Got questions about high end leatherworking.

How do I specialize? Heard I need to find trainers to do so and that there are 4 specialties.

Heard that I probably want to specialize in Tribal or Elemental leatherworking. What do they produce how are they different?

I'm a newb in need of enlightenment.

Here's the info I've found out so far...

There are three types you can specialize in, dragonscale, elemental, or tribal. From what I "hear" (not firsthand info), dragonscale is all mail armor, elemental is more suited for rogues, and tribal mostly has caster stats. You can only choose one of the three specializations.

To do the quest to specialize, you need to have 200 skill in leatherworking and be at least level 40 (I think, though Thottbot is saying differently).

Here's what Thottbot has on the quests:
Dragonscale (http://www.thottbot.com/?q=3502)
Elemental (http://www.thottbot.com/?q=1459)
Tribal (http://www.thottbot.com/?q=3345)

Gotcha, so as a dr00d I prolly wanna go tribal then, and I'm in Feralas now checking out the quests. Need to work on this wildvine BS first it looks like.

Yep, I've been working on the wild leather quests too. It seems like a pain, wildvine isn't very common at all, then you have to get a ton of turtle scales, and even then the turtle scale glove recipe is only available as a drop...

But it is for artisan skills, so I guess it couldn't be easy.

yeah, up to like 26 scales, only 70 more to go. At least turtles are still decent exp at 39. And alot of non-skinners hunt em too so you get free corpses a bunch. Spent the last day running up and down the coast killing them.

Well, you only need 40 turtle scales to make the items needed for the artisan quest. I've just been cheating and buying them from the AH when I see them. Wildvine drops quite a bit off the Skullsplitter trolls in Stranglethorn (40-41), so I seem to be set on that part too. Only thing giving me trouble at the moment is the pattern for turtle scale gloves, which is strictly a drop.

Another update on this. Finally finished the tribal leatherworking quest!

Unfortunately some of the info I had above was wrong. You DO need to finish all the wild leather quests before you can get the tribal leatherworking quest. That means 112 turtle scales and however much thick leather, etc. Turtle scales also skin more frequently from turtles in the Hinterlands, but those are much higher level, so unless you're 50+, the Dustwallow ones are still the better bet. You also need to be level 42 and have 250 skill (I think, not sure on the skill part -- I had 255 when I got the quest).

Also, because it confused me, the leatherworking trainer between Telonis and tribal is in the Hinterlands, at Aerie Peak (for Alliance anyway). He'll let you train artisan leatherworking, and give you patterns up to 250 skill.

Thanks, Yrys. Just hit 225, and was wonder where to go now. heh

Just finished the leatherworking quests today. Curse the bloody wildvine and the turtle scales.

Completed the wildvine and tribal quests this weekend, was a really good way to grind out a few levels upper 40's. I did most of my turtle scale farming in Hinterlands, I don't think I could have stood to get that many scales in duskwallow considering the drop rate there.

After watching a guild mate cuss the drop rates for items needed for the first few elemental patterns I was scared by the 40 Jet Black Feather requirement for Tribal's Feathered Breastplate but it doesn't seem that bad would say at least 90% drop rate since many vultures in Blasted Lands drop 2 feathers.

Jet black feathers aren't so bad. Now 80 ironfeathers for the shoulder pattern and 120 for the chest pattern are brutal. Not to mention the requirement for cured rugged hide. Fortuantely I have a high level engineer in my guild, so he made me a salt shaker so I can cure the rugged leather with refined deep rock salt. Too bad it has a 3 day cool down.

Sometimes I think Blizzard hates us poor leatherworkers.

RE: skill necessary to complete the wildvine or artisan quests, I was able to complete the artisan Tribal quest at 246 skill. I suspect that you can complete it as soon as you have the skill to create the Wildvine needed to turn in

I have been trying to figure out which one is best for me a bal/rest druid. I primarily look for items with int/spt so would tribal be the route to go. What is the difference between the three?

I have been trying to figure out which one is best for me a bal/rest druid. I primarily look for items with int/spt so would tribal be the route to go. What is the difference between the three?

Tribal Leatherworking seems to have the overall best mix of
armor traits, and as thus would be best for a druid to use.
(e.g.: Ironfeather armors for caster form, Warbear armor for a
dire bear form-using druid, Devilsaur armor for a cat form-using
druid, and other armors that give pure resists at the expense
of other stats *moderately useful in PvP vs. casters*)

Elemental Leatherworking creates a majority of armors with
agility bonuses, resists, and increased hit %'s, making these
armors useful for a rogue.

Dragonscale Leatherworking only creates mail armors, making it
worthwhile to get only if you're a hunter or shaman.

Aye, tribal is the best form of LW for a druid. They could use more int gear, however, as i have found only 2 armor pieces that have high int/spi. However, the quest for tribal lw is much easier, allbeit pricier, unless you have an herbalist friend for the wildvine. Yes, 120 ironfeathers does take a long time to acquire, but it is worth the silence resistance that both pieces give you. I can't wait to hit lvl 53 so i can finally wear my bp. I also think that the feathered armor is probably the coolest looking in the game. When i get my IF bp, i am going to lose the tabard for awhile =D

Is Warbear, Ironfeather, and Devilsaur the only tribal items you can make? I mean that's fine, I'm still deciding what avenue I would like to pursue in leatherworking.

you can also make Frostsaber and Chimeric armor with the tribal leatherworking skill.

Tolian, 55 druid of TVB
Blackhand

Ok, guys, I received my 1st patterns for tribal leather (Last week), were do I go from there? I made my breastplate, I dont want the helm.Is there another artisain trainer somewhere? Where do I get other tribal patterns? What else is there to get, pattern wise?

Virtually all the high end leather recipes are dropped. IIRC - ALL the specialty ones (Tribal, Elemental, Dragonscale) are drop only, iirc.

Check your local auction house.

Devilsaur is the best of em IMO.

devilsaur and warbear are definitely the most useful for us, but my guild already had a tribal lw, so i went elemental to help out our rogues. let me tell you, selling stormshroud/volcanic armor can make you huge amounts of money. i made around 600g in 2-3 weeks just linking armor in IF trade's channel whenever i was around, yay epic mount! roguesploitation for teh win!

Tribal Leatherworking seems to have the overall best mix of
armor traits, and as thus would be best for a druid to use.
(e.g.: Ironfeather armors for caster form, Warbear armor for a
dire bear form-using druid, Devilsaur armor for a cat form-using
druid, and other armors that give pure resists at the expense
of other stats *moderately useful in PvP vs. casters*)


It seems that I would go Tribal so that I can use the stuff I make, but would I make more money by going Elemental or Dragonscale?

Turtle Scales are so simple. Go to Revantusk Village in the hinterlands (The flight path is at the end of the dock BTW). Go outside the gate, and start skinning all the dead turtles. You can get 20 turtle scales in about 10 minutes on most days, when the 45-50 levels are doing the "snapjaws mon" quest. You can't do it when the 60s are grinding because they don't loot the turtles, so you can't skin them :(. Jet Black feathers are worth farming. They drop off the level 46 birds at a pretty good rate. The iron feathers are dirt cheap on the auction house, so it's better to buy them unless you are really strapped for gold. Another item is the wicked claws needed for the Wolfs Head Helm, they are dirt cheap on the AH. If you farm your own leather you can make a Wolfshead helm for about 1G and sell it for anywhere fro 5 all the way to 20 depending on the server and timing. Getting more advanced tribal leather patterns is not so easy, but once you get up to the "hide of the wild", you can get rich off that alone. Wildvine is a pain to gather but the random enchants on the Wild Leather items make them hot items in the AH. -Gworf, Horde, Blackrock- Long Live The Horde!!