WoW Forever skinning guide: 1-300
Built from Forever game data, October 10, 2026. Steps get checked in game as we level.
Skinning takes leather and hides from the beasts you kill anyway, for Leatherworking or the Auction House. You need a Skinning Knife in your bags.
How gathering skill-ups work
Every mob has a skill requirement. Gathering it gives a skill-up based on how far above that requirement you are:
| Your skill vs the mob | Color | Skill-up |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 25 above | Orange | Always |
| 25 to 50 above | Yellow | Usually |
| 50 to 100 above | Green | Sometimes |
| More than 100 above | Gray | Never |
So the fastest leveling is always the highest mob you can gather.
Skill needed by mob level
Up to level 10, any mob can be skinned at skill 1. From 11 to 20, you need 10 skill per level above 10. From 21 on, you need 5 skill per mob level.
| Mob level | Skill needed |
|---|---|
| 5 | 1 |
| 10 | 1 |
| 15 | 50 |
| 20 | 100 |
| 25 | 125 |
| 30 | 150 |
| 35 | 175 |
| 40 | 200 |
| 45 | 225 |
| 50 | 250 |
| 55 | 275 |
| 60 | 300 |
Leather by mob level
| Leather or hide | Typical mob levels |
|---|---|
| Ruined Leather Scraps | 1 to 20 |
| Light Leather | 5 to 25 |
| Light Hide | 10 to 25 |
| Medium Leather | 20 to 35 |
| Medium Hide | 20 to 35 |
| Heavy Leather | 30 to 45 |
| Heavy Hide | 30 to 45 |
| Thick Leather | 40 to 55 |
| Thick Hide | 40 to 55 |
| Rugged Leather | 50 to 63 |
| Rugged Hide | 50 to 63 |
Scales drop too, from the right mobs: Deviate Scale, Scorpid Scale, Turtle Scale, whelp scales and Worn Dragonscale.
Training
Train Journeyman Skinning at 50, Expert at 125 and Artisan at 200. Each raises your cap by 75.
Skinning camp items
Skinning makes three camp items for Forever's campfires: the Camp Chair at 20 (+crit), the Field Guide at 140 and the Trapper's Workbench at 300. See the professions guide for how Camping works.
Let the addon track it
ForeverArtisan's Skinning window shows which mob levels give skill-ups at your skill, colored the same way, and the leather each level drops. Its log records what you actually skin, so Forever's changes show up in your own data.
Questions
What's the fastest way to level Skinning in WoW Forever?
Skin everything you kill while questing. Mobs near your own level stay orange or yellow, so leveling your character levels Skinning too.
What should I pair with Skinning?
Leatherworking uses everything you skin. Skinning + Herbalism or Mining earns gold while you level.
Enjoy the journey!