For WoW Classic Hunters, Leatherworking + Skinning is the strongest self-sufficient pair — Skinning feeds Leatherworking directly, and Leatherworking makes Devilsaur/Ammo Pouch/quiver gear plus Hunter-friendly mail-era leather. If you want gold instead of gear, take Skinning + Herbalism. Engineering is the top raid/PvP utility pick, and Blacksmithing is the weakest fit.
Hunter profession ranking at a glance
| Pick | Best for | Why |
| Skinning + Leatherworking | Levelling & solo play | You skin everything you already kill; the mats go straight into your own gear, bags and quivers. Zero auction house dependency. |
| Skinning + Herbalism | Gold | Two gathering skills, no material sink. Hunters cover ground fast and can pull-and-loot safely, so farming routes pay well. |
| Engineering (+ Mining) | Raiding & PvP | Bombs, grenades, trinket-slot gadgets, scopes for your ranged weapon, and travel/utility items. The single highest-impact profession in a fight. |
| Alchemy (+ Herbalism) | Consumable-heavy raiders | Self-supplied flasks, elixirs and pots. Steady value, no combat button. |
| Blacksmithing / Tailoring | Rarely worth it | Blacksmithing plate output does nothing for you; Tailoring cloth gear is off-armour-type. Take them only for the bag/AH business, not for Hunter power. |
The short version by playstyle
- Levelling 1–60 the cheap way: Skinning + Leatherworking. Skinning is free money the entire way up and levels itself from your normal kills.
- Pure gold: Skinning + Herbalism, then drop one later for a crafting skill once you're geared.
- Serious raiding: Engineering, paired with Mining to feed it. Scopes on your bow and consumable damage add real numbers to your parse.
- Battlegrounds / world PvP: Engineering. Explosives, gadgets and mobility tools swing 1v1s and flag fights more than any crafted chest piece.
- Don't overthink it: professions are cheap to relearn compared to the cost of levelling badly. Nothing here is permanent.
Is Engineering worth it for a Classic Hunter?
Yes, if you raid or PvP seriously. Engineering is the only profession that gives a Hunter buttons to press in a fight — thrown explosives, engineering-only gadgets, and scopes that improve your ranged weapon damage. The catch is cost: it's a material sink, it needs Mining alongside it to stay affordable, and it produces almost nothing you can sell profitably.
If you're mostly levelling or questing solo, skip it until 60. It pays off at endgame, not on the way there.
Do Hunters need Leatherworking specifically?
Not strictly — but it's the cleanest fit. Hunters wear mail from level 40, yet several of the most useful Hunter items in Classic are leather-crafted: ammo pouches and quivers (which directly affect your shot speed), plus armour kits and stat gear you can make in the levelling gap where mail drops are thin.
Skinning feeds it for free, so the pair costs you almost nothing but time. If you'd rather buy your quiver on the auction house, take gathering skills and sell the mats instead.
Which two professions should I take while levelling?
Skinning plus a second gathering skill. Crafting professions eat gold and time you need for mounts and skill training, and Hunters are constantly killing skinnable beasts anyway. At 60, drop the second gatherer for Leatherworking, Engineering or Alchemy depending on whether you want gear, raid utility or consumables.
What about Herbalism vs Mining for a Hunter?
Herbalism if you want gold or plan on Alchemy; Mining if Engineering is your endgame goal. Both track nodes on your minimap and both stack fine with Skinning. Herbalism generally sells better per hour in Classic because raid consumables consume herbs endlessly.
If you'd rather skip the grind to 60 entirely and start at endgame with professions already sorted, PewPewShop's vetted human players offer Profession-Aware Leveling from EUR 35.4 and class leveling from EUR 22.4 — coaching and play-together progression help, no bots or cheats. Plenty of players just use it for the levelling slog and do the raiding themselves.