Hateno Village Complete Guide — Tears of the Kingdom

Hateno Village is the research hub of East Hyrule — a thriving village notable for the Hateno Ancient Tech Lab (run by Purah), the unique Dye Shop, and Link's House (purchasable). It's one of the most content-dense villages in TotK, with multiple side quests, exclusive shops, and the Sheikah Lab upgrade system.

Getting to Hateno Village

From Kakariko Village: Head southeast from Kakariko on the road that crosses Necluda River. Continue past the East Akkala Stable junction and follow the coastal road to Hateno. 15–20 minutes.

From Lookout Landing: East road → through Necluda → southeast toward Hateno. Total 25–30 minutes on foot.

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Hateno Ancient Tech Lab — Purah's Upgrades

Purah runs the lab at the top of Hateno Village. She offers Purah Pad upgrades that enhance Link's abilities throughout the game.

Available upgrades (in sequence):

Camera

• Unlock condition: Complete Purah's first request (photograph 3 subjects near Lookout Landing)
• Effect: Adds camera function to Purah Pad — required for all Compendium photography and the Sensor upgrade
• Cost: Free (quest reward)

Sensor

• Unlock condition: Bring Purah specific materials (varies by playthrough state)
• Effect: The sensor beeps near specific registered subjects — invaluable for Korok Seed hunting and material farming
• Cost: Free + material delivery

Sensor+

• Unlock condition: Complete Robbie's questline at Akkala Tech Lab
• Effect: Upgraded sensor range and visual indicator
• Cost: Free (Robbie questline reward)

Autobuild

• Unlock condition: Complete the Great Sky Island tutorial area
• Effect: Reconstruct previously built Zonai contraptions automatically from schematics
• Cost: Free (story unlock)

Priority: Unlock Camera and Sensor as soon as possible. Both dramatically improve exploration efficiency.

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The Cece Side Quests — Hateno Hat Shop

Cece is a local hat designer who has become mayor of Hateno Village, causing a rift with previous mayor Reede. Her quest chain (the "Team Cece or Team Reede" questline) is one of TotK's more entertaining village drama arcs.

Quest overview:

1. "The Mayoral Election" — Cece and Reede are competing for mayor. Talk to both.
2. "Team Cece or Team Reede" — Help Cece design hats for the festival
3. "A New Shade of Blue" — Deliver dye samples for Cece's signature design
4. Conclusion — The election concludes based on your choices

Reward: Completing Cece's questline unlocks her exclusive hat shop with unique headwear not sold anywhere else. The Cece Hat provides a cosmetic unique to this questline.

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Hateno Dye Shop

The Kochi Dye Shop in Hateno Village is the only place in TotK to dye armor. Service cost: 20 rupees per dye job.

How it works: Talk to Sayge (the dye shop owner) with the armor piece you want to dye equipped. Select any color from the available palette. The dye is permanent until you re-dye.

Colors available: 15 standard colors + Hateno Blue (exclusive to this shop — a deep ocean blue not available anywhere else).

Best use: Dye your primary combat armor set a recognizable color for quick identification in the inventory. The Phantom Armor dyed black is a popular cosmetic choice.

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Link's House

Location: On the west hillside of Hateno Village — the abandoned house with "For Sale" sign.

Cost to purchase: 3,000 rupees (paid to Bolson Construction in one transaction)

What you get:

• Permanent house — fastest-travel point in Hateno with the shrine fast-travel
• Weapon/bow/shield display mounts (hold up to 3 of each)
• Garden that passively generates basic ingredients (vegetables, mushrooms)
• Bed that restores HP (free sleep, same as inn)
• Optional room upgrades from Bolson (700 rupees total for all rooms)

Room upgrades (optional, from Bolson):

• Storage loft: Display 3 additional weapons
• Guest room: Allows a companion NPC (cosmetic)
• Kitchen: Cooking pot inside the house
• Garden expansion: More plant yields

Why purchase: The house is entirely optional but the weapon display is useful for showcasing endgame gear, and the fast-travel point at Hateno Shrine makes Hateno Village the most convenient fast-travel hub in Necluda.

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Hateno Village Shops

East Wind General Store

Stock: Arrows × 10, cooking ingredients, swords (basic tier), shields Exclusive: Hateno Cheese — a rare cooking ingredient that adds bonus HP when cooked. Only sold here.

Kochi Dye Shop

See Dye Shop section above.

Hateno Dye Clothing Shop

Stock: Base-tier clothing pieces in Hateno Blue color scheme Why visit: Occasionally stocks cosmetics not found elsewhere in East Hyrule.

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Hateno Village Well

Contents:

• Large underground room — one of the most complex wells in the game
• Chest 1: Ancient Arrow × 2 (very high value)
• Chest 2: Opal × 3
• NPC: A Hylian researcher studying ancient tech underground
• Secret passage to the Hateno Village waterfall (use to exit without climbing back)

Access: The well entrance is next to the dye shop in the central village plaza. Multiple Ascend exits available through the ceiling.

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The Horseback Swordsmanship Side Quest

NPC: Jini, near the east stable at Hateno Quest: Demonstrate mounted combat techniques to Jini — perform specific sword combos while on horseback

Techniques required:

1. Mounted charge attack (gallop + hold attack)
2. Mounted sideways slash (gallop + attack left/right)
3. Mounted charged strike (gallop + hold attack for 2 seconds, release)

Reward: Jini gives Link the Knights Uniform — a cosmetic armor set with moderate defense, a Knight aesthetic, and a unique silhouette.

Tips: Practice mounted attacks near the Hateno Stable before starting the quest. The charge attack is the hardest to time consistently.

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Hateno Research Festival (Seasonal Event)

Trigger: After completing a specific number of Compendium photos Event: A festival near the Lab where Hateno residents celebrate research discoveries Reward: 500 rupees + Purah gives Link a rare ingredient (varies by save state)

This event triggers roughly mid-game after 50+ Compendium entries — a natural reward for active exploration.

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Hateno Village Complete Checklist

• [ ] Speak to Purah — unlock Camera upgrade
• [ ] Complete Purah's Camera quest → unlock Sensor
• [ ] Complete Robbie's questline (Akkala) → unlock Sensor+
• [ ] Purchase Link's House (3,000 rupees) + optional rooms (700 rupees)
• [ ] Dye at Kochi Dye Shop (Hateno Blue exclusive)
• [ ] Complete Cece/Reede questline → unlock hat shop
• [ ] Complete Horseback Swordsmanship quest (Knights Uniform reward)
• [ ] Collect Hateno Village Well (Ancient Arrow × 2, Opal × 3)
• [ ] Buy Hateno Cheese from East Wind for cooking experiments

Hateno Village is the most mechanically dense village in TotK — the Lab upgrades fundamentally change how you explore, and Link's House is one of the best optional investments in the game. Complete Hateno fully before moving to Gerudo or Hebra.