Kit

• Convert Light Leather into Light Armor Kit.

30 – 50: Handstitched Leather Cloak

• Combine Light Leather and Coarse Thread to make Handstitched Leather Cloak.

50 – 55: Small Leather Ammo Pouch

• Use Light Leather and Coarse Thread to make Small Leather Ammo Pouch.

After you finish with the pouches, return to your trainer and learn Journeyman. 55 – 85: Embossed Leather Gloves

• Combine Light Leather and Coarse Thread to make Embossed Leather Gloves.

85 – 100: Fine Leather Belt

• Use Light Leather and Coarse Thread Fine Leather Belt.

Save these (and the upcoming Hides)! You will need to use them later. 100 – 115: Cured Medium Hide

• Combine Medium Hide and Salt to make Cured Medium Hide.

OR 100 – 115: Medium Armor Kit

• Use Medium Leather and Coarse Thread to make Medium Armor Kit.

115 – 130: Dark Leather Boots

• Combine Medium Leather, Fine Thread, and Gray Dye to make Dark Leather Boots.

Once you’ve finished crafting these boots, you should go train up to Expert. 130 – 145: Dark Leather Belt

• Use Fine Leather Belt, Cured Medium Hide, Fine Thread, and Gray Dye to make Dark Leather Belt.

145 – 150: Hillman's Leather Gloves

• Combine Medium Leather and Fine Thread to make Hillman’s Leather Gloves.

After making these gloves, you’ll need to purchase Pattern: Heavy Leather Ball to continue power leveling. The Horde can buy it from Tamar in Orgrimmar, and the Alliance will need to find Bombus Finespindle in Ironforge. 150 – 155: Heavy Leather Ball

• Combine Heavy Leather and Fine Thread into Heavy Leather Ball.

Between 155 and 200, there are two paths available. If you have access to enough Heavy Hide, make the Cured Hides and follow the recipes to 200, but if you don’t you’ll need to gather additional Heavy Leather and go to Arathi Highlands to purchase a pattern that uses Raptor Hide. For Alliance, that involves finding Androd Fadran at Refuge Pointe and buying Pattern: Raptor Hide Belt. The Horde can find their equivalent recipe, Pattern: Raptor Hide Harness, for sale from Tunkk in Hammerfall. 155 – 165: Cured Heavy Hide

• Combine Heavy Hide and Salt to make Cured Heavy Hide.

165 – 180: Heavy Armor Kit

• Use Heavy Leather and Fine Thread to make Heavy Armor Kit.

180 – 190: Barbaric Shoulders

• Combine Cured Heavy Hide, Heavy Leather, and Fine Thread to craft Barbaric Shoulders.

190 – 200: Guardian Gloves

• Use Cured Heavy Hide, Heavy Leather, and Fine Thread to make Guardian Gloves.

OR 155 – 180: Heavy Armor Kit

• Convert Heavy Leather and Fine Thread into Heavy Armor Kit.

180 – 200: Raptor Hide Belt or Raptor Hide Harness

• Use Raptor Hide, Heavy Leather, and Fine Thread to make either the Belt or Harness.

If Raptor Hide is too difficult for you to gather, you also have the option of crafting Guardian Pants. To do so, you’ll need to gather Heavy Leather, Bolt of Silk Cloth, and Fine Thread. 200 – 205: Thick Armor Kit

• Convert Thick Leather and Silken Thread into Thick Armor Kit.

Following these Armor Kits, you should head to your trainer and learn your final Vanilla tier: Artisan. 205 – 235: Nightscape Headband

• Combine Thick Leather and Silken Thread to make Nightscape Headband.

235 – 250: Nightscape Pants

• Use Thick Leather and Silken Thread to make Nightscape Pants.

250 – 275: Rugged Armor Kit

• Convert Rugged Leather into Rugged Armor Kit.

When you finish these kits, you’ll have another choice of which pattern to make, depending on their availability. Two of the four are world drops which can be purchased on the AH, if available, or farmed from various locations. If you’re unable to find these, the other two are sold by Qia at Everlook in Winterspring and Zannok Hidepiercer in Silithus near the entrance to Un’Goro Crater. All of them use Rugged Leather and Rune Thread, but they differ on the third material necessary. The choices are:

• Pattern: Frostsaber Boots
  • Sold by Qia
• Pattern: Heavy Scorpid Bracers
  • Sold by Zannok Hidepiercer
• Pattern: Wicked Leather Bracers
  • World Drop, Legashi Rogue in Azshara has highest chance
• Pattern: Wicked Leather Headband
  • World Drop, Jadefire Trickster in Felwood has the highest chance

275 – 300: Wicked Leather Bracers, Wicked Leather Headband, Heavy Scorpid Bracers, or Frostsaber Boots

• Use Rugged Leather, Rune Thread, and the appropriate material from the following list to make the gear:
  • Black Dye
  • Heavy Scorpid Scale
  • Essence of Water

After you’ve made enough of these pieces to reach 300, head to Outland and become a Master Leatherworker. Outland 300 – 310: Knothide Leather

• Use Knothide Leather Scraps to make Knothide Leather.

310 – 325: Knothide Armor Kit

• Convert Knothide Leather into Knothide Armor Kit.

You can also make Armor Kits from 300 – 325, if you have already Leather instead of Scraps. To reach 335, and to make gear beyond that, all players will need to buy Pattern: Heavy Knothide Leather. Both factions can purchase the pattern from Cro Threadstrong in the Lower City of Shattrath. It is also available in the faction specific TBC capitals, so Alliance can purchase it from Haferet in The Exodar and Horde from Zaralda in Silvermoon City. 325 – 335: Heavy Knothide Leather

• Convert Knothide Leather into Heavy Knothide Leather.

335 – 340: Thick Draenic Vest

• Use Heavy Knothide Leather and Rune Thread to make Thick Draenic Vest.

340 – 350: Scaled Draenic Boots

• Turn Fel Scales into Scaled Draenic Boots.

Once you’ve finished these boots, you can finally head to Northrend and learn Grand Master. Horde players, remember that the Grand Master trainer will not be in Warsong Hold; he’ll be in Taunka’le Village, northwest of Warsong Hold towards Sholazar Basin. Northrend 350 – 380: Borean Armor Kit

• Convert Borean Leather into Borean Armor Kit.

380 – 390: Arctic Boots

• Use Borean Leather to make Arctic Boots.

390 – 405: Heavy Borean Leather

• Convert Borean Leather into Heavy Borean Leather.

Between 405 and 420, there are two options. The choice comes down to whether you have easier access to Crystallized Water or Crystallized Shadow. 405 – 420: Dark Frostscale Leggings or Dark Iceborne Leggings

• Combine Heavy Borean Leather and either Crystallized Water or Crystallized Shadow to make either pair of leggings.

To power level to 450, you will have to purchase the recipes for 420 – 435 from Braeg Stoutbeard in Dalaran. This is one of the reasons it is advisable to train with Diane Cannings for at least this stage. For 420 – 425, you’ll need Pattern: Overcast Bracers, and for 425 – 435 you’ll need Pattern: Overcast Handwraps. Each pattern will individually cost 3x Heavy Borean Leather, totalling 6. These have already been calculated into the count at the beginning. 420 – 425: Overcast Bracers

• Combine Heavy Borean Leather and Eternal Water to make Overcast Bracers.

425 – 435: Overcast Handwraps

• Combine Heavy Borean Leather and Eternal Water to make Overcast Handwraps.

435 – 440: Frosthide Leg Armor

• Convert Arctic Fur, Nerubian Chitin, and Frozen Orb into Frosthide Leg Armor.

To finish leveling Grand Master, you’ll need to craft 10 Epic items. The only consistent reagent between these is 1x Frozen Orb, but other reagents change from item to item. One easy way to find the materials is to advertise in Trade that you will craft the items at no cost for anyone who brings you all of them. If that doesn’t work for you, then you’ll need to consider which of these will be easiest or cheapest to craft based on your server’s economy. 440 – 450: Any Epic Gear (Organized from least to most required materials)

• Revenant's Treads: 10x Heavy Borean Leather and 10x Eternal Water
• Revenant's Breastplate: 12x Heavy Borean Leather and 12x Eternal Water
• Durable Nerubhide Cape: 2x Arctic Fur and 40x Nerubian Chitin
• Ice Striker's Cloak: 2x Arctic Fur, 6x Eternal Fire, and 4x Eternal Shadow
• Earthgiving Boots: 10x Heavy Borean Leather, 5x Eternal Life, and 5x Eternal Water
• Giantmaim Bracers: 10x Heavy Borean Leather, 5x Eternal Air, and 5x Eternal Water
• Trollwoven Girdle: 10x Heavy Borean Leather, 5x Eternal Fire, and 5x Eternal Shadow
• Windripper Boots: 10x Heavy Borean Leather, 5x Eternal Air, and 5x Eternal Water
• Trollwoven Spaulders: 10x Heavy Borean Leather, 6x Eternal Fire, and 6x Eternal Shadow
• Earthgiving Legguards: 12x Heavy Borean Leather, 6x Eternal Life, and 6x Eternal Water
• Giantmaim Legguards: 12x Heavy Borean Leather, 6x Eternal Air, and 6x Eternal Water
• Windripper Leggings: 12x Heavy Borean Leather, 6x Eternal Air, and 6x Eternal Water

And you’re done! Congratulations! Keep reading to find out about the Patterns that drop in each of WotLK’s raids.
Endgame Leatherworking Recipes Once you’ve capped, you’ll be able to craft some of the most powerful BoE Leather and Mail gear using patterns dropped in raids. Keep in mind, though, that all patterns are BoP, so you must collect them yourself. After you do, however, you’ll be able to craft the gear for your guildmates or members of your raiding group, or you can list it on the AH and sell to those looking for ways to get an iLvl increase or advantage. In Ulduar, Leatherworkers will find recipes for boots and belts. They drop either directly off of bosses on Heroic or in the caches throughout the raid. All require a Runed Orb, but there are patterns for each spec and armor type. Ulduar Leatherworking Recipes

• Pattern: Lightning Grounded Boots
• Pattern: Footpads of Silence
• Pattern: Boots of Wintry Endurance
• Pattern: Boots of Living Scale
• Pattern: Death-warmed Belt
• Pattern: Blue Belt of Chaos
• Pattern: Belt of Dragons
• Pattern: Belt of Arctic Life

Like with patterns in Ulduar, ToC patterns also drop directly from bosses or in the caches open after Trial rounds end. Similarly to the Ulduar pattern’s use of Runed Orbs, ToC patterns also all require the use of a Crusader Orb to craft. Because these orbs don’t bind to a player, it is possible to purchase them on the AH or in exchange for other things, but it may cost quite a bit if you aren’t willing to get them yourself. From ToC, Leatherworkers can learn chest and wrist patterns. ToC Leatherworking Recipes

• Pattern: Black Chitin Bracers
• Pattern: Bracers of Swift Death
• Pattern: Crusader's Dragonscale Bracers
• Pattern: Moonshadow Armguards
• Pattern: Crusader's Dragonscale Breastplate
• Pattern: Ensorcelled Nerubian Breastplate
• Pattern: Knightbane Carapace
• Pattern: Lunar Eclipse Robes

Finally, in ICC, patterns can be purchased directly from Alchemist Finklestein of The Ashen Verdict on the Lower level of the Citadel. Each costs 1x Primordial Saronite and will use at least 5x Primordial Saronite to craft the gear itself. ICC patterns are for leg armor and boots. ICC Leatherworking Recipes

• Pattern: Bladeborn Leggings
• Pattern: Legwraps of Unleashed Nature
• Pattern: Lightning-Infused Leggings
• Pattern: Draconic Bonesplinter Legguards
• Pattern: Blessed Cenarion Boots
• Pattern: Earthsoul Boots
• Pattern: Rock-Steady Treads
• Pattern: Footpads of Impending Death