If you’ve spent dozens of hours trekking across the post-apocalyptic United Cities of America in Death Stranding 2, you’ve probably noticed that small, fun customizations make the long delivery runs feel far more personal. Out of all the cosmetic options you can unlock, death stranding 2 all hats are some of the most sought-after, both for their silly, charming designs and the tiny, unexpected perks many of them offer. I’ve spent over 80 hours hunting down every single hat in the game, so I put together this full breakdown to help you skip the frustrating guesswork and grab every last one for your porter.
What Makes Death Stranding 2 All Hats Worth Collecting?
A lot of players write off cosmetic items in Death Stranding games as pointless fluff, but that’s a huge mistake here. Most of the higher tier hats come with small but noticeable perks that make your runs far less frustrating, especially when you’re trekking through harsh timefall storms or steep mountain ranges.
Weather resistance boosts are the most common perk, cutting down the rate your gear degrades when you’re caught in rain. NPC interaction bonuses make it easier to raise connection levels with preppers when you wear a hat they like, which cuts down the number of deliveries you need to do to get their higher tier rewards. Multiplayer profile flair also means any ladders, climbing anchors, or supply caches you leave for other players will show your custom hat next to your name, so other porters will recognize you when they use your builds.
I didn’t even notice the first hat I unlocked gave me 10% less timefall exposure until I did a 30km run through a heavy storm in the northern mountains, and my gear lasted almost twice as long as it usually does. That’s when I decided to hunt down every last one. If you’re working through death stranding 2 all hats, the small perks add up fast, even if you don’t care much about customization.
Rarity Tiers for All Hats in Death Stranding 2
All hats in the game are split into four rarity tiers, each with different unlock requirements and perk levels. You’ll unlock hats gradually as you play, but knowing what tier you’re targeting helps you plan your routes and priorities so you don’t waste time on low reward tasks. Here’s a full breakdown of each tier:
- Common hats: 12 total, unlocked automatically as you progress through main story chapters, no extra steps required. Most offer no gameplay perks, just basic customization, though a few give 5% resistance to mild timefall.
- Uncommon hats: 8 total, unlocked by raising connection levels to 3 with preppers scattered across the central and eastern regions. Many offer 5-10% timefall resistance, and a few give small boosts to stamina recovery when you’re walking on flat ground.
- Rare hats: 5 total, unlocked by completing hidden side delivery quests with S rank ratings. All offer 15% timefall resistance and a small boost to NPC goodwill when worn, meaning you get extra likes for deliveries to that prepper’s shelter.
- Legendary hats: 3 total, unlocked by completing endgame challenge runs or hidden collectible hunts. Offer 25% timefall resistance and unique bonuses like reduced stamina loss when climbing slopes or reduced damage from falls under 5 meters.
Most players will unlock all common hats without trying by the time they finish chapter 6, but the rarer tiers require you to go out of your way to explore off the main delivery path. I missed two uncommon hats on my first playthrough because I skipped connecting two remote prepper shelters in the mountain region, so don’t forget to check every marked shelter on your map as you go.
Step-by-Step Methods to Unlock Every Missable Hat
Out of the 28 total hats in the game, 7 are missable if you progress too far through the main story without completing their associated quests. You can still unlock them via chapter select after you beat the game, but it’s far easier to grab them as you go to avoid replaying large chunks of the story.
The Chiral Bunny Ear Hat is one of the most commonly missed. You get it by delivering 10 lost toys to the elderly prepper in the northern mountain zone, and you have to do this before you finish chapter 10 otherwise the quest expires. The toys are scattered across the region near abandoned bunkers, and they’re marked with a small blue icon on your map when you get within 100 meters of them.
The Fragile Express Custom Cap is another fan favorite that many players miss. You need to raise your connection level with Fragile to 5, which requires completing all 7 of her special high-priority delivery requests. These requests unlock gradually as you progress through the main story, so make sure you check her delivery board every time you visit a distribution center she’s stationed at.
The Old Porter Knit Beanie is the only hat in the game that’s completely unmarked on the map. You can find it in a hidden bunker just east of the South Knot City distribution center, and you need a level 2 lockpick to get inside. I stumbled on it completely by accident when I took a shortcut through a narrow ravine to avoid a timefall storm, so keep an eye out for unmarked cave entrances as you explore.
Common Mistakes to Avoid When Hunting for Hats
It’s easy to miss out on hats if you’re only focused on pushing through the main story, but a few simple habits will help you grab almost every hat without extra effort. First, don’t ignore low-priority side deliveries. A lot of players skip them because they don’t give main story progress, but almost half the rare hats are tied to these quests, and they usually only take 10 or 15 minutes to complete.
Second, don’t sell or turn in random lost cargo before checking its description. Some lost cargo items are required to unlock specific hat quests, and if you turn them in to the wrong distribution center, you’ll have to wait for the item to respawn somewhere in the world, which can take hours of playtime. I made this mistake with a lost stuffed bear that was required for the Chiral Bunny Ear Hat quest, and I spent three hours hunting for a new one before it finally spawned again.
Never skip checking your private room wardrobe after completing a major story beat. Some hats unlock automatically but you have to manually add them to your loadout, so a lot of players don’t even realize they have new hats available. I found three common hats I didn’t know I’d unlocked when I finally remembered to check my wardrobe halfway through my first playthrough.
You also don’t have to complete every hat hunt in a single playthrough. If you missed a hat after beating the main story, you can use chapter select to jump back to any point in the game, and all collectibles you unlock carry over to your main save. That means you don’t have to start a brand new playthrough just to grab one missing hat.
At the end of the day, collecting death stranding 2 all hats is a fun side activity that adds extra personality to your porter, plus the small gameplay perks make long, tough delivery runs a little bit easier. You don’t have to hunt them all down in one go. Take your time and pick up a few each time you do a run through a new region, and you’ll have the full collection before you know it. Even if you only care about the legendary hats with the biggest perks, hunting down the lower tier ones will help you get more familiar with the map and build stronger connections with preppers across the continent, which benefits every part of your playthrough.
