I've mapped out what I believe to be the best route to take in order to minimize wasted time and gold when leveling your Leatherworking profession.
This guide is based upon the following assumptions:
- You have reached level 80 (or are close to it) and want to powerlevel your Leatherworking skill to 450 as quickly as possible.
- You are only interested in trainer recipes and/or recipes that can be obtained with minimal effort.
- You have an alt set aside to hold all of the materials you'll need to level up your Leatherworking. I recommend sending mats to your alt in the order provided below, and when you're ready, returning them in reverse order.
- Whenever possible, you'll only want to craft items that are Orange or Yellow difficulty, for maximum skill gain. When required to craft Yellow and/or Green difficulty items, I've adjusted the required materials to account for less than 100% skill gain per item created. I've also listed alternate recipes and materials in red to give you additional options to consider.
Total Materials Needed to Get to 450 Leatherworking
Listed below are the materials you'll need and the order in which you should craft items to get to 450 Leatherworking as efficiently as possible. It's highly recommended that you farm some of these materials yourself and/or purchase them from the auction house over a span of several days, because your need for certain items (Light Leather, Thick Leather, Rugged Leather, Knothide Leather, Borean Leather, etc.) will most likely surpass the available supply on the AH at any given time.
Light Leather 275
Light Hide 20
Medium Hide 25
Heavy Hide 20
Heavy Leather 220
Thick Leather 539
Rugged Leather 360
Knothide Leather Scraps 100
Knothide Leather 210 (in addition to the 20 you'll make from
Knothide Leather Scraps)
Fel Scales 30
Borean Leather Scraps 100
Borean Leather 490 (in addition to the 20 you'll make from
Borean Leather Scraps)
Heavy Borean Leather 943 (in addition to the 35 you'll make from
Borean Leather)
Crystallized Water 25
Eternal Air 5
Arctic Fur 50
Icy Dragonscale 40
Eternal Fire 30
Eternal Shadow 20
Frozen Orb 25
Recipes you may want to acquire before you start (Alt recipes in red)
Deviate Scale Cloak (Kalldan Felmoon, outside Wailing Caverns) - Limited Supply (1)
Fine Leather Boots (Check AH for the World Drop recipe)
Raptor Hide Belt (Alliance) (Androd Fadran, Arathi Highlands) - Limited Supply (1)
Raptor Hide Harness (Horde) (Tunkk, Arathi Highlands - Horde) - Limited Supply (1)
Wicked Leather Gauntlets (
Leonard Porter, Western Plaguelands - Alliance) / (
Werg Thickblade, Tirisfal Glades - Horde) - Limited Supply (1)
Heavy Scorpid Bracers (Zannok Hidepiercer, Silithus) - Limited Supply (1)
Heavy Knothide Leather (
Cro Threadstrong, Shattrath City /
Haferet, The Exodar /
Zaralda, Silvermoon City) - Limited Supply (1)
Step-by-Step: 0 to 450 Leatherworking
Listed below is a step-by-step route for powerleveling Leatherworking using optimum recipes and expected quantities.
Learn
Apprentice Leatherworking from your
Leatherworking Trainer.
1 - 35 Light Armor Kit (1
Light Leather) x 35
(ALT) 1 - 35 Light Leather (3 Ruined Leather Scraps) x 45
36 - 55 Cured Light Hide (1
Light Hide, 1 Salt) X 20
(ALT) 36 - 55 Small Leather Ammo Pouch (3 Light Leather, 4 Coarse Thread) x 20
56 - 85 Embossed Leather Gloves (3
Light Leather, 2 Coarse Thread) x 30
After level 75, learn
Journeyman Leatherworking from your
Leatherworking Trainer.
86 - 110 Fine Leather Belt (6
Light Leather, 2 Coarse thread) x 25 (Save these for later)
(ALT) 90 - 110 Deviate Scale Cloak (4 Deviate Scale, 1 Cured Light Hide, 1 Fine Thread) x 20 (Kalldan Felmoon, outside Wailing Caverns)
111 - 125 Cured Medium Hide (1
Medium Hide, 1 Salt) x 25 (Save these for later)
(ALT) 111 - 125 Fine Leather Boots (7 Light Leather, 2 Coarse Thread) x 15 (Check AH for the World Drop recipe)
(ALT) 111 - 125 Dark Leather Boots (4 Medium Leather, 2 Fine Thread, 1 Gray Dye) x 15
126 - 150 Dark Leather Belt (1 Fine Leather Belt, 1 Cured Medium Hide, 2 Fine Thread, 1 Gray Dye) x 25
(ALT) 126 - 150 Nimble Leather Gloves (1 Elixir of Minor Agility, 6 Medium Leather, 1 Fine Thread) x 25
After level 150, learn
Expert Leatherworking from your
Leatherworking Trainer.
151 - 165 Cured Heavy Hide (1
Heavy Hide, 3 Salt) x 20 (Save these for later)
(ALT) 151 - 165 Hillman's Cloak (5 Heavy Leather, 2 Fine Thread) x 15
166 - 180 Hillman's Cloak (5
Heavy Leather, 2 Fine Thread) x 20
181 - 190 Barbaric Shoulders (8
Heavy Leather, 1 Cured Heavy Hide, 2 Fine Thread) x 10
(ALT) 181 - 190 Raptor Hide Belt (Alliance) / Raptor Hide Harness (Horde) (4/6 Raptor Hide, 4 Heavy Leather, 2 Fine Thread) x 10 (Androd Fadran, Arathi Highlands - Alliance) / (Tunkk, Arathi Highlands - Horde)
(ALT) 186 - 190 Dusky Bracers (16 Heavy Leather, 1 Black Dye, 2 Silken Thread) x 5
191 - 200 Guardian Gloves (4
Heavy Leather, 1
Cured Heavy Hide, 1 Silken Thread) x 10
After level 200, learn
Artisan Leatherworking from your
Leatherworking Trainer.
201 - 220 Thick Armor Kit (5
Thick Leather, 1 Silken Thread) x 20
221 - 239 Nightscape Headband (5
Thick Leather, 2 Silken Thread) x 25
After level 225, you have the option to learn a Leatherworking Specialization. Elemental Leatherworking is the preferred specialization for Rogues although I don't list any Elemental Leatherworking recipes in this guide. To specialize into Elemental Leatherworking, you'll need to complete a simple quest requiring you to deliver 2 Heart of Fire, 2 Globe of Water, 2 Core of Earth and 2 Breath of Wind to Sarah Tanner in Searing Gorge.
240 - 250 Nightscape Pants (14
Thick Leather, 4 Silken Thread) x 11
251 - 260 Nightscape Boots (16
Thick Leather, 2 Silken Thread) x 10
(ALT) 251 - 260 Rugged Armor Kit (5 Rugged Leather) x 10
261 - 265 Wicked Leather Gauntlets (8
Rugged Leather, 1 Black Dye, 1 Rune Thread) x 5 (
Leonard Porter, Western Plaguelands - Alliance) / (
Werg Thickblade, Tirisfal Glades - Horde)
(ALT) 261 - 265 Heavy Scorpid Bracers (4 Rugged Leather, 4 Heavy Scorpid Scale, 1 Rune Thread) x 5 (Zannok Hidepiercer, Silithus)
266 - 290 Wicked Leather Bracers (8
Rugged Leather, 1 Black Dye, 1 Rune Thread) x 25
(ALT) 266 - 290 Heavy Scorpid Bracers (4 Rugged Leather, 4 Heavy Scorpid Scale, 1 Rune Thread) x 30 (Zannok Hidepiercer, Silithus)
After level 275, learn
Master Leatherworking from
Darmari in Shattrath City.
291 - 300 Wicked Leather Headband (12
Rugged Leather, 1 Black Dye, 1 Rune Thread) x 10
301 - 310 Knothide Leather (5
Knothide Leather Scraps) x 20 (Save these for later)
(ALT) 301 - 310 Knothide Armor Kit (4 Knothide Leather) x 10
311 - 325 Knothide Armor Kit (4
Knothide Leather) x 20
325 - 335 Heavy Knothide Leather (5
Knothide Leather) x 30 (
Cro Threadstrong, Shattrath City /
Haferet, The Exodar /
Zaralda, Silvermoon City)
336 - 350 Scaled Draenic Boots (2
Heavy Knothide Leather, 2
Fel Scales, 3 Rune Thread) x 15
After level 350 (and character level 65 or higher), learn
Grand Master Leatherworking from one of the
Grand Master Leatherworking Trainers in Northrend.
351 - 365 Borean Leather (5
Borean Leather Scraps) x 20 (make more up to skill level 375 if you can and save them all for later)
(ALT) 351 - 365 Borean Armor Kit (4 Borean Leather) x 15
(ALT) 351 - 365 Heavy Knothide Armor Kit (3 Heavy Knothide Leather) x 35
366 - 375 Borean Armor Kit (4
Borean Leather) x 10
(ALT) 366 - 375 Borean Leather (5 Borean Leather Scraps) x 50
(ALT) 366 - 375 Drums of Battle (6 Heavy Knothide Leather, 4 Thick Clefthoof Leather) x 16 (Almaador, Shattrath City - Must be Honored with The Sha'tar)
376 - 385 Arctic Boots (8
Borean Leather) x 10
386 - 390 Arctic Wristguards (12
Borean Leather) x 5
After level 400, keep in mind that you can add
Nerubian Leg Reinforcements and
Fur Lining - Attack Power to your own gear for a few skillups. Try the
Nerubian Leg Reinforcements first, since they go gray at 405.
391 - 405 Heavy Borean Leather (6
Borean Leather) x 35 (Save these for later)
(ALT) 391 - 405 Arctic Wristguards (12 Borean Leather) x 15
(ALT) 396 - 405 Heavy Borean Armor Kit (4 Heavy Borean Leather) x 25
(ALT) 401 - 405 Nerubian Leg Reinforcements (2 Nerubian Chitin) x 20
(ALT) 401 - 405 Fur Lining - Attack Power (1 Arctic Fur) x 5
406 - 410 Arctic Wristguards (12
Borean Leather) x 10
(ALT) 406 - 410 Dark Frostscale Leggings (4 Heavy Borean Leather, 5 Crystallized Water) x 5
(ALT) 406 - 410 Nerubian Leg Armor (4 Heavy Borean Leather, 1 Nerubian Chitin) x 10
(ALT) 406 - 410 Jormungar Leg Reinforcements (2 Jormungar Scale) x 40
(ALT) 406 - 410 Fur Lining - Attack Power (1 Arctic Fur) x 5
411 - 415 Dark Frostscale Leggings (4
Heavy Borean Leather, 5
Crystallized Water) x 5
(ALT) 411 - 415 Jormungar Leg Armor (3 Heavy Borean Leather, 12 Jormungar Scale) x 10
(ALT) 411 - 415 Fur Lining - Attack Power (1 Arctic Fur) x 5
416 - 420 Pack of Endless Pockets (8
Heavy Borean Leather) x 5
(ALT) 416 - 420 Fur Lining - Attack Power (1 Arctic Fur) x 5
421 - 425 Eviscerator's Bindings (8
Heavy Borean Leather, 1
Eternal Air) x 5 (Recipe obtained from
Braeg Stoutbeard for 3
Heavy Borean Leather)
(ALT) 421 - 425 Overcast Bracers (8 Heavy Borean Leather, 1 Eternal Water) x 5
(ALT) 421 - 425 Fur Lining - Attack Power (1 Arctic Fur) x 5
426 - 440 Wildscale Breastplate (25
Heavy Borean Leather) x 35
(ALT) 426 - 440 Eviscerator's Waistguard (10 Heavy Borean Leather, 1 Eternal Air) x 35 (Recipe obtained from Braeg Stoutbeard for 3 Heavy Borean Leather)
(ALT) 426 - 440 Overcast Belt (10 Heavy Borean Leather, 1 Eternal Water) x 35
(ALT) 426 - 435 Fur Lining - Attack Power (1 Arctic Fur) x 30
(ALT) 431 - 440 Icescale Leg Armor (2 Arctic Fur, 2 Icy Dragonscale, 1 Frozen Orb) x 15
(ALT) 431 - 440 Frosthide Leg Armor (2 Arctic Fur, 2 Nerubian Chitin, 1 Frozen Orb) x 15
441 - 445 Icescale Leg Armor (2
Arctic Fur, 2
Icy Dragonscale, 1
Frozen Orb) x 20
(ALT) 441 - 445 Frosthide Leg Armor (2 Arctic Fur, 2 Nerubian Chitin, 1 Frozen Orb) x 20
446 - 450 Ice Striker's Cloak (2
Arctic Fur, 6
Eternal Fire, 4
Eternal Shadow, 1
Frozen Orb) x 5
(ALT) 446 - 450 Durable Nerubhide Cape (2 Arctic Fur, 40 Nerubian Chitin, 1 Frozen Orb) x 5