War Within Leatherworking: The “Okay, But How Do I Make GOLD?” Pairing Guide

Leatherworking in The War Within is… how do I say this nicely… not exactly the lottery ticket it used to be.

In Dragonflight, you could sneeze on a decay craft and it would spit out gold. That era is over. Now the money is mostly in the unsexy, reliable stuff:

• Profession tools (the kind everyone “suddenly needs” once they realize crafting stats exist)
• Consumables like armor kits / leg enchants (because players rebuy these forever)
• Reagents other crafters burn through (think: steady drip, not jackpot)

Meanwhile finished gear is a one and done: it sells hard at the start of a season, then the market gets flooded and you’re stuck relisting the same bracers like it’s your part time job.

So yes—Leatherworking can make you gold. But your second profession is basically the difference between “nice little income stream” and “why am I doing this to myself?”

Let’s pick your best match without making it a whole spreadsheet situation.

First: answer these four questions (don’t overthink it)

1) What armor do you wear?

• Leather / Mail: Leatherworking is at least allowed to be your main character’s personality. Keep reading.
• Plate / Cloth: If you’re doing Leatherworking purely for gold… I mean, you can, but I’d rather you didn’t. (More on that in the class section.)

2) What’s your goal?

• Fast leveling + self-sufficient “I hate the AH” life: Skinning + Leatherworking
• Steady gold all expansion (less drama): Leatherworking + Alchemy
• A safety net when gear won’t sell: Leatherworking + Enchanting
• PvP / Mythic+ utility with some niche sales: Leatherworking + Engineering

3) How many characters are you running?

• One character: gathering pairs better with your actual gameplay loop. (Kill stuff → skin it → craft.)
• Two or more: now you can get fancy—have an alt feed you mats so your Leatherworker can focus on higher profit crafting.

4) What’s leather doing on your server?

This one matters more than people want it to.

The one price check that saves you from regret

Go to the Auction House and check Stormcharged Leather.

• If it’s under ~2g each: Leatherworking + Enchanting starts looking real cute, because “craft → disenchant” becomes a solid profit floor.
• If it’s above ~2g each: Skinning usually wins because buying leather gets expensive fast, and your margins start doing that sad trombone sound.

That’s it. That’s the check. Do it before you dump your Knowledge Points into a plan built on crafting specialization choices you’ll hate in two weeks.

My quick translation of the profession jargon (so you don’t feel gaslit)

• Profession tools: gear you equip to craft better. These sell steadily because crafters are always upgrading.
• Reagents: stuff you craft to sell to other crafters (not finished gear).
• Knowledge Points / Specializations: your long term power choices. Don’t throw them around like confetti.
• Sparks: time gated items for high end gear. If your whole business plan relies on Sparks, you’ll spend a lot of time waiting and staring at the wall.
• Rank 2 vs Rank 3: quality levels. Rank 3 isn’t automatically “better profit,” because the extra mat cost can be brutal.

Okay. Now the pairings.

Skinning + Leatherworking: the “I want this to just work” combo

If you wear leather or mail and you’re not trying to cosplay as a goblin day trader, Skinning + Leatherworking is still the safest bet.

Why it works:

• You’re already killing beasts while leveling/doing world content.
• Skinning turns those kills into mats without extra routing.
• You don’t need startup gold to buy leather at whatever unhinged price it’s at today.

This pairing is perfect if:

• you’re on one character
• you want fast leveling
• you want to craft without constantly doing AH math
• you’re not swimming in gold yet

It falls off if:

• leather prices crater and you realize you skinned 400 wolves for the value of one mediocre enchant
• you’re late in the expansion and gathering feels like unpaid overtime
• you’ve got alts that can supply mats anyway

(Also: Kul Tirans get a small Leatherworking skill bonus. Not life changing, but hey—take the win.)

Leatherworking + Enchanting: the “nothing gets wasted” setup

This is the pairing for people who hate the feeling of unsold gear rotting in their bags.

The vibe is:

1. craft leather/mail gear
2. if it sells, great
3. if it doesn’t, you disenchant it and still walk away with value

Enchanting also stays relevant because enchants keep moving, they stack nicely, and you can even enchant your own profession tools once you’re rolling.

The catch (and it’s a real one):

• You need gold upfront to buy leather or a Skinning alt feeding you mats.
• Leveling two crafting professions early can feel like lighting money on fire and calling it “an investment.”

Best for:

• anyone who wants a reliable profit floor
• people with alts or a decent starting bankroll
• players who don’t want their income tied to “did this one piece of gear sell today?”

If Stormcharged Leather is cheap on your server, this pairing gets even better. Cheap mats make disenchanting feel less like a coping mechanism and more like a strategy.

Leatherworking + Alchemy: the “steady paycheck” combo

If you want gold that doesn’t rely on the first two weeks of a season, Alchemy is your friend.

Consumables sell because players are creatures of habit:

• raid night → restock
• M+ push → restock
• PvP season → restock
• someone sneezes → restock (probably)

Leatherworking can still give you occasional big hits early in a tier, but Alchemy is what keeps the lights on long term.

The catch:

• the mats don’t overlap. You’ll want an Herbalism alt or you’ll be buying herbs regularly.
• you’re managing two markets that don’t behave the same way

Best for:

• “I want steady gold all expansion” people
• anyone with a herb supply (alt, friend, or stubborn dedication to farming)

Leatherworking + Engineering: for the sweaty (affectionate) PvP/M+ crowd

Engineering is less “consistent income” and more “I want gadgets and I don’t care who judges me.”

The gold is niche. The utility is real—especially if you’re living in PvP or Mythic+. But the customer pool is smaller because a lot of engineering stuff is for engineers.

The catch:

• without Mining, mats can be annoying to source
• engineering sales tend to spike during content pushes, then chill out

Best for:

• PvP/M+ players who want performance tools
• anyone okay with “sometimes great, sometimes meh” gold

Pairings I personally wouldn’t bother with (save your time, please)

• Mining + Leatherworking or Herbalism + Leatherworking
  The mats don’t match. You’ll just sell ore/herbs to buy leather, which is like walking to the store to buy gift cards to buy groceries. Extra steps, same result.
• Leatherworking + Blacksmithing or Leatherworking + Tailoring
  Two armor crafting professions fighting for similar buyers. It’s not “diversifying,” it’s just double the headache.

Okay, but what should your class do?

Here’s my no drama version:

• Leather wearers (Demon Hunter, Monk, Rogue):
  Skinning + Leatherworking is the cleanest, easiest win. You can actually use what you make and it fits your normal gameplay loop.
• Mail wearers (Hunter, Shaman):
  Same deal: Skinning + Leatherworking works great, especially while leveling. (Leatherworking covers leather early and mail later as you skill up.)
• Druids (special mention because of course):
  If you’re a Druid, you have Flight Form and you can gather like a little economy gremlin without dismounting. That makes Herbalism + Alchemy very strong for pure gold per hour.
  Leatherworking still works on a Druid, but if your main goal is gold? You’re often leaving money on the table.
• Plate (Warrior/Paladin/DK) and Cloth (Mage/Warlock/Priest):
  For gold making, I’d usually skip Leatherworking unless you’re doing it for fun or for an alt system. You can’t wear the gear, and it changes the “value” of crafting it. Consider something like Tailoring + Enchanting (cloth) or Blacksmithing + Mining (plate) instead.

How I’d level Leatherworking without losing my mind

A few things that actually matter for Classic 1 300 leveling:

• Chase First Craft bonuses.
  The first time you craft an item, you get extra Knowledge. So don’t spam one recipe forever—bounce around and grab those first craft rewards. (Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, it helps.)
• Don’t panic about specializations.
  You unlock spec points as you level skill (25/50/60/75). You’ll eventually get them all. Your first picks matter, but they’re not a forever tattoo.
• Expect material “speed bumps” after ~35+.
  Higher rarity parts start showing up and suddenly your leveling plan isn’t “cheap and easy” anymore. Skinning smooths that out. Crafting only pairings usually mean you’re buying bottleneck mats.

If you’re gold focused, the big idea is: don’t build a plan that leaves you sitting around waiting on Sparks. Tools and reagents keep you crafting when gear crafting slows down.

The market reality check: early vs late expansion

Early on: gear money is real (briefly)

At the start of an expansion or season, epic gear can sell for serious gold because supply is tight and everyone’s racing. If you like that adrenaline rush, great—enjoy it.

Just don’t marry it.

Later on: tools + reagents + consumables are the grown up answer

As the expansion matures, gear markets get crowded and margins get stomped flat. That’s when you pivot harder into:

• profession tools
• reagents other crafters need
• repeat buy consumables (hello, Alchemy friends)

Also: don’t assume Rank 3 is always the best move. Sometimes Rank 2 is more profitable if Rank 3’s extra mats cost more than the price premium buyers will pay. (Yes, it feels backwards. Welcome to the AH.)

If you’ve got alts, here’s the sane way to do it

If you’re running multiple characters, the goal is to cover more markets, not duplicate the same profession and compete with yourself like a cartoon villain.

Two characters:

• Main: Leatherworking + Skinning
• Alt: Alchemy + Herbalism (or another strong gold pair like JC + Mining)

Three characters:

• Main: Leatherworking + Skinning
• Alt 1: Alchemy
• Alt 2: Herbalism + Enchanting (feeds herbs, plus disenchant income)

And if you’re going full goblin mode, having one dedicated gatherer alt you mail mats from daily is ridiculously effective—just be honest with yourself about whether you enjoy that lifestyle or if it’ll make you hate the game.

Final “don’t make future you angry” checklist

Before you commit your Knowledge Points:

• Check Stormcharged Leather price (that ~2g line matters).
• Remember: gear sells early, but tools/reagents/consumables sell all expansion.
• If you have alts, spread professions out instead of doubling up.
• Plan around not being Spark gated—you want repeatable crafts in your rotation.
• Stay flexible. The AH will humble you weekly. Sometimes daily.

If you tell me your class, how many characters you play, and what Stormcharged Leather costs on your server, I can tell you the pairing I’d pick in about ten seconds (and I’ll be only slightly smug about it).