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Well before you stumble into Hateno Village, you can encounter plenty of Hylian folk wearing mushroom-inspired hats. Ask them about it, and they'll tell you it's the latest fashion statement from Hateno's Cece. Naturally, with such a bold style to search after, you're going to want your own.
But Tears Of The Kingdom offers a unique version of Cece's branding just for Link. Hateno Village is about to go through an emergency election, and if you finish all the related side quests, you can strut around with this fashion ensemble for the rest of your playtime.
Updated by Wyatt Grondin on June 29, 2023: This guide summaries all needed quests to unlock the Hat, and since the original publication there are now full guides for each of the quests, so links have been added for readers who need extra help on any of the steps.
The Mayoral Election
Working backward for a second here, but the side quest that earns you Cece's Hat is called The Mayoral Election. This is the final stage of the quests, and the easiest to complete as it's only a cutscene and quick dialogue. Meaning the real issue is the five mandatory side quests you must finish to start The Mayoral Election.
Team Cece Or Team Reede?
The longest side quest in this series is Team Cece Or Team Reede, so you should start this one first and finish the others while working on it. You start this quest by speaking with Cece after watching the cutscene of her challenging Mayor Reede to the election, and you'll be tasked with handing 10 Hylian Mushrooms to 10 Hateno Village residents who Cece thinks plan on voting for Reede.
Cece's Secret And Reede's Secret
Two more side quests revolve around a possibly dark secret for both election candidates. Reede's wife Clavia will be the quest giver for Reede's Secret, and what you have to do is enter the nearby well and find your way to the tunnel under Reede's shack, you can place a map pin to help. Once in the right spot, use Ascend as long as it is the middle of the day when Reede isn't there. You'll read a journal to discover all Reede is keeping secret is that he wants to try and decorate some vegetables like Cece's clothes to make farming popular with the youth.
The quest giver for Cece's Secret is Sophie, Cece's sister who will ask you to tail her. You speak with Sophie when she is outside the shop, so Cece can't hear you, and all you have to do is silently follow Cece to the tower right across the street from the shop. She'll close the door behind her, so just climb to the top of the tower and walk into the open window. Cece's secret will be that she likes carrots. That's not a joke.
A Letter To Koyin & A New Signature Food
Koyin is one of the voters you need to give a mushroom, so while you're already talking to her, you can start the quest A Letter To Koyin where you have to grab a message bottle from the pond. You can't pick up the bottle while swimming, so you'll have to cut down the nearby trees to make a raft, then Ultrahand when you are close enough. Return this bottle to Koyin and she'll read it, it's from her great-grandfather and contains the secret to making Hateno Cheese. Return to Koyin when she's inside, and she'll give you Cheese as a reward as well as complete this quest.
After that's done, go speak with Mayor Reede. Reede recently remembered he and an elder were once planning on making some sort of food that he knows will sell well, which will help Hateno's economy as well as possibly boost his polls. Since you already invented the Cheese, Link will silently tell Reede about it, and this will automatically complete the quest.
These two quests are essential outside the election, as Hateno Cheese will now be a product to buy from traveling merchants.
Getting The Hat
After the cutscene, the election will be canceled due to Cece forfeiting and her and Reede's old friendship restored. There are a couple of rewards for finishing the election, including Cece's Hat. As for the Hat, as Sophie says, you'll now be a fashion icon for having an item not yet ready for market. If you wear Cece's Hat you will get unique dialogue bubbles from NPCs also wearing Cece's outfits who will remark how stylish you look. As a piece of armor, Cece's Hat has a default stat of 3, an equal stat with most default armor.
When it comes to stats, this is sadly the best you'll get. The Cece Hat cannot be upgraded by a Great Fairy, so it will always stay at 3 for defense. As it's a piece without a set, there are also no abilities granted by wearing it either, unless you count the bonus dialogue boxes from specific NPCs. The Cece Hat will effectively be a useful headpiece for the early game as it's on par with almost everything else, but should probably be left in your inventory once you can upgrade your armor. That said, it makes for a dazzling self-imposed challenge run to wear the Hat as far as the final boss and beyond.
Also, Cece will finally open her boutique with the election side quests finished. Letting you buy basic Hylian armor from the mannequins, but more importantly, talking to Cece directly will let you buy back any special armor you've previously found even if you lost or sold it. Also, Cece can give you a "fashion check" where she'll give you style points out of a hundred. It does nothing, but it can be surprisingly rewarding to have an NPC complement you on finding and wearing full armor sets. And yes, she gives an automatic 100 if you wear her hat.