Upon arriving at Hateno Village in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you will see that a bizarre new mushroom-themed fashion trend has taken over this once humble farming community. This trend came courtesy of Cece, a longtime resident of the village and lover of all things fashionable. When entering her house, which naturally comes with flashy mushroom signage, Cece will reveal to you the latest and greatest item in her new fashion line: the Cece Hat. Of course, she won’t just give it to you right out of the gate. But although it doesn’t appear to have any unique gameplay benefit that your other clothes don’t have, it does look fabulous, so you’ll definitely want to get your hands on it. This guide will go over how you can gain Cece’s trust and earn the Cece Hat in Tears of the Kingdom.
What to do to obtain the Cece Hat
Getting the hat requires that you go through a lengthy series of sidequests that make up Hateno Village’s primary questline. Speaking to Cece for the first time will reveal that she is at odds with Hateno’s mayor, Reede, who feels that her extravagant vision for the village disrupts the community’s traditionally quiet lifestyle. Cece then challenges him to a mayoral election, which every major quest in Hateno will revolve around in some way.
Cece’s quests
To help her odds in the election, Cece will request that you hand over a Hylian shroom to every resident who doesn’t wear a mushroom-themed outfit, excluding children and Reede’s own family. Regardless of whether or not you support Cece’s candidacy at this stage, you have to fulfill her request to progress in the questline, so you might as well get it out of the way now. You need to give a Hylian shroom to a total of eight residents, which are listed down below:
- Tamana, near the village entrance.
- Medda, tending the Hylian tomato field behind the first set of houses on the left.
- Leop, usually on the main path through the village.
- Uma, tending the empty crop field near Hateno School.
- Worten, just outside the inn.
- Dantz, outside at Hateno Pasture.
- Koyin, also at Hateno Pasture.
- Tokk, on the path to the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab.
Note that these characters won’t necessarily always show up at these exact locations. Each resident has their own schedule throughout the day, so you might need to explore a bit more depending on what time of day it is.
If you talk to Cece’s sister Sophie after initiating this quest, she will ask you to track down Cece at night to uncover any potential secrets she might be hiding. She will head outside the house at around 9:00 p.m. or so, at which point you can try to tail her without her noticing you. Every time, she will head inside the silo, so simply climb to its upper portion outside and crouch-walk through the small opening to eavesdrop on her. As it turns out, she loves eating the vegetables grown at Hateno Village, a fairly benign secret all things considered.
Screenshot via PC Invasion
Reede’s quests
When speaking to Mayor Reede at his house, he will say that he wants to reintroduce an old recipe that he developed alongside another resident but abandoned long ago to help him win the election. However, he cannot remember what that recipe was like, so you have to find out for him. Fortunately, you can find the answer at Hateno Pasture, where a message in a bottle sits floating in the middle of the pond out back.
Koyin wants this message since it comes from her great-grandfather, but she can’t reach it herself. Of course, this means you have to go retrieve it, but you can’t just go up and stuff it in your inventory. There are likely several ways you can take it outside of the pond, but my solution involved cutting down three trees and building a raft with them. Attaching a few fans I had on hand allowed me to move the raft toward the bottle and grab it using Ultrahand before arriving at the shore. Giving the bottle to Koyin reveals that the message contains a recipe for Hateno cheese, which is exactly what Reede was looking for. Take one of the cheeses to him to jog his memory.
Just like with Sophie, Reede’s wife Clavia worries that he may have a secret that could harm his election chances. She asks you to find a way inside the shed outside of their house, which Reede keeps locked at all times. We already have a guide that you can check out if you need help on how to enter this shed. It contains Reede’s diary, which details the mayor’s efforts to grow a vegetable that incorporates some of Cece’s signature style to appeal to the youth. Once again, a relatively harmless secret.
Screenshot via PC Invasion
Election time
Now that you have finished all of the above quests, the mayoral election can finally begin in earnest. Speaking with Sophie will kick off the election, which plays out entirely in a cutscene from here on out. Speaking in front of the village’s residents, Reede and Cece both lay out their respective visions for Hateno. Predictably, things go south between the two before Sophie intervenes. Both she and Clavia reveal Reede and Cece’s secrets in front of everyone, forcing them to admit that they have more in common than they realized. Cece then withdraws her candidacy, allowing Reede to win reelection by default. From now on, Cece and Reede work together on a shared vision for Hateno, one that embraces both the new and the old.
After the election, talking will Cece will reveal that you have indeed earned her trust, making you worthy of receiving the Cece Hat. Now, by wearing Cece’s Hat while exploring Tears of the Kingdom’s world, you can show your enemies that you are unbeatable both in combat and in looks. Even many of Hateno’s residents will comment on the hat if you speak to them with it on.
