Hey there, explorer! If you’ve been diving into World of Warcraft: Season of Discovery (SoD), you already know this installment brings with it a fresh spin on the classic WoW experience. Something that’s still in vogue, though? Professions are still the best bet for gearing and gold-making.”.
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Today we’re talking about Leatherworking, one of the most practical and rewarding professions in SoD, especially if you’re wearing leather or mail armor. If you’re a rogue, druid, shaman, or hunter, Leatherworking can make all the difference on your journey. So grab your tools, sharpen your knives, and let’s make!
Why Choose WOW SOD Leatherworking?
Let’s be real – Leatherworking isn’t just sewing hides together. It’s about providing your character with an early power advantage, making gold in the Auction House, and creating some unique gear you can’t get anywhere else.
Here’s why Leatherworking is a top-notch choice in Season of Discovery:
- Early game power: Having access to good pre-raid gear much earlier than dungeons or raids is a normal occurrence.
- Gold-making potential: Everyone wants armor sets and gear upgrades, so Leatherworking is ridiculously profitable.
- Synergizes with Skinning: Pair it with Skinning and you’ll be swimming in free mats.
- Customization: From armor sets to drums and specialty gear, Leatherworking offers flexibility depending on your class and spec.
Getting Started: What You Need
First things first – you’ll want to pair Leatherworking with Skinning. Why? Because nearly every recipe in Leatherworking uses leather or hides, and the most effective way to mass these items is to skin the animals you kill. Don’t make it too complicated – this combination is a no-brainer.
Recommended Classes for Leatherworking
- Rogues and Druids (Leather armor)
- Hunters and Shamans (Mail armor, after level 40)
Even if you’re not one of these classes, Leatherworking can still be worth it for pure gold-making purposes.
How to Level Leatherworking in SoD
Leveling Leatherworking in SoD is pretty similar to Classic WoW but with some SoD-exclusive twists. You’ll follow the typical path of crafting items to skill up, but also keep an eye out for new materials or recipes that might pop up due to SoD changes.
Basic Path to 300 Skill
The following is a step-by-step guide to take you cruising from 1 to 300 in no time. Note: Materials required might vary slightly in SoD due to special seasonal nuances, but this should give a good guideline.
Leatherworking 1-100 (Apprentice)
- Craft Light Armor Kits up to level 30.
- Craft Light Leather Bracers or Handstitched Leather Boots up to level 60.
- Move to Embossed Leather Gloves or Fine Leather Cloak to level 100.
Leatherworking 100-200 (Journeyman)
- Medium Armor Kits will carry you through until around level 120.
- Dark Leather Belt and Dark Leather Boots work well from 120-150.
- Heavy Armor Kit and Hillman’s Shoulders to around 200.
Leatherworking 200-300 (Expert to Artisan)
- Heavy Armor Kit remains a great option until around 220.
- Nightscape equipment (Nightscape Headband, Nightscape Pants) will get you up to the 250s.
- From 250-300, Wicked Leather Headband and Wicked Leather Pants are viable choices.
Pro Tip: Don’t just go about crafting blindly! Look for yellow or green recipes that return more gold on the Auction House. Some patterns will trainable from trainers, but others will be world drops or rep-based in SoD.
Season of Discovery Leatherworking Twists
SoD adds some new recipes and crafting style to the mix. Although we’re still discovering all of them, here are a few things to keep an eye out for:
1. Rune-Based Gear
Season of Discovery introduced Runes and special mechanics related to character builds. SoD-exclusive talents, certain Leatherworking recipes may synergy with certain rune builds or grant stat bonuses that complement the talents added in SoD. Watch for world drops or reputation recipes due to the new factions or seasonal events.
2. Enhanced Armor Kits
There are also some rumors stating that SoD armor kits have bonus effects like slight secondary stat boosts (crit, haste, etc.) in place of simple armor increases. These changes give you and your guild members a head start.
3. New Crafting Materials
There are some new materials you can find in the traditional SoD manner (think along the lines of special hides or infused leathers) which you’ll require to make particular high-end items. You’ll need to go to SoD-specific places or events to acquire them.
Tips to Maximize Leatherworking in SoD
With the basics under your belt, here are a few insider tips to help you maximize Leatherworking in SoD:
1. Farm Your Own Leather
Pair Leatherworking with Skinning, and you’ll level both professions smoothly without spending gold on materials. Spend a few extra hours in beast-heavy zones like The Barrens, Stranglethorn Vale, or Un’Goro Crater.
2. Sell High-Demand Items
Armor kits and early-game blue items fly off the shelves. Don’t just make for XP – monitor the Auction House and find out what’s hot. Drums, leather kits, and even bags (if made through Leatherworking in SoD) can bring in solid gold.
3. Specializations
SoD can bring back or recreate Leatherworking specializations (Elemental, Tribal, or Dragonscale). As a hunter, Dragonscale is the default norm. For shamans or druids, Tribal can be brand-friendlier. Keep an eye on patch notes to see if SoD gives bonuses to these specs!
4. Don’t Ignore Reputation Vendors
SoD rep vendors can be rare Leatherworking recipes, specifically faction-related with seasonal material. Grinding rep is old-school, but it could give spec-altering gear.
5. Level Efficiently
Attempt to do orange recipes (certain skill points) and yellow recipes as much as possible. Don’t waste expensive mats on green recipes unless you are profiteering off of the sale of crafted gear.
Best Zones to Farm Leather in SoD
Want to gather a bunch of leather for your craft? Take a look at this useful guide to some leather-farming hotspots in SoD:
- The Barrens (Raptors and Kodos = Light and Medium Leather)
- Alterac Mountains (Yeti = Heavy Leather)
- Feralas (Wolves and Yetis = Thick Leather)
- Un’Goro Crater (Dinosaurs = Rugged Leather)
Closing Thoughts
Leatherworking in WoW Season of Discovery isn’t just about crafting gear – it’s about staying ahead of the curve. Whether you’re looking to kit out your rogue in early pre-BiS gear or just want to make a ton of gold selling armor kits and specialty items, Leatherworking has something for everyone.
Keep an eye on the SoD updates because this season is about the surprises and the shifting metas. With each player finding surprise recipes or other crafting surprises, Leatherworking becomes increasingly more fascinating.
So, what are you waiting for? Time to get back to it, slay some monsters, and start sewing your road to greatness. ?
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