Blacksmithing vs Leatherworking in The War Within: Which Craft Actually Wins (for you)?

Picking a profession in The War Within feels weirdly high stakes, doesn’t it? Like you’re choosing a college major, except your student loans are just… ore prices on the Auction House.

And yes, you can make gold with either Blacksmithing or Leatherworking. But they play very differently. One is basically “print money (eventually),” and the other is “steady, sensible, doesn’t make you cry when you open your wallet.”

Let’s figure out which one fits your actual life: your gold stash, your patience level, and how allergic you are to farming routes.

What you’re really signing up to craft

Blacksmithing: plate + weapons + “everyone wants this”

Blacksmithing is for plate armor (Warrior/Paladin/Death Knight)… but let’s be honest, the real headline is:

Weapons.

Swords/axes/hammers have demand across basically the whole game because everyone likes bigger numbers and shinier upgrades. You’ll also do the handy little side hustle stuff like sharpening stones, keys, spikes things people don’t think about until they suddenly need one right now.

If you like the idea of crafting stuff that almost always has a buyer somewhere, Blacksmithing has that “wide market” energy.

Leatherworking: leather + mail + quality of life goodies

Leatherworking covers leather (Rogue/Druid/Monk/DH) and mail (Hunter/Shaman/Evoker). The gear is nice, but Leatherworking’s charm is the extras: armor kits, drums, bags, leg enchants the practical stuff that makes you feel weirdly competent.

It’s the profession equivalent of keeping a spare phone charger in your bag. Not glamorous, but you look like a genius when someone needs it.

The part nobody wants to talk about: leveling cost (aka “why am I broke?”)

I’m not going to drown you in spreadsheets, but here’s the vibe:

• Blacksmithing is expensive. Like, “I clicked ‘buy’ and my gold evaporated” expensive.
• Leatherworking is cheaper to get moving, especially if you pair it with Skinning and just… play the game.

Rough ballpark numbers people see early on:

• Leatherworking
  • With Skinning while leveling: basically cheap to free (maybe 0-2k gold depending on your server)
  • Buying mats on the AH: often 5k-15k
• Blacksmithing
  • With Mining and actually farming: still often 20k-30k
  • Buying mats on the AH: easily 50k-70k

And yes, part of why Blacksmithing hurts is that it chews through a ton of ore/bars, and some higher tier materials being cooldown gated keeps prices spicy.

If you’re sitting under ~20k gold and hoping Blacksmithing will “just work out”… I mean, it might. But it’ll also emotionally humble you.

Mining vs Skinning: which grind will make you want to walk into the sea?

I’ve done both, and here’s my completely unbiased opinion (I am biased):

Skinning is the lazy genius option

If you’re already out there killing mobs for quests, dungeons, farms you skin them and materials just pile up. It’s the closest thing WoW has to finding money in your winter coat pocket.

Mining is… a lifestyle choice

Mining is more like: mount up, run routes, dodge combat, compete with five other people who also watched the same “best mining path” video.

On high pop servers especially, mining nodes can feel like they’re being personally deleted to spite you.

So if you want materials to appear while you live your life, Skinning pairs naturally with Leatherworking in a way Mining just… doesn’t.

Gold making: who’s actually making more (right now)?

I’m going to say the quiet part out loud: Blacksmithing usually has the higher ceiling, and it’s mostly because of weapons.

• Blacksmithing tends to land around “A tier” gold making potential.
• Leatherworking is more like “C tier” in a lot of markets not because it’s useless, but because it’s easier for a million people to flood the same items.

Why Blacksmithing often wins

• Weapons move, and crafting orders for weapon upgrades often bring better commissions.
• When raid/progression ramps up, people spend gold like it’s imaginary (because it kind of is).
• Some crafts are time/Concentration gated, which creates steadier, controlled supply.

Why Leatherworking can feel tighter

Leatherworking profits usually come from:

• armor pieces (leather/mail)
• armor kits
• PvP catch up type gear

The problem is: once a bunch of crafters are making the same thing, margins get squished fast. Also, those “top rank” Leatherworking items can end up being the first ones the market floods, which is rude.

Can Leatherworking make gold? Absolutely. I’ve seen smart Leatherworkers do great. But you generally have to be more intentional and less “I’ll just craft whatever and get rich.”

Specializations: the “choose wrong and you’ll be mad about it” section

Both professions open up their specialization branches as you skill up, but they feel different:

Blacksmithing is more forgiving

You can dabble in weapons/plate/trade goods without totally bricking your future. Spreading points too thin isn’t ideal, but you can pivot without feeling like you need a regret token and a therapist.

Leatherworking is pickier early on

Leatherworking branches (Elemental/Dragonscale/Tribal) can matter a lot depending on what your server is buying. If you commit hard into something with weak demand, it’s not the end of the world but it’s not a “whoopsie” either.

Also, important little dependency people forget until it bites them:

Your best Leatherworking tools (like the Artisan Leatherworkers Tool Set) are made by Blacksmiths.

So if you go Leatherworking, plan on paying commissions or having trainer locations by expansion handy or making friends with a Blacksmith. (Or bribing one. I don’t judge.)

Which one feels good while leveling?

This is where Leatherworking quietly wins my heart.

Leatherworking pays off earlier

• Armor kits are actually useful at modest item levels
• Bags help immediately (because your inventory will become a junk drawer)
• Skinning feeds your crafting without extra effort

Blacksmithing is more of an endgame romance

While leveling, a lot of crafted plate gets replaced quickly by quest/dungeon rewards. The utility stuff (stones/keys) is nice, but you’re usually spending now to cash in later.

So if you want to feel like your profession is helping you today, Leatherworking tends to be more satisfying with a Leatherworking leveling walkthrough.

Okay, tell me what to pick already

Here’s the “be honest with yourself” checklist.

Pick Leatherworking if:

• your main wears leather or mail
• you have under ~20k gold and don’t want to suffer
• you want mats from normal play (Skinning is your buddy)
• you want useful stuff while leveling (bags/kits/drums)

Pick Blacksmithing if:

• your main wears plate
• you have 50k+ gold (or you’re committed to farming like it’s your second job)
• you like the idea of crafting weapons that sell across classes
• you want to time profits around raid/progression cycles
• you’re okay with a slower “payoff curve”

And here’s my very personal, very unscientific final filter:

If you hate planning specializations, hate dealing with commissions, and hate market competition drama… don’t pick the profession that requires you to be the most strategic version of yourself.

Pick the one you’ll actually stick with.

Because a well played Leatherworker will out-earn a halfhearted Blacksmith every single time.

Now go check your gold, look at what armor your main actually wears, and choose the profession that matches your real life not the one that looks coolest on paper. (Although, yes, hammering weapons is objectively cool.)