Introduction
Skinning is an excellent way to either fuel your Leatherworking profession or make a few bucks on the side. It's simple and easy, but there’s a few things you may not know about it. Want to know how to get the most out of your Skinning Skill? Read on.

Step One
Get and keep a Skinning Knife! This is the most important tool of your trade, and should be kept on your character at all times! You never know when you’ll need it, so just keep it around.

Step Two
Let it progress naturally. There’s no reason to go rushing ahead into an area that is too much for you, you wont be able to skin anything anyway. Just continue skinning the animals in your current area, then when you are ready to leave, do so and your skinning will follow. Immediately rushing off to Un’Goro Crater to hunt Devilsaur skins is not the answer!

Step Three
Waste not! Skin every animal you come across and your Skinning skill will progress nicely. Try not to leave anything behind unless your inventory is full.

Step Four
Leave the Cows and Rabbits be. The best you’ll ever get out of killing and skinning these critters is a single Light Leather. Better to live and let live. Unless your aim is to rob a starving peasant of his single source of income/food!

Step Five
Consider Leatherworking. For those who can wear it, Leatherworking provides decent armor for a good portion of the game. Skinning is the best source of fuel for Leatherworking, making Skinning/Leatherworking an excellent combination for Leather-wearers. Also, depending on your server’s economy, Mining may (or may not) be a better choice for money-making.

Step Six
Skin the big guys! When you can get around to it, the Devilsaurs in Un’Goro crater will occasionally drop their Devilsaur Hide when skinned. These are rare and tough to get, so they are quite valuable both as crafting material and Auction House fodder. Farm these guys when you get high enough in level (58+.)

Step Seven
Find yourself a new Skinning Knife when the time is right. When your Skinning skill gets in the high 200s, you should start looking for a weapon or enchantment with +Skinning Skill. Why? Because you need Skinning 325 to skin the big raid bosses. General Drakkisath (Upper Blackrock Spire), Onyxia and other high level raid bosses all drop EXTRAORDINARY hauls of Dragon Scales, but can only be skinned with a high skill.

Step Eight
Aim for the Zulian Slicer. This is one of the best pieces of Skinner gear you can find, as well as a very nice weapon for Hunters and Rogues.

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For Nate Chang, the author