Unpainted Mechanostrider

Unpainted Mechanostrider is a ground mount mechanostrider, one of the racial steeds of the Alliance gnomes. It is a stripped-down version of the standard Gnomeregan mechanostriders: a plain gray-steel chassis with no decorative paint, the characteristic "bird-like" silhouette on two legs and classic piston drives. The model has been around since the original version of the game and has remained one of the most recognizable mechanical mounts of the Alliance ever since.

The mount is sold by Milli Featherwhistle in Dun Morogh and is available to any gnome with no additional conditions. For other Alliance races, the mechanostrider becomes available only after reaching Exalted status with the Gnomeregan Exiles faction. The racial restriction was lifted back in patch 3.0.8 and has remained in effect in all subsequent expansions ever since, including The War Within.

• Gnome racial flavor — one of the few mounts that emphasizes the engineering style of Gnomeregan. A great choice for role-playing a gnome mechanic or for collectors of mechanical models.
• Full speed — once purchased, the mechanostrider uses your riding skill and accelerates to +60% or +100% over base movement speed, meaning it travels just as fast as any other ground mount.
• Available to all of the Alliance — at Exalted reputation with the Gnomeregan Exiles it can be bought by humans, dwarves, night elves, draenei and other Alliance races, not just gnomes.
• Account-wide — you only need to add the mount to your collection once, and it becomes available to all your Alliance characters.
• Symbolic price — in the modern version of the game racial mounts are sold for 1 gold, making the mechanostrider one of the cheapest purchases in the collection.

To obtain the mount, you need to meet several conditions. They are simple, but it is critical to observe the racial restrictions in particular.

1. Faction — Alliance only. The mount is unavailable to the Horde under any circumstances
2. Character level — at least 10. This is a formality: at the level cap of 80 in The War Within the threshold is already cleared
3. Riding skill — at least Apprentice Riding. Learned from any riding trainer in the capitals
4. Race — if your character is a gnome, there are no additional conditions and you can buy the mount right away. For all other Alliance races you need Exalted reputation with the Gnomeregan Exiles faction
5. Gold — 1 gold in the modern version of the game

Milli Featherwhistle stands in Steelgrill's Depot — a small workshop on the eastern edge of Kharanos in Dun Morogh. The easiest way to find her is via the hearthstone bound to Ironforge, followed by a gryphon flight.

1. Open the map and fly to Ironforge — for example, through a portal from your city or a portal stone in Orgrimmar/Stormwind-Ironforge
2. Take a gryphon from Gryth Thurden to the "Kharanos" point in Dun Morogh
3. From Kharanos, head east along the road for about a minute — Steelgrill's Depot is right by the roadside
4. Enter the round area with the ridable mechanostriders. Milli Featherwhistle stands between the stables surrounded by her mechanical charges

If you have the TomTom map addon installed, the command will create a waypoint right on the vendor.

1. Approach Milli Featherwhistle and open the trade window.
2. In the list of goods, find the Unpainted Mechanostrider. Next to it in the assortment you will also find the Green Mechanostrider, the Blue Mechanostrider and the Red Mechanostrider.
3. If you are not playing a gnome and your reputation with the Gnomeregan Exiles is below Exalted, the goods will be displayed in gray. The price may also be higher due to the reputation discount you do not have.
4. Buy the mount for 1 gold. The item will go into your bag.
5. Right-click the item in your bag — it will disappear and a new entry with the same name will be added to your mount journal. After that the mount is available to all Alliance characters on your account.

In addition to the unpainted variant, Milli sells the full set of classic mechanostriders. All of them require Exalted with the Gnomeregan Exiles for non-gnomes and cost 1 gold each in the modern version of the game.

Mount	Type	Note
Unpainted Mechanostrider	Normal speed	Gray model with no paint
Red Mechanostrider	Normal speed	Base red model
Blue Mechanostrider	Normal speed	Base blue model
Green Mechanostrider	Normal speed	Base green model
Swift Green Mechanostrider	Improved speed	Accelerated version
Swift White Mechanostrider	Improved speed	Accelerated version
Swift Yellow Mechanostrider	Improved speed	Accelerated version

If you are building a collection of Alliance racial mounts, it makes sense to buy all seven variants from Milli at once during a single visit.

This section is relevant for all non-gnome Alliance characters. For a gnome this step can be skipped.

The fastest way to reach Exalted is a tabard and farming dungeons from past expansions.

1. Head to Ironforge, the Great Forge district
2. Find Senior Mechanic Trini — the quartermaster of the Gnomeregan faction. She stands at the entrance to the Great Forge, around 55.4, 47.4
3. Buy the Gnomeregan Tabard from her

4. Put on the tabard and queue for dungeons from older expansions — starting with the heroic dungeons of Wrath of the Lich King and Cataclysm. All reputation from killing mobs inside will go to the Gnomeregan Exiles
5. Alternatively: turn in Runecloth to the Alliance cloth supply quartermaster in Ironforge. Each batch of 60 units gives a substantial boost to reputation
6. Complete quests in the gnome and dwarf starting zones — Dun Morogh and Loch Modan. Most of the local quests grant reputation with the Gnomeregan Exiles

The typical time to reach Exalted from scratch is 3 to 6 hours with a tabard, especially if you combine dungeons with reputation buffs (Darkmoon Faire, the human racial trait "Diplomacy" and so on).

• Check your reputation first — before flying to Steelgrill's Depot, open the "Reputation" tab and make sure your status with the Gnomeregan Exiles is indeed Exalted. If not, the tabard and old dungeons will solve the problem in a single evening.
• Grab all the mechanostriders at once — since you have made it to Milli Featherwhistle, buy the whole assortment. Each mount costs 1 gold, and you will not need to visit Dun Morogh again.
• Gnomes have an advantage — the gnome racial bonus gives them mechanostriders without any reputation farming at all. If you are only planning a character for a mechanical mount collection, a gnome is the most convenient choice.
• Don't confuse them with the fast models — Milli's "swift" mechanostriders (yellow, white, green) used to be higher level, but now all mechanostriders use your riding skill and travel equally fast. The only difference is the visual.
• Watch the price at low reputation — if you are not playing a gnome and buy the mount before reaching Exalted, even with the assortment unlocked the price tag may turn out higher than after maximum reputation. On the modern patch this is only a few silver coins, but the fact is worth keeping in mind.