Leather is one of those essential materials you’ll need throughout your entire Hytale journey. Whether you’re crafting armor, making Repair Kits, or upgrading your equipment, having a solid stockpile of leather is crucial. The process itself is straightforward—hunt animals, collect hides, tan them into leather—but there are a few nuances worth understanding, especially when it comes to the different leather types.
Let me walk you through everything you need to know about leather production in Hytale.
Check out full Hytale Guides Page
Building Your Tanning Rack in Hytale
Before you can turn hides into leather, you need a Tanning Rack. This is your leather-processing station, and it’s relatively cheap to build once you have a Workbench set up.
Tanning Rack Recipe
You’ll need:
- 6 Tree Trunks (any type)
- 3 Stone (any type)
- 3 Light Hide
Tree Trunks and Stone are everywhere—you’ll trip over them constantly while exploring. The real requirement here is Light Hide, which means you’ll need to hunt some animals before you can even build your tanning station. It’s a bit of a chicken-and-egg situation, but once you get that first Tanning Rack up, everything gets much easier.
Where to Get Animal Hides in Hytale
Hides come from animals, plain and simple. But not all hides are created equal—Hytale has three different types, and each produces a different grade of leather. Here’s the breakdown:
Light Hide → Light Leather
Best sources:
- Rabbits
- Goats
- Pigs
- Cows
- Deer/Stag
Light Hide is the most common and easiest to farm. These animals are everywhere, especially in temperate biomes. Interestingly, even cows—which are pretty large animals—still drop Light Hide rather than Medium or Heavy. Light Leather is what you’ll use for Repair Kits and early-game crafting recipes, so you’ll be collecting tons of this.
Medium Hide → Medium Leather
Best sources:
- Wolves
- Fen Stalkers
Medium Hide is a step up in rarity. Wolves can be found in various biomes, but Fen Stalkers are your best bet if you need to farm in bulk. These creature-like humanoids spawn pretty frequently in swamp and marsh biomes. One nice thing about Fen Stalkers: they’re common enough that setting up a farming route in a swamp can net you a ton of Medium Hide quickly.
Fun fact: Fen Stalkers don’t drop Linen Scraps like other humanoids, but they’re excellent for Medium Leather farming.
Heavy Hide → Heavy Leather
Best sources:
- Bears
- Mosshorns
Heavy Hide is the rarest and comes from the biggest, toughest animals in the game. Bears and Mosshorns aren’t as common as rabbits or pigs, and they hit harder too. You’ll want decent gear before hunting these regularly. Heavy Leather is used for high-tier crafting recipes, so it becomes more important as you progress toward endgame equipment like Adamantite gear made with Cindercloth Scraps.
How to Process Hides Into Leather
Once you’ve collected your hides, the actual tanning process is dead simple:
- Place hides into your Tanning Rack
- Wait while they automatically convert into leather
- Collect your finished leather
That’s it. No fuel, no additional materials, just time. The conversion happens automatically, but if you’re processing large quantities, consider building multiple Tanning Racks to speed things up. Two or three racks running simultaneously can really increase your output.
Building an Animal Ranch for Sustainable Leather
Here’s where things get smart: instead of constantly hunting wild animals, you can tame and ranch them. Hytale lets you lure and capture animals, which means you can create livestock farms for sustainable hide production.
Why Ranching is Worth It
- Consistent supply: No more wandering around hoping to find animals
- Renewable resource: Animals respawn or breed (depending on the mechanics)
- Safer: Farm animals on your property instead of hunting dangerous wildlife
- Efficient: Collect hides whenever you need them without traveling
Focus on ranching Light Hide animals (pigs, cows, rabbits) since you’ll use Light Leather constantly for Repair Kits. For Medium and Heavy Hides, you might still need hunting expeditions, but having a basic ranch eliminates a lot of early-game grinding.
Biome-Specific Hunting Tips
Different animals spawn in different biomes, so knowing where to look saves time:
- Temperate/Plains: Rabbits, pigs, cows, deer—your best bet for Light Hide farming
- Swamps/Marshes: Fen Stalkers everywhere—perfect for Medium Hide
- Forests: Wolves and bears spawn here for Medium and Heavy Hide
- Mountains/Cold biomes: Look for Mosshorns and bears for Heavy Hide
If you need a specific leather type, travel to the appropriate biome and set up a temporary hunting camp. Mark good spawn locations on your map so you can return later.
FAQ
Can I craft leather directly without a Tanning Rack?
Nope, you absolutely need a Tanning Rack to convert hides into leather. There’s no alternative method currently available in the game.
How long does it take to tan hides into leather?
The tanning process happens automatically over time, but the exact duration isn’t specified. It’s not instant—think of it like smelting in a furnace. If you’re in a hurry, build multiple Tanning Racks to process more hides simultaneously.
What’s the best animal to farm for leather?
For Light Leather, farm pigs or cows since they’re easy to ranch and provide a steady supply. For Medium Leather, hunt Fen Stalkers in swamp biomes they’re common and respawn regularly. For Heavy Leather, you’ll need to hunt bears or Mosshorns, which requires better gear and more effort.
Do I need different types of leather for different recipes?
Yes, crafting recipes specify which leather type they require. Light Leather is used for basic items like Repair Kits, while Medium and Heavy Leather are needed for higher-tier equipment and upgrades. Stock up on all three types as you progress through the game.
