#0 - March 9, 2007, 7:23 p.m.
That said, there are a number of issues with skinning that do need to be resolved.
1) Knothide scraps. Skinning a level 73 elite mob gives scraps as often as it gives leather, sometimes it may be two or three scraps, but scraps? From a level 73 elite mob? The drop rate of scraps needs to be severely reduced. In addition, all elite mobs should have the possibility of dropping Heavy Knothide leathers when skinned.
2) Skinning is tied exclusively to leatherworking. There are what, seven or eight non leatherworking recipes that require leather? And a few of those are just to make pieces with another profession that are used in, you guessed it, leatherworking. Skinners should gain the ability to combine scraps into full pieces of leather. The ability to destroy a higher leather and get pieces a rank or two down would be nice as well.
3) Increase the reliance outside leatherworking for leather in patterns. Surely the occasional piece of heavy armor or tailored cloth could use a little bit of leather in it, after all leatherworkers do make a great variety of mail now.
4) Creation of more high end specialized leathers used in epic recipes. Many skinners used to work on gathering Finkle's and enchants on the rare possibility of getting a hide from UBRS. What is there to get now? Cobra scales? Wind scales? Perhaps all leatherworking recipes that have a socket should also require a new high end magic infused leather.
This character isn't a skinner, but I have another who is specifically for farming, as skinning is now it's just as fast/effective for him to skin level 61 mobs as level 70s mobs, surely this isn't intended?