Learn how to get Leather and what it can be used for
Durable, versatile, and strong. In 7 Days to Die, these are all qualities you want from the materials you use in crafting. Leather is a natural choice for anything requiring a more durable textile than cloth. Armor, weapons, mods, furniture, tools, and much more all require Leather to craft.
This guide will teach you everything you need to know about finding, scrapping, and harvesting Leather in 7 Days to Die and how it can be used to your advantage.
How to get Leather in 7 Days to Die
There are several different ways to collect Leather, but depending on which biome you are in, one tactic may be much more effective than the others.
Here are 3 of the best ways to get Leather in 7 Days to Die:
1. Scrapping Leather Items
One method of gathering Leather is to reclaim it from objects and equipment formed from it. Keep in mind that most items created with Leather in their recipe won’t necessarily return it when scrapped. Office chairs, Leather couches, Leather armor and clothing, and Knuckle Wraps are all made primarily of Leather and will return a fair amount when harvested with a tool or scrapped in your inventory.
2. Salvaging Vehicles
Among the numerous valuable parts that can be reclaimed from rusted cars, trucks, and other vehicles found on the roads, Leather can also be salvaged from their seats. Just be sure you are using a Salvaging Tool such as a Wrench, Ratchet, or Impact Driver, or you may end up carelessly destroying your salvage target instead.
3. Harvesting Animals
Harvesting animal carcasses is definitely the fastest way to accrue Leather. Not only can healthy animals such as deer and mountain lions be skinned, but players can also collect Leather from certain zombified animals such as zombie dogs and zombie bears.
Though any sharp tool may be used, we strongly recommend using a Blade weapon such as a Bone Knife, Hunting Knife, or Machete to maximize the amount of materials you harvest.
Tips and tricks for farming Leather
Leather is a valuable and commonly used resource that is required for numerous crafting recipes at all levels of progression. You’ll need Leather quite often, so here are three tips on the fastest ways to farm Leather.
1. Hunting Perks
Investing skill points in The Huntsman perk can greatly increase the amount of resources the player harvests from animals. Additionally, putting points into the Animal Tracker perk can highlight animals on the player’s map and make locating and killing wild animals much easier.
2. Wildlife Biomes
Hunting wild animals may be much easier or much harder, depending on what biome you are in. The Pine Forest Biome has the highest concentration of herbivores, but the Snow Biome has many more animals, though most are dangerous predators. The Wasteland Biome has plenty of zombie animals, but don’t expect hunting them to be a simple or safe matter.
3. Farms and Kennels
Many farms around Navezgane still have many animals trapped in and around them that can be killed and skinned. However, these boars and other creatures are likely to be starved and aggressive, so be cautious. As dark as it is, dog kennels are also great locations for farming up Leather, as they are filled to the brim with vicious, angry zombie dogs that can be harvested for Leather as well.
Using Leather in 7 Days to Die
As sturdy and versatile as Leather is as a material, it’s no surprise there are so many recipes that require it. While there are too many to cover all in one place, here are some of the general categories of items that can be crafted with this useful resource.
1. Armor
Not only is there an entire suit of armor that relies on Leather as its outer layer, but several heavier armor types also use Leather for an underlayer of padding. Leather Armor is a mid-tier light armor that is quiet and easy to move in, while heavier Scrap and metal armors are more protective but also more restrictive.
2. Weapons
Several different melee weapons require small amounts of Leather to be wrapped around their handles for a grip. Additionally, many bows and crossbows require Leather for padding and the creation of sinew strings and dampeners.
3. Tools
Axes, picks, and other hand tools require strips of Leather for wrapping handles and grips to provide better leverage. Additional Leather may be required for higher-quality tools.
4. Forges and Bellows
Crafting the incredibly important Forge workstation or the Advanced Bellows upgrade for the forge will both require suitable amounts of leather. Creating advanced metals such as Forged Iron and Forged Steel will be impossible without this workstation, and the advanced bellows can greatly speed up smelting times.
5. Furniture
Several different furniture styles, such as office chairs and Leather couches, are crafted from Leather. Though unnecessary, these items can be used to decorate your base and make it homey.
6. Vehicle Parts
Just as Leather can be harvested from the husks of old vehicles, it is needed to construct new vehicle parts. If you want a vehicle such as a Bicycle or 4×4 Truck (and trust us, you do) you’re probably going to need to find some Leather.
7. Mods
Almost every clothing mod and most armor mods require some measure of Leather to be used in their crafting. These mods can increase your carrying capacity, decrease the stamina cost of running in armor, and more.
Final thoughts on getting Leather in 7 Days to Die
There are a ton of uses in the apocalypse for strong, durable Leather. The Fun Pimps clearly felt that gathering and utilizing this sturdy material would be vital to the survival of craftier survivors, and we’re just glad it doesn’t all have to come from animals we’ve hunted.
If you’re looking for more tips to help you get started in Navezgane, check out our 10 Tips for Getting Started or our 7 Days to Die Beginner’s Guide.
