Overview
Tailoring converts cloth — Linen, Wool, Silk, Mageweave, Runecloth — into cloth armour, robes, bags, spellthread, and specialty items. It is the primary gear crafting profession for Mages, Priests, and Warlocks, and unlike every other primary crafting profession, it requires no gathering companion. Cloth drops from humanoid enemies throughout the entire game — every zone, every level range. There is no equivalent of Mining for ore routes or Skinning for beast farming; the material supply comes naturally from the enemies you are already killing while questing. This distinguishes Tailoring from every other primary crafting choice and is the single most important thing to understand about how the profession works.
The Enchanting pairing is where Tailoring reaches its full efficiency. Cloth armour and robes crafted through Tailoring can be disenchanted into Enchanting materials — and the disenchant output is consistently worth more than the vendor price of the crafted item. This creates a loop: buy cloth from the AH or gather from kills, craft bracers or robes for Tailoring skill-ups, disenchant the results for Enchanting materials, advance both professions simultaneously. Players who run this loop level both Tailoring and Enchanting more cheaply than players who level either profession in isolation. The Tailoring + Enchanting combination is the only profession pairing in the game where the output of crafting is consumed by the second profession rather than sold or used — a genuinely unique closed loop.
Bags are the profession's most enduring output. Every character in the game needs bag slots, the demand never diminishes, and Tailoring produces the best bags at each tier exclusively — no other profession can craft the Runecloth Bag (14 slots), Mageweave Bag (12 slots), or the Mooncloth Bag (16 slots, requires Mooncloth from a cooldown). On Turtle WoW's active server with a consistent new-player population and alt culture, bag demand is permanent. A Tailor who maintains a stock of large bags and posts them consistently will find buyers every week throughout the server's lifespan without any market condition worrying.
Quick facts
Best pairings
Enchanting
The Tailoring + Enchanting pairing is the tightest profession combination in vanilla WoW. The loop works like this: craft cloth items (bracers, gloves, bags at the cheapest material cost) for Tailoring skill-ups, then disenchant those items instead of vendoring them. Linen and Wool bracers become Strange Dust and Lesser Magic Essence. Mageweave and Silk items become Vision Dust and Nether Essence. Runecloth items become Illusion Dust and Eternal Essence. The disenchant output directly feeds Enchanting skill-ups and provides Enchanting materials for applying enchants. Both professions advance from the same cloth investment rather than requiring separate material streams. Players who level Enchanting without this loop spend significantly more gold buying Enchanting materials from the AH — the Tailoring feed reduces that cost dramatically across the 1–300 skill range.
Second primary of your choice
Because Tailoring requires no gathering companion, your second primary profession slot is genuinely free for whatever best serves your character. Cloth wearers commonly take Engineering for gadgets and PvP utility — the combination of cloth gear from Tailoring and combat tools from Engineering is popular on Mages and Warlocks. Alchemy is another strong option, using the second slot for consumable self-sufficiency while Tailoring handles gear. Even Blacksmithing or Leatherworking are occasionally seen on characters who want to supply alts or guildmates in multiple armour types. The absence of a gathering requirement means you are choosing based purely on what the second profession does for your character — not on what gathering it unlocks.
Account-wide bag production
On any account with multiple characters, a single Tailoring character functions as a bag factory for the entire roster. Runecloth Bags (14 slots, 300 Tailoring) and Mooncloth Bags (16 slots, require Mooncloth from a 4-day cooldown) are among the best bag options available in vanilla WoW and are craftable only by Tailors. Every new alt needs four bags. Every bank character needs six. Every time you level a new character, your Tailor fills the slots before the character even leaves the starting zone. On Turtle WoW where the alt culture is strong and the server's longer progression schedule keeps more characters active simultaneously, the bag supply role is more valuable than on a server where most players are tunnelled into a single main character.
Strengths and weaknesses
Why players take it
- No gathering requirement is the defining advantage. Blacksmithing needs Mining. Engineering needs Mining. Leatherworking needs Skinning. Tailoring needs nothing — humanoids drop cloth and they are everywhere. This means your second primary slot is free, your material cost is low, and you never have to choose between questing and farming a gathering route. For cloth-wearing classes who are already killing humanoids constantly, the profession essentially levels itself.
- The Enchanting loop is the most efficient dual-profession leveling strategy in the game. Crafting Wool Bracers for Tailoring skill-ups and disenchanting them for Strange Dust and Greater Magic Essence costs less than buying those Enchanting materials directly from the AH at almost every tier. Players who run both professions together on the same character spend less gold total than players who level either profession in isolation.
- Bags are permanent income with no demand ceiling. Every character in the game needs them, new players join the server regularly, and alts are created continuously. Mageweave Bags (12 slots, 225 Tailoring), Runecloth Bags (14 slots, 300 Tailoring), and Mooncloth Bags (16 slots, Mooncloth required) have consistent AH buyers year-round. A Tailor who keeps bags posted never has to worry about whether their specific recipe is currently in demand.
- Mooncloth is a unique 4-day cooldown craft that produces Mooncloth from Felcloth. Mooncloth is used in Mooncloth Bags (16-slot, best non-epic bag), the Truefaith Vestments (Priest pre-raid BiS), and several other endgame recipes. The cooldown nature means supply is permanently limited — a dedicated Mooncloth farmer who crafts every 4 days and maintains stock has a recipe with perpetual demand and limited competition from other sellers.
- On Turtle WoW, Spellcloth, Shadowcloth, and Primal Mooncloth equivalents aside, the crafted caster gear from Tailoring — Robe of the Archmage, Robe of Power, various Runecloth robes — serves as genuine pre-raid gear rather than throwaway items. The server's longer gearing pace means a well-crafted robe might be worn for weeks before a raid piece replaces it, making the self-supply value higher than on rush servers where everything is replaced immediately.
What to watch out for
- Tailoring has almost no output value for non-cloth wearers. Plate characters, leather wearers, and mail users get nothing from the armour output. The bags are universal, but if you are a Warrior or Paladin taking Tailoring specifically for personal gear, you have made a poor profession choice — there is no crafted plate, mail, or leather in Tailoring's output at all.
- The Enchanting pairing competes with First Aid for your cloth supply on the same character. Tailoring skill-ups, Enchanting disenchant feedstock, and First Aid bandages all consume the same raw cloth — Linen, Wool, Silk, Mageweave, Runecloth. In the Mageweave bracket especially, competition between the three users can create friction. Plan which usage gets priority at each tier and farm a surplus before entering brackets where all three compete.
- Mooncloth's 4-day cooldown means you cannot speed through it. Players who want to craft Mooncloth Bags in quantity need to plan ahead and maintain the cooldown rhythm — craft on cooldown every time, never skip a cycle, and stockpile Felcloth in advance. Missing cycles is permanently lost Mooncloth that you cannot recover.
- The bag market can be competitive on active servers. Many Tailors post bags, which keeps prices normalised. The margin per bag is real but not dramatic — the income is consistent rather than large per transaction. Do not expect Mooncloth Bags to sell for the same markup on an established server that they command at launch when supply is scarce.
Best classes and playstyles
Mages are the natural Tailoring class — they wear cloth exclusively, generate Arcane Crystals and other endgame materials, and the self-supplied caster gear fills every gear slot directly. A Mage with Tailoring + Enchanting is arguably the most self-contained character in the game: they craft their own gear, disenchant the excess, and apply their own enchants. The Robe of the Archmage (300 Tailoring, requires Arcanite Bars and Rune Thread) is a genuine pre-raid caster robe that Mages can craft and wear before ever stepping into a raid instance. Priests get a specific premium piece from Tailoring: Truefaith Vestments, a Mooncloth-crafted chest piece that is considered pre-raid BiS for Holy Priests. This single item — requiring significant Mooncloth farming on a 4-day cooldown cycle — is one of the clearest examples of Tailoring producing a directly class-specific gear item of genuine endgame quality. A Priest Tailor who plans ahead and farms Mooncloth across the leveling journey can craft Truefaith Vestments the moment they hit the required skill, arriving at their first raid already wearing the BiS chest. Warlocks benefit from Tailoring's caster robes and the Spellweave and Ebonweave equivalents in the endgame range, plus the same Enchanting loop efficiency that Mages and Priests enjoy from the combination.
Leveling, gold, and endgame notes
Cloth flows — keep crafting as you go
Tailoring levels naturally alongside questing because humanoids are the most common enemy type in the game and every one of them drops cloth. Linen from starter zones carries you to 75. Wool from Hillsbrad, Redridge, and Stonetalon pushes through 150. Silk from Stranglethorn, Desolace, and Dustwallow handles 150–225. Mageweave from Tanaris, Feralas, and Badlands covers 225–260. Runecloth from Plaguelands, Felwood, and Winterspring finishes to 300. The only deliberate step required is visiting Tailoring trainers at 75, 150, and 225 skill to unlock each new tier. Everything else — material supply, skill advancement, wearable upgrades — follows from questing. If you are running the Enchanting loop alongside it, remember that cloth is competing between Tailoring skill-ups, Enchanting feedstock, and First Aid bandages — farm a surplus buffer in each tier before you need it.
Bags, Mooncloth, and the Enchanting loop
Tailoring's three gold streams are distinct in character. Bags: consistent, low-margin, permanent demand. Mageweave Bags (12 slots) and Runecloth Bags (14 slots) sell to every new character and alt on the server indefinitely. Post regularly, undercut reasonably, and treat it as passive background income rather than a primary gold source. Mooncloth: limited supply, premium price. The 4-day cooldown on Mooncloth production means total server supply is capped by how many active Tailors are cycling the cooldown. Felcloth drops from Tainted creatures in Felwood and Demonic creatures in Blasted Lands — farm it in advance. Mooncloth sells both raw (to other Tailors for bags and Truefaith Vestments) and as crafted Mooncloth Bags. Enchanting loop: not AH income, but gold saved. Running the Tailoring-to-disenchant cycle means your Enchanting materials cost you cloth prices rather than AH material prices — significant over the full 1–300 Enchanting skill range.
BiS pieces and the cloth gear ceiling
Tailoring's PvE high points are specific crafted items with genuine endgame quality. Truefaith Vestments (Mooncloth chest, Holy Priest pre-raid BiS) is the clearest example — a Priest who plans ahead and farms Mooncloth can wear a BiS chest piece into their first raid without ever needing a drop. Robe of the Archmage (300 skill, Arcanite Bars + Rune Thread) is a strong pre-raid Mage and Warlock robe. Felcloth Robe and Hood provide solid shadow caster stats for Warlocks and shadow Priests. On Turtle WoW specifically, where the gearing pace is slower and players wear individual pieces for longer periods before upgrades arrive, these crafted items represent months of use value rather than one-week placeholders. The investment in Mooncloth farming or Arcanite sourcing pays back across an extended gear phase rather than being immediately obsoleted.
Skill level milestones
1–75 — Apprentice: Linen Cloth
Bolt of Linen Cloth (1 skill) and Linen Bag are your first crafts. Heavy Linen Gloves and Reinforced Linen Cape carry you through this range. If you are also leveling Enchanting, craft Linen Bracers specifically to disenchant — they are cheap to make and yield Strange Dust reliably. Visit a Tailoring trainer at 75 to learn Journeyman and unlock Wool recipes. Keep a stack of Linen Bolts for later First Aid competition — decide now whether your Linen surplus goes to Enchanting feedstock or First Aid bandages, as both need it.
75–150 — Journeyman: Wool and Silk
Bolt of Woolen Cloth and Simple Kilt are your early Journeyman crafts. Double-stitched Woolen Shoulders at 115 and Fine Woolen Cape at 120 are reliable skill-ups. At 130, Silk begins — Bolt of Silk Cloth, Azure Silk Hood, and Silk Headband carry you toward 150. Wool Bracers (any type) for Enchanting disenchant feedstock remain efficient in this range — disenchant for Greater Magic Essence. Buy Expert Tailoring training at 150 to continue. By this point you should have a clear supply plan for the Mageweave tier ahead.
150–225 — Expert: Silk and Mageweave
The Red Mageweave and Azure Silk sets become your main skill-up crafts. Crimson Silk Vest (165) and Azure Silk Cloak are wearable upgrades for cloth characters in this range. At 200+, Mageweave Shirt, Mageweave Bracers, and Mageweave Gloves are your efficient crafts. At 215, Mageweave Bag (12-slot) unlocks — this is your first sellable bag of meaningful size and worth crafting in quantity for the AH. Vision Dust from disenchanting Silk and Mageweave items feeds your Enchanting directly. Buy Artisan Tailoring training at 225 to continue into Runecloth range.
225–300 — Artisan: Mageweave, Runecloth, Mooncloth
Runecloth Bag (14-slot, 260 skill) unlocks early in this range and is your second major sellable bag. Craft and post these consistently — demand is permanent. Felcloth recipes begin around 275: Felcloth Hood, Felcloth Gloves, Felcloth Robe are solid caster gear for endgame shadow specs. At 285, Mooncloth unlocks as a crafted material (4-day cooldown, requires Felcloth). Mooncloth feeds Mooncloth Bags (16-slot, 300 skill) and Truefaith Vestments. Begin the Mooncloth cooldown cycle as soon as you can craft it — every 4-day cycle you miss is permanently lost Mooncloth. Runecloth Pants and Robes fill the remaining skill-ups to 300.
Key endgame crafts to plan for
Truefaith Vestments (Holy Priest pre-raid BiS chest): requires Mooncloth x8, Felcloth x4, Rune Thread x1, plus a world drop pattern from humanoid mobs in Stratholme and Scholomance. Hunt the pattern actively — it is a world drop and not guaranteed from trainers. Robe of the Archmage (strong pre-raid caster robe): requires Arcanite Bar x4, Bolt of Runecloth x20, and a trainer recipe at 300 skill. Source Arcanite Bars from transmutation Alchemists (Thorium + Arcane Crystal). Mooncloth Bag (16 slots, best non-epic bag): requires Mooncloth x4, accumulated from the cooldown cycle over time. The most consistently in-demand Tailoring item on any server at any progression stage.
300 — Mooncloth cycle and pattern hunting
At 300 Tailoring skill the profession's ongoing value is Mooncloth production and recipe collection. Craft Mooncloth on cooldown every 4 days without exception — each craft requires 2 Felcloth and produces 1 Mooncloth at a moonwell (Moonglade and various other locations). Sell Mooncloth raw or convert to Mooncloth Bags. Actively hunt world drop patterns: Truefaith Vestments from undead humanoids in Stratholme/Scholomance, Robe of the Void from Aku'mai in Blackfathom Deeps (rare), and various other rare caster robes from dungeon and outdoor rare mobs. A Tailor with a complete rare pattern library and a consistent Mooncloth cycle is a permanent server resource with steady income and utility that never goes stale.
Turtle WoW takeaway
Tailoring is the profession with the lowest barrier to entry and the most durable long-term income source in the game. No gathering companion. No dedicated farming routes. No RNG for material supply beyond whatever dungeon the cloth came from. You quest, humanoids drop cloth, you craft, the profession advances. The simplicity of that loop is the point — and the bag income at the end of it never stops.
The Enchanting pairing is worth building around, not just mentioning. Players who level Tailoring + Enchanting together and run the disenchant loop consistently spend dramatically less on Enchanting materials than players who buy from the AH. The total gold cost of leveling both professions simultaneously via the Tailoring feed is lower than leveling either one in isolation. If you are a cloth-wearing class planning to take Enchanting — and cloth wearers are the natural Enchanting class — taking Tailoring as the companion is not just convenient, it is the financially optimal path to 300 Enchanting skill.
Truefaith Vestments is the Priest-specific case that should be made clearly. If you are playing a Holy Priest on Turtle WoW, planning to take Tailoring for this item alone is justifiable. It is pre-raid BiS for Holy Priest chest. The pattern is a world drop from Stratholme and Scholomance undead humanoids — farm it actively when you are running those instances. The Mooncloth required gives you a concrete cooldown goal to work toward during the leveling journey. Arriving at your first raid with the BiS chest piece already equipped, self-crafted, is one of the cleaner profession payoffs in the game.
The practical close: cloth-wearing class, taking Tailoring, pair it with Enchanting if you want both professions to advance efficiently, start the Mooncloth cooldown cycle as soon as you hit 285, and post Runecloth Bags on the AH every time you have materials. Everything else follows from those four habits.