The Trees Hate You top hat is a cosmetic headpiece found inside a wooden treasure chest near the final stretch of Chapter 1. Under normal conditions, walking forward after opening the chest triggers a scripted tree ambush that steals the hat and rips it in half. However, players can permanently keep the hat on their character model for the rest of the level by grabbing it from the chest and immediately dying before the scripted theft occurs.
Where to Find the Top Hat Chest
In developer Tykenn's demo of Trees Hate You, the top hat is located in the later section of the forest path, shortly before reaching the arcade machine and the road crossing.
To reach the chest:
- Progress through the forest past the wanted poster displaying your customized character's face.
- Navigate past the alternating arrow signs and the explosive rolling apple hazards.
- Look for a side path leading to a lower ledge with a brown treasure chest sitting out in the open.
- Interact with the chest to trigger the message: "You found a top hat."
Your character model immediately equips the tall black top hat upon opening the chest.
Why the Trees Normally Steal the Hat
Trees Hate You is designed around trap gags and subversive comedy. When you proceed along the main path with the top hat equipped, a nearby tree jumps out, grabs the hat directly off your head, and tears it to pieces, leaving your character bareheaded and displaying a defeated facial expression.
If you continue through the level normally after this trigger, the chest remains empty on future visits within that run, and your hat is permanently lost for that attempt.
How to Keep the Top Hat (The Respawn Trick)
Players discovered a simple workaround that bypasses the tree's theft trigger entirely by taking advantage of the game's checkpoint respawn mechanics:
- Locate the Chest: Clear the preceding hazards so you have access to the chest area.
- Collect the Top Hat: Open the chest to put the hat on your character.
- Die Immediately: Do not walk forward toward the scripted tree. Instead, intentionally let an adjacent hazard or nearby enemy tree (such as the black tree or surrounding traps) eliminate you right at the spot.
- Respawn at the Checkpoint: When your character respawns at the flag checkpoint, the game retains your equipped cosmetic status.
- Proceed Along the Route: Continue forward along the path. Because the trigger sequence was interrupted by the death reset, the tree will not snatch the hat, allowing you to wear it all the way to the stage exit.
What the Top Hat Does
According to the official Steam store page, Trees Hate You features collectible hats ranging from stylish to ugly. The top hat is purely cosmetic:
- It provides no defensive armor, extra health, or protection against tree bullets, rolling logs, or tripping roots.
- It stays visible on your custom character model during standard movement and cutscenes.
- It proves you outsmarted one of the game's earliest scripted troll encounters.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does wearing the top hat change the ending of the demo?
No. Reaching the end of the forest while wearing the top hat still leads to the standard Chapter 1 sequence where your character attempts to escape, encounters the tree driving the vehicle, and ascends the white staircase toward the angel tree.
Can you get the top hat in Challenge Mode?
Yes. The chest remains present in Challenge Mode, which is unlocked after completing the demo once. While Challenge Mode removes random environmental variations and introduces tighter, more restrictive trap placements, the chest and the hat mechanic function the same way.
Does pressing Tab help you keep the hat?
No. The wooden sign earlier in the forest suggests pressing Tab if you get stuck to "check for trees," but doing so triggers a menu gag that immediately kills your character.
