Ok so I was a skinner/miner since I first started WoW. I dropped mining for about a day in my early 30s for enchanting, hated it took up mining again and mining became my biggest money maker with skinning becoming a supplement. A couple of days ago I took up LW because I probably wont ever be able to raid, but still wanted some of the better armor. I dropped skinning because like I said mining was my money maker.
Basically (after that mostly useless story) I'm wondering if skinning would be a better alternative to mining? Mostly because its getting very expensive to buy rugged leather. My other concern is skinning gonna be a good money maker when I'm not crafting? By that will it make the kind of money that being a miner will? Another reason I ask is because in my time in outland (Zang., Hellfire, and Terokkar) all I was really getting was 75% knothide leather scraps and 25% Knothide leathers. Those arent big money makers. Please help me out.
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In all honesty, mining is such a better money maker than skinning. The only time you'll have trouble is with heavy clefthoof leather and cobra scales/dragon scales. Since the drop rates are lower for these, they'll be very expensive in the AH. While knothide and knothide scraps will improve in the ratios as you get higher level, I really doubt that it'll be as good of coin as mining.
Also, rugged leather is Vanilla end-game materials, which is why they are so expensive. As soon as you get to knothide, it'll probably be quite a bit cheaper.
Good luck!
Also, rugged leather is Vanilla end-game materials, which is why they are so expensive. As soon as you get to knothide, it'll probably be quite a bit cheaper.
Good luck!
It really depends on what you want the professions for, money-making or crafting.
If you want to keep leatherworking, then I'd suggest skinning. The alternative, as you're experiencing, is spending money for skins every time you want/need to craft something. But if do choose LW/skinning realize it really isn't a big money maker.
If you want to make money, then ditch skinning/leatherworking. In my experience, neither one of them will really make great money. Both have some niche items that sell, but neither will be as profitable as mining in the long run. My hunter is a LW, but mainly out of being stubborn. I spent some much time and effort leveling it to 375 that I can't bring myself to drop it. I did drop skinning for a while so I could pick herbs for flask/pot mats, but recently re-leveled it in anticipation of WotLK.
As a Leatherworking, I'll also add that it probably isn't the best way to go for gear. If you want alternatives, check out Aethien's pre-raid gear list in the hunter forum as an example of the options out there. You don't really need to craft anything to get decent gear. In fact, there aren't a lot of things on that list that are crafted. Things will change a bit with WotLK, but I'd be willing to bet the general pattern will hold up. Crafted gear is decent, but there are other options that may be better, easier to get, or cheapier to get.
So, ultimately it's up to you. Decide whether you want to use professions for making money or for crafting. You can do both with some professions (or combos of professions), but in general gathering professions make money and crafting professions lose money.
If you want to keep leatherworking, then I'd suggest skinning. The alternative, as you're experiencing, is spending money for skins every time you want/need to craft something. But if do choose LW/skinning realize it really isn't a big money maker.
If you want to make money, then ditch skinning/leatherworking. In my experience, neither one of them will really make great money. Both have some niche items that sell, but neither will be as profitable as mining in the long run. My hunter is a LW, but mainly out of being stubborn. I spent some much time and effort leveling it to 375 that I can't bring myself to drop it. I did drop skinning for a while so I could pick herbs for flask/pot mats, but recently re-leveled it in anticipation of WotLK.
As a Leatherworking, I'll also add that it probably isn't the best way to go for gear. If you want alternatives, check out Aethien's pre-raid gear list in the hunter forum as an example of the options out there. You don't really need to craft anything to get decent gear. In fact, there aren't a lot of things on that list that are crafted. Things will change a bit with WotLK, but I'd be willing to bet the general pattern will hold up. Crafted gear is decent, but there are other options that may be better, easier to get, or cheapier to get.
So, ultimately it's up to you. Decide whether you want to use professions for making money or for crafting. You can do both with some professions (or combos of professions), but in general gathering professions make money and crafting professions lose money.
Well, it kinda depends really.
Pound for pound, Outland ore sells for more then Outland leather (with a few exceptions that are rare enough to be comperable to finding a blue gem in an ore node) so in theory, mining will make more money.
However...
One can aquire leather faster and easier then one can aquire ore so you can easily make up for quality with quantity.
For example, a stack of knothide leather is going for 8g on my server right now versus a stack of fel iron ore going at 18g and adamantite ore for around 21-22g.
The thing is that I can far the knothide at a far faster rate at level 70 with or without an epic flyer then I could either of those two ores with an epic flyer.
Additionally, one can also complete the gathering daily faster/easier with skinning then one can with herb/mine due to the far greater number of 'nodes' available (ie/any animal that can be skinned in Outlands).
Some might argue that incidentals increase the profit margin of mining, but the reality is that they actually even out and possibly even favor the skinner due to, once again, higher opportunities at incidentals dropping (gems and motes versus greens/blues/purples and rare skins).
I don't know what level your toon is, but I say just be patient - once you hit Nagrand then you'll be in skinnner heaven just working the Clefthoofs.
Pound for pound, Outland ore sells for more then Outland leather (with a few exceptions that are rare enough to be comperable to finding a blue gem in an ore node) so in theory, mining will make more money.
However...
One can aquire leather faster and easier then one can aquire ore so you can easily make up for quality with quantity.
For example, a stack of knothide leather is going for 8g on my server right now versus a stack of fel iron ore going at 18g and adamantite ore for around 21-22g.
The thing is that I can far the knothide at a far faster rate at level 70 with or without an epic flyer then I could either of those two ores with an epic flyer.
Additionally, one can also complete the gathering daily faster/easier with skinning then one can with herb/mine due to the far greater number of 'nodes' available (ie/any animal that can be skinned in Outlands).
Some might argue that incidentals increase the profit margin of mining, but the reality is that they actually even out and possibly even favor the skinner due to, once again, higher opportunities at incidentals dropping (gems and motes versus greens/blues/purples and rare skins).
I don't know what level your toon is, but I say just be patient - once you hit Nagrand then you'll be in skinnner heaven just working the Clefthoofs.
Well i think rusttle has it about right.
Skinning to me is more of a profit than Mining depending on what area i am in , it is even more so in lower areas like Desolace , i find very few places to mine there but can easily farm leather , i can think of quite a few areas where mining is not that great and of course if someone is farming the areas for ore i am even worse off as it is usually a high level doing it, yet there are always beasts to kill and more of them and they re-spawn a lot faster so = easier farmed profit.
I can agree at higher levels Mining can be great but for those that like me that have done that run around Tanaris will know if some other is farming it is a waste of time , i have seen at times not 1 node there in a complete run around there , yet at times it is several nodes but i can farm leather anywhere there is a large group of beasts and just keep killing without having to move far.
Skinning to me is more of a profit than Mining depending on what area i am in , it is even more so in lower areas like Desolace , i find very few places to mine there but can easily farm leather , i can think of quite a few areas where mining is not that great and of course if someone is farming the areas for ore i am even worse off as it is usually a high level doing it, yet there are always beasts to kill and more of them and they re-spawn a lot faster so = easier farmed profit.
I can agree at higher levels Mining can be great but for those that like me that have done that run around Tanaris will know if some other is farming it is a waste of time , i have seen at times not 1 node there in a complete run around there , yet at times it is several nodes but i can farm leather anywhere there is a large group of beasts and just keep killing without having to move far.
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