WoW Skinning Guide
Skinning 1 to 300 Guide
You can use it as a fast track guide. Just ignore the “Your level” bit. You can proceed faster with skinning if you have a higher level, because you will be able to grind the mobs faster. I’ve tried to list mobs that should be yellow or orange for your skinning level. If they are green, move onto the next zone listed, to make sure you still improve your skinning skill.
Please note that even if a mob is red/orange to you, that this DOES NOT guarantee that you’ll get a skill up. It’s more likely, but not to be expected every time.
Skinning Level = 1 – Your Level = 5
Horde
Undead = Hounds around Brill
Orcs and Trolls = Mottled Boars and Scorpids around Sen’Jin Village
Tauren = Prowlers and Plainstriders around Bloodhoof Village
Alliance
Humans = Boars around Goldshire
Gnomes and Dwarfves = Crag Boars and Wendigo’s South of Kharanos
Night Elves = Nightsabers and critters around Dolanaar
Skinning Level = 25 – Your Level = 10
Horde
Undead = Worgs and Moonrage Gluttons around Silverpine
Orcs and Trolls = Boars, Scorpids, Crocolisks and Raptors around Orgrimmar
Tauren = Prowlers and Praire Wolves around Thunderbluff
Alliance
Human = Prowlers and Bears around Eastvale Logging Camp
Gnomes and Dwarfves = Wolves around Brenwall Village.
Night Elves = Moonstalkers and Bears around Auberdine
Skinning Level = 50 – Your Level = 13
Horde
(at this level most Horde should be heading towards XR)
Plainstriders, Raptors and Prowlers around XR
Alliance
Humans = Goretusks all around Sentinel Hill.
Gnomes and Dwarfves = Bears and Crocolisks around Thelsamar
Night Elves = Moonstalkers and Bears North of Auberdine
Skinning Level = 100 – Your Level = 20
Horde
Stormsnouts and Thunderhawks around Camp Taurajo
Alliance
(at this level most Alliance should be heading for The Wetlands)
Crocolisks and Raptors around Bluegill Marsh and Whelgar’s Excavation Site
Alternatives
Whelps and boars around Lakeshire for Alliance.
Skinning Level = 130 – Your Level = 24
Alliance and Horde
Bears and Mountain Lions around Hillsbrad Foothills
Alternatives
Ravagers and Wolves in Duskwood if your Alliance.
Bears, Stags and Ghostpaws in Ashenvale.
Skinning Level = 150 – Your Level = 28
Alliance and Horde
Yeti Cave in Hillsbrad Fields and Mountain Lions on the “Daggers” (these are the bits of land between Hillsbrad and Alterac Mountains, one is called Corrans Dagger, so hence the nickname).
Alternatives
Hyenas, Lions, Wyvern and Thunderhawks in Thousand Needles.
Bears, Stags and Ghostpaws in Ashenvale.
Skinning Level = 170 – Your Level = 32
Alliance and Horde
Raptors in Arathi Highlands.
Alternatives
Turtles and Basilisks in The Shimmering Flats.
Skinning Level = 180 – Your Level = 34
Alliance and Horde
Raptors, Panthers and Tigers around Nessingwarys Camp in Stranglethorn Vale (you could actually get your skinning level all the way to 300 in and around STV as the mobs range from level 34 to level 50).
Alternatives
Raptors and Crocs in Dustwallow Marsh.
Thunder Lizards, Kodos, Basilisks, Scorpids and Hyenas in Desolace.
Whelps in Swamp of Sorrows.
Skinning Level = 220 – Your Level = 38
Alliance and Horde
Raptors and Gorillas around the Gurabashi Arena
Alternatives-
Panthers, Jaguars and Crocs in Swamp of Sorrows.
Dragonkin, Coyotes and Ridge Stalkers/Huntresses in Badlands.
Wolves around Feathermoon Stronghold in Feralas if your Alliance.
Skinning Level = 250 – Your Level = 45
Alliance and Horde
Snickerfangs and Boars in North Blasted Lands
Alternatives.
Silvermanes and Gryphons in The Hinterlands.
Stags and Hippogryphs in Azshara.
Hippogryphs, Apes, Bears, Wolves, Screechers and Yetis in Feralas.
Skinning Level = 275 – Your Level = 50
Alliance and Horde
Jagueros and Gorillas on Jaguero Island (Large Island to the East of Booty Bay where Princess Poobah is being held). Skin till 300.
Alternatives are Yetis, Chimeras and Bears in Winterspring.
Bears in Western Plaguelands.
Plaguehounds and Plaguebats in Eastern Plaguelands.
Turtles by Raventusk Village in The Hinterlands.
Turtles and Chimeras in Azshara.
Dragonkin, Worgs and Scorpids in Burning Steppes.
Thought I’d add the mob levels that you can expect to get each specific leather from.
Ruined Leather Scraps: 1-16
Light Leather: 1-27
Light Hide: 10-27
Medium Leather: 15-36
Medium Hide: 15-36
Heavy Leather: 25-46
Heavy Hide: 25-46
Thick Leather: 35-63
Thick Hide: 40-59
Rugged Leather: 43-63
Rugged Hide: 47-63

just wanted to say that this was very usefull and thank you very much
Thanks alot! This really helps
i have found this to be very helpfull ty so much
nice one! helped alot cheers
kant you go higer than lvl 300 in skinning?
This Guide is made for pre-TBC, thats the reason why it goes only to 300.
It is true though that the current cap is set to 450.
300+ is easy just go to outlands starting in hellfire and skin stuff
Thanks helped a lot
That guide is the bomb man, keep up the goof work
Skinning Level = 100 (at this level most Alliance should be heading for The Wetlands)
Crocolisks and Raptors around Bluegill Marsh and Whelgar’s Excavation Site ) was not right , they all took at least 110 skill =P otherwise very good guide with many options =) ty
Hey,im not very high so far but this guide is off the hoook, thanx man you did a good job, so farnothing has stuffed up. few other optins i would of taken but these are pretty good ways to. thx heaps again,keep up good work.
THXS A LOT!!!!
very useful guide
As a level 80 that changed professions, I found your guide very helpful. I’d forgotten where to go to level skinning and you helped me remember. Thanks!
Nice! This has helped me and my freinds to 300skinning thanks alot this guide is a 10/10! Great job. =)
Was so helpful.. got my skinning up from 75 to 305 in about a day and a half.. Thanks again!!
this is a wicked guide keep up the good work
Thanks heaps!! can;t believe i finally found a useful guide
Out of date, but helpful anyway. I’m level 75, and seriously needed to play catch-up with my skinning. Got me from 225-300 in about 45 minutes(including time to walk to areas I hadn’t been yet). From 225-245, I killed plaguebats and plaguehounds in the Eastern Plaguelands, then moved to Tanaris till 275, and from Tanaris, I flew into the Un’Goro Crater and killed the mobs in there. Western hald of the crater had level 55 average, and some elites. Should be updated for Cataclysm though
hey thanx alot, decided i needed a skinner more than another herber so dropped 455 herbing and followed this guide ( still using it ) and will make it to outlands easy this evening and possibly upto where i am currently questing in zul drak NR. very helpful and appreciated. please keep up the good work.
sry, forgot to mention, for up and comming skinners or retreads like myself, get to STV for the nesingwary questline if you haven’t done it, being lvl75 made it silly easy of course but while lvling had to kill stuff and got the achiev aswell, GL to all.
Well i have a question…what about past 300?i need to cap out at 500. where do i do that with the most recent expansions????