Skinning - The War Within

Welcome to Gaming Hero’s Skinning Profession Overview. Here you’ll find information on the perks of Skinning, changes to Skinning in The War Within, ways to make gold with Skinning, and more—all updated with the latest information!

Skinning Gold Making Guides:

Skinning Gold Guides Index

Learning Skinning in The War Within

Players can learn Skinning in one of two ways in The War Within. If you already have Skinning as a profession, simply skin any beast in Khaz Algar to automatically learn the new expansion’s version of Skinning. Alternatively, if you are changing your profession to Skinning or are near a Skinning trainer, you can learn from one of the following trainers:

Ginnad, Dornogal /way #2339 54.2 57.4

Leveling Skinning

Leveling Skinning is straightforward: just go out and start skinning! One of the easiest places to level up is the south-central coast of the Isle of Dorn, specifically in Wanderer’s Landing (southeast of Freyhold Village). Almost every creature along this coast is skinnable—birds, worms, crabs, mudskippers, you name it. However, be cautious of Gar’loc, a wandering level 80 rare that roams nearby!

There’s no need to target-farm Skinning. By simply progressing through normal content, you can easily reach level 100 without any trouble.

Another excellent spot for leveling Skinning is Beledar’s Bounty in Hallowfall—especially if you’re also an Herbalist. The area is swarming with level 75 Gluttonous Jawcrawlers, which are particularly good for obtaining Gloom Chitin. Herbalists frequently visit this area to plant seeds, so you can help keep the farm clear and gather herbs from planted seeds at the same time. Additionally, you can skin creatures killed by other players who aren’t Skinners, giving you plenty of opportunities to recycle.

Why is Skinning Good in The War Within?

Beginning in Dragonflight, professions as a whole received a much-needed rework. This new system continues into The War Within, returning players to the normal profession update cycle as experienced in previous expansions. In The War Within, Skinning remains a viable profession for gold-making without the added effort of crafting.

Leatherworking Overview in The War Within

Read our Leatherworking – War Within Guide here.

Leather, hides, and species-specific gathers: These are all valuable to Leatherworking and other professions.
Elusive Creatures: Skinners can summon Elusive creatures, which can be killed for supplies or tamed by Hunters.
Meat Collection: Skinners also gather meat for Cooking and other professions, and they can create Fishing Lures.

Making Gold with Skinning in The War Within

Like all gathering professions, Skinning has its ups and downs. Typically, common materials like Stormcharged Leather and Gloom Chitin don’t sell for a lot of gold, but hides, carapaces, and certain species-specific gathers can be quite lucrative.

One notable change between Dragonflight and The War Within is that you’ll harvest far more leathers than in the previous expansion, especially as you reach higher Skinning levels.

If you need specific materials like Hides or Carapaces reliably, you’ll need to learn to refine skins and hides by specializing in the Luxurious Leathers and Concrete Chitin sub-specializations under Tanning.

Skinning Knowledge Treasures

First before we explain anything about Skinning we highly suggest you go out and get all of the skinning treasures as this will dramatically increase the quality of skins and resources you get from skinning while leveling your skills up. More info on this later in the guide.

Below we have all the exact locations for all skinning treasures to get you started!

Toughened Tempest Pelt, Razor Talon, Stone-Leather Swatch increase Khaz Algar Skinning Knowledge by 1.
Abyssal Fur increases Khaz Algar Skinning Knowledge by 2.

Inscriptionists can also create the Algari Treatise on Skinning, which grants +1 to Skinning Knowledge. These items can be bought and sold on the Auction House.

Eight Treasures that grant +3 Khaz Algar Skinning Knowledge are found in the open world. These are available only once per character; once looted and learned, they will never appear again for that character, even if you drop the profession and regain it later. Knowledge Points remain forever assigned to a specific profession, regardless of whether you still have that profession.

Dornogal Carving Knife – Dornogal, Alliance Embassy (accessible to Horde as well)
/way #2339 28.8 51.7
Earthen Worker’s Beams – Isle of Dorn, Rambleshire
/way #2248 60 28
Artisan’s Drawing Knife – Ringing Deeps, north of Gundargaz
/way #2214 47.3 28.3
Fungarian’s Rich Tannin – Ringing Deeps, Taelloch
/way #2214 65.8 61.88
Arathi Craftsman’s Spokeshave – Hallowfall, Mereldar
/way #2215 42.3 53.8
Arathi Tanning Agent – Hallowfall, Beledar’s Bounty
/way #2215 49.3 62.1
Carapace Shiner – Azj-Kahet, Silken Ward
/way #2255 56.6 55.3
Nerubian Slicking Iron – Azj-Kahet, City of Threads, The Burrows
/way #2216 44.6 49.3

The War Within Skinning Specializations

Specializations in The War Within will look very familiar to those who played Dragonflight, as they are nearly identical in theme to the Skinning specializations from the previous expansion. The few changes are noted in the descriptions below. Players will eventually be able to master all Specializations for their chosen profession, but gaining the required Knowledge Points will take time—so choose your initial Specialization wisely! Skinning, in particular, gains Knowledge Points more slowly compared to other gathering professions, which is likely why it requires the least Knowledge Points to complete.

Each profession has its own set of unique Specializations designed to enhance crafting and gathering capabilities. Khaz Algar Skinning is no exception, with access to three Specializations: Tanning, Harvesting, and Luring. In total, Skinners need to spend 400 Knowledge Points to max out their Specializations: 120 each for both Tanning and Luring, and 160 for Harvesting.

Best Skinning Builds with Specialization

There isn’t a single “best” path for Skinning Specializations. Your choice will depend on your goals. Most players skin for two main reasons: collecting reagents for personal use or alts/Warband, or selling reagents for gold. Skinning also has a hidden motive for Hunters: taming rare pets.

For Most Skinners (Except Hunter Pet Seekers):

Harvesting (base ring 35/40), then Trophy Taker
Tanning (all)
Luring (base ring only)
Skinners’ Choice for remaining points

For Hunters Seeking Rare Pets:

Harvesting (base ring 35/40), then Trophy Taker
Luring
Trained Tracker
Impressive Infuser
Skinners’ Choice for remaining points

Alternatively, you can skip directly to Luring, but starting with Trophy Taker will give you a significant boost to Perception, allowing you to gather more Knowledge Point items early on.

Harvesting

Harvesting’s first ring provides a solid boost to overall Skinning ability, offering +75 Finesse, +40 Perception, and +30 Deftness. After reaching 10 points in Harvesting to unlock your first Specialization, focus on Trophy Taker.

Trophy Taker is especially beneficial for its substantial +180 Perception boost, which increases your chances of obtaining rare side gathers, including Knowledge Point items. Maxing this out early is highly recommended.

After Trophy Taker, you can return to Harvesting to unlock other sub-specializations, ending at 35/40. Fully maxing out Harvesting is optional; completing the ring allows you to gather Bizarrely-Shaped Stomachs, which can clog your inventory due to their lack of stackability.

Fishing Friend enables the creation of Lures, and Meat Carver allows you to collect meat for Cooking and other professions. The Carve Meat ability guarantees meat from the next creature you skin, but since meat isn’t difficult to collect, this isn’t a high-priority specialization.

Lure Recipes:

Tanning

For players focused on gathering skins and hides, Tanning is a crucial Specialization.

The base Tanning ring introduces the Sharpen Your Knife ability, which guarantees a Thunderous Hide or Sunless Carapace from the next creature you skin within 5 minutes. This ability has a one-hour cooldown, but you can unlock additional charges at 20 and 40 points in Tanning.

Tanning also teaches you to refine hides and carapaces to Tier 2 at 10 points and Tier 3 at 30 points, along with general Deftness, Finesse, and Perception bonuses.

Luxurious Leathers and Concrete Chitin provide extra skill, Deftness, Perception, and Finesse when skinning leathery or chitinous creatures. They also allow you to refine Stormcharged Leather or Gloom Chitin to higher tiers. These refinements are especially useful as these materials are less common in The War Within compared to Dragonflight.

Luring

Luring is a unique Specialization that allows you to summon Elusive creatures—rare versions of skinnable beasts. This Specialization is particularly popular with Hunters seeking rare-looking pets. To use a lure, you need to create it and then drop it near you. Lures can’t be used in all areas, such as inside towns or near guards.

The first ring allows you to create two base lures: Elusive Creature Lure, which attracts one creature, and Beast Lure Scent, which lures all unoccupied skinnable beasts within 60 yards. Maxing out this ring refunds the cooldown of Elusive Creature Lure when skinning Elite or Rare creatures.

To attract the most powerful creatures, open the first ring to 10/40 to unlock Trained Tracker.

Trained Tracker increases the cooldown refund for Elusive Creature Bait when skinning. At 20/40, you can summon Elite creatures (level 80). Maxing this specialization allows you to create a Supreme Beast Lure that summons a powerful creature in the Rumbling Wastes of the Ringing Deeps. Additionally, you can summon rare creatures hiding in specific locations.

After completing Luring, you can finish other specializations like Impressive Infuser, which lets you infuse Elusive Creature Lures to drop valuable materials like Crystalline Powder, Viridescent Spores, and Writhing Samples.

Skinning Accessories and Tools in The War Within

To maximize your Skinning skill, you’ll need to use the right Tools and Accessories for the profession. These items are crafted by other crafters and can be obtained through the Auction House for low-level items or through Work Orders for high-level items.

In The War Within, the following Tools and Accessories are essential for Skinning:

Tool/Accessory	Crafted By
Hideseeker’s Hat	Leatherworking
Deep Tracker’s Cap	Leatherworking
Hideseeker’s Pack	Leatherworking
Deep Tracker’s Pack	Leatherworking
Proficient Skinning Knife	Blacksmithing
Artisan Skinning Knife	Blacksmithing

Skinning Knowledge Points in The War Within

Gaining Knowledge Points as a Skinner in The War Within can be a bit more challenging since you don’t receive Knowledge Points directly from skinning creatures. Instead, you’ll collect them from Knowledge Treasures and weekly quests.

Skinning Weekly Quests

Weekly profession quests become available once you have a character that has reached level 80 on your account and you’ve reached Khaz Algar Skinning level 25. You can participate in these weekly quests as early as level 68, provided they’re unlocked.

Completing any of these quests rewards Algari Skinner’s Notes, which grant +3 Khaz Algar Skinning Knowledge. Materials for these quests are automatically drawn from your personal stash or your Warband bank, and you can also purchase them from the Auction House. One of the following quests will be available each week:

Cinder and Storm: Requires 5x Bottled Storm and 5x Burning Cinderbee Setae
Cracking the Shell: Requires 20x Gloom Chitin
From Shadows: Requires 5x Kaheti Swarm Chitin and 2x Sunless Carapace
Snap and Crackle: Requires 5x Honed Bone Shards and 2x Thunderous Hide
Stormcharged Goods: Requires 20x Stormcharged Leather