How to Be a Successful Leatherworker in World of Warcraft

2010 - 2 - 23

How to Be a Successful Leatherworker in World of Warcraft

Leatherworking is an excellent profession for Hunters, Shamans, Druids and Rogues. It provides you with armor throughout most of the game and can, with the right moves, earn you some sweet, sweet cash. Want to know how to make it work?
Step 1Ask yourself if you really need Leatherworking. There are lots of reasons to take Leatherworking, but its usefulness is questionable for Warriors, Paladins, Mages and Warlocks. Warlocks and Mages cannot wear Leather armor, while Warriors and Paladins begin with the ability to wear mail. Unless you are going to be making lots of Leather armor for guild mates, Warriors and Paladins are better off with Blacksmithing while Mages and Warlocks would do better with Tailoring.

Step 2Take Skinning. This is the easiest and by far the most cost-effective way to fuel your Leatherworking profession. This will provide you with the vast majority of the raw materials you need to be a good Leatherworker. If you already have huge stores of Leather and cash and are just looking to power-level a trade, then it would be safe to take another profession.

Step 3Make friends with a Miner. You will need an assortment of gems to make some of your higher-level items, all of which can be found through a miner friend. Remember, friends usually offer discounts!

Step 4Outfit yourself, then make stuff for the Auction Hall. This will ensure you always have decent gear and some extra cash.

Step 5Crank out Embossed Leather Boots! These little babies are your first stepping stone to fortune! They are Green, so they sell for a decent price, can be made quickly and easily and will help you pay for the new Leatherworking Patterns!

Step 6Farm those Dragon Whelps! Several areas are rife with little Dragon whelps of various colors and difficulties. While it may be a pain sometimes, farming these fiends will reward you with the materials to make some early Dragon armor! This is excellent to both wear and sell!

Step 7Be sure to pick up the Tough Scorpid Armor patterns when you hit Tanaris. These are some of the best leather mail patterns you will find! This is most especially useful for Shamans and Hunters, but could be useful for other characters with the right specialization.

Step 8Complete the Wild Leather quest series. When you hit level 30 and 200 Leatherworking skill, you may come across a pair of NPC's in Feralas (either Pratt McGrubben or Jangdor Swiftstrider) who will give you some quests for new patterns. Take these quests! It will open doors for you later, plus its some XP and new patterns for you!

Step 9Choose wisely. At level 40 and Leatherworking 255, you have a choice between Tribal and Dragonscale Leatherworking. Dragonscale patterns are all Mail and are geared toward Hunters and Rogues while Tribal patterns are also mail, but are geared much more toward Shamans. While there are no Alliance Shamans at the moment, that will change with the Burning Crusade expansion and the Draenei. Looking forward, Tribal is an excellent choice for Alliance characters, as this will allow you to sell your goods to a ravenous new market!