Crafting is a big part ofThe Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. Most of the armor and weapons in the game are randomly generated, and so the best way to get top-tier equipment is to build it. But whether the armor in question is basic iron or made from dragon bones, players will probably need a few pieces of leather and leather strips.
Finding leather isn’t that hard, and most blacksmiths inSkyrimhave a few pieces of leather for sale. However, players who want to boost their Smithing skill or craft a complete new set of armor may need more leather than what they can buy. Fortunately, it’s even easier to create leather and leather straps by hunting and using tanning racks.
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Which Animal Hides Can Generate Leather?
Step one of generating leather is hunting down animals to collect their hides. Not every animal or enemy inSkyrimdrops a hide or pelt item when it dies, but most regular animals likegoats, deer, and bears do. Here’s the list:
Dead animals of these types almost always have a hide or pelt item on their bodies when they die. Players can also get these items from general stores, and giants often drop a random set of hides. Hunting parties will also sell animal hides to interested players.
Players should note that netches aren’t on this list for a reason. Netches were introduced toSkyrimin the “Dragonborn” DLC, andthey drop netch leather when killed. Netch leather can’t turn into regular leather and doesn’t interact with tanning racks or regular armor recipes.
How To Use Tanning Racks
The way to convert these hides into leather is by interacting with a tanning rack. Tanning racks are one of the more common crafting stations inSkyrim, and players can often find them next to blacksmith shops.In Whiterun, there’s a tanning rackjust around the side of the Warmaiden’s smithy.
Players can convert animal hides into leather by selecting them from the crafting menu. Only hides that players are currently carrying will show up on this list, and each hide can generate different amounts of leather. In general, the larger an animal is, the more leather its hide will generate, up to a maximum of four. Players can also use tanning racks to convert leather into leather strips, with one piece of leather becoming four strips.
Creating leather can also be an easy way to make money.Pelts from rare and dangerous animalslike cave bear pelts and snow bear pelts are worth more when players sell them directly, but a cow hide is worth 10 gold on its own while the three pieces of leather it generates are worth 10 each. That’s a net gain of 20 gold. On top of that, leather strips are worth 3 gold each, so converting leather into strips increases the total value by 2.
The only thing to worry about is that leather weighs more than the pelts used to make it, so try to avoid crafting leather out in the field, especially whennearing the player’s weight limit. Crafting leather doesn’t improve the Smithing skill, but it’s a quick and cheap way to generate money and useful materials.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrimis available now on PC, PS3, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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