Rough Hide is one of Windrose's most important early-to-mid game animal materials. It shows up quickly in the starter armor path, keeps turning up in practical equipment recipes, and remains relevant well after the opening tutorial because so many survival and combat crafts lean on leather.
Common Sources
Source | Notes |
|---|---|
The most common early source and the one most players learn through the tutorial | |
A Foothills source once the game gets more dangerous | |
Another later-biome animal source | |
Merchant: Animal Products | Windrose.tools lists Rough Hide among the advanced goods sold once local threats are cleared |
Where You Notice It First
Survivor's Set and the early armor path
Islander Quest, which explicitly walks the player into rough-hide use through the first armor step
Razor and other early weapon or gear recipes that ask for leather instead of only metal and wood
NPC Crew via boarding-related gear and other practical upgrade recipes that still want hide long after the tutorial
Why It Stays Relevant
Rough Hide sits in a useful middle ground. It is basic enough to farm in quantity, but valuable enough that you keep spending it on real upgrades instead of throwaway crafts. That is why groups on busy servers feel rough-hide shortages quickly. It is not rare, but it is heavily contested.
Verified Current References
Reference | What It Confirms |
|---|---|
Windrose.tools item database | Rough Hide exists as a current material item |
Windrose.tools equipment and weapon snippets | Rough Hide appears in current armor and weapon crafting recipes |
Current live Windrose wildlife pages | Boars, wolves, and other animals are documented sources |
Farming Advice
Do not wait until you need a full set or upgrade chain to start stockpiling it.
If your shared world has stripped the starter biome clean, switch to a quieter route or a different world before the shortage wastes more time than the farm would have taken.
If your base economy is online, check whether the Animal Products merchant route is enough to smooth shortages between hunting runs.
See Also
Animal Fat - the other animal-drop bottleneck tied to early utility gear
Survivor's Set - the earliest full armor step that depends on animal materials
Resources - broader gathering and processing context